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Omron, a Japan-based global company that focuses on developing MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) products for customer solutions, has attempted to address Japan’s recent energy concerns with three particularly interesting innovations that were on display at MEMS 2011. The lineup included a full office energy management solution featuring: the “Indoor Environment Monitor,” new facial recognition security system, and an automated air-conditioning adjustment system.
The Indoor Environment Monitor utilizes MEMS technology to create a comfortable (and safe) working environment. The monitor aggregates information such as the room’s temperature, relative humidity, air velocity/airflow, and occupant’s active metabolic rate to calculate an effective body temperature. The system then determines the severeness of heat illness in levels in ascending order from “Need for Care, “Caution,” “Heightened Alert,” to “Danger.” What’s interesting about this monitor is that it wirelessly transmits this information to a smartphone app or PC, which can be used remotely to monitor a grandparent or young child left by themselves at home. Innovation such as this that allow remote care via sensors is a particularly useful advancement.
With the recent increase in software security threats causing a slight panic among the general public, and growing concerns of unsafe and unprotected passwords, Omron also introduced an “intelligent” security system that takes into account “setsuden” (energy saving) as well. In the form of a webcam, this system adds the concept of using thermal detection on top of facial recognition, and combines these two security measures to solve two challenges: unauthorized access to users’ computers and energy saving.
The process is fairly simple in the sense that the thermal camera detects faces of registered users and only allows access if body temperature is detected. Holding up a picture of a registered user would not grant access to the computer. Not only does this make logging in easier and convenient, with regards to “setsuden,” it saves energy by going into sleep mode the second the user leaves their computer (laptop). This reduction may seem trivial when compared to the rest of energy saving products that we have introduced in previous articles, but the Japanese have a popular saying: “even ashes can pile up to form a mountain.” What is most fascinating about this new system is that the whole process is instant and takes less than a second to turn itself on and off.
Omron’s third product involves using SSMs (Smart Sensing Module) to significantly reduce air conditioning power by using adaptation features while maintaining production standards. Using the same technology from the two innovations above, the SSMs are placed in strategic places, acting as a human detection sensor, air flow, and temperature/humidity sensor. The SSMs then transmit their calculations to the air conditioner, which adjusts accordingly the amount and temperature of the air flow it releases. Omron’s Semiconductor factory, which monitors clean room conditions in real time, has been testing the effectiveness of their new technology and so far, have successfully achieved a power consumption reduction of 25%.
New products that use cutting-edge technology never fail to impress us, and Omron has certainly done a fine job of appealing to society’s latest concerns like the aging community and “setsuden”. Energy saving measures have been rolled out across all industries as a result of the disasters in Japan, and innovations in technology aimed at reducing energy consumption due to blackout threats have become a noticeable selling point in consumer appliances.
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Good news, aging Earthlings: a team of researchers have found a way to shock a coding patient’s heart, while leaving other organs and tissues undamaged from the defibrillator. The device send a single high voltage pulse of electrical energy to a patient’s chest in order to fix an irregular or nonexistent heart beat; traditionally, what often results is damage to point of contact and surrounding skin cells, muscles and tissues, but a team of whiz kids have seemingly figured out a way to dodge the dreadfulness.
Led by scientists Stefan Luther and Flavio Fenton, the team claims that by using a series of five pulses of less potent shocks (instead of a single concentrated charge), docs can see an 84 percent reduction in damaging power. This new technology — coined low-energy antifibrillation pacing (LEAP) — can also be used in implanted defibrillators, not just the well-known flappy paddles. Due to the relatively low emissions, both the patient and such implants have extended lives. And that, friends, is good for us all — given the impending Robot Apocalypse, we’ll be needing those extra years just to hold down the fort.
Scientists find less damaging defibrillation method, heart tissue relieved originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Jul 2011 01:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Samsung has finally wrapped up that investigation into alleged cancer risks at its chip facilities, but it might not share the details with the rest of the world. In the study, which the company commissioned last year, researchers from US-based Environ International Corp. found that cancers affecting six semiconductor employees were unrelated to any chemicals they may have been exposed to on the job. Of those six workers, four have already died and five of the families are currently pressing charges. Last month, a South Korea court determined that two of the cases could be linked to toxic chemical exposure — a ruling that Environ’s report clearly contradicts. Samsung, however, is reluctant to disclose the results in full, for fear that doing so may reveal some proprietary information. Environ’s Paul Harper declined to say how much Samsung paid for the investigation, due to client confidentiality, while confirming that the research was carried out in consultation with a panel of independent experts. Semiconductor exec Kwon Oh-hyun, meanwhile, denied that the company commissioned the study in order to use it as evidence in the ongoing court case, in which Samsung isn’t even listed as a defendant.
