Ion harvesting- Free electricity for all

High school Geography taught us about the different atmospheric layers surrounding the Earth. The mere existence of these layers is perhaps the reason behind various life forms to flourish on this planet. However, with global warming on a rise and the depleting natural resources, alternate sources of energy are the need of the hour. With wind turbines, hydraulic power plants, etc on the race to produce more and more energy with efficacy, a new way of generating energy has recently been introduced, however controversial the claims might be if this works out in our favor we will have a cleaner greener atmosphere with hopefully lesser pollution to worry about. Let’s unravel the mystery behind this technology that ‘Ion power group’ has come up with.

Nature’s plan

·        Cosmic rays penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere and collide with oxygen and nitrogen air molecules.

·        Electrons are knocked off of the air molecules due to these violent collisions, creating electrically charged ions in billions.

·        Ion production is also aided by cloud activity and radon gas that seeps from the ground

Man-Made aid

• ·        Ion collectors are flexible, conductive and durable rod like structures made out of carbon/graphite/graphene, and not metal.
• ·        These ion collectors aid ‘Corona Effect’ due to the presence of millions of microscopic conductive points on them which readily couple to the electric field of ions near-Earth. This coupling transfers the high-voltage electricity from the atmospheric ions to the ion collectors.
• ·        This high voltage DC is either stored in storage mediums or in electrical loads to produce work.

The company to patent this technology is ‘Ion Power Group’. Although a lot of the claims made by the company are controversial and questioned by various experts, we can only hope to see a positive outcome towards a sustainable future with better renewable sources of energy.

Gravity: lighting the way ahead

Over the last 2 decades we have seen a burgeoning demand for ‘alternative sources of energy’, to not only meet our proliferating demands for fuels, but also to save our resources from depleting and maintain the environmental balance. “What are these alternative sources?”, someone recently asked me, and I replied “Gravity!”. Let me explain how…

The concept

• ·        Why? - Mainly developed for developing countries and aim at replacing the conventional kerosene lamp, to prevent depletion of resources as well as save the users from the harmful fumes emitted upon burning the kerosene.  
• ·        What? - A device that aims at generating light energy from gravity.
• ·        How? – When a heavy weight is lifted off the ground the potential and kinetic energies help generate electricity, as explained in the next section.
• ·        Where? – They can be used anywhere, irrespective of environmental conditions. All that needs to be done is installation of the kit.

Working

Prerequisites :

   1.     Adjustable weight

   2.     Gears

   3.     Electric generator

   4.     LED lamp(light emitting diode)

   5.     Rope/strap

 An adjustable weight of about 20 pounds (10 kgs), is attached to a rope/strap which is further  attached to gears. When the weight reaches the top, upon pulling the rope, it then descends  downwards at a very slow rate of about 1mm/sec. The rope is attached to the gears which in turn  drives the electric generator, that powers the LED.  Once the weight reaches the floor again, the  process is repeated.

Specifications

Power Output (12.5kg Load)

High: 0.10W
Med: 0.075W
Low: 0.05W

LED

Power (max): 124mW
Operating Temp: -30 ~80 °C
Storage Temp: -40 ~100 °C
Luminous Intensity: 13.8 cd*

Product Dims

Weight: 0.8kg
H:160mm, W:103mm, D:78mm

Load Weight

Minimum: 8.0kg
Maximum: 12.5kg

Advantages

   1.     No specific environmental conditions needed to run it

   2.     Takes seconds to lift the weight which in turn powers the lamp for about 20 minutes and process  can then be repeated.

   3.     No additional costs except for the initial cost of buying the Gravity Light Kit.

   4.     No batteries needed, hence it can be stored indefinitely without the tension of degrading batteries!

   5.     Saves money, improved health and saved money and the three benefits post-installation of gravity  lights

We hope that this helps in improving lives of those who are in dire need of a change. To contribute towards this noble cause kindly visit gravitylight.org

Li-Fi: Future of data transmission

Until recently, whenever people first heard the word ‘Li-Fi’ they thought it was a typo, and maybe the user actually meant Wi-Fi only. The concept of Li-Fi has recently gained popularity and it’s reasons are pretty obvious. For all the high speed-connectivity lovers, Li-fi came as a blessing. But don’t get excited just yet, lets shed some light on what this concept actually is.

Let’s start with basics..

• ·        First occurrence: Term coined by professor Harald Hass from the University of Edinburgh, during TED talk in 2011.
• ·        What?- Li-Fi aka Light fidelity, a Visible Light Communications (VLC) system running wireless communications travelling at very high speeds.
• ·        How?- Enables data transfer using common household LEDs (light emitting diodes)
• ·        Why?- boosts speeds up to 224Gb/s  (approximately 11000x times faster than the present speeds used in Wi-Fi)
• ·        Where?- Can be used wherever visible light transmitters are present

Working:-

The question that arises is what is so different about Li-Fi, when we already have Wi-Fi?

