Ferrofluid pump has no moving parts

Scientists in the US have developed a new way of pumping ferrofluids without the use of any mechanical components. They claim that their technique, dubbed "ferrohydrodynamic pumping", can be easily scaled up or down to be used in microfluidic devices or industrial-scale pumping devices, and anything in between.

Ferrofluids were developed by NASA in the 1960s as a way to non-mechanically pump fuel in space. They fall under the umbrella of "smart fluids" – fluids whose properties can be changed by applying a magnetic or electrical field. Today, ferrofluids have a wide range of applications, being used liquid 0-rings, in high-end audio speakers and computer circuitry, as well as biomedical devices.

More details here Ferrofluid pump has no moving parts

Nanoscale nonlinear light source optical device can be controlled electronically

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="This schematic demonstrates how the EFISH device's dual electric and optical functions could be used to communicate data in a chip-based environment. (Credit: Mark Brongersma)"][/caption]

Not long after the development of the first laser in 1960 scientists discovered that shining a beam through certain crystals produced light of a different color; more specifically, it produced light of exactly twice the frequency of the original. The phenomenon was dubbed second harmonic generation. The green laser pointers in use today to illustrate presentations are based on this science, but producing such a beautiful emerald beam is no easy feat. The green light begins as an infrared ray that must be first processed through a crystal, various lenses and other optical elements before it can illuminate that PowerPoint on the screen before you.

It was later discovered that applying an electrical field to some crystals produced a similar, though weaker, beam of light. This second discovery, known as EFISH -- for electric-field-induced second harmonic light generation -- has amounted mostly to an interesting bit of scientific knowledge and little more. EFISH devices are big, demanding high-powered lasers, large crystals and thousands of volts of electricity to produce the effect. As a result, they are impractical for all but a few applications.

In a paper published September 22 in Science, engineers from Stanford have demonstrated a new device that shrinks EFISH devices by orders of magnitude to the nanoscale. The result is an ultra-compact light source with both optical and electrical functions. Research implications for the device range from a better understanding of fundamental science to improved data communications.

via Nanoscale nonlinear light source optical device can be controlled electronically.

The history of the pacemaker

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="220" caption="The world's first implantable pacemaker"][/caption]

In 1899, J A McWilliam reported in the British Medical Journal of his experiments in which application of an electrical impulse to the human heart in asystole caused a ventricular contraction and that a heart rhythm of 60-70 beats per minute could be evoked by impulses applied at spacings equal to 60-70/minute.

In 1926, Dr Mark C Lidwell of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital of Sydney, supported by physicist Edgar H Booth of the University of Sydney, devised a portable apparatus which "plugged into a lighting point" and in which "One pole was applied to a skin pad soaked in strong salt solution" while the other pole "consisted of a needle insulated except at its point, and was plunged into the appropriate cardiac chamber". "The pacemaker rate was variable from about 80 to 120 pulses per minute, and likewise the voltage variable from 1.5 to 120 volts" In 1928, the apparatus was used to revive a stillborn infant at Crown Street Women's Hospital, Sydney whose heart continued "to beat on its own accord", "at the end of 10 minutes" of stimulation.

Implantable pacemaker inventor Wilson Greatbatch dies

Thanks to Jax for this news story - Deskarati -

The man who invented the implantable cardiac pacemaker, Wilson Greatbatch, has died in Buffalo, New York, aged 92.

The pacemaker was first implanted in humans in 1960 and keeps the heart beating in a regular rhythm. Now, hundreds of thousands of people receive pacemakers every year.

Greatbatch's cause of death is not known. But Larry Maciariello, his son-in-law, told reporters his health had been "intermittent". He held more than 150 patents. The first successful implant of a pacemaker took place at the Buffalo Veterans' Affairs Hospital. The 77-year-old patient lived for 18 months after the device was implanted.

In 2010, Greatbatch marked the 50th anniversary of the medical device. His company Greatbatch Ltd - formerly Wilson Greatbatch Ltd - was founded in 1970 and manufactures batteries for the implantable pacemaker.

Inventing was Greatbatch's lifelong passion. In 1998 he was admitted to the National Inventors' Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio.

via Implantable pacemaker inventor Wilson Greatbatch dies.

Cloaking magnetic fields: The first 'antimagnet' device developed

Spanish researchers have designed what they believe to be a new type of magnetic cloak, which shields objects from external magnetic fields, while at the same time preventing any magnetic internal fields from leaking outside, making the cloak undetectable. The development of such a device, described as an 'antimagnet', could offer many beneficial applications, such as protecting a ship's hull from mines designed to detonate when a magnetic field is detected, or allowing patients with pacemakers or cochlear implants to use medical equipment.

