Washington Auto Show Highlights

Chrome With These 9 Killer Extensions

Bangalore: Google Chrome; released in 2008 is by far is the most widely used web browser, millions across the globe prefer Chrome over other alternatives. The simple and intuitive interface makes Chrome a hit among the users. To further enhance the user experience there are thousands of Chrome Extensions that can be downloaded from the Chrome Web Store. These extensions can make your browsing experience better, faster and more secure. Out of tons of extensions that are out there, read on to top 9 of them that can make your chrome feature rich, as compiled by The Daily Beast.

• Adblock Plus
• Pocket
• Hover Zoom
• Lazarus
• HTTPS Everywhere
• Ghostery
• OneTab
• Google Dictionary
• LastPass

Source :http://www.siliconindia.com

Marblelike Lens for Smartphones Could Be DSLR Killer

       Smartphone cameras might be getting bigger in a small way. Researchers from the University of California, San Diego have developed a wide-angle lens that’s one-tenth the size of those similarly powerful components. The camera, which is small enough to fit in most smartphones, can reliably focus on objects as far away as 500 meters (1,650 feet, or nearly a third of a mile), making it as powerful as a full-size SLR camera.

Source : http://www.livescience.com/

Tongue Drive System to Operate Computers

 
   Scientists developed a new revolutionary system to help individuals with disabilities to control wheelchairs, computers and other devices simply by using their tongue.
Engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology say that a new technology called Tongue Drive system will be helpful to individuals with serious disabilities, such as those with severe spinal cord injuries and will allow them to lead more active and independent lives.
Individuals using a tongue-based system should only be able to move their tongue, which is especially important if a person has paralyzed limbs. A tiny magnet, only a size of a grain of rice, is attached to an individual's tongue using implantation, piercing or adhesive. This technology allows a disabled person to use tongue when moving a computer mouse or a powered wheelchair.
Scientists chose the tongue to control the system because unlike the feet and the hands, which are connected by brain through spinal cord, the tongue and the brain has a direct connection through cranial nerve. In case when a person has a severe spinal cord injure or other damage, the tongue will remain mobile to activate the system. "Tongue movements are also fast, accurate and do not require much thinking, concentration or effort." said Maysam Ghovanloo, an assistant professor in the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
The motions of the magnet attached to the tongue are spotted by a number of magnetic field sensors installed on a headset worn outside or an orthodontic brace inside the mouth. The signals coming from the sensors are wirelessly sent to a portable computer that placed on a wheelchair or attached to an individual's clothing.

source:www.infoniac.com

Body Heat to Power Electronic Devices Soon

                    

    Using body heat instead of batteries to power various devices is no longer a dream. German scientists developed a circuit that can be used to produce electricity from body heat. 

A new way of generating electricity from body heat was discovered by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS in Germany together with scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques (IPM) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Applied Materials Research IFAM.

Their method is based on the principle of thermoelectric generators (TEG)produced from semiconductor elements. The temperature difference between hot and cold environment contributes to generation of electricity with the help of TEGs.

Usually, the difference of several tens of degrees is necessary to generate electricity. But when comparing body temperature and environment temperature, the difference is just a few degrees which is enough to generate only low voltages. In order to produce electricity for electronic devices one or two volts are necessary, while TEG extract about 200 millivolts.

The scientists developed a completely new way of generating electricity, creating circuits that work on 200 millivolts. This discovery led to creation of electronic system that produces energy from body heat. Researchers are making further improvements for various applications.

source:www.infoniac.com

New Electronic Display to Be Used on Clothes and Beer Cans

Scientists working on the international project are looking forward to bring the organic light emitting devices to the masses. Thus the invention could significantly cut costs by billions of dollars each year.
Due to the fact that the organic light emitting devices are very thin and flexible, electronic display screens could be easily created on nearly every material, thus, for example, clothing could, for the first time in history, display specific electronic information.
There are various ways of using the this OLED, like for example change the color of clothes, beer can would be able to display various sports results. In addition the OLED is much more efficient than the light bulb used today.
Currently these devices are applied in mobile phones and MP3 players. However, such OLED is not quite reliable for large TV or computer screens.

source:  www.infoniac.com

Portable Pen projector

The Portable Pen projector is as powerful as any other projector, but it’s far more compact and intelligent. The projector is encased in a stainless steel container and comes with many neat features like Bluetooth and an LED system.With this Portable Pen Projector, you no longer have to worry about lugging around a heavy projector device to show off pictures of your vacation or to present an assignment.