The journey doesn’t end here

This famous tagline is making headings all around the world, maybe, because it is associated with a name which everyone chants day and night in times of need. Take a guess- this brand is the one you look for, as soon as you switch on the internet- one of the biggest names of the 21^st century. THIS IS GOOGLE! And I’m talking about their new thing in the market, GOOGLE GLASSES! It was only a few decades ago when we had inventions like Laptops and mobile phones coming into existence-In an era where there was no way to communicate over thousands of kilometres laptops and mobile phones bought the world to your feet , within a touch of a button. Call it the next generation or the future of electronics but Google brings to you the world not even a touch away- just voice commands- Yes! GOOGLE GLASSES ARE THE FUTURE!

So Google jumped into the eyewear business now!?

Contradictory to everyone’s expectations Google glasses aren’t like your other pairs of Ray-Ban or Gucci, it aims at providing a ubiquitous computer- in simple terms- you’ll get to wear your computer all around with you. According to Google these are “DESIGNED FOR THOSE WHO MOVE”.

Are they worth it?

These glasses were basically designed to give an all hands free smartphone display. It can be used to communicate via natural language voice commands and the use of internet. Developed by Google X- the research department of Google which is also involved in developing the autonomous car- the Google Glass has all the features of your regular Smartphone,

·        2 GB RAM

·        16 GB total memory (12 GB usable memory)

·        Prism projector for display (640x360 pixels)

·        Sound- Bone Conduction Transducer

·        Voice commands through microphone, accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor

·        Camera- 5MP, videos-720p

·        Connectivity- Wifi , Bluetooth, micro USB

·        Power- 570 mAh Lithium ion battery

·        Weight- 43g ( Yes! Just 43 g)

A timeline-like interface displayed on the screen is controlled by a touchpad located on the side of the Google Glass, just by swiping through it. Sliding backward shows current events, such as weather, and sliding forward shows past events, such as phone calls, photos, etc.

These are basically an all in one pair of glasses which help you navigate, play music, send a message etc. so where is the problem.

Perfect, or maybe not!?

• Other than the touchpad, Google Glass can be controlled using "voice actions". To activate Glass, wearers say "O.K., Glass." Once Glass is activated, wearers can say an action, such as -"Take a picture", "Record a video", "Hangout with [person/Google+ circle]", "Google 'What year was Wikipedia founded?'", "Give me directions to the Taj mahal", and "Send a message to Rajat".
• For search results that are read back to the user, the voice response is relayed using bone conduction through a transducer that sits beside the ear, thereby rendering the sound almost inaudible to other people.

• People wearing such eyewear can record private conversations. The "Find my Face" feature on Google+ functions can be used to identify strangers and misused, violating privacy rights and creating security problems.
•   Michael DiGiovanni created Winky, a program that allows a Google Glass user to take a photo with a wink of an eye, while Marc Rogers, a principal security researcher at Lookout, discovered that Glass can be hijacked if a user could be tricked into taking a picture of a malicious QR code, demonstrating the potential to be used as a weapon in cyber warfare.
• In post soviet countries like Russia, Ukraine, etc. with laws prohibiting the use of devices that can record video, audio or take photographs in an inconspicuous manner, the legality of the Glass is still in question.
• The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) announced a ban on wearable technology including Google Glass, placing it under the same rules as mobile phones and video cameras.
• Cyber forensic experts have raised concerns over potential threats from software programs that are compatible with Google glass and can be used to steal Smartphone and tablet passwords.

We hope that google is able to resolve these privacy issues by launching appropriate applications which will enable them to publicly launch this device for sale.

Solar Cars racing ahead..

With the world solar challenge not even 2 weeks away let’s take a look at this emerging technology and the possible future of cars. Contrary to popular belief humans might end up relying on this technology far more than expected, with the natural resources vanishing at a fast pace, the Sun might be the only saviour.

Materials significance..

Since the solar powered cars are a bit different from the petrol/diesel cars that we see today they have quite a unique design and special materials used are:

• ·        Photovoltaic solar panels- They are the power source of the car, and usually very delicate and expensive.
• ·        Titanium composites- These are lightweight materials usually used to manufacture fighter jets.
• ·        Batteries-Lead acid batteries used in conventional cars are too heavy, therefore nickel-metal hydride batteries (NiMH), Nickel-Cadmium batteries ( NiCd), Lithium ion batteries or Lithium polymer batteries are usually used.  
• ·        Carbon fibre
• ·        Fibre glass
• ·        Narrow wheels- to reduce friction with the ground

Also since the cars in the race are hand made by specialized teams, the cost rises in addition to the materials used.

Advantages:

• ·        Efficiency- Solar energy powered cars can utilize their full power irrespective of the speed, unlike conventional cars.
• ·        No expense required for running the car.
• ·        No annoying noise made by solar cars; unlike conventional cars, solar cars are quiet.
• ·        Solar cars are a very low maintenance affair.
• ·        One of the biggest advantages- Solar cars do not produce harmful emissions.

Disadvantages:

• ·        Solar cars don’t have the speed or power that regular cars have.
• ·        In the absence of the Sun solar cars can only operate for a limited distance. If there is no sunlight for many days, the car battery will not charge.
• ·        A good solar powered car is expensive, about $200,000 or more.
• ·        Solar car parts are not produced in bulk, hence are expensive.

Solutions:

The disadvantages seem to outweigh the advantages, hence the solutions for this are:

• ·        Installing super chargers,  the one like Tesla motors just came up with, storing power in big batteries and recharging stations could help customers in times bad weather and cloudy days.
• ·        Since the solar cars are a rarity hence the car parts are expensive, once mass production of these car parts starts it will reduce the cost upto a great extent.
• ·        To increase the efficiency of solar cars we could possibly come up with some sort of hybrid versions for these cars. The hybrid versions will not only increase speed but also power of the car. A combination of wind power and solar power might prove to be beneficial. Also regenerative breaking could be of great help in this respect.

If the solar car were to make its mark in human history, the right time would be now. After the autonomous cars the solar cars would be a big achievement in world of technology, let’s cross our fingers and hope for the best.