In their study, published today, Friday 23 September, in the Institute of Physics and German Physical Society's New Journal of Physics, researchers have proved that such a cloak could be built using practical and available materials and technologies, and used to develop an array of applications. Take, for example, a patient with a pacemaker undergoing an MRI scan. If an MRI's large magnetic field interacts with the pacemaker, it can cause serious damage to both the device and the patient. The metal in the pacemaker could also interact with and distort the MRI's large magnetic field, affecting the machine's detection capabilities.

via Cloaking magnetic fields: The first 'antimagnet' device developed.

Autonomous car navigates the streets of Berlin

German researchers from Freie Universitat Berlin traveled 80 km in total as passengers during a test drive of their autonomous car "MadeInGermany" over the weekend.

The car is driven by computers – the safety driver behind the steering wheel only monitors the car’s behavior. The autonomous car is a conventional VW Passat modified for "drive by wire." Electronic commands from the computer are passed directly to the accelerator, the brakes, and the steering wheel of the vehicle. Multiple sensors integrated in the car’s chassis provide information about all cars or persons on the street. They allow the car to avoid obstacles, adjust its speed, or change lanes whenever necessary. The vehicle was shown in full Berlin traffic and covered the 20 km back and forth between the International Congress Center and Brandenburg Gate four times without any incidents.

via Autonomous car navigates the streets of Berlin.

Proton-based transistor could let machines communicate with living things

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="On the right is a colored photo of the University of Washington device overlaid on a graphic of the other components. On the right is a magnified image of the chitosan fibers. The white scale bar is 200 nanometers. Credit: University of Washington"][/caption]

Human devices, from light bulbs to iPods, send information using electrons. Human bodies and all other living things, on the other hand, send signals and perform work using ions or protons. Materials scientists at the University of Washington have built a novel transistor that uses protons, creating a key piece for devices that can communicate directly with living things. The study is published online this week in the interdisciplinary journal Nature Communications.

Devices that connect with the human body's processes are being explored for biological sensing or for prosthetics, but they typically communicate using electrons, which are negatively charged particles, rather than protons, which are positively charged hydrogen atoms, or ions, which are atoms with positive or negative charge.

"So there's always this issue, a challenge, at the interface – how does an electronic signal translate into an ionic signal, or vice versa?" said lead author Marco Rolandi, a UW assistant professor of materials science and engineering. "We found a biomaterial that is very good at conducting protons, and allows the potential to interface with living systems."

via Proton-based transistor could let machines communicate with living things.

Japanese scientists explore electric roads for EVs

Masahiro Hanazawa of Toyota Central R&D Labs and Takashi Ohira from Toyohashi University are working on a solution for avoiding battery recharge headaches in powering electric cars. They are working on a prototype of electric cars that are powered by the road itself--electric roads for electric cars. While the idea of cars powered from the ground is not new, the system that they propose is an interesting way to power electric cars as the cars travel along the road through steel belts placed inside tires and a metal plate in the road.

Toyohashi University newsletter report describes their system: "The source of energy from power lines is up-converted into radio frequency (RF) by high-speed inverters implanted along tracks in the road. The RF voltage is applied to a balanced metal track embedded under the surface of the road. The EV picks up the RF voltage via electrical capacitance between the metal and a steel belt installed inside of the tires of the EV."

In their experiments, the researchers put small metal plates on the floor and inside a tire, and positioned another metal plate above the tire. They measured the electrical impedance between the two plates. The team presented their work in May at the International Microwave Workshop Series on Innovative Wireless Power Transmission in Kyoto, Japan. While their tests involved low voltages, the researchers believe energy transfer from the road to a running automobile is feasible. With enough power the system could run typical passenger cars, says Ohira.

Their system would require smaller battery packs, rather than heavier packs, to get back and forth from electrified highways, which is viewed as a benefit as well.

via Japanese scientists explore electric roads for EVs.

Dyson’s Latest Inventions

The event was full of Dyson goodies, including the brand new Dyson Hot fan heater and the recently released DC41 Animal vacuum and DC34 handheld vacuum. The star of the show was definitely the the Dyson Hot - a “fan heater that warms the whole room faster than any other”. Although, since you can set the temperature anywhere between 32 and 99 degrees, it could work as a cooler too.

