Fraunhofer

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Multi-channel MP3 Surround sound launched

December 14, 2004 MP3, the world's most popular audio compression format is about to go multi-channel. Scientists and engineers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, who developed MP3 together with colleagues from Thomson and Agere Systems, have joined to launch MP3 Surround into the consumer and commercial markets. This technology will enable 5.1 channel surround sound for a broad spectrum of applications including web-based music distribution, broadcasting systems, PC-related audiovisual or gaming applications, consumer electronics and automotive systems. Read More

CAMERAS AND IMAGING

Vest pocket projector uses micromirror technology

By Gizmag Team

December 14, 2004 Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany have built a prototype pocket projector with a tilting micromirror that builds up the picture line by line for legible graphics and text. Future models are likely to be no larger than a cube of sugar and could be incorporated into a mobile phone, allowing the miniature projector to be always on hand to present PowerPoint slides to a small group of customers or for quickly consulting an online journal. It could also provide useful orientation in unfamiliar towns by projecting a street map onto the wall of the nearest building. Read More

ECOGIZMO

Bio-degradable packaging tape developed

By Gizmag Team

December 16, 2004 A bio-degradable packaging tape made from renewable resources is being developed by German researchers that can be disposed of cheaply and will create less waste. Currently, used plastic wrappings and containers are incinerated or dumped in huge quantities on landfill sites with ongoing environmental results. The organic packaging tape will be available worldwide in 2005 and may be as cheap as current tape if oil prices continue to rise and manufacturing costs come down. Read More

SCIENCE AND EDUCATION

Rapid Micro Product Development grows parts on demand

By Gizmag Team

November 29, 2004 Miniaturised components are used in bio-technology, surgery, optics, neuro-physiology and other developing fields that rely heavily on micro-technology. Cost-effective and rapid production of high-resolution three-dimensional micro-structures is now possible all the way down to the sub-nanometer range thanks to Rapid Micro Product Development (RMPD), a generative production method developed by German company microTEC. Read More

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

'BrainGate' Brain-Machine-Interface takes shape

By Gizmag Team

December 7, 2004 An implantable, brain-computer interface the size of an aspirin has been clinically tested on humans by American company Cyberkinetics. The 'BrainGate' device can provide paralysed or motor-impaired patients a mode of communication through the translation of thought into direct computer control. The technology driving this Brain-Machine-Interface breakthrough has a myriad of potential applications, including the development of human augmentation for military and commercial purposes. Read More

ROBOTICS

Scientists demonstrate a mind-controlled future

By Gizmag Team

November 5, 2004 Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have demonstrated that a monkey can feed itself with a robotic arm simply by using signals from its brain, an advance that could enhance prosthetics for people, especially those with spinal cord injuries. The robotic arm, or neural prosthesis, is about the size of a child's arm and moves much like a natural arm, with a fully mobile shoulder and elbow and a simple gripper that allows the monkey to grasp and hold food while its own arms are restrained. Read More

MUSIC

New Surround Sound System by the

By Mike Hanlon

A new spatial, immersive sound system called IOSONO, which creates an unparalleled listening experience, has been previewed by Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Brandenburg, the often called "father of MP3". Developed by a team at the Fraunhofer IDMT (part of Europe's largest applied research group) under the lead of Brandenburg, IOSONO is the first system to project sounds as if they are coming from a specific spot inside or outside the listening area. It provides a perfectly balanced "sweet spot" for every spectator, no matter where they are positioned in the audience. Read More

ROBOTICS

After the Volkswagen comes the Volksbot

By Mike Hanlon

When Commodore launched the first home computer on the German market - the VC-20 - it was a real sensation. Its legendary predecessor, the C-64, was the first truly affordable 'personal' computer, and the start of the PC revolution. What computer freaks struggled with in those days, is what robot developers are now experiencing. Read More

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