Category: Science & Engineering

Posted on

From Engadget: Quantum dots could increase fiber optic bandwidth up to 10 times

Quantum dots could increase fiber optic bandwidth up to 10 times (video)

Nothing screams World of Tomorrow quite like quantum dots. Alongside the possibility of paint-on solar cells, the technology could also multiply optic fiber bandwidth by up to ten times. The Photonic Network Research Institute at NICT has been able to crank up the capacity of the data transmission system by combining a light source and photonic crystal fiber. The quantum dots act as the light source, and via the NICT’s new “sandwiched sub-nano separator structure” [above], they can be tweaked to work at 70THz — far in excess of the 10THz frequencies typically used. Aside from optical communications, the potency of these high frequencies allow it to pass beyond skin, opening up the use of quantum dots to medical scanning and high resolution cell imaging. Is there anything these dots can’t do? Catch a slightly more technical explanation in the video right after the break.

 

from Engadget

Posted on

From MAKE: Cubify’s Cube 3-D printer

What you are seeing is a brand new world!  Being able to print in 3D is going to be the way of the future!!  This small printer is less than $1500!  That’s a bargain if you ask me!

================================================================

Cubify’s sleekly minimalist Cube 3D printer can print objects within a 5.5 X 5.5 X 5.5 in. envelope. It cost $1300.

 

from MAKE

Posted on

From Engadget: Kinect and Windows Phone combine to create holographic game engine

If your life is anything like ours, it’s in sore need of more pseudo-holographic helicopters. Fortunately, YouTube user programming4fun has come up with a solution, using Microsoft’s Kinect beta SDK and a Windows Phone handset. The system, pictured above, basically consists of a Kinect and a 3D engine; the former tracks the position of a viewer and automatically adjusts the image projected by the latter, creating the illusion of a 3D landscape. In this case, that landscape happened to feature a holographic helicopter, which could be controlled using a phone’s accelerometer and a Windows Phone 7 app (apparently called HoloController). Watch it in action, after the break.

Continue reading Kinect and Windows Phone combine to create holographic game engine (video)

 

from Engadget

Posted on

From Engadget: Magnetic soap could make your next oil spill less oily

I sure hope this becomes a reality! Anything to help our environment is awesome in my book!

==================================================================

Instead of spending millions upon millions to clean up the next oil spill, why don’t we just all pitch in and buy some soap? That’s basically what researchers at the University of Bristol are proposing, with a new kind of soap that’s apparently like no other. This soap, you see, is magnetic, which means it could be easily removed from water without leaving behind any hazardous chemicals — a potentially major selling point for cleanup crews and environmentalists alike. To create it, the team collected water with chlorine and bromine ions, and used it to dissolve iron particles, creating a metallic core. They proceeded to test their creation by placing the soapy particles within a test tube, underneath layers of water and oil. Much to their delight, they were able to remove the particles with only a magnet, ostensibly providing a template upon which disaster response crews may build.

 

from Engadget