The Dyson Hot sucks air in from around the room and pushes it out at 6x the rate of intake, creating a jet of hot air. This causes the air in the room to circulate efficiently, allowing the Hot to take a much more accurate temperature reading of the room than your standard thermometer. As a result, it can heat the entire room to the desired temperature before it shuts off.

The new model is packed with fun design features too. Unlike traditional heaters, the heating coils are hidden in the oval frame, leaving no visible heating elements. Even the frame doesn’t get hot to the touch, even when on a high heat. If the unit is tipped over, it shuts off for safety. And the head is adjustable so that you can angle the heater up or down. The unit comes with a magnetized remote that is shaped to sit on the top of heater.

More great pictures here Dyson’s Latest Inventions

ECG for your iPhone

This new device is going through FDA approval at present, so not yet available. Go to the AliveCor website for updates - Deskarati -

Tacit hand device steers blind to safety

A hand device called the Tacit can help the blind and visually impaired move around safely in complex environments. Wrist-mounted, the device uses ultrasonic sensors mounted above the knuckles that can pick up the distance of objects from one inch to 10 feet away and then translate that distance to pressure on the wrist--the closer the object, the more pressure on the wrist. Pressure is applied on the right or left side of the wrist to help the user determine where the obstacle is located.

The device can be strapped on to either hand and one-size-fits-most. The device shows a fast response time, in fractions of a second. A blind or visually impaired person can sense what is in the immediate area with a sweep of the hand. The inventor, Steve Hoefer, chose the word Tacit to describe the haptic-feedback invention, he wrote, because "it just seemed like an appropriate name that’s a lot shorter (though less descriptive) than 'Hand-Mounted Haptic Feedback Sonar Obstacle Avoidance Assistance Device'.”

As interesting as the device is, what has attracted much buzz is the fact that the device, more formally called The Tacit Project, is under a Creative Commons License, and the project has been dedicated as a DIY idea for others to build. Hoefer's site, Grathio Labs, has posted source code, a list of parts, and detailed diagrams, with an invitation to make the device. "I am active in the Open Source software and hardware and encourage community innovation and creativity," he says on his site. He is using the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license, which he explains as a “Don’t be a jerk” license. "In short: Make it, learn from it, teach it, improve it, modify it. Just share what you do, give credit, and don’t sell any without contacting me first."

via Tacit hand device steers blind to safety (w/ video).

Nostradamus in silico:

The best predictions are always made in hindsight. Nostradamus achieved fame by writing down a lot of vague bollocks about the future, and relying on the human brain's incredible ability to spot links and patterns – even where none exist – to do the rest. His legacy is a pile of prophecies that are absolutely brilliant at predicting events, as long as they have already happened.

Now Nostradamus has a silicon rival, but while the French seer generated only 900 or so of his quatrains, the University of Tennessee's "Nautilus" supercomputer is capable of spewing out countless millions of predictions – enough to keep an army of cherry-pickers beavering away from now until eternity.

Nautilus trundles through hundreds of millions of news articles, applying sentiment analysis algorithms and place name detection to take a subject and correlate it to a location and a general mood. The theory goes that if "Brad Pitt" is mentioned in lots of French articles alongside positive words like "great" or "brilliant" then the French people must love him, but if "Hosni Mubarak" is associated with "evil" or "horrible" then it's boom-time for Egyptian pitch-fork manufacturers.

More here Nostradamus in silico: can supercomputers really predict revolutions?

Ford electric E-Bike Concept packs a Galaxy S II on the bars, motor in the wheel

Ford already wowed us with the Evos concept, but the slinkiest hybrid we've seen so far here in Frankfurt has not four wheels but two. It's a concept bicycle from Ford called -- wait for it -- the E-Bike Concept. It packs an electric motor built into the front wheel that can power it up to a maximum speed of 25 km/h, driven by a 9.2Ah battery. Or you can power it the conventional way by pedalling, torque conveyed to the rear wheel over a carbon belt. (Oily chains are so last century.)

