Product Inspiration

In this picture, the light bulbs aren’t connected to anything at all- just mounted to stand up straight. Notice the big power lines above, well, the strong electromagnetic fields given off by the power lines provide enough energy to light all of these bulbs alone.

The analogy and takeaway here is huge- there’s electromagnetic fields all around us, especially in urban areas, and these fields are prime picking for ‘free’ energy to power electronic gadgets. Now, before we get ahead of ourselves, the power isn’t normally substantial enough to run a cell phone or other device. Luckily, a team at MIT found a way to send usable wireless power through EM waves to gadgets by focusing on particular frequencies.

Perhaps we could modify conventional power lines and home wiring to target specific resonant frequencies in the same way. Its early in the game, but this could really revolutionize how we power all of our many electric devices within the next 10 years. Then, at least you could get something out of the cancer-causing fields all around us!

http://gizmodo.com/361390/1301-florescent-bulbs-lit-solely-by-magnetic -fields

I spend a lot of time talking about how important “manufacturability” is. While it takes a bit of fun out of the whole technology research work we do, its very important to our clients to know that the cool technologies we present are not only shown to work in the lab, but also have some promise of being cheaply mass produceable.

OLEDs are finally living up to the promise of being cheaply mass produceable, as GE has just demonstrated its roll-to-roll printing system for the thin, flexible displays. If the other promises also ring true, this will mean cheap, flexible displays in everything from cell phones to TVs to bus stop ads.

http://www.newlaunches.com/archives/ge_demonstrates_worlds_first_rollt oroll_manufactured_oled.php

Electronic paper that has embedded circuitry, speakers, and batteries are poised to make a big impact in the market over the next 7 years or so. Here is one of the first low-cost applications of this technology.

This is a disposable cardboard display which also has the ability to play sounds to potential viewers. It uses conductive inks and a honeycomb structure to hold all of the electronic trappings. Most importantly, this is a great first example of how this new technology’s low expected price will mean that the posters and signs of the near future will not only bug you visually, but audibly as well.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/11/throwaway_displ.php

This copier merges two existing software technologies into a single hardware unit. It uses character recognition to build software versions of the text on a paper document, and then uses electronic language translating technologies to change the printed language. Then, the new document is printed as if it were from any other printer.

http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20070921/the-photocopier-that-translate s/

Some eggheads at MIT are working on a smart paper which has wires, sensors, and computer chips embedded inside the paper. There are multiple other entities working on this type of technology to provide cheap, flexible, and intelligent electronic devices (effectively eliminating the bulky size of our phones and ipods), but MIT’s method of using conductive ink seems to really be able to make much bigger strides in reducing cost and complexity.

http://technology.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn12663

Technorati : printable electronics

Cell phone manufactures have FINALLY gotten together and decided to standardize their cell phone charging connections, which will make it much easier to borrow someone else’s charger when you forget yours on a business trip. Luckily, its not just one or two of the big players, but 5 companies: Nokia, LG, Samsung, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson.

http://blog.scifi.com/tech/archives/2007/09/21/cell_phone_man u.html

Technorati : cell phone chargers

This new touchscreen from Sharp incorporates an optical sensor at EVERY pixel of the display. These photodiodes work together to create a digital image of a fingerprint, and can also provide multitouch control of a device. This paradigm of an array of optical sensors for tactical control could provide cheaper and much more accurate control of devices. In addition, the fact that the screen is also a camera could be extended into much more useful functions than fingerprinting and control alone. Maybe there’s an opportunity to create better imaging from these displays, even to a point where your cell phone is able to take pictures by using the screen as a lens! It would definitely improve conventional webcams, which do not connect the remote users eye-to-eye, due to the screen-focused gaze being away from the camera, which is on or next to the monitor


The Engineer

Technorati : multitouch control, portable electronics, user interface