1.     Transmission: Li-Fi and Wi-Fi aren’t all that different when it comes to data transmission, they both use electromagnetic waves to do so. The difference being, Wi-fi uses radio waves and Li-Fi uses visible light.

2.     Device: contains
-a photo detector to receive light signals
-a signal processing element to convert the data into 'stream-able' content.

3.     Process: The constant current of electricity supplied to the LED lightbulb will be dipped and dimmed, up and down at extremely high speeds, without being visible to the human eye. These tiny changes during the rapid dimming of LED bulbs are then converted by the 'receiver' into an electrical signal. The signal is then converted back into a binary data stream that we would recognise as web, video and audio applications that run on internet enables devices.

Advantages

• ·        Speed! – As already mentioned 224Gb/s is way faster than the normal Wi-fi speed of 20Mb/s (approximately 11000x times)
• ·        Security- Light cannot pass through walls, this ensure greater security on local networks.
• ·        Interference – Since light cannot pass through walls, there will also be less interference between devices

Disadvantages

• ·        Connectivity- Since light cannot pass through walls, capable LEDs will have to be places all around the house, to fully exploit the benefits of Li-Fi.
• ·        Keeping lights on- Li-Fi won’t work unless the light bulbs is switched on, that means keeping the light bulbs on, during the daytime too!

"All we need to do is fit a small microchip to every potential illumination device and this would then combine two basic functionalities: illumination and wireless data transmission," Haas said. "In the future we will not only have 14 billion light bulbs, we may have 14 billion Li-Fis deployed worldwide for a cleaner, greener and even brighter future."

Li-Fi verdict

• ·        In November 2015, pureLiFi and French lighting company Lucibel collaborated, aiming to bring out Li-Fi enabled products in 2016.
• ·        PureLiFi already has two products in the market:

o   Li-Flame Ceiling Unit- used to connect to an LED light fixture and,

o    Li-Flame Desktop Unit- connects to a device via USB,

both aiming to provide light and connectivity in one device. 

The amalgamation of Internet of Things devices and Li-Fi will bring about an incredible boost in opportunities for various retailers and businesses alike. Whether or not Li-Fi will live up to everyone’s expectations is yet to be decided.

Cloaking technology

The normal notions of invisibility, inspired by fiction, include Magical objects in the form of

• ·        Rings
• ·        Cloaks
• ·        Amulets
• ·        Magical potions
• ·        Magical spells
• ·        Mythical creatures (making themselves invisible at will, like leprechauns and Chinese dragons)

But now there are actually devices, claiming to create invisibility fields around objects in real life. But real life invisibility cloaks don’t look like a Harry Potter style robe that completely erases visual presence in an environment, which is what usually comes to your mind when you hear the term. In more realistic movies, invisibility cloaks tend to bend light around an object, making it look as if it’s covered in liquid mirror. In real life, for instance, they often tend to be solid objects that simply play perspective or reflective tricks on the eye( which isn’t even close to what is shown in the movies)

Secret ingredients? Not so secret…

To become invisible, an object must do two things:

• ·     It has to be able to bend light around itself, so that it casts no shadow, (Meaning: you have to return the light to the same path it was pursuing before it hit the cloak; otherwise it casts a shadow.)
• ·     It must produce no reflection.

While naturally occurring materials are unable to do this, a new class of materials called METAMATERIALS is now making it possible. These materials are composed of metal and dielectric composite films, created using a nano-transfer printing method. The films are layered in such a way as to create a fishnet-like pattern, which in turn allows the control of visible-spectrum light.

Limitation: “It won’t work for every frequency.”

Historic footprints:

·        The "invisibility shield," created by David R. Smith of Duke University and colleagues, inevitably set the media buzzing with talk of H. G. Wells's invisible man and Star Trek's Romulans. Using rings of printed circuit boards, the researchers managed to divert microwaves around a kind of "hole in space"; even when a metal cylinder was placed at the center of the hole, the microwaves behaved as though nothing were there.

The shield consists of concentric circles of fiberglass circuit boards, printed with C-shaped split rings. Microwaves of a particular frequency (limitation alert!!!) behave as if objects inside the cylinder aren’t there--but everything remains in plain view.

·        the Rochester Cloak is a surprisingly low-tech response to what is traditionally considered a high-tech problem: making objects invisible.The Rochester Cloak could make anything invisible, as long as the lenses can cover it. Theoretically, that means it's possible to make a military base "disappear" from the visible spectrum if you surround it with big enough lenses.

·        A researcher at the University of Texas at Austin has devised an invisibility cloak that could work over a broad range of frequencies, including visible light and microwaves. This is a significant upgrade from current invisibility cloaks that only cloak a very specific frequency — say, a few hertz in the microwave band — and, more importantly, actually make cloaked objects more visible to other frequencies. The UT Austin cloak would achieve this goal by being active and electrically powered.

