The only painful part of wearing an adhesive bandage is having to peel them off, so researchers at Purdue University’s Birck Nanotechnology Center have developed a way to turn Band-Aids into a nearly pain free alternative to needles. By integrating a tiny heat-powered pump, adhesive patches could automatically deliver medication to a patient without the need for a painful prick. More »
Archaeologists have announced that they’ve identified the oldest known Roman military fortress in Germany. The archaeologists believe that the ancient fort was constructed to house thousands of Roman troops during Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul in the late 50s BC. Ancient fragments of pottery and damaged sandal fragments helped the archaeologists to date the discovery.
According to the archaeologists, this discovery is important because it’s one of the few archaeological sites that documents Julius Caesar’s campaign in Gaul. The archaeological site is close to a German town known as Hermeskeil near the French border. This particular site has been known since the 19th century but until now, there was no evidence indicating what the site was.
Part of the difficulty in identifying the ruins had to do with the fact that it was partially covered or destroyed by agricultural development. The scientists note that remains of the wall were preserved in the forest, but it had been impossible to prove it was a Roman military camp as was suspected. The piece of evidence that allowed the archaeologists to identify the site as a Roman military camp was an ancient and tiny nail out of a Roman soldiers sandal.
The nail was discovered between paving stones and presumably work its way out as the soldier walked across the stone road. According to the archaeologists, the underside of the nail was discovered have a pattern with a cross and four studs, which was common in the time period. The little nail measured only 2.6 cm in diameter. The Roman fort was located 3 miles from a Celtic settlement that was once inhabited by the Treveri tribe, famous for massive fortifications called the Circle of the Huns.
[via Livescience]
Archaeologists discover ancient fort that helped Julius Caesar conquer Gaul is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
We know better than most that when you’re working to a deadline, constant pop-ups, notifications and pings can be a real pain. Our frustrations might soon become a thing of the past, however, with some help from boffins at the
[Image Credit: Getty Images / Jean Louis Batt]
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Software
Pressure-sensing PC technology knows when you’re busy, blocks notifications accordingly originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 15:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
When you think of privacy protection, chances are Facebook does not immediately spring to mind. But anonymity researchers are suggesting that social networks may hold the key to better anonymous online interactions. More »
IBM has announced that its scientists have been able to differentiate the chemical bonds in individual molecules for the first time via a technique called non-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM). The breakthrough has significant implications for the technology world. According to IBM, the breakthrough will help push the exploration of using molecules and atoms at a smaller scale and can be an important step for studying graphene devices.
Graphene devices are being studied as potential replacements for existing technologies used for microchips. Graphene is predicted to eventually have applications in high-bandwidth wireless communications and electronic displays. Researchers at IBM have been able to image the bond order and length of individual carbon-carbon bonds in C60. C60 is also known as a buckyball thanks to its football shape and to planar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons resembling small flakes of graphene.
IBM notes that individual bonds between carbon atoms in these molecules differ slightly and subtly in length and strength. Those subtle differences in the length and strength of bonds between carbon atoms are responsible for the important chemical, electronic, and optical properties of such molecules. IBM’s breakthrough marks the first time the differences in those individual bonds were detected in both individual molecules and individual bonds.
The IBM scientist’s discovery also shines light on potential new areas of research, including study of the relaxation of bonds around defects in graphene and the changing of bonds in chemical reactions and in excited states. The IBM scientists used an atomic force microscope with a tip that ended with a single carbon monoxide molecule. The tip of that atomic force microscope oscillates with an amplitude above the sample to measure the forces between the tip and sample such as a molecule, and creates an image. The technique made it possible to distinguish individual bonds that differ by only three picometers, which is one-hundredth of an atom’s diameter.
IBM scientists first to differentiate the chemical bonds in individual molecules using AFM is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
One day after Apple’s big iPhone 5 news day, an accolade for Apple in the tablet category: J.D. Power and Associates has put the brand at the top of its annual tablet customer satisfaction survey. This is the first time that the influential pollster has tracked U.S. consumers on tablet usage — it is known for its mobile handset rankings, which Apple also topped for smartphones last week. Amazon and its Kindle Fire tablet are, however, nipping at Apple’s heels: the two were separated by only six points, with Amazon scoring particularly well because of its low price. Final tallies for the two brands were Apple at 848 and Amazon at 842, on a scale of 1,000.