Samsung study finds no link between cancer and work conditions, might not be released in full originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 07:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Concerned that a decade and a half of regular cellphone will have a long-term effect on your health? Hopefully the latest study conducted by members of the World Health Organization (WHO) will put your mind at ease. The examination followed nearly 3 million Danish adults, studying links between phone use and the formation of acoustic neuromas — non-cancerous, slow-growing brain tumors that form on the main nerve that connects the inner ear to the brain. The study concluded that people who’ve used a handset for 11-15 years weren’t any more likely to develop a tumor than those who don’t use cellphones at all, though scientists are unsure that this is a long enough period of time to determine a significant correlation (or lack thereof). Still, this comes as refreshing news two months after the WHO released a study revealing that RF waves coming from phones are “potentially carcinogenic,” due to a limited link to glioma and acoustic neuroma. Of course, none of these reports can actually conclude that cellphones cause cancer — only that the two may be correlated. So, what does this latest study really do? It legitimizes the need to conduct more studies.
Cellphones are dangerous / not dangerous: Danish chatterbox edition originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 11:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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According to our calendar, this is one of the least timely days of the year for us to harp on New Year’s Resolutions, but that’s no matter to Jawbone. The company, best-known for crafting those high-end headsets, is at TED talking up its first non-audio product: a wristband dubbed “Up” that tracks and analyzes your eating, sleeping, and exercise habits — kind of like a bare-bones Fitbit or Nike+. As you can see in that photo up there, it’s about the size of those ubiquitous rubber Livestrong bands and lacks a display (not to mention, wireless radios) — all concessions made in the name of keeping the cost down, says Travis Bogard, VP of product marketing and strategy. So, this is a good ‘ol wired product, with a bundled adapter connecting the band to your phone via the 3.5mm jack. Once you connect, you can view all your data on a website or through a mobile app. Or, if you thrive on public shaming, you can challenge people to fitness duels to the death (our phrasing, not Jawbone’s). All told, this falls outside the outfit’s comfort zone, but then again, it does know a thing or two about wearable tech. For now, the company’s keeping mum on pricing and availability, though it says Up will be available in the states later this year. As for compatibility, well, Bogard tells us it’s going to work with “all the relevant” mobile platforms. Make of that what you will, folks.
Jawbone branches out from audio products, teases “Up” wristband that keeps tabs on your bad habits originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 08:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Accessory maker Jawbone on Wednesday unveiled "Up," a lifestyle gadget designed to encourage health and wellness. (Photo courtesy Jawbone)
For about a month, Hosain Rahman has worn the same wristband 24 hours a day, even while he sleeps, exercises and showers. The wristband isn’t his favorite watch; it’s the lifestyle gadget his company has been developing for years.
Accessory company Jawbone on Wednesday revealed Up, a hardware and software system that tracks your eating, sleeping and movements to give you a reading on your general health. The wristband, which is about the same size as a Livestrong strap, contains sensors to track your activities, and a complementary smartphone app collects the data.
“[Up] is a total system that encompasses hardware and software to help attack this bigger problem that we see around health and wellness and utilizing all the things we’re good at and making really really good technology smaller … combining that with fashionable, wearable design and integrating that into a social, connected experience,” said Rahman, Jawbone’s CEO, in an interview with Wired.com
Jawbone’s Up joins the fray of smartphone accessories and software designed to help customers monitor their health. A smartphone’s wireless communications can enable accessories to deliver up-to-date, personalized data on a regular basis to track patterns and get feedback on improving workouts, eating habits and sleep patterns.
Silicon Valley startup Lark, for example, sells a similar wristband that you wear to sleep. The sensors inside the strap detect when you fall asleep and wake up, and Lark’s iPhone app collects all this data when the alarm goes off.
Looking forward, researchers also foresee that real-time health monitoring can potentially help prevent disease. University of Washington researchers have been developing a digital contact lens that collects data about blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels from the surface of the eye, to provide real-time feedback on your vital signs. This type of application could potentially inform people when they’re getting sick, so they can treat themselves before the illness settles in and avoid unnecessary trips to the doctor.
Rahman noted that Jawbone’s Up is not a sickness-prevention tool, but a lifestyle gadget designed to encourage wellness. The device’s sensors monitor your activities, then transmits the data to a smartphone app, which “nudges” you to improve your health with some helpful tips.
