Mar 11

Tractor Beam Moves Molecules, Imagination

Posted in: laser, research, science, Today's Chili

tractorbeam.jpg

The future’s here, someone tell Starfleet. Scientists from Fudan University in Shanghai have developed a plan to make a tractor beam that is capable of moving molecules using only light. The device hasn’t been produced, but an NYU scientist is convinced that it can work. The physicist, David Grier, built the first ever working tractor beam last year, based on a similar design.

According to this article on ScienceNews, the theoretical machine developed by the Chinese scientists would focus a beam of light on an object, creating electromagnetic fields on it. The light scattered by these fields would push the object towards the beam, instead of away from it like in a traditional laser. Physicist Jun Chen at Fudan University said that this type of beam would work as a way to draw in particles using only light.

Grier’s beam, demonstrated in a paper published about a year ago, showed how light could be used to pull objects instead of push them in a lab. He wasn’t exactly using it to rearrange his furniture though; the device moved a 1.5 micrometer sphere about 8 micrometers. With that in mind, Grier said a similar type of beam could be used to pull a person, but it would have to carry about a terrawatt of power. Definitely not a safe amount of energy, as he was quoted saying “it would be a short trip.” Yikes.

Just knowing that something like this exist brings us that much closer to feeling like we’re living in a sci-fi movie. We may not have flying cars, but tractor beams? No problem.

[via ScienceNews]

No Comments | Tags:
Mar 09

Samsung To Release 4TB Hard Disk

Posted in: samsung, Today's Chili

 

samsung-S2-Portable-3External-Hard-Disk-Drive.jpgSamsung is getting ready to release a 4TB hard drive. The company just debuted the prototype for the upcoming drive, called the Spinpoint EcoGreen F6 4TB, which is slated for a release this year.

The Samsung Spinpoint EcoGreen F6 4TB hard drive will be the biggest hard disk on the market. The current largest is a 2.2.TB , which is still uncommon for most PCs being sold. 

Via Hot Hardware

No Comments | Tags: ,
Mar 09

HP Claims Every HP Computer will get WebOS by 2012

Posted in: HP, palm, Today's Chili

HP Logo

If you’re still wondering if Hewlett-Packard had plans beyond mobile devices like smartphones and tablets for Palm and WebOS, wonder no longer. CEO Leo Apotheker is concerned that HP has “lost its soul,” according to an interview he gave to BusinessWeek at HP headquarters, and he teased that there would be more interesting revelations regarding HP’s plans for WebOS at an upcoming event on March 14th. 
He claimed that HP wants to make broader and better use of WebOS, with plans to bring the mobile OS not just to HP’s next generation of tablets and smartphones, but also to dual-boot WebOS with Windows on every desktop or laptop that HP ships before 2012. He pointed to the rapid growth of mobile development for Android and iOS as opportunities, and bemoaned WebOS’s 6,000 app catalog when compared to the 350,000 apps for iOS and 250,000 apps for Android. 
The goal, according to Apotheker, is to create a massive platform of unified devices, including new mobile devices like tablets and traditional desktop computers where developers can build applications and software that will work on any HP device, regardless of where or how it’s used. 
Considering even Apple noted recently that they wanted to bring more features from iOS into Mac OS X, HP isn’t the only company interested in unifying the mobile with the desktop. The question is whether or not users are interested in that kind of experience. 
No Comments | Tags: , , ,
Mar 08

Smell Your Video Games with Sensory Acumen and Scent Science’s New Gaming Gear

Posted in: gaming, peripheral, Today's Chili, video games, Weird News

Scent Gaming

Smell-o-vision has been a long-standing joke about television technology: something that in the early days of television every futurist thought would come true, but simply never made it into reality, partially because it’s a ridiculous idea. Still, that hasn’t stopped two companies, Scent Science and Sensory Acumen, from showcasing their new devices that both use atomizers and a connection to your computer or game console to spray specific smells into the air that correspond with the games that you’re playing. 
For example, if you’re playing a racing game, the gadgets will spray the scent of burning rubber into the air so you feel like you’re at the racetrack. In fact, this was the example both companies used at the Game Developer’s Conference last week when showcasing their devices. 
Both devices would allow users to load cartridges that contain the essential oils required to create smells for specific games. This way game publishers could sell the newest Gran Turismo game, for example, with a scent pack that smells like rubber and gasoline. 
As interesting an idea as this is, it’s doubtful if it will ever catch on. Both companies claim their devices would retail for between $60 and $70, but cartridges will have to be sold separately. Also, racing games are great, but I don’t know too many people who would want to buy the cartridge for a game like Dragon Age or Duke Nukem Forever. Still, the cartridge for Cooking Mama would probably be a treat. 
[via DVice]
No Comments | Tags:
Mar 07

Complete Computer System Fits Onto One-Millimeter Chip

Posted in: science, Today's Chili

millimeter.jpg

Researchers at the University of Michigan have created a new chip – powerful enough to run an entire computing system – so small that it could fit on the head  of a pin.

It’s called the Phoenix chip, and it’s being labeled a huge innovation for the semiconductor industry. “This is the first true millimeter-scale complete computing system,” said the university’s Dennis Sylvester, a professor and one of the researchers of the project.

The device uses an extremely low level of power, complete with a solar cell, and can transmit data to an external reader. It also has a pressure sensor, built-in memory, and its own microprocessor.