Perhaps even more interesting is what rests up on the handlebars. No, that's no iDevice -- refreshingly it's a Galaxy S II. Through some custom software, riders will be able to change suspension modes and of course monitor battery charge, not to mention get a little assistance from Google Navigation and maybe pump out some Pandora too. The word "Concept" in the title here and the spindly frame design should give you a clue about when this thing will see production -- probably never. But, we'll be back with an update if that ever changes.

via Ford electric E-Bike Concept packs a Galaxy S II on the bars, motor in the wheel

New tool analyzes black-box data for flight anomalies

An airplane's digital flight-data recorder, or "black box," holds massive amounts of data, documenting the performance of engines, cockpit controls, hydraulic equipment and GPS systems, typically at regular one-second intervals throughout a flight. Inspectors use such data to reconstruct the final moments of an accident, looking for telltale defects that may explain a crash. More recently, analysts have probed black-box data in an effort to prevent such accidents from ever occurring. Using software tools that can rapidly search data, operators can flag problem areas and determine whether a plane needs to be pulled off the line to be physically inspected, or if there are problems with flight procedures.

Many airlines routinely run software programs to check a plane's overall health and performance after each flight. However, John Hansman, professor at MIT, says today's search methods are limited, with operators needing to identify ahead of time which parameters to check. Hansman says this approach may cause analysts to miss key information that would otherwise help airlines improve aircraft safety and operations.

Now Hansman and his colleagues at MIT and in Spain have devised a detection tool that spots flight glitches without knowing ahead of time what to look for. The technique uses cluster analysis, a type of data mining that filters data into subsets, or clusters of flights sharing common patterns. Flight data outside the clusters are flagged as abnormal; analysts can then further inspect these reports to see whether an anomaly is cause for alarm.

via New tool analyzes black-box data for flight anomalies.

New Tech Gives Soldiers Predator-Style Heat Vision

When hunting for terrorists, seeing them before they see you is a must. Regular night-vision goggles are good, but not good enough. Sure, they let a soldier see at night as well as he would by day -- but they don't let him see any better. That just changed.

A new device developed over seven years by Optics1 gives warfighters "Predator"-style vision to better tag those terrorists and other threats. Only recently made available, the COTI (Clip On Thermal Imager) adds the ability to see thermal signals to existing night-vision devices. The human eye sees light with a wavelength between 400 and 700 nanometers, while a night-vision device may see up to around 900, closing in on the infrared range. The COTI amps up the warfighter's vision to a whole different spectrum -- giving the soldier souped-up, super vision.

COTI's long-wave infrared technology allows a warfighter to "see" even in pitch-black or no light conditions. By using an 8- through 10-micron range, it can give the user "sight" in spite of smoke, foliage, fog, rain and other adverse conditions where standard devices provide only limited capability. While basic camouflage can defeat ordinary night-vision devices, it can't fool the COTI's ability to detect thermal sources. It can even identify whether a vehicle or a room has been recently occupied by "seeing" residual heat signatures. Arguably even cooler, it can spot hand- and footprints invisible to the naked eye.

The COTI's ability to read temperature differences means it can also recognize recent ground disturbances indicating that an IED may have been planted and hidden. Lurking in dark openings like windows and doorways may conceal a person from detection by a night-vision gadget, but the COTI can still see you. Hiding in a shadow, behind an object or undergrowth? Invisible to most "image-intensified" eyes, but the COTI can find you. Trying to hide a gun or explosive under your clothing? The COTI could immediately reveal the unseen threat.

via New Tech Gives Soldiers Predator-Style Heat Vision

Stylish iPhone handset

Designed by the French designer David Turpin the MM03i is a contemporary styled Bluetooth handset, finished in a luxurious black or white high- gloss texture, it has an integrated iPhone charging dock. Manufactured with a high quality speaker and microphone, it supports Bluetooth 2.1 multipoint technology, which lets you pair and answer calls on two different Bluetooth devices. This means that you can quickly and easily connect the Moshi Moshi 03i to charge and synch your iPhone and a Smartphone or any other Bluetooth-enabled device, such as a laptop for use with VOIP Internet calls such as Skype. The iPhone charger built into the base will allow you to enjoy the privilege of having your iPhone constantly in charge and the design of the handset itself will help you to enjoy the easeof use of your iPhone during communication calls. The handset is also supplied with a silicon mat designed to protect the mobile phone from wear and tear.

via Native Union Moshi Moshi 03i - Wireless.

'Flybus' prototype may be hybrid bus of future

The "Flybus" prototype bus aims to showcase how hybrid electric buses can be inexpensive, cost efficient and easy on the environment. Reports out this week say that the Flybus is being readied for testing. The consortium of companies that created the prototype wlll stage a presentation at this year’s Low Carbon Vehicle event in the UK, at Rockingham Motor Speedway in Corby, Northamptonshire.

