#ALGORITHMS: "2nd Gen Find-My-Car Smarter Than Ever"

If you've ever forgotten where you parked your car, now there's an app for that. I lost my car the last time I parked in the narrow streets of New Orleans early in the evening (before festivities), but many people have the same trouble at the mall. Consisting of a small Bluetooth dongle for your car plus the iPhone-4S app, it automatically remembers where your car is parked, displaying its location on a map. The new second-generation version adds cloud sync, parking meter reminders and street sweeping warnings: R. Colin Johnson


FindMyCarSmarter app works with a Bluetooth dongle to automatically remember where you parked your car, showing its location on a map.

Here is what FindMyCarSmarter says about its second generation app:
We’ve introduced a system that uses the Bluetooth Smart radio in the iPhone 4S to automatically mark your car's location whenever you park. Our app runs in the background so there is need to pull out and fidget with your phone each and every time you park. It’s almost magical the way your phone just knows where your car is parked. The only time you need to launch our app is after you've realized that you have lost your car, not before.

We think this is a great usage of the technologies already in the iPhone leveraged to enhance people's lives. Find My Car Smarter helps people every day by saving time and reducing hassle in their already stressful lives.

Since our Kickstarter funding we’ve gone through and revamped our user interface, added features like Dropbox syncing that allows users to view the parked location of a shared car, automatic parking metering & street sweeping alarms.
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#ENERGY: "Light Fixtures Join Internet of Things"

The Internet of Things has nothing on the humble light fixture, thanks to system-on-chip (SoC) solutions that are cheap enough to give every light fixture a network address. For instance, Texas Instruments (TI) has a SoC programmed for the ZigBee Light Link standard that it is demonstrating for the first time at Computex in Taipei this week: R. Colin Johnson


The ZigBee second generation CC2530 SOC (system-on-chip) is a ZigBee "golden unit suite" that is targeted for low power applications and small form factor designs.

Here is what TI says about ZigBee Light Link: Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NASDAQ: TXN) today announced the industry’s first demonstrations of the new ZigBee® Light Link standard on the CC2530 ZigBee system-on-chip (SoC). Developed by leading lighting and technology companies within the ZigBee Alliance, ZigBee Light Link standardizes wireless networked LED lighting systems making them easier to install, manage and operate than previous closed proprietary systems. As an industry leading solution, TI’s CC2530 is a certified Golden Unit for ZigBee Light Link enabling developers and manufacturers to quickly build and test ZigBee Light Link products for interoperability. Learn more about ZigBee Light Link and TI’s efforts in this Mobile Momentum blog post.

TI’s ZigBee Light Link demonstrations during Computex Taipei this week, June 5 – 8, in booth TICC 101D, will showcase a complete LED light management system using a smartphone, low cost gateway and LED devices. Direct lighting controls will be shown using an Android smartphone outfitted with a microSD card that integrates the CC2530 SoC to control lighting directly. The second demonstration uses an Android smartphone connected to a low-cost gateway (a CC2531 ZigBee USB dongle attached to a BeagleBone, the Sitara™ AM335x ARM® Cortex™-A8 processor-based open-source community board) to control and monitor ZigBee lighting and other devices.

The CC2530 is a true SoC solution for IEEE 802.15.4, ZigBee and RF4CE applications. With an integrated RF transceiver, microcontroller, in-system programmable Flash and RAM, the CC2530 enables robust wireless network nodes to be built with very low total bill-of-material costs. Various operating modes make the CC2530 suited for systems where ultra-low-power consumption is required, such as LED lighting, and the SoC operates at temperatures up to 125 degrees Celsius for industrial applications. Combined with TI’s industry-leading Z-Stack™ ZigBee protocol stack, the CC2530 SoC provides a robust and complete ZigBee solution for fast time to market of ZigBee devices.
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#3D: "Glasses Free 3D Rivals HD-TV"

Dimenco will demonstrate what it claims is the world's highest resolution glasses-free 3D display next week at the Society for Information Display (SID 2012, June 5–7, Boston). Instead of a affixing a lenticular lens atop a traditional LCD, the Dimenco solution bonds a diffusion-free polymer into the display stack, claiming that resolution and contrast is unaffected: R. Colin Johnson

Here is what Dimenco says about its glasses-free 3D displays: Dimenco, the leading technology company in the field of glasses-free 3D displays, today unveiled Dimenco Clear View (DCV) technology taking glasses-free 3D displays to the next level. For the first time people can experience 3D with the deepest black-levels, no brightness loss, widest viewing angle and lowest cross-talk, offering the ultimate glasses-free 3D display.

Until now, 3D auto-stereoscopic (glasses-free) displays always had to compromise on brightness, contrast and viewing angle performance. The reason for this was the coupling of the lenticular lens to the LCD-panel that created a small loss of brightness and contrast, downgrades the black level and slightly reduces the cosmetic appearance of modern displays. Furthermore traditional lenticular displays have a limited viewing angle in which 3D is perceived, and it suffers from a limited 3D experience due to optical crosstalk.