Via Computerworld

No Comments | Tags:
Mar 04

Cell Phones Diagnose The Cancer They Might Give You

Posted in: Medicine, research, science, Today's Chili
1801403.jpeg

The verdict is still out on whether or not cell phone can cause cancer, but thanks to researchers at Harvard’s medical school, they can play a role in detecting it. A new, handheld device that interfaces with smartphones can tell if a patient has cancer with a 96 percent accuracy rate. The detector contains a very small needle that takes a sample of the patients tissue, then suspends it in magnetic fields looking for potential tumor markers. The whole process only takes about half an hour, and can be used at doctors’ offices instead of requiring a costly trip to a hospital.

Usually, doctors use larger nuclear magnetic resonance machines to perform this type of detection, but because the handheld version uses simplified measurement techniques and the tissue sample taken is so much smaller, it can be miniaturized using a much less powerful magnet.

This type of detection could be used to judge how effective cancer treatment has been without requiring a core-needle biopsy, making it much easier for cancer patients to get updates on their recovery.

“If a patient is already getting chemotherapy, the doctor could quickly tell whether a treatment is working,” said Hakho Lee, a professor at Harvard who designed the device.

It’s not quite bug free though. The technique used to detect cancer is extremely sensitive, but might lead to some false positives. And don’t expect to be able to pick this up at your nearest Apple store either; researchers are still working out the kinks before the device is available commercially.

[via IEEE Spectrum]

No Comments | Tags: ,
Mar 02

The Solowheel: A Segway for People with Great Balance

Posted in: Miscellaneous Tech, Today's Chili, Transportation

SoloWheel

If you’ve always wanted a Segway but know you could only afford one wheel, the Solowheel may be the personal transportation device for you. Alternatively, if you’re tired of being seen on your unicycle, pedaling down the street, this gadget has more of a modern twist. Teasing aside, the Solowheel is essentially a single wheel with a gyroscope on-board and two foot pedals on either side of the wheel. Step on, lean forward, and away you go. 
The Solowheel weighs about 20 pounds, and can run for about 2 hours on its 1000-watt rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery. It even incorporates regenerative braking, so when you coast or go downhill, the battery recharges itself to give you a little more distance. Once you get to your destination, just step off of the Solowheel, pick it up, and plug it in to any standard outlet to recharge. After about 45 minutes, you’ll be ready to go again. 
Clearly the Solowheel is aimed at city-dwellers and people who have short, walkable or bike-able commutes to work but who also don’t actually want to walk or ride a bike Pricing and availability haven’t been announced, but you can be sure it won’t be cheap. You can check out a video of the Solowheel in action behind the jump.
No Comments | Tags: , ,
Mar 01

AMD Hates Thunderbolt

Posted in: AMD, Today's Chili

 

Intel-Announced-the-Availability-of-Thunderbolt-technology-a-new-high-speed-PC-connection-technology-that-runs-at-10Gbps_.jpgAMD likes to fly in the face of popular opinion, so it’s no surprise that it’s taking a stand against Thunderbolt. The company issued a statement decrying the new port, which the new MacBooks have adopted. AMD doesn’t see other manufacturers embracing the technology for speed-related reasons.

According to AMD, Thunderbolt steals bandwidth that can be used by other devices in other ports. By doing that, it slows down the PC processor, making it impossible to use. AMD believes that would undo all the hard work that hardware manufactures have put towards high speed ports. The company argues that most PC users want or need high speed ports, rendering Thunderbolt useless.

Intel has already shot back with say that the port currently is not aimed on consumers–it’s for professions. No word on whether the company plans to target it toward consumers in the future.

Via X Bit Labs

No Comments | Tags: , ,
Feb 24

Garmin Is Against 4G Network For GPS Navigation

Posted in: navigation, Today's Chili

 

 

GarminNuvi1690.jpgGarmin is not a fan of 4G. The company stated that using 4G would clog up the signals, which are needed to use for GPS tracking systems. Garmin also said that 911, air traffic control, and the military would also suffer over slow network signals.

The company is basing this on a 4G trial that the company ran. According to Garmin, the GPS lagged, even losing the signal, which took 90 seconds to regain. Garmin took the research to the FCC in regard to LightSquareds request.

Via TG Daliy

No Comments | Tags: , ,
Feb 23

Go Diving Without Getting Wet in the EGO Compact Submarine

Posted in: science, Today's Chili

EGO Concept Sub

This concept sub doesn’t actually dive beneath the water’s surface, but if you’re going snorkeling in relatively shallow and clear water, the EGO Compact Submarine could make it easy for you to explore corals, fish, and other wonders beneath the waves without forcing you to squeeze into a wet suit. The EGO has an above-surface standing area for boarding and standing if you want to get up and out of the submerged cockpit, but the real action is under the water where the acrylic-lined cockpit allows you to see out of three of the four sides of the cabin and take in the underwater views. 
The EGO seats two and runs entirely on electric power, reaching a top speed of 4 knots, which it can keep for 4 hours before the battery needs to be recharged.  In mixed use mode, you can squeeze 6 to 10 hours out of the EGO before you need to dock and charge back up. 
The EGO is a concept vehicle right now, so there’s no way to know whether it’ll actually make it to mass production, how much one would cost, or even if there are any potential buyers. Still, it’s not hard to see tourist destinations known for their diving, clear blue water, and colorful marine life buying some of these to rent out to consumers for a morning or afternoon trip away from port. Check out the video behind the jump.
No Comments | Tags: