Hasta La Gadget!

If a Bluetooth sensor doesn’t already have iOS support, pairing it up will often involve a patient wait for an official app or some not-quite-official tweaking, at best — Apple won’t allow just any old unauthenticated device through the gates. Byte Works’ TechBASIC 2.3 update takes those barriers down. The mobile app lets those of us with a new iPad or iPhone 4S create programs that talk to, and read from, a wide range of Bluetooth LE devices without having to write any Objective C code on a Mac. Only a TI key fob has a fully ready example program, but large swaths of devices will communicate with help from intrepid programmers — whether they’re heart rate monitors, home theater gear or seemingly anything in between. Existing TechBASIC owners can add the Bluetooth LE support through a free update; it’s a relatively pricey $15 to buy the app if you’re new to Byte Works’ world, although it may be worthwhile to give any unused sensors a new reason for being.

Continue reading TechBASIC 2.3 links iOS to world of sensors through Bluetooth, no pesky computers in the way (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables

TechBASIC 2.3 links iOS to world of sensors through Bluetooth, no pesky computers in the way (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 04:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It looks like smartphone manufacturers have stopped racing ahead in the megapixel wars, instead focusing on improved sensors to deliver better images from mobile devices. Sony has been pressing ahead with such sensor developments, with its latest Exmor RS smartphone camera range further improving image quality. Sony will offer three versions of the sensor, with two eight megapixel models and a 13-megapixel variant.

Sony will be using new f/2.2 aperture lenses for some for improved depth-of-field, and the company has also improved auto focus features for video recording. In addition, videos will be able to take advantage of HDR, a feature that has been reserved for still images on smartphones so far. That should allow footage to capture a full range of lighting scenarios, with smartphones struggling to dynamically adjust to dramatic changes in the past.

The company is still working on further sensor enhancements, focusing on improved image quality and sensor behaviour while keeping the overall size down. Sony says that the first new Exmor sensor will be available in October, but it lack HDR video and RGBW exposure features. The other two sensors with those features will be reportedly be available in March and May 2013.

Manufacturers like Apple and Samsung will most likely make use of the new sensors once they hit the market next year. They’re particularly appealing due to the reduced size (up to 40% over previous sensors), which would save precious space inside a smartphone that could make room for additional components or battery capacity, all while bringing better image quality.

[via Engadget/HEXUS]

Sony Exmor RS smartphone sensors include HDR video is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Tanning can be dangerous, especially if you fall asleep on the beach while soaking in some rays. These UV-sensing wristbands will let you know when you’ve had too much sun. Once you’ve had your fill, they change colors to let you know when to cover up.

The bands work through an acid-releasing agent that picks up UV light. A dye responds to pH levels in the indicator. Once you’ve reached a predetermined UV level, the bands change from yellow to pink. The Swedish company Intellego Technologies plans on releasing different sensitivity levels, because people react differently to UV exposure: some people can tolerate more while others can tolerate less. Of course, you’ll still want to use sunblock and not just rely on the wristband to protect your skin.

The wristbands are supposed to be pretty cheap when they are released, so there’s no excuse anymore for getting all red from your last excursion to the beach. They will be available starting spring 2013.

[via DVice]

Wouldn’t it be great if fitness and medical gadgets automatically knew who was wearing them? Researchers from Dartmouth have come up with a new way to provide health monitors just such an ability using a tiny electric current and a bioimpedance sensor. You see, each person’s body provides a different amount of opposition to electrical current, so bioimpedance can be a unique biometric identifier. The researchers’ idea is to create a bracelet that uses bioimpedance readings to recognize its wearer in a secure, unobtrusive manner and communicate that identity to other wearable devices.

Using such a bracelet, “the devices discover each other’s presence, recognize that they are on the same body (and transitively learn from the wrist device whose body), develop shared secrets from which to derive encryption keys, and establish reliable and secure communications.” As opposed to other biometrics or password authentication, bioimpedance readings can be taken passively, which is much more appealing than remembering passcodes or scanning fingerprints and retinas. For now, the researchers have created an eight-electrode proof-of-concept bracelet, but its accuracy leaves something to be desired — it correctly identifies its wearer only 80 to 90 percent of the time, whereas fingerprint recognition has a failure rate of less than 1 in 1,000. So, we’re a ways off from bioimpedance-based security, but research is ongoing, and you can learn all about it at the source below.

Filed under: Wearables, Science

Researchers use bioimpedance as a biometric, let health monitor devices know who you are originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 20:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Believe it or not, EV battery life is still something of a Pandora’s Box, even for automakers: they can tell you the battery pack’s current and voltage, but not how it’s really performing under pressure. Ford, GE and the University of Michigan are uniting to unlock that mystery through a new ARPA-E project. In its role, GE is developing a minuscule sensor array that will track the nuances of battery cells that existing technology misses; it will promptly hand the baton to researchers at the University of Michigan, who plan to both prove that GE’s data is on the mark as well as develop tricks for predicting behavior. Ford handles the last mile, almost literally: it’s planning to fit the GE sensor technology to one of its cars and test in a more realistic environment. Before you fantasize about knowing the lifespan of your Focus Electric’s battery down to the minute, however, the new alliance is stressing that it’s only just getting started — there’s another three years and $3.1 million to go before the project wraps up. If all goes according to plan, though, we’ll have electric cars and plug-in hybrids that can not only tell when they’ve seen better days but can eke out extra miles through smarter battery designs.

Continue reading Ford, GE and University of Michigan team up on sensor to track EV battery life, keep us on the road

Filed under: Transportation

Ford, GE and University of Michigan team up on sensor to track EV battery life, keep us on the road originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Aug 2012 12:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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