Transportation engineers will want to see how the Flybus rates in a focus on what is next in the evolution of the hybrid bus and solutions that can ease fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Cost has been a challenge with standard hybrids.

The new Flybus hybrid has taken on cost considerations with a unique energy-saving approach. The bus makes use of the "flywheel" technique demonstrated earlier this year by Porsche in Detroit. The flywheel can feed energy back into the wheels on the vehicle's acceleration. The technique is praised as a way to generate emissions-free energy. The system takes the kinetic energy that is generated from the braking stops-and starts of a city bus run and sends it back to the vehicle. The team's goal has been to come up with an energy-efficient redistribution process, supported by a continuously variable transmission system.

via 'Flybus' prototype may be hybrid bus of future.

Acer to launch teeny tiny Aspire S3 Ultrabook

Many large tech brands are creating laptops that are thinner, slimmer and lighter than ever before, from Apple's MacBook Air to Toshiba's Portege Z830 series. Now Acer has announced that it will be launching its own offering onto the super slim, small and lightweight laptop market at IFA last week.

Acer's new model, the Aspire S3 Ultrabook, is 13mm at its thinnest, 17mm at its thickest and weighs just 1.3kg. Interestingly, to keep the little laptop as teeny tiny as possible, the 13.1in screen has actually been bonded to the Ultrabook's aluminium lid. The Aspire S3 can be woken up and then ready for action in under two seconds, but can also go into a kind of deep hibernation. This means it doesn't need to be charged for 50 days while its getting some rest.

The Aspire S3 Ultrabook will start shipping in September with prices ranging from around £700 to £1050.

Edited from Acer to launch teeny tiny Aspire S3 Ultrabook

Painting the Forth Bridge is coming to an end

The painting of the Forth Bridge, a job that is famously never finished, is about to come to an end.

Network Rail, which manages the bridge, said contractors will leave the iconic structure in December and will not need to paint it again for 25 years. After 10 years and more than £130m, the bridge will finally be free of scaffolding. The current contract is due to be completed ahead of schedule on Friday 9 December 2011.

New techniques and products are being hailed for the success of the project.

A 200-strong team has been applying a triple layer of new glass flake epoxy paint, which is similar to that used in the offshore oil industry. It creates a chemical bond to provide a virtually impenetrable layer to protect the bridge's steel work from the weather.

via Forth Bridge painting 'is coming to an end'.

Toshiba supersized, glasses-free, 3-D TV steals IFA show

Toshiba earlier this week showed off its new no-glasses 55-inch 3-D TV. The company says it is the world’s first large screen 3-D TV that does not require any glasses. According to Toshiba, the new 55ZL2 is its most advanced television to date with the latest imaging technology. Toshiba chose the IFA 2011 event in Berlin, a high-profile trade show for consumer electronics and gadgets, as the venue to preview this supersized flat-screen television. With promotional showmanship, glasses were handed out at the press briefing with the words "bye bye" printed across the lenses.

Toshiba uses an imaging technique based on the stereoscopic principle of simultaneously delivering a picture for the left eye, and another picture with a small offset (parallax), for the right eye to achieve a 3-D viewing experience. A range of lenticular lenslets guides the images. A Quad Full HD display offering up to 3840 x 2160 pixel resolution enables an effective 3-D effect for up to nine viewers, where images are being presented to different positions throughout a room.

via Toshiba supersized, glasses-free, 3-D TV steals IFA show.

UrbanTile window blind concept fuses solar panel with an OLED screen

Each and every day, the sun showers our cities in solar energy. Every night, our cities emit light so bright that they can be seen from space. An industrial designer from the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Jerusalem, Israel, has designed a concept device called the UrbanTile that would harness the solar energy city buildings absorb during the day for their lighting needs at night. The UrbanTile is a small solar panel that can be flipped to reveal a light emitting screen. Banded together into rows, the panels become a window blind that forms a light and entertainment display.

The panels would made from aluminum and stainless steel with an OLED screen on one side and a photovoltaic panel on the other. Incorporating electrical motors to move them, they could be programmed to turn automatically at different times of the day. Designed to be mounted into windows, the panels could be turned to rest at various angles allowing light in during the day whilst absorbing solar energy. In the evening, the OLED screens would be turned to face indoors to light up rooms and also provide a bank of screens for media playback. At night, the light emitting side could also be turned outwards to produce patterns of light on the sides of buildings.

via UrbanTile window blind concept fuses solar panel with an OLED screen.