Recipe 101:  make it invisible!

You can make a small invisibility device ( a Rochester cloak) at your home for around $100:

• 1.  Obtain two sets of two lenses with different focal lengths. The first set will have one focal length while the other set will have a different focal length. You will have four lenses in total, which should cost you no more than $30. The lens provider will include the focal length information (sometimes denoted as FL) so you don't have to calculate it yourself.
• 2.     Using an optics bench, select one lens with the first focal length and a second lens with the second focal length. Separate them by a distance that is the sum of their focal lengths. For example, if your first lens has a focal length of 50 centimeter and your second lens has a focal length of 30 centimeters, then separate these lenses by 5+3 = 8 centimeters.
• 3.     Now, do the same with your remaining two lenses.
• 4.     Lastly, you need to know how far apart to separate your two sets. This will take a little math, but here's an example using the same measurements in Step 2 _D=[2 ₍₃₎ (₅+ ₃) ]/ (5- 3) = 12 centimeters should be the distance between your two lenses with the focal length of 3 centimeters.

Why does the world need to be invisible?

The practical applications of an invisibility cloak are exciting in their own right.

·        Imagine nurses who can make their hands invisible so they don't obstruct a doctor's view during surgery,

·        Trucks kitted with cloaks so they can see right through their blind spots on the highway. 

Cloaking technology has more revolutionary applications than just turning a Klingon Bird of Prey invisible. Hopefully we'll see more of this technology for the betterment of human lives.

The flying car- AeroMobil

It’s when dreams like this, turn to reality, that we realize how fast technology evolves, and it is truly worthy of appreciation. For decades, humans have dreamt of having a vehicle that could not only drive on the roads but fly as well, perhaps the 21^st century has led to this turn of events. Since every individual can’t be a billionaire and afford a private jet, automotive designer Stefan Klein has come up with a design of a flying car. After working on this car for over 2 decades Stefan has finally achieved what many failed to do over the past centuries.

Prototype information..

The prototype of the AeroMobil has the following features that you should know about:

• ·        Body- A Steel framework, carbon-fiber body and six-pound carbon wheels keep the vehicle light weight.
• ·        100 horsepower, 4 cylinder Rotax 912 engine runs on conventional fuel and can be refueled at any gas station
• ·        Wings- Tuck neatly into the body when vehicle is on the street, after folding width increases from 1.5 meters to 8.2m. ( with wings folded up it fits in a normal-sized parking space )
• ·        Made for two people it can have a maximum speed of 124mph as a plane and 99mph as a car.
• ·        Testing: A few tests that were carried out previously have been proven to be successful, only a few more tests are left to be carried out. The creators drove the 4^th prototype in October ’14 named AeroMobil 3.0 in Slovakia. More than 800 feet off the ground and completing about 12 miles in a circle the test was successful.

Apart from this features included in the design are autopilot, safety parachute, complex engine, piloting controls and many other things.

photo source: www.aeromobil.com

photo source: www.aeromobil.com

Disadvantages

The possible shortcomings that one can think of in such a scenario are:

• ·        Whether or not it can be considered a safe mode of transport?
• ·        The skill set required to operate such a vehicle and on what basis can one qualify to drive/fly this vehicle?
• ·        How economical are these vehicles in terms of a long term perspective?
• ·        How to prevent mid air crashes with other air-borne vehicles?

This invention has the ability to change the face of future transportation; however a lot of laws and existing norms need to be considered before making any decisions.

photo source: www.aeromobil.com

photo source: www.aeromobil.com

De-extinction: the new trend!

Is that your twin? How can you possibly be in two places at the same time? AAAAAAAAAAA run.. ghost!! I just saw you walk through that door and now you’re there again, or are you just spamming the doorway again and again?! 

Yeah well this is the expected reactions at present of all earthlings, to what might possibly be the future. Well what I’m talking about here is cloning. Something of the sort that happens in the movie, Island featuring Scarlett Johansson. Remind you of anything? Well it doesn’t happen exactly the way portrayed in the movies; A clone develops exactly the way a normal human does, needs a surrogate mother and ample time to grow into a fully developed individual.

Cloning is just so unnatural!

For all those who think cloning is unnatural, think again! It was pretty basic high school biology that everyone studied about Asexual reproduction, well recall those processes.

• ·        Bacteria, yeast, and single-celled protozoa multiply by making copies of their DNA and dividing in two. Like the ditto from Pokémon.

• ·         Redwood and aspen trees send up shoots from their roots, which grow into trees that are genetically identical to the parent- like roots dividing into more roots and forming more trees

• ·         In the animal world, the eggs of female aphids grow into identical genetic copies of their mother—without being fertilized by a male.