Both scored higher than the industry average of 832, with Samsung, Acer, Barnes & Noble and HP rounding out the top rankings in the list, all below the industry average.
In addition to ranking tablet brands, J.D. Power also looked at tablet usage. The 1,985 tablet owners who were polled reached conclusions that reflect what others have also been saying: the bigger touchscreen on tablets is making them a much stronger magnet for content consumption and user engagement than their smaller-sized smartphone cousins.
Tablet users are spending, on average, 7.5 hours per week on their devices, doing things like surfing the web, watching videos, listening to music, and reading books. That still puts it at a lower time than PCs, which clock up 9.6 hours of usage a week for the same activities.
Unsurprisingly, those who use their tablets more are also more satisfied with the tablet form factor. On a scale of 1,000, those who view three or more hours of video per week rated their satisfaction as 857, versus those who watched less rating at 812.
And the survey delivers a fairly clear message about the importance of getting the content right — in the form of apps and other services — for tablet makers’ bigger hardware businesses. Those who watch more than three hours of video are also 90% more likely to become repeat buyers of the same brand — the same percentage that said they would return to the brand if they were satisfied with it. However, those who watched less still seemed to show strong brand affinity, with 81% of them saying they would buy the same brand of tablet again. Some 37% of all respondents said they would be buying a new tablet in the next 12 months.
“As tablet computing, multimedia, display, and application offerings continue to evolve, their impact on usage patterns will continue to grow,” writes Dr. Uma S. Jha, senior director of mobile devices at J.D. Power and Associates. “Tablets are a force in the marketplace that offer a great alternative to laptops and netbooks.”
As tablets move more to becoming a replacement for people’s PCs, they have already passed smartphones in usage. The survey found that consumers who owned both tablets and smartphones spent 40% more time browsing the web on their tablets than they did on their phones. Gaming apps scored even higher, with 56% more time spent on tablets.
But it’s not just a consumer plaything: 25% of owners said they used their tablets for business. This, too, was something noted by Apple during its last quarterly results where it highlighted the rise of enterprise deals for its iPad. It’s something that we’ve heard anecdotally too from enterprise service companies.
In its tablet rankings, J.D. Power asks users to rate products in five categories and then weights them in different proportions: performance (26%), ease of operation (22%), styling and design (19%), features (17%), and price (16%). It notes that Apple’s score of 848 came largely from being the first in performance, ease of use, styling/design and features, while Amazon beat it out on price.
Indeed, while Amazon first entered the market with a $199 Kindle Fire, its latest line of tablets, announced only last week, pointed to the company moving into higher-end products, with the 8.9-inch HD model costing $499, comparable with Apple’s pricing. It will be interesting to see whether Amazon, going forward, will be able to hold its own against Apple in the other categories as it clearly will become less attractive on a pricing level.
BMW is experimenting with infrared heating systems for future cars, warming occupants in a more fuel-efficient and precise manner, and thus potentially extending the range of hybrids and EVs. The system, outlined during a BMW “innovation day,” bypasses traditional warm-air vents in favor of infrared heating surfaces that warm passengers directly. There’d be no more sitting shivering until the car warmed up in the depths of winter, either, with BMW claiming that the system can have you toasty in just 60 seconds.
Traditional heating systems warm air, which is then blown into the cabin. BMW’s new approach would be silent, with no fans required, and also use less power. Even if a car was still fitted with the existing style of HVAC system – a probability, since IR can’t be used to cool the environment, and thus air-con would still be required – BMW suggests that the infrared tech could be an added extra, similar to heated seats, and allow passengers to more directly control their own comfort.
That too would have power advantages, with the car able to turn off heating to those parts of the vehicle unoccupied by passengers. So, the front seats could be heated if it’s just two of you in the car, the back left cold, or alternatively the front passenger seat left cool while the driver and the kids in the back are kept comfortable.
For electric and hybrid vehicles, where minimizing electricity use is of particular importance since it has a direct impact on range, BMW’s new system could be a significant boon. The company also suggests a heat pump could be implemented, using waste heat from the rest of the car. In fact, BMW claims, a heat pump-equipped EV could halve the electricity required for in-cabin heating, while overall range could be improved by up to 30-percent – even with the outside temperature at freezing point.
When, exactly, we might see infrared heating in cars turn up is unclear, though it’s worth noting that BMW already offers some models with its “innovation” tech; the 7 series, for instance, uses the company’s predictive driving system, using GPS maps to decide what gear the driver might require based on the upcoming road.