Jawbone’s goal was to make the device fashionable and comfortable so a customer can slip it on and forget it’s even there, Rahman said.
“I’ve been wearing it 24/7,” he said. “That’s a big proposition. The more you wear it, the richer and more accurate everything becomes.”
Jawbone has been developing the Up accessory for about two years. The product will ship later this year for iOS and Android devices. The price has yet to be determined.
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Mosquito bites are perhaps the one thing that are worse than the heat in Japan during the summer. Not only do they itch the entire day, these pesky little blood-suckers annoy the general population with their loud buzzing and constant flying in circles. Sea’s Garden, a smart phone gaming and utility app maker, offers a solution to the terror that mosquitoes bring to man, without harming the environment.
The Mosquito Buster is an Android app (soon to be released for the iPhone as well) that acts as a mosquito coil, but instead of burning off insect killing smoke, it releases a high-frequency sound from your smart phone speakers which these insects detest.
The app is extremely simple to operate: users choose between 3 modes, each with corresponding frequencies. The first is obviously to avoid mosquitos, and the second, rodents. The third was what caught our attention and seemed particularly amusing. The third mode is titled “Avoid Children”, as it releases a frequency only detectable to children, as adult ears cannot hear the high pitched sound. It would be useful for parents who need a little bit of peace and quiet from their screaming, energetic toddlers. It’s nice to see useful utility apps like these that offer clever ways of solving consumer problems in an eco-friendly manner. Looks like I’m going to finally get a good nights sleep tonight without having to worry about pesky insects (or children for that matter) that bring a world of itchiness to my feet .
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Ultrawideband tech could connect your body to doctors, bring Tricorders to the mainstream originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 00:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Summer might be the time for designer fireworks, but it’s pretty darn humid around here.
To battle the intense heat, Japanese companies have an interesting new product up their sleeves: ice cold cooling foam sprays, which are advertised as to provide instant temperature cool downs for users. Japanese male cosmetic brands such as Gatsby and Uno are well appreciated for their cooling body and facial sheets that not only provide the user with a sensational frosty feeling, but remove facial oil as well. Products such as these are not new, but we have seen a boom in demand for them this summer with the idea of “setsuden” (energy saving) becoming more imminent in Japanese people’s everyday lives. Taking it one step further from traditional cooling sprays, this fascinating innovation actually releases a chilling foam that hardens and can be wrapped around the user’s wrist.
Products such as “Hokkyoku Monogatari” (directly translated: Tales of the North Pole) offer a whole new method of cooling down in an interesting way. Not only are they convenient, they can be transformed into anything, ranging from a icy wristwatch to graffiti sprayed onto one’s body. The blue foam feels like a giant ball of confetti and as they squeeze it, the air bubbles expand and then “pop,” releasing a refreshing breeze of cool air.
Ice Spark is also another cool product that offers a similar solution to the heat in Japan: it sprays a freezing -9 degrees Celsius gel that fizzes on the user’s skin, creating a satisfying bubbly sensation. The crackling sound is particularly pleasing to the ear and the gel dries up after a couple seconds, without leaving a sticky feeling on the skin. The spray can be used for different purposes, such as a citrus smelling deodorant.
In line with the “setsuden goods,” a term coined for products that save electricity, we can see a handful of Japanese companies developing new products to counter the intense heat in Japan. Tokyo Hands, a Japanese department store focused on hobby, home improvement, and lifestyle products, has a whole floor dedicated to cooling products.
Numerous ideas for cooling sprays are being placed on shelves, such as the Savanna 50 Blizzard, which instantly sprays -15 degrees Celsius mist onto towels and handkerchiefs, as well as clothes and the insides of shoes.
Sprays are not the only type of lineup that Tokyo Hands has to offer; Ice Masks, Zero Degrees Pillows/Neck-rests, bandannas, scarves, and many other interesting innovations that add a chilly touch to a normal consumer product.
Ice gels and ice bars are also available for those who aren’t afraid to get wet or experience a frosty touch on their skin.
Gatsby “Ice-Type” facial and body sheets are also extremely popular among the Japanese, as they not only act as a cooling deodorant but wipe away facial grease as well.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Japan without cute looking cases for ice coolers such as the ones below.
Although sprays such as Hokkyoku Monogatari and Ice Spark may not exactly be eco-friendly, they definitely do provide a way to endure the intense heat that saves energy in contrast to air conditioners and electric fans.
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