Electronics
Printable electronics on the rise
June 27, 2007 We've written before about printable electronics, a relatively new field in which common printing techniques are used in conjunction with conductive electronic inks to mass-produce extremely thin, flexible and cheap electronic circuits. The technology has been producing breakthroughs in flexible e-paper displays, smart labels such as RFID tags, animated posters and active clothing. Industry analysts are encouraged by the quick take-up of the technology, as well as growing research into future uses - and are predicting that more than 15,000 specialized printable electronics printers will ship between 2007 and 2013. (read more...)
AnalogicTech unveils energy saving 12V Step-down DC/DC Converter
June 27, 2007 With companies and individuals alike now focussed on reducing their carbon footprint, few of us would deny the value of any device that delivers power savings and in turn, lower carbon emissions on a broad scale. One major energy waster is the power used by devices when not in use and it is this issue that the latest release from power management specialists AnalogicTech seeks to address. The AAT1162 is a synchronous step-down DC/DC converter that delivers higher efficiency to a wide range of 12V industrial applications by limiting energy consumption when in stand-by mode, as well as providing better power management and extended battery life in mobile consumer electronics products including cell phones, laptop computers and digital cameras. (read more...)
SENSR's US$600 GP1 Programmable Accelerometer
March 22, 2007 SENSR Instruments’ first product has certainly raised the bar for its future efforts - the GP1 Programmable Accelerometer, was developed to be an "accessible instrument", and combines precision, quality, ease of use and affordability. The unit is equally at home in a lab environment streaming real-time dynamic data back to your PC or out in the field functioning as a remote data logger monitoring and recording up to 30 days of data. The GP1 uses an enhanced recording processor that integrates static, dynamic and environmental data into a unique data record that records what occurred and when. A bit bigger than a car ignition key , the billet aluminium-cased gadget retails for just US$600 and at that price, there’s a whole bunch of things you can now do which were either impossible or price-prohibitive yesterday. (read more...)
Flexible see-through battery power
March 22, 2007 All is no longer as it seems – the clear flexible plastic in the image is a battery – it is a polymer based rechargeable battery made by Japanese scientists. Drs Hiroyuki Nishide, Hiroaki Konishi and Takeo Suga at Waseda University have designed the battery – which consists of a redox-active organic polymer film around 200 nanometres thick. Nitroxide radical groups are attached, which act as charge carriers. Because of its high radical density, the battery has a high charge/discharge capacity. This is just one of many advantages the ‘organic radical’ battery has over other organic based materials according to the researchers. The power rate performance is strikingly high – it only takes one minute to fully charge the battery and it has a long cycle life, often exceeding 1,000 cycles. (read more...)
Women, Not Men, Are Primary Electronics Consumers
March 6, 2007 From politics to technology, women have played a vital role in shaping today’s society. Some of these achievements and other various tidbits are being highlighted during International Women’s Day on March 8. In regards to the technology spectrum, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) reports that women are the primary consumers when it comes to wireless gadgets and gizmos. According to CEA officials, women are outspending men in electronics purchases US$55 billion to US$41 billion. The trade organization also reports that women influence 90 percent of consumer electronics purchases which amounts to a lot of money when factory-to-dealer sales of consumer electronics are projected to exceed US$155 billion in 2007. (read more...)
Low-cost HSI3000 Thermal Imaging Camera
September 28, 2006 If you’ve always wanted a thermal imaging instrument so you can diagnose all those problems that are just begging to be investigated with such a remarkable weapon, then you’ll be delighted to know that a new low cost HSI3000 has been added to the range of Wahl Heat Spy Thermal Imaging Cameras. The US$5995 HSI3000 is an ergonomically designed, hand held, light, compact, and easy-to-use thermal imaging camera, used as a detection and diagnostic tool for condition monitoring of electrical and mechanical systems and building diagnostics such as detecting moisture damage, pest infestation, insulation integrity, as well as energy auditsand Wahl is now offering attractive leasing packages to further ensure we can all get our hands on one. (read more...)
