Gizmag News - New tech allows 'memory materials' to store multiple memorized shapes

Welcome to the newsletter for gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine. These are the headlines for September the 3rd, 2010. New tech allows 'memory materials' to store multiple memorized shapes They’re known as smart materials, memory materials or shape memory alloys, but it all boils down to the same thing: materials that hold one shape, but then take on another at a certain temperature. Such substances have been around for decades, but now researchers at Canada’s University of Waterloo have taken them to a new level. Using a patent-pending process, they can embed multiple shape memories in one object – in other words, while memory materials can presently take on only two shapes, going from one to the other at just one temperature, using the new process they could take on several shapes at several temperatures. The Multiple Memory Material Technology (MMMT) is said to work with virtually any memory material. Read More Researchers unveil prototype implantable artificial kidney to replace dialysis End-stage renal disease, or chronic kidney failure, affects more than 500,000 people per year in the U.S. alone, and currently is only fully treated with a kidney transplant. That number has been rising between five to seven percent per year and with just 17,000 donated kidneys available for transplant last year the waiting list currently exceeds 85,000, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network. Those who can’t secure a kidney for transplant are left reliant on kidney dialysis. An expensive and time consuming process that typically requires three sessions per week, for three to five hours per session, in which blood is pumped through an external circuit for filtration. In a development that could one day eliminate the need for dialysis, researchers have unveiled a prototype model of the first implantable artificial kidney. Read More All-electric Ford Focus to use liquid cooled/heated lithium-ion battery system One of the downsides of the lithium-ion battery systems used in electric vehicles is that their performance, reliability, safety and durability can be negatively affected by extreme temperatures. When the all-new Ford Focus Electric debuts later this year in the U.S. it will be powered by a lithium-ion battery – no news there. What is interesting, however, is that the battery system will use cooled and heated liquid to regulate battery temperature, which should extend battery life and maximize driving range. Read More Immersion's new haptic effects solution heads for Toshiba's Libretto w100 Are you the sort of person who loves touch screen technology but yearns for the mechanical feel and security of a real keyboard? You may be interested to hear that Toshiba’s Libretto w100 dual touch-screen mini notebook will be the first device to hit the market that incorporates Immersion Corporation’s TouchSense 2500 solution that provides touch feedback effects when hitting keys. The haptic effects help to minimize the chance of mis-keying, provide immediate tactile response and allow you to get all touchy and feely at the same time. Read More Sun, dust, music, desert and a free solar powered cellular network Burning Man, the popular desert music festival, is this year featuring a free, solar powered cellular network for the duration of the festival which winds up on Monday. The open source software, OpenBTS (Open Base Transceiver Station) is a low-cost replacement for traditional cell networks. It allows mobile phones to connect to each other if they're all within range of the transceiver, or to connect with any other phones with Internet connection. It utilizes a Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) to create a GSM air interface on any standard GSM mobile phone. The founders of Burning Man, which began this week in Black Rock City, Nevada, have decided to trial the system by allowing the 50,000 or so attendees free access to the network. Read More Near infrared light to help researchers hunt for cancers Cancer is an insidious disease, paying no heed to when, where or whom it might strike. But scientists continue to wage a war against it, hoping to claim the ultimate prize – a cure. Latest research from chemists at the University of Florida suggests a new technique using near infrared light could help scientists to view and photograph lysosomes – sac-like structures within cells – that are linked to cancer and other diseases. Read More The Rydeen GCOM701 tablet/GPS navigation hybrid device Integrated silicon solutions company, Marvell along with Rydeen Mobile Electronics have announced the Rydeen GCOM701, a new Android™ tablet. The GCOM701 features built-in Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth capability, removable memory, a front-facing camera and easy connectivity for jump drives, along with an internal microphone and speaker, enabling the use of Internet-based communications services such as Skype. A 7 inch TFT touch panel with 800x480 pixel resolution, which also provides ability to surf the web, read e-books and view photos or videos. Whilst on the road, the GCOM701 functions as a portable navigation device, including four million points of interest. The 7.4 volt battery provides considerable standby time and 6 hours of operational time. Read More Nanotube sheets could lead to stealthier submarines Two years ago, Chinese scientists coated one side of a flag with a thin sheet of nanotubes, then played a song using the flapping sheet-coated flag as a speaker. It was a