In the last couples of decades, the technology of computer has been undergoing a very huge transformation. Based on the latest statistic, currently there are more than 1 billions of computers across the worldwide.

Recently, the physicists at UC San Diego have developed the high speedy integrated circuits with particles called “excitons”. The researchers described that the new computers can be operated at commercially cold temperatures. In this case, it giving the hope of possibility, by making a new type of extremely fast computer based on excitons.

Mr. Leonid Butov, a professor of physics at UCSD, who is the head of the research team, mentioned that the main goal of the research is to create efficient devices that based on excitons. It’s not only can easily operate at room temperature, but can replace electronic devices where a high interconnection speed is important.

During the researches, they’ve performed the demonstration, by assembling the transistors into the building block. It’s capable of working at 1.5 degrees Kelvin above absolute zero, which is equivalent to minus 457 degrees Fahrenheit. For your information, this temperature is a few times less than the average temperature of deep space!

Butov and the team believed that the excitons are the ultimate devices that would be used to create the next fast computer. [sciencedaily]

For those who spending over hours on the Twitter, you might be want to find a device, which is not only can help you to read your latest Twitter status, but it brings you a lot a fun when you’re Twittering.

Honestly, it might be seemed a little bit ridiculous for some of the Twitter’s users, but the Ganzbot is truly a superb arduino robot that read new Twitter messages instantly.

Ok, Ganzbot’s appearance is a little bit weird for some people, but it’s truly something new that worth to try with. Go figure, you can simply put on your picture on the Ganzbot. Once there are some new Twitter messages being updated, the Ganzbot is automatically inform the user, by simply blinking its LEDs eyes and smiling through the LEDs mouth!

Beside that, the Ganzbot will verbally read the latest Twitter status to you, where it uses an Arduino Decima to control the head actions and receives the latest Twitter status information over USB from a host computer.

Well, whether it’s a fun or a nightmare, it’s totally up to you here, my friend!

Probably everyone knows Arduino and probably using it. Actually this development platform is worth its popularity. Probably the best thing about it is open-source ideology. Indeed it is great development platform that includes software and hardware solutions where even non electronics guru can master great projects very quickly. In a few years Arduino has grown in a great community around the world. And that is great – this means that you have access to endless resources, endless project ideas and lots of members that are willing to help if you are stuck with something. All basic information you can always find in http://www.arduino.cc/.

OK enough of talkies. Lets see what we have here. Thanks to SparkFun electronics, Arduino Duemilanove stands on my table fully assembled and ready to work.

I decided to give a try on Arduino Ethernet shield based on Wiznet W5100 chip. It has a library so you don’t need to think of details how Ethernet chip is controlled. Few lines and you have some info in your favorite browser. Read the rest of this entry »

Silicon is one of the most important semiconductor materials. However, it’s always considered as brittle and breakable as window glass. In order to improve the fragility, many scientists have been doing many researches, hoping to find the best solution.

Guess what! Empa researchers have discovered the solution, by creating minute silicon pillars in nano-sized.

According to the Empa’s founder, Ludwig von Tetmajer, who is investigated the mechanical loading of columns in his time, disovered if the diameter of the columns are made small enough, then under load they don’t simply break off. The new discovery had opened the way for completely new design techniques from a materials point of view for mechanical Microsystems.

Tetmajer described that more than 90 percent of conventional solar cells are made of silicon. The only problem is the materials have its own limitation.

In other hand, John Michler, Head of Empa’s Mechanics of Materials and Nanostructures laboratory in Thun found out that when the silicon’s colums had diameter of less than 400 nanometers, surprisingly there are no any cracks developed and the structure began to suffer plastic deformation!

Tetmajer and Michler both agreed that the nanopillars are going to be the best solution to develop the Super Silicon. [sciencedaily]

In the past few decades, many scientists have been predicted that in the future, the hybrid motors are going to be dominated the roads. Well, it seen that the prediction is slowly becoming a reality, as there are more and more hybrid motors exist on the roads in present days.

The only problem is the hybrid cars are not mass-produced, since their production costs are relatively high compare with the ordinary vehicles.

In this case, a researcher from ETH Zurich has developed a brand new concept. It’s a part of her doctoral thesis that integrates power electronic functions and an electric motor.

