New Electronic Inventions
Transparent Smartphones
Inventors, Jung Won Seo, Jae-Woo Park, Keong Su Lim, Ji-Hwan Yang and Sang Jung Kang, who are scientists at the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, have created the world's first transparent computer chip.
The chip, known as (TRRAM) or transparent resistive random access memory, is similar to existing chips known as (CMOS) or metal-oxide semiconductor memory, which we use in new electronics.
The difference is that TRRAM is completely clear and transparent. What is the benefit of having transparency?
"It is a new milestone of transparent electronic systems," says Jung Won Seo. "By integrating TRRAM with other transparent electronic components, we can create a total see-through embedded electronic systems."
The technology could enable the windows or mirrors in your home to be used as computer monitors and television screens.
This technology is expected to be available within 3 to 4 years.
Source: www.kaist.edu Photo: www.yankodesign.com
Hollow Flashlight
Ann Makosinski is a 16-year-old student who competed against thousands of other young inventors from around the world to win first prize and a $25,000 scholarship at Google's International Science Fair.
She invented a battery-free flashlight. A free energy device that is powered by the heat in your hand.
While visiting the Philippines, Ann found that many students couldn't study at home because they didn't have electricity for lighting.
Unfortunately, this is a common problem for developing regions where people don't have access to power grids or can't afford the cost of electricity.
Ann recalled reading how the human body had enough energy to power a 100-watt light bulb.
This inspired her to think of how she could convert body heat directly into electricity to power a flashlight. She knew that heated conductive material causes electrons to spread outwards and that cold conductive material causes electrons to condense inwards.
So, if a ceramic tile is heated, and it's pressed against a ceramic tile that is cool, then electrons will move from the hot tile towards the cool tile producing a current.
This phenomena is known as the thermoelectric effect.
Ann started using ceramic tiles placed on top of each other with a conductive circuit between them (known as Peltier tiles) to create the amount of electricity she needed for her flashlight.
Her idea was to design her flashlight so that when it was gripped in your hand, your palm would come in contact with the topside of the tiles and start heating them.
To ensure the underside of the tiles would be cooler, she had the tiles mounted into a cut-out area of a hollow aluminum tube.
This meant that air in the tube would keep the underside of her tiles cooler than the heated topside of the tiles. This would then generate a current from the hot side to the cold side so that light emitting diodes (LEDS) connected to the tiles would light-up.
But although the tiles generated the necessary wattage (5.7 milliwatts), Ann discovered that the voltage wasn't enough. So she added a transformer to boost the voltage to 5V, which was more than enough to make her flashlight work.
Ann successfully created the first flashlight that didn't use batteries, toxic chemicals, kinetic or solar energy, and that always works when you picked it up.
She credits her family for encouraging her interest in electronics and derives her inspiration from reading about inventors such as Nikola Tesla and Marie Curie.
She told judges at the Google competition that her first toy was a box of transistors.
Time Magazine listed Ann as one of the 30 people under 30 who are changing the world.
She is working on bringing her flashlight to market and is also developing a headlamp based on the same technology.
Sources: googlesciencefair.com; tedxtalks.ted.com
You may like - "The dilemma facing 2 billion people without electricity."
Smartbox Technology
Insurance companies are implementing smartbox technology so good drivers can benefit from cheap insurance rates.
The smartbox, similar to a black box for airplanes, records details about how your car is driven, which can result in cheap car insurance for responsible drivers.
The device is connected to the electronics in your car and collects a wide criteria of information such as time, speed, braking, cornering, acceleration and location.
The smartbox data is wireless transferred in real time to the insurance company and provides a profile of when, where and how you drive. This profile is then used to compare insurance rates and to reward low-risk driving behavior with cheap insurance rates.
Drivers are high-risk when they drive irresponsibly such as speeding, frequent lane changing, driving in high-risk locations or at high-risk times such as in heavy traffic or late at night.
These new electronic inventions are intended to replace the standard practice of categorizing drivers into group behavior to determine insurance coverage and premium payments.
For example, young drivers are more likely to drive fast, drive at night. and use a cell phone while driving. Statistically, young drivers are more likely to cause an accident so insurance companies charge them higher rates to cover the costs of accident claims.
So even if you're a young, responsible driver, you will pay high insurance rates because of group behavior.
This technology allows you to provide proof that your driving behavior doesn't fit the pattern of your demographic group.
All the information collected about your driving can be viewed online - including what you're doing well and what could be improved. Your insurance premium is then calculated according to your driving profile.
Sources: exigeninsurance.com; co-operativeinsurance.co.uk; Photo: mikecco
You may like reading - "SMARTBOX INSURANCE".
Electronic Pills - Collecting Data Inside The Body
After years of investment and development, wireless devices contained in swallowable capsules are now reaching the market.
Companies such as SmartPill based in Buffalo, New York and Israel-based Given Imaging (PillCam) market capsules the size of vitamin tablets.
These pills contain sensors or tiny cameras that collect information as they travel through the gastrointestinal tract before being excreted from the body a day or two later.
These new electronic inventions transmit information such as acidity, pressure and temperature levels or images of the esophagus and intestine to your doctor's computer for analysis.
Doctors often use invasive methods such as catheters, endoscopic instruments or radioisotopes for collecting information about the digestive tract. So device companies have been developing easier, less intrusive ways, to gather information.
Digestive diseases and disorders can include symptoms such as acid reflux, bloating, heartburn, abdominal pain, constipation, difficulty swallowing or loss of appetite.
"One of the main challenges is determining just what is happening in the stomach and intestines." says Dr. Anish A. Sheth, Director of the Gastrointestinal Motility Program at Yale-New Haven Hospital.
Doctors can inspect the colon and peer into the stomach using endoscopic instruments. But some areas cannot be easily viewed, and finding out how muscles are working can be difficult.
Electronic pills are being used to measure muscle contraction, ease of passage and other factors to reveal information unavailable in the past.
Sources: givenimaging.com smartpillcorp.com
Digital Pen
A digital pen is one of the new electronic inventions that can help us record information.
Despite the digital age, we still use pens. But it would be great to have our handwritten notes and drawings digitally recorded without having to use a scanner.
The Zpen from Dane-Elec is a wireless pen that uses a clip-on receiver to digitally record what you write.
It uploads the information to your computer where it can be viewed, edited and filed as a word processing document.
The digital pen utilizes character recognition software and works by recording movement. Features include profile creation, a dictionary and fifteen language options.
Source: danedigital.com
Instant Prints
Creating instant prints from a digital camera is one of the new electronic inventions in printing. The Polaroid PoGo™ is a small portable printer that weighs only a few ounces.
The printer produces full color 2" x 3" prints using an "inkless" technology. The images are created from heat activated crystals in the photo paper. The photos are water proof, tear proof and smear proof.
This new electronic invention connects to a digital camera using a USB cable, or to a mobile phone through wireless Bluetooth. It uses rechargeable batteries or an AC adapter.
- See more at: http://www.inventor-strategies.com/new-electronic-inventions.html#sthash.EHtVzEO1.dpuf
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