Fujitsu and Advantest JV to create 65nm process semiconductor prototypes using Electron Beam Direct Lithography as a new development environment
September 15, 2006 Fujitsu and Advantest today announced plans to establish a joint venture to create prototype semiconductors by using electron beam direct lithography, a technology that combines 65 nanometer (nm) and 45nm semiconductor process technologies with electron beam exposure systems. Using technologies it develops, in fiscal 2007 the joint venture plans to provide customers with 65nm process prototype services (shuttle services) as a new development environment, and make the environment suitable for 45nm process technologies in the future. (read more...)
Major breakthrough for electricity with 2G wire
July 25, 2006 Energy technologies company American Superconductor, announced today it has achieved commercial levels of electric current for the first time in long lengths of second generation (2G) high temperature superconductor (HTS) wire. This is the first time commercial levels of electrical current have been successfully achieved in long lengths (over 300 feet) by a low cost industrial process, making possible the emergence of this technology from the laboratory into the marketplace. HTS wires conduct large quantities of electricity with 100% efficiency when cooled with environmentally friendly liquid nitrogen, the coolant of choice for superconductor electric power transmission and distribution cables. The company claims this achievement will have a significant impact on the future of power grids worldwide and is ramping up the manufacture of 2G Wire by its patented, low cost process to meet growing demand and expects the price-performance ratio of 2G wire to be equivalent to that of copper by the end of the decade. The few ultra-thin HTS wires on the right of this image, carry as much power as all the copper shown on the left. (read more...)
Privacy-enabled RFID labels for product tracking
July 13, 2006 IBM and Marnlen RFiD are collaborating on enabling consumer privacy protection for RFID tags -- the potential production of smart radio frequency identification (RFID) labels using IBM Research's Clipped Tag privacy technology. Clipped Tag technology allows consumers to tear off a section of the tag which in turn reduces the tag's read range to just a few inches, protecting consumer privacy while maintaining the benefits of the technology, such as product authentication or recalls. The Clipped Tag puts privacy protection into the hands of the consumer as it gives the consumer a visual confirmation of the tag's modification. (read more...)
eTelemetry's Locate Network Appliance
July 11, 2006 Now here’s a very clever idea that we keep thinking of innovative uses for. eTelemetry's Locate is a plug-and-play network appliance offering a top-down view of all desktop-computing assets, the people using them, and where they are physically located. Locate recently won the Best Enterprise Hardware Product award at the Corporate and Channel Computing Expo. It works by passively analyzing network packets without installing any software agents and it shows all the people on the network in real-time by name as well as by physical location, switch port, department, and phone number. It also provides tools to dynamically track assets and react to network issues including unauthorized users, equipment moves, and acceptable use policy violations. The archived information also becomes a system of record of who's been where on the network for forensic analysis and compliance. (read more...)
New invention detects intermittent electrical faults
June 21, 2006 An intermittent fault is the most frustrating problem of all. Most of us who play with Gizmos have experienced it at least once, and some of us in specialist jobs have experienced it many times. One can only imagine the feelings of futility that technicians experience when trying to find an intermittent short circuit in the miles of wiring behind the panels of an aging commercial airliner – or the cost of tracking the potentially dangerous short circuit down. Now Sandia National Laboratories has invented a new rapid technique that may make it financially feasible for airlines to quickly diagnose and repair the hard-to-locate intermittent faults that have plagued the industry and cost millions of dollars in lost revenue due to aircraft downtime. Pulsed Arrested Spark Discharge (PASD) is expected to be on the market by September via licensee Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems, combined with that company’s other patented test methods under the name ArcSafe. Other possible uses eventually envisioned for PASD are as inexpensive tests for the wiring harnesses of passenger cars and new homes. Military tanks and the hard-to-reach wiring behind the steel bulkheads of submarines are also possible candidates. (read more...)
The Digital Ink billboard
May 19, 2006 The coming of digital paper seemed to take forever, but now that it’s here, we’ve seen a veritable explosion of products such as clocks, watches, rollable displays, and more recently, the holy grail we’ve all awaited since we could conceive the possibility, the digital book (the Sony Reader and iRex Iliad). But wait, there’s more! There's another very promising high res, low power display emerging and we’re about to see magink's proprietary digital ink technology used on billboards. Global outdoor advertising company JCDecaux appropriately premiered the new generation of high resolution magink-based digital billboards at the 59th Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday. The magink digital ink billboards are installed at multiple highly trafficked venues in Cannes, including one located adjacent to the Palais des Festivals, the official home of the Cannes Film Festival. The new displays will feature an array of full-motion video advertisements and information on the City of Cannes. The digital ink technology offers full-color, full-motion, high resolution and high contrast images that use ambient light to enhance image quality and visibility -- just like ink on paper. Beyond the world of billboard advertising, magink will also be used with other display applications such as consumer electronic products, in-store point-of-purchase, and promotional displays. Portable devices such as PDA's and mobiles in particular will benefit from the low power consumption offered by magink. Nearly three years ago when we first wrote about magink, CEO Ran Poliakine told us, "magink could take the place of every screen based technology across the board" said Poliakine, "not just e-books where you can download newspapers, magazines and eventually video into a conventional 'book' format, but wallpaper, exterior building facades and countless other applications". (read more...)
Six times smaller chip next generation TV-on-mobile in U.S. Market
April 5, 2006 Philips announced its next generation TV-on-mobile solution for the North American market at CTIA today. An amazing six times smaller than its previous version, the new Digital Video Broadcast - Handheld (DVB-H) front-end solution, the smaller size BGT216 (7x7 mm, compared to the previous version’s 15x26 mm and no that’s not it in the pic – good pic though, heh?) improves the integration potential of the chip into mobile devices, which will enable handset and other mobile hardware manufacturers to create simpler, sleeker designs which satisfy the current consumer trends towards small, ultra-portable devices. DVB-H technologies enable consumers to receive live TV-like experiences directly onto mobile handsets and other DVB-H-based devices. The U.S. market for TV-on-mobile is predicted to have 15 million consumer users by 2009, up from only 1.2 million in 2005, according to eMarketer. (read more...)
World's First Transparent Integrated Circuit
March 22, 2006 Researchers at Oregon State University have created the world's first completely transparent integrated circuit from inorganic compounds, another major step forward for the rapidly evolving field of transparent electronics. The circuit is a five-stage "ring oscillator," commonly used in electronics for testing and new technology demonstration. It marks a significant milestone on the path toward functioning transparent electronics applications, which many believe could be a large future industry. (read more...)
Instant EPC Hotspot RFID Visualization Software
March 15, 2006 With the world moving towards the mass implementation of RFID, we have no doubt that 'Instant EPC Hotspot' RFID Visualization Software will prove to be very useful to a lot of people. The software uses commercial RFID tags and readers to measure RFID performance at the item, case and pallet level under real-world conditions. Results from these measurements are displayed using interactive 3D models color-coded to show RF properties. This unique and intuitive visualization system conveys an immediate understanding of the RF behavior of a product. This in turn leads to optimal tag placement and significantly improved performance at all levels of RFID tag reading. A fully functioning, 15-day trial version of the software is available here. (read more...)
Philips demonstrates world-first technical feasibility of 13.56-MHz RFID tags based on plastic electronics
February 7, 2006 Scientists at Philips Research have created a fully functional 13.56 MHz RFID tag based entirely on plastic electronics. In contrast to conventional silicon-chip-based RFID tags, a plastic electronics RFID chip can be printed directly onto a plastic substrate along with an antenna without involving complex assembly steps. This could pave the way for the packaging industry to replace existing barcodes by a low-cost RFID tag that provides individual packages with a unique item-level identification code – something not feasible with current barcode technology. (read more...)
Plastic Active-Matrix SVGA flexible e-paper Display
December 6, 2005 Plastic electronics developer Plastic Logic has developed the world's largest flexible organic active matrix display. The display consists of a flexible, high resolution, printed active-matrix backplane driving an electronic paper frontplane from E Ink Corporation. The display will be publicly shown at the 12th International Displays Workshop in Takamatsu, Japan tomorrow. The displays are 10" diagonal SVGA (600 by 800) with 100ppi resolution and 4 levels of greyscale. The thickness of the display when laminated with E Ink Imaging Film is less than 0.4mm. The backplane substrate is made from low temperature PET supplied by DuPont Teijin Films which is more flexible and easier to handle than alternatives such as thin glass or steel foil. (read more...)
Innovative Digital Display Mat creates New Advertising Medium
November 23, 2005 The IntelliMat is a wireless computer embedded in a very thin mat made of a lightweight thermoplastic alloy with four LCD screens, creating a 30-inch diagonal display with full multi-media capability. IntelliMat is 1.5cm thick and designed to be used on the floor in retail environments to deliver multimedia and TV-quality advertisements with the potential to interact with customers. Most appealing about the IntelliMat is that it delivers these messages to consumers in environments where wall space is limited or in front of products where consumers are in a position to buy. (read more...)
Siemens develops printable, low-cost, disposable video display
Siemens has announced a new colour display screen that can be printed onto paper or cardboard and is thin, flexible, and affordable enough to be included in books, magazines, labels, tickets, instructions, multimedia games embedded in the breakfast cereal box and a host of other traditionally “dumb” media where clarity of the message is vital – such as the dosage instructions on drugs, installation instructions for people who normally don’t RTFM ad infinitum – when the new technology reaches market in 2007, the convergence of media types will further accelerate with the possibility of video instructions incorporated into packaging, video-enabled print adverts, and printed magazines and books with multimedia capabilities. (read more...)
Breakthrough in printed electronics
A world first in volume printed integrated electronics circuits was exhibited at the recent Plastics Electronics trade fair in Frankfurt. The Institute for Print and Media Technology at Chemnitz University in Germany has developed a new process that enables electronic circuitry to be produced with mass printing technology. The new process will enable the mass production of very cheap integrated circuitry in paper and cardboard and can be expected to have massive consequences in manufacturing, the future of RFID and the blurring of the line between printed objects and the virtual world.The first practical applications are expected to be electronic printed maps and printed paper keyboards, closely followed by labels for clothing, luggage, packaging, ticketing and after that … almost anything. (read more...)
Contactless Palm Vein Authentication Technology targets de facto standard in biometric security markets
June 30, 2005 Fujitsu Limited today announced the global launch of its contactless palm vein authentication device for biometric authentication security. Fujitsu aims to establish a de facto standard in the area of high security biometric authentication with its palm vein authentication technology, and from July this year will collaborate with its group companies in North America, Europe, and Asia to aggressively drive its palm vein authentication business in these regions. The technology has a number of advantages over most biometric authentication technolgoies in that it is fast, hygenic, contactless, secure and cost-efficient. (read more...)
TrafficGauge handheld delivers real-time traffic data
December 7, 2004 A handheld PDA that analyses and delivers real-time traffic information where it's needed most-in the car, the home, or at the office- has been launched by Seattle based company Traffic Gauge to reduce wasted time and unnecessary stress on the road. The handheld, wireless device works right out of the box and can be carried in a pocket or purse, or mounted on the vehicle dashboard or windshield. With a quick glance at the TrafficGauge fixed map, commuters can quickly assess which freeway is stop-and-go, slow or clear, right from the driver's seat. The device requires no scrolling and is always on. (read more...)
Hollywood strikes back at Video Pirates
November 23, 2004 The war on movie-piracy has entered a new phase with Trakstar, a Florida based company demonstrating what they claim is a solution to in-theatre movie bootlegging. Hollywood studio executives and Motion Picture Association of America representatives have tested the new anti-piracy technologies, which detect the presence of camcorders in movie theatres and embed 'audio watermarks' in recordings for later identification. (read more...)
Sony release next generation Dual Layer burners
November 19, 2004 Sony Australia has unveiled its next-generation Dual Layer burners, featuring speeds almost double the pace of Sony's original range. The DRU710A (internal drive) and DRX710UL (external drive) increase the overall write speed up to 16X +R with 2.4X +R dual layer burn speed1, meaning consumers can significantly boost the turn around time of DVD burning. A firmware upgrade set for release in coming months promises to further increase the this capability to 4X dual layer burn speed. (read more...)
Remote control replacements available online
November 24, 2004 What do you do after the dog uses the remote control as a chew-toy, or it mysteriously disappears when you're moving house? In the digital age remote controls are no longer optional for most home or car entertainment system components - they are the key to full functionality when enjoying music, a DVD, or a commercial-filled TV program. Now an American service from 1-800-Remotes (1-800-736-6837 or http://www.remotes.com/ will replace your original remote control model for full system compatibility and ship worldwide. (read more...)