Hanna Plesko, a doctoral student at Power Electronic Systems Laboratory has discovered the effective way to reduce the costs of producing hybrid cars. Plesko described that the inverters and DC/DC converters play a crucial role in the hybrid motors. It’s also being known as the main reason, why the producing costs are so expensive for the hybrid motors.

For overcoming the inverters and DC/DC converter, Plesko has developed a system with more powerful yet cheaper inverter and DC/DC converter. She is very confident that the thesis is going to be worked for real engine power.[sciencedaily]

Xerox has announced their new technology that enables to print electronics circuits on various surfaces like clothes, tapes or other materials. Their technology uses ink that contain silver metal to make printouts conductive.

Earlier liquid silver tended to be inconvenient for printing on plastic surfaces due to high temperature – now they found better inc compound that works in much lower temperatures. Such technology can change much in electronics marketplace as circuits can be printed directly on clothes – what allows to create cheaper interactivity in games. Other mass usage could be printable RFID tags in supermarkets.

“The technology uses conventional inkjet printing methods, and though Xerox has used it with conventional desktop printers, the company expects that it would use continuous-feed printers that print on rolls rather than sheets of material. It doesn’t require the super-clean environments needed for conventional silicon chip manufacturing.

The Xerox process actually requires printing three layers on a substrate: a semiconductor, a conductor and a dielectric. The silver ink is the layer that conducts electricity.” [news.cnet.com]

There are lots of tutorials on how to make great PCB. So here is another video tutorial from [getlofi.com]. You can build PCB by using mostly common tools and materials from your work desk.

Read the rest of this entry »

Each day, there are many new breakthroughs in the technology field. Recently, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has giving the Nobel Prize Award in Physics for 2009 to three physicists for their outstanding groundbreaking in the optical fiber communication and CCD image sensor.

The two honored physicists are Charles K.Kao, Standard Telecommunication Laboratories, Harlow, UK and Chinese University of Hong Kong in the achievement concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication. Willard S. Boyle and George E.Smith from Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ, USA for the invention of an imaging semiconductor circuit, which is known as the CCD sensor.

According to Kao, he made a discovery that led to a new breakthrough in fiber optics since 1966. He was amongst the first few physicists who calculated how to transmit light over long distance via optical glass fibers during 1960s. Now, he had discovered a new technique that is enough to encircle the globe more than 25,000 times with fiber optics!

Furthermore, the discovery of CCD image sensor by S.Boyle and E.Smith also brought the photography into a new revolutionary era, which the CCD provided new possibilities to visualize the previously unseen. [sciencedaily]

The computers are becoming more advance day by day. In this case, some people might think, “It’s possible to create the computers that included with common sense knowledge onto them!” Well, it might be a possible task, but definitely not in the short period.

Mr. Robert Sloan, a professor and head of computer science at the University of Illinois at Chicago said it’s been the Holy Grail of artificial intelligence research since its early days to answer all the questions that a young child can answer about the world and universe. However, we’re still a way too far to reach the ultimate goal yet…

Sloan with his colleague, Gyorgy Turan hope to build theoretical foundations that is able to bring artificial intelligence closer to everyday human reasoning.

Turan described that the main task of the team is to understand the problem, search useful mathematical models, understand the basic mathematical properties and provide some efficient computational methods to the children.

Honestly, the fantastic duo final’s goal is to create the super high-end artificial intelligence computers, which is having the capability to answer most of the mathematics questions. It would be better, if they can include the common sense knowledge into the computer as well! [sciencedaily]

Living in the 21^st century, there’s nothing to be more pathetic and scary, especially if you living in the countries, which the war is happening nearly every second!

According to the statistic, nearly 20 percent of the Americans soldiers that fighting in the battlefield in Afghanistan, Iraq and much more are having the chance of losing one of their hand. Normally, they’ve to wait until they’re home to put on an artificial hand onto their body. However, the scenario is going to change 360 degrees…

DEKA arm, one of the remarkable companies in artificial limb is now undergoing a $100 million Pentagon program called “Revolutionizing Prosthetics”.

Dr. Geoffrey Ling, the Army colonel and neurologist who leading the Revolutionizing Prosthetics program said beside of making the artificial limb, it’s also their responsibility to bring the humanity back.

Furthermore, Ling described that the Revolutionizing Prosthetics is a very massive project, as it involves more than 300 scientists, including top engineers, neuroscientists, and psychologists.

However, the program is still in the early stage and it might take up to five years to accomplish. [cbsnews]