demonstration of flexible speaker technology, in which nanotubes can be made to generate sound waves via a thermoacoustic effect – every time an electrical pulse is sent through the microscopic layer of nanotubes, it causes the air around them to heat up, which in turn creates a sound wave. Now, an American scientist has taken that technology underwater, where he claims it could allow submariners to detect other submarines, and to remain hidden themselves. Read More Samsung's tilting lens full HD camcorder saves aching arms Tilting LCD screens that let users keep an eye on the action when holding a camcorder up high or down low are pretty much standard nowadays, but they don’t help reduce the arm and wrist fatigue that results when holding the device in such positions. The new HMX-T10 camcorder unveiled by Samsung at IFA 2010 does, however, by featuring a Slanted lens that tilts 20 degrees to allow users to keep their desired subject in frame, while holding the camera in a more comfortable position. Read More Philips debuts the Airfryer – crispy fries without the fat Fried food without oil... is such a thing possible? According to Philips electronics, the answer is yes. Philips recently unveiled their Airfryer at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, where we were on hand to check the device out. It’s still early to be making any sweeping statements, but this product could have a huge impact on the developed world’s obesity epidemic. Read More ViewSonic reveals 7-inch Android tablet Somewhere between what we've come to know as a tablet computer and a smartphone sits ViewSonic's new Viewpad 7. You might already guess from the name that this portable tablet with phone functionality sports a 7-inch touchscreen display. It runs on Android 2.2, has both Wi-Fi and 3G capabilities, and cameras at the back and front. The device is currently on show at ViewSonic's stand at IFA 2010 in Berlin, but for those not lucky enough to be in Germany this week, here's a brief summary of what's on offer. Read More Localized heating could be the key to mass-producing graphene nanocircuits Scientists from the Georgia Institute of Technology have documented a major breakthrough in the production of nanocircuitry on graphene, a material that many envision as the successor of silicon for our electronics needs. Using thermochemical nanolithography (TCNL), the team found that the electrical properties of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) can be easily tuned to reliably produce nanoscale circuits in a single, quick step. Read More Reducing your power bill with Microsoft's Hohm For a lot of people, the electricity bill is an unwanted piece of paper printed with angular graphs and big dollar signs, but with the rising cost of power in today's energy-conscious society it's becoming more important to understand exactly what all those lines and numbers mean. Microsoft's Hohm website aims to make sense of the jargon by providing personalized data on consumers' home energy consumption, and offering recommendations on how to save energy and reduce those bills. Read More StroboClip tuner from Peterson now shipping Tuner manufacturing veteran Peterson Electro-Musical Products has been helping musicians keep their instruments in check since 1948, and introduced the first true bypass strobe tuner in 2004. Responding to requests from players for a snap-on tuner, the company has announced the StroboClip. The handy tuner benefits from 0.1 cent accuracy, exclusive presets for a variety of stringed and non-stringed instruments, a sturdy, road-friendly design and a pivoted clear screen that makes for easy viewing. Read More Eye-controlled earphones let you pick up phone calls with a glance The Japanese wireless carrier NTT DoCoMo has recently developed and demonstrated a peculiar pair of headphones that can precisely detect a user's eye movements without a camera, and use those movements to control electronic devices such as mobile phones and portable music players. DoCoMo started working on this idea back in 2008 by adapting an electrooculogram (EOG), a medical device used for measuring eye response, to their purposes. An EOG works on the principle that the human cornea has a positive electrical charge. As the user looks to the left or right, the charge shifts in the space between the user's ears – a change that can be easily detected by appropriate sensors. Read More Sanyo set to release new eneloop boosters Since introducing its eneloop rechargeable battery technology in 2005, Sanyo is reported to have shipped over 130 million cells. Now the company has announced some new additions to its eneloop universe series which provide a power boost to a host of mobile devices including Apple's iPad, Sony's Xperia smartphone and Nintendo's DS series portable gaming devices. Read More Samsung Galaxy Tab revealed Apple has defined the market for tablet computers with its iPad and every new release since has inevitably drawn the question – is this an iPad killer? By the looks of things, Samsung's first tablet offering – the Galaxy Tab – could well be. The device trumps its rival on three key points. It's significantly smaller, lighter and more portable, it includes a camera and it works as a phone. We got our hands on the Galaxy Tab during the official launch at IFA today. Read More If you would like to refer this newsletter to a friend or colleague, please point them at our free subscription page. Please don't try to forward this email, as the formatting is unlikely to remain intact. 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