• ·        If a starfish is chopped in half, both pieces can regenerate, forming two complete, genetically identical individuals. Like chop up Patrick form ‘SpongeBob square pants’ and you’ll get two separate Patricks growing from those two pieces, imagine the horror!
• ·         Even mammals form natural clones: identical twins are a common example in many species.

De- extinction be the new shiz!

Suddenly why do I bring this topic up when we’ve practically been watching movies, documentaries etc. based on this for over a decade now. I know it isn’t a new concept but well some new discoveries caught my interest.

The passenger pigeon was hunted to extinction 99 years ago, but researchers are planning to use DNA from museum specimens to bring the bird back to life.

How will this happen?

Step 1: sequence the genome of the passenger pigeon and compare it to that of the bird’s closest living relative, the band-tailed pigeon, to pick out the most important variations.

Step 2: Edit the genome from the germ cell of a band-tailed pigeon to transform it into that of a passenger pigeon.

Step 3:  Implant this germ cell into another pigeon, likely a rock pigeon, where the researchers hope it will migrate to the gonads to produce sperm or eggs. Two of these birds will be mated to create a passenger pigeon chick. At least that’s the plan.

Dolly the cloned sheep.

Where’s the problem?

·        The nucleus of an egg cell needs to be removed for cloning; this means removing the proteins essential to help cells divide, is removed. Cloning mice is not a problem because they are able to make these proteins again, but this doesn’t happen in primates- so monkey cloning failed.

• ·        Cloned animals often have different kinds of genetic abnormalities that can prevent embryo implantation in a uterus, or cause the fetus to spontaneously abort, or the animal to die shortly after birth.
• ·        The extremely high rate of death, and the risk of developmental abnormities from cloning makes cloning people unethical.

 Let’s just hope that this technological development overcomes obstacles only for the better, and not lead to Human extinction!

Kinect: Xbox 360 secret!

The story uptil now..

It all started in 1962 with ‘Spacewar’, the first of its kind and then there was no looking back for the video game industry. This ever evolving field of technology has touched millions of lives, be it a 6 yr old or 60 year old, it has taken control over the minds of all; its like puppets to the puppet master, slaves to the owners, zombies controlled by their masters- the players to the video games! The journey of the evolution of this technology is commendable. The essential part of a video game, without which it can’t be played is-...

Well you guessed it right- the CONSOLE!  The development from first to eighth generation of these consoles has been quite impressive. But the nineth generation of consoles will see something that will not only change the video game industry but all of science and technology for the better.Have you ever thought of telepathy? Something similar to what is portrayed in the movies- make the car move just by thinking about it, make the computer type whatever you want to, and make the robot walk just by imagining it. This is how the console will work, on the concept of Brain computer interface.

A glimpse of eigth generation technology : 

A brain computer what? Let’s rephrase- Neurogaming

For all the gaming lovers out there, I’m not talking about the brain of the computer- which is a CPU. We’re talking about a brain computer interface! Yes, sounds pretty alien like. Well controlling your online player without having to even move a finger is what we’re talking about. Yes! Now I’ve got your attention! All you have to do is imagine the player going right, the player will automatically take a right, imagine it jump, kick, box, whatever you want, however you want it to be, the player will do as u wish! The technology behind this miracle is BRAIN COMPUTER INTERFACE. It’s like controlling the player with your brain, like telepathy. The electromagnetic waves generated by your brain will be caught by the console which will enable you to control the player.

How does it work?

·        Using non-invasive Brain computer interface (BCI), Neurogaming enables the users to interact with the console, without the use of a traditional controller like a joystick or a motion controller wand.

·        Meaning- make the player move on the screen without even moving a finger. These neurogaming softwares use a player’s brain waves, heart rate, pupil dilation, expressions or even emotions to complete tasks or affect mood of the game.

·         For example, game developers at Emotiv have created non-invasive BCI that will determine the mood of a player and adjust music or scenery accordingly.

·         Interaction between a player and the software in such a manner is aimed at providing a more realistic gaming experience.

·        Utilizing the user’s ‘psychological state’ will help transfer reactions of users to their games in real-time action.

 A glimpse of the future of gaming: 

How does gaming help the world?

Earlier in this article I had mentioned “nineth generation of consoles will see something that will not only change the video game industry but all of science and technology for the better”. All those who think I’ve lost my mind, well i haven’t, yet! What I primarily meant by that statement is- the applications of this technology vary from the field of gaming to biology. For those whose lives depend on gaming to those whose lives actually depend on this technology for survival, it will change everything.

 Saviour of the day

This technology can be used for assisting, augmenting or repairing human cognitive or sensory motor functions. Ranging from limb replacement to bringing back vision to the visually impaired, this technology will serve as a means to provide life to those who had lost hope. It’s a saviour, so let’s welcome it with open arms.