Dimenco Clear View technology, solves these compromises via its unique lens design and manufacturing process. The optical stack has been optimized to limit internal reflections and is not affected by any form of diffusion resulting in the purest possible optical performance. By combining the DCV technology and Dimenco image processing the smoothest cone transitions are achieved resulting in the most convenient and immersive 3D experience in the market.

Besides introducing Dimenco Clear View Technology, Dimenco will demonstrate multiple new products and innovations at SID. Including the cooperation with Dolby3D, Dimenco Dynamic View technology and new 3D display products
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#MEDICAL: "Spinal Cord Injuries Can Be Repaired"

The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL, France) claims to have repaired severed spinal cord injuries in rats, and is planning to adapt the technology for use in humans. The new method encourages the nerves to grow back, giving hope to those who may be able to restore lost functionality after a spinal injury: R. Colin Johnson



Here is that EPFL says about restoring spinal cord injuries: Rats with spinal cord injuries and severe paralysis are now walking (and running) thanks to researchers at EPFL. Published in the June 1, 2012 issue of Science, the results show that a severed section of the spinal cord can make a comeback when its own innate intelligence and regenerative capacity—what lead author Grégoire Courtine of EPFL calls the "spinal brain"—is awakened. The study, begun five years ago at the University of Zurich, points to a profound change in our understanding of the central nervous system. It is yet unclear if similar rehabilitation techniques could work for humans, but the observed nerve growth hints at new methods for treating paralysis.
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#WIRELESS #ENERGY: "Recharging Just Got Automatic"

Most of us have to lug along a different wall wart for each wireless device we want to recharge, but an emerging standard interface will soon allow a common station to recharge all. The Wireless Power Consortium's Qi standard promises to enable any smartphone, tablet, digital camera or similar rechargeable mobile devices to use the same wireless recharging stations--just set your device on the black pad and it automatically recharges through the air inductively: R. Colin Johnson


Wireless rechargers cut the last cord to tablets by recharging merely by lying then on a specially wired surface. Source: Freescale Semiconductor

Here is what EETimes says about wireless recharging:Wireless inductive battery rechargers already cut the cable to many devices such as electric toothbrushes, but because there were no standards in place until recently, they still require a proprietary recharge station. Now that the Wireless Power Consortium has over 100 members for its Qi standard, analysts predict the time is ripe for a global wireless charging market, which is expected to exceed 100 million units annually by 2015, according to IMS Research (Austin, Texas).
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#WIRELESS: "Industrial Apps go Multi-Platform"

The hyper-text mark language version five (HTML5) is capable of creating apps that run identically on different platforms enabling independent software developers (ISVs) to spend their time writing new code rather that rewriting for different operating systems. By creating an HTML-engine for each smartphone and tablet OS, Motorola Solutions can now offer its software app developers the ability to cut their development efforts while fully supporting bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trends in the modern enterprise: R. Colin Johnson


Motorola's Enterprise Tablet (ET1) used by businesses like HomeDepot for sales personnel can now run the same HTML5 apps as front-office users on their iPad, Blackberry Playbook or Windows 8 tablet.

Here is what EETimes says about HTML5 apps: Those ruggedized Motorola Solutions' ET-1 tablets you see point-of-sale clerks at Home Depot and elsewhere wielding to display product features, scan barcodes and take credit cards are also being used in the warehouse to manage inventory and by buyers to visualize their entire supply chain. In the front office, however, ruggedized tablets are unnecessary, prompting Motorola Solutions to craft RhoMobile Suite, a software development environment for Windows PCs or MacOS computers that churns out universal HTML5-based apps that run not only one Motorolas ruggedized ET-1, but also on smartphones and tablets.
Further Reading

#NANOTECH: "Tiny Giraffe Sculpture Wins Science as Art Contest"

The world's smallest giraffe sculpture has won the Science as Art contest at the 2012 Materials Research Society spring meeting. The "found art" was just 50 microns in size and handpainted (in Photoshop) to bring out the giraffe's natural colors: R. Colin Johnson



Here is what University of California at Riverside says about its nano-giraffe: Shaahin Amini was ready to quit. The Ph.D. student at the University of California, Riverside’s Bourns College of Engineering had spent three hours looking into a microscope scanning a maze of black-and-white crosshatched lines, tubes and beads made of nickel, aluminum and carbon magnified 3,800 times.

Then he saw it. It looked like some kind of animal. He zoomed in further. It now looked like the road runner from the Bugs Bunny cartoons. He rotated it. Bingo! A sheep? No, a giraffe. A 0.05 millimeter giraffe.
He spent a few hours using Photoshop to add brown for the skin patches, red for the tongue and green in the background to resemble a jungle. It was done.

He submitted the piece to the Science as Art competition at 2012 MRS (Materials Research Society) Spring Meeting in San Francisco. Amini’s piece, which was one of about 150 entries, was selected by the chairs of the meeting as one of the 50 finalists from throughout the world to be displayed in the exhibition hall. Meeting attendees voted on the winners and selected Amini’s piece as one of the first-place winners.

