What next after the Proton electric car?

It’s great that Proton has the foresight to partner with Detroit Electric for the production of noiseless cars but that joint-venture will die a slow death if the country is unclear why electric-drive technology is important, why it MAY be one of the solution for the future of transportation.

The truth is we do not really know which way things will move in the future. What most scientists agree is that fossil fuel is a finite resource so we will ahve to find an alternative energy source. The most abundant element in nature is Hydrogen, it fuels the universe. The sun runs on hydrogen and so do all the stars. So scientists are saying the the future is hydrogen. So how are we going to power our world on this light and highly flammable gas?

Well, one could burn it inside a normal internal combustion engine like petrol. Companies like BMW are hedging their future with this option. You can also run the gas through a series of special membranes in a fuel cell and generate electricity to drive motors for a car. Mercedes-Benz and GM are looking at this possibility with Ballard Technologies.

In the second option, the primary drive of the car is electric and the motor can be supplied with current in many different ways - fuel cells, batteries, wireless transmission, or maybe we will see a future where our roads are magnetised to interact as linear induction motors with vehicles running over it.

The future is far from clear so ti is just as well that we start understanding the eelctric drive technology a little better because it is one of the major possibility junction for the future. In the meantime we, as a country needs and energy policy and by that we need a set of goals and a roadmap on how to get there.

We need the Government to work out the national energy needs for the next 10, 20, 50 or even 100 years and once we figure out how much we need, then the experts need to agree where the energy is going to come from. Finally we need a roadmap onhow to achieve those goals.

Many countries are now looking at a long range goal that is totally free of fossil fuel. In the medium term many developed economies want to achieve significant reduction in their fossil fuel reliance. Since we all know that oil is going to run dry one day, it is every Government’s responsibility to predict when it is going to happen and how we are going to prepare ourselves before things become critical.

We need to know now whether the country should focus on solar energy, wind power, wave power, hydroelectric, nuclear technology or maybe we want to just rely on magic. At the same time we need to actively promote energy efficient technologies and sadly we do not see this happening in any serious or concerted effort outside of Northern Europe, Japan and California. While we congratulate Proton, we must push our Government to formulate a national energy policy to make sure that we are not caught out.
source : blog.autoworld.com.my/index.php/tag/proton/

Spotting the Magnetic Eye

Tracking eye movements can let a computer know when someone is paying attention and identify exactly what they are interested in, but it's also a tricky business. Most systems work by using a camera and image recognition software to identify a person's pupils and work out the direction of their gaze.

In real-life situations, however, tracking systems can be easily confused by rapid head movement or spectacles.

Now, the Office of Naval Research is looking for better ways of tracking eyes in the hope of developing military applications, such as tracking a fighter pilot's gaze.

So it has a funded James DiCarlo, a neuroscientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, US, to develop a magnetic contact lens.

A soldier would wear the lenses and a magnetic sensor attached to the side of his or her head. The sensor picks up any changes in the local magnetic field and works out how the wearer's eyes are moving.

The system should work regardless of head orientation and movement, lighting condition,s or "face furniture" such as goggles or glasses. The team says the magnetic lenses could also let disabled people control equipment such as wheelchairs.

Fat Transfer Techniques

When the liposuction method became more commonly available, fat also became much more easily taken from the body. That progress permitted further plastic, dermatological and cosmetic surgeons to offer their patients fat transfer for cosmetic reasons. Patients prefer fat transfer because in this process it is their own tissue is used and, hence, the body does not reject and because most dermal fillers are absorbed by the body in three to nine months, making habitual injections a continuing expense.

The fat transfer process collects fat from one part of the body where an excess and then places it in a new part of the body where the additional bulk is used for cosmetic and aesthetic purposes. Fat transfer -- which is also known as fat grafting, fat autographs, autologous fat transplantation, fat injecting or microlipoinjections to physicians -- is being used in cosmetic plastic surgery to:

1. Smooth and repair aged hands
2. Fill wrinkled, creased faces
3. Create shapelier, curvaceous buttocks
4. Enlarge breasts

Potential risks of fat transfer are:

1. Bleeding or blood clots
2. Infection
3. Nerve damage or wound dehiscence
4. Fluid collection, or seroma

Amazon’s New Wireless Electronic Reader Device

Sleek & Trim
At 10.2 ounces, Kindle is lighter than a typical paperback and as thin as most magazines. Barely a third of an inch in profile, you’ll find Kindle fits perfectly in your hands.

Improved Ergonomics
Kindle is as easy to hold and use as a book. We designed it with long-form reading in mind. When reading for long periods of time, people naturally shift positions and often like to read with one hand. Kindle’s page-turning buttons are located on both sides, allowing you to read and turn pages comfortably with one hand from any position. The page-turn buttons now flex inward to prevent any accidental page turns when picking up or handling Kindle.

New 5-way controller
Kindle has a new easy-to-use 5-way controller, enabling precise on-screen navigation for selecting text to highlight or looking up words.

Simple to Use, No Computer Required
Kindle is completely wireless and ready to use right out of the box–no setup, no cables, no computer required.

Even Longer Battery Life
25% Longer Battery Life - Read for Days Without Recharging

With Kindle’s 25% longer battery life, you can read on a single charge for up to 4 days with wireless on. Turn wireless off and read for up to 2 weeks. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store and downloading content. In low coverage areas or in 1xRTT only coverage, wireless usage will consume battery power more quickly.

Source : http://www.etflux.com

Virgin Mobile’s 'vLink' –a data service

Virgin Mobile India, a dual venture stuck between Virgin Group and Tata Teleservices, announced its venture into the data section with the launch of its USB modem 'vLink' priced at Rs 2,100.

The device, vLink, is a CDMA USB modem offering 1 GB data storage space priced at Rs 2,100
"vLink comes with a starter kit... This includes free unlimited promo data usage time of 30 days. We have launched two tariff plans — Rs 801 per month for unlimited data usage and Rs 349 per month with a facility of balance roll over to next month," Virgin Mobile India Chief Officer, Deval Parikh said.

He also added that, the second plan has a rate of 25 paise per minute (between 8 am-10 pm) and 13 paise per minute (between 10 pm-8 am). "vLink will offer instant connectivity on the move to the style conscious youth, be it students, professionals, SMBs or SOHOs...It is a carry-along device that will allow users to access internet anywhere as well as store their music, photos, videos etc," Virgin Mobile India Chief Executive Officer M A Madhusudan said.

India has a total internet user base of 49.40 million, of which net users less than 25 years of age account for 52 per cent.

Electronic human exoskeleton gives paralyzed people their life back

Radi Kaiof, a 41 year old male from Israel paralyzed for around 20 years now walks down the street with a dim mechanical hum. This revolutionary invention by a Amit Goffer, gave Radi his life back and made his dream come true.

‘I never dreamed I would walk again. After I was wounded, I forgot what it’s like,’ said Kaiof, who was injured while serving in the Israeli military in 1988.”

‘Only when standing up can I feel how tall I really am and speak to people eye to eye, not from below.’

The new device is called “ReWalk”, and its a human electronic exoskeleton consist of motorized leg support, body sensors and back pack containing a computerized control box and chargeable batteries. But users need crutches to help with balance.

ReWalk will be in the market in 2010, and according to the company, it will cost around 20,000$.

Source : http://palscience.com/2008/08/27/electronic-human-exoskeleton-gives-paralyzed-people-their-life-back/