BMW boosting electric vehicle range with targeted heat-rays is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
One of the most interesting NASA missions to Mars ever conducted saw a giant Rover dubbed Curiosity land on the surface of the red planet not long ago. So far, Curiosity has driven around the landscape a bit and conducted a few minor experiments and tests getting prepared for its main mission. The Curiosity team has been testing the rover’s robotic arm to get ready for the first examination of Martian rock.
The team has been testing the seven-foot long robotic arm and so far has gained the confidence needed in the arm’s ability to precisely maneuver on Mars with the planet’s temperature and gravity conditions. During our tests, Curiosity has remained at a Martian location that it reached during a short drive on September 5. NASA says that this week the Curiosity team will resume driving the rover and will use its cameras to seek out the first rock to touch with instruments on the arm.
The seven-foot-long robotic arm is festooned with scientific measurement instruments and is one of the main tools the robot will use during its mission on Mars. The robotic arm has two scientific instruments attached including the Mars Hand Lens Imager able to take close-up, color images of rocks and other material. The robotic arm also has a tool called the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer.
That spectrometer tool is able to determine the elemental composition of the target rock. Both robotic arm tools have passed preparatory tests. The scientific instruments are mounted on a turret at the end of the robotic arm and can be placed in contact with target rocks. The Curiosity team has also been testing out other instruments on the rover including the adjustable focus MAHLI camera which has been use this week to take images of objects close to the rover and far away. That camera is also helping the scientists to evaluate the robotic arms ability to position its tools and instruments.
Curiosity Rover robotic arm tests are nearly complete is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
MIT’s Nexi robot has been teaching us about social interaction for years, and has even done a stint with the US Navy. Its latest role, however, involved studying those moments when society falls apart. Northeastern University researchers made Nexi the key ingredient of an experiment where subjects were asked to play a Prisoner’s Dilemma-style game immediately after a conversation, whether it was with a human or a machine. Nexi showed that humans are better judges of trustworthiness after they see the telltale body language of dishonesty — crossed arms, leaning back and other cues — even when those expressions come from a collection of metal and plastic. The study suggests not just that humans are tuned to watch for subtle hints of sketchy behavior, but that future humanoid robots could foster trust by using the right gestures. We’ll look forward to the friendlier machine assistants that result… and keep in mind the room for deception when the robots invariably plot to take over the world.
Nexi robot helps Northeastern University track effects of shifty body language (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 08:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Augmented reality isn’t just a gimmick for Google Glass and Nokia City Lens, but could make industrial work safer and improve visibility for those with partial sight, according to new research. The team at Eyetap, led by “father of AR” Professor Steve Mann, has cooked up a so-called quantigraphic camera for a new WeldCam HDRchitecture (HDRchitecture) helmet that rather than simply mask the bright lighting produced by welding equipment, actually uses HDR photography techniques to pick out the details the wearer most needs to see.
Traditional welding helmets use a sheet of smoked glass for the eyepiece, cutting down on the dangerous glare from the welding process itself, but also reducing overall visibility. The HDRrchitecture system, instead, processes images coming from one or more cameras, rendering a Full HD, 30fps stream with the brighter elements stripped out but the core details retained, all in real-time.
Professor Mann actually developed HDR (high dynamic range) photography several decades ago, and has been making heavy use of it in his own Eyetap wearable computer. There, three simultaneously captured images at different exposures are combined – again, in real-time, and at 120fps – to produce a more detail-rich view of the world than could be seen by the human eye alone.
“By capturing over a dynamic range of more than a million to one,” the Eyetap team says, “we can see details that cannot be seen by the human eye or any currently existing commercially available cameras.” They’ve also come up with a standalone hardware device, small enough to fit into “a large shirt pocket,” which can process two HDMI camera inputs – one for each eye – and two HDMI outputs for separate eyepieces, with the processing done using GPUs and multicore CPUs.
Although the initial work is being presented as ideal for welding helmets, Mann & Co. believe the true usefulness is yet to be explored. Since the system is self-contained, and requires no user-controls or connected PC, it could be evolved into a set of HDR eyeglasses, for instance, aiding those with less than perfect eyesight. There’s more detail in the full research paper [pdf link].
[via Hack A Day]
Quantigraphic camera promises HDR eyesight from Father of AR is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