Amini is a fourth-year Ph.D. student working with Reza Abbaschian, dean of the Bourns College of Engineering and William R. Johnson, Jr. Family Professor of Engineering.

Amini’s research area is the nucleation and growth kinetics of graphene layers from molten metals. Graphene is a single-atom thick carbon crystal with unique properties, including superior electrical and heat conductivities, mechanical strength and unique optical absorption, which could have widespread use in electronics. Amini, for the first time, developed a novel processing technique to grow single layer graphene from a molten phase.

The feature that Amini turned into a giraffe was created during the melting process of nickel, aluminum and carbon mixture. As the molten alloy solidified, the nickel and aluminum formed the body of the giraffe while the carbon was rejected and crystallized as a graphite cover. After further cooling, the graphitic cover wrinkled, due to less contraction than the metallic substrate, created a network of creases resembling the familiar skin patches of a giraffe.
Further Reading

#WIRELESS: "Graphene Tooth Tattoo Detects Bacteria"

Wireless 'tooth tattoos' may soon be used to detects harmful bacteria in the mouth. By combining a super sensitive grapheme sensing array with a small antenna, a handheld device can pick up signals from the tooth tattoo allowing maladies to be diagnosed with a remote reader: R. Colin Johnson


The sensor, shown here on a cow's tooth, detects bacteria in the body and passes a signal to a nearby receiver. (Photo by Michael McAlpine)

Here is what Princeton says about its tooth tattoo: Using silk strands pulled from cocoons and gold wires thinner than a spider's web, researchers at Princeton University have created a removable tattoo that adheres to dental enamel and could eventually monitor a patient's health with unprecedented sensitivity.

In a laboratory in Princeton's Engineering Quadrangle, a graduate student demonstrated the system's wireless capability, breathing across a sensor attached to a cow's tooth. Instantaneously, the sensor generated a response to the student's breath and transmitted a signal to a nearby monitor.

The researchers created the tattoo by bundling the silk and gold with graphene — an extremely thin sheet of carbon in which atoms are arranged in a honeycomb lattice. The material's unique properties allowed the researchers to construct a small, flexible device able to detect bacteria at a much higher sensitivity level than traditional methods. In tests, the researchers detected samples of bacteria that can cause surgical infections and others that can lead to stomach ulcers.

By combining the graphene array with a small antenna, the detection can be picked up by a remote reader device that is small enough to be held in a user's hand

The results were reported March 27 in the journal Nature Communications. In addition to professor Michael McAlpine, the paper's authors included graduate student Manu Mannoor, undergraduate Jefferson Clayton, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering Naveen Verma and associate research scholar Amartya Sengupta at Princeton; Hu Tao, David Kaplan and Fiorenzo Omenetto of Tufts University; and Rajesh Naik, of the Air Force Research Laboratory. Support for the research was provided by the American Asthma Foundation and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

To build the devices, McAlpine's team first imprinted tiny graphene sensors onto an extremely thin film of water-soluble silk. (The Tufts researchers pulled silk strands from cocoons, dissolved them in a solution and dried the mixture to create the silk base.)

Next, the researchers made an antenna by depositing a pattern of thin gold strands onto the silk film, and connected it to the graphene sensors. When completed, the device resembles a common removable tattoo. To attach the sensor, the researchers place it against a tooth, or a person's skin, and wash it with water. The silk base dissolves in the water, but the graphene sensor and the antenna remain securely fastened to the spot.

To allow the device to detect certain types of bacteria, the researchers attached peptides — fragments of proteins — to the graphene sensors. The peptides bind to bacterial cells and allow the researchers to detect a signal change from the graphene sensors.

McAlpine said one of the goals was to create a device that was small, flexible and passive, capable of providing detection from within the body or other remote location. So the researchers designed the device without a power supply. Instead, an external radio transmitter held nearby the device delivers a signal that causes the device to

Designing the antenna was one of the project's challenges. The gold coil needs to be big enough to transmit a readable signal, but small enough to fit within the sensor's compact footprint. The team was able to attach the current version of the system to a cow's tooth; reducing the size of the sensor in order to fit onto a human's tooth would require further work.

The current design allows for detection at a relatively short but practical distance, roughly a centimeter. Verma said if longer range was needed for other applications, modifications could be developed for the system.

The researchers said one of the key developments of the research was the use of graphene with a biocompatible base, in this case silk. Current biosensors tend to be relatively rigid and heavy, and they are often uncomfortable for patients. In large part, that is a result of sensors' base material, called a substrate.

In addition to its flexibility and biocompatibility, the solubility of silk meant that it could wash away with water or be dissolved by the body's enzymes.

The team plans to conduct further studies to better understand the adhesion between the tooth enamel and the graphene sensor with the goal of achieving a longer-lasting bond and enhancing the longevity of the system. One of the challenges for a dental system is protecting the sensor from inadvertent damage from things like brushing.
Further Reading