A Pair Of Shorts Can Now Charge Your Mobile Phone

Bangalore: Now, even a pair of shorts can charge your Smartphones. As per Sun reports, Scientists have developed a pair of Power Shorts which can store energy to charge mobile phone on the move. An average person wearing them and going for a stroll can generate enough energy to charge a battery for four hours.

This mechanism happens with the help of the fabric which turns walking energy into electrical power. While a person walks, the gaps in the clothes are squashed together and the energy created is then used to power mobiles.

In a move to help people at outdoor events, scientists teamed up with Vodafone to develop this cool technology. According to Christian Cull, Director of Communications at Vodafone, "Our ambition was to create a practical but exciting solution to the charging-related issues experienced by many at outdoor events. We hope that people harness the power in their pocket to keep them chatting and texting throughout their entire festival season”.

In the same line, along with the shorts, scientists have also developed a sleeping bag that charges your phone while you sleep. The mechanism works quite similar to shorts, but instead of movement, it turns body heat into battery life for phones.
After a nap for eight hours the Recharge Bag can store enough energy to power your mobile phones for the rest of the day.

Intel's New Atom Chip To Power Smart Phones, Tablets

Bangalore: Global chip maker Intel Corporation has designed and developed a new Atom microprocessor in 22 nanometer (nm) to power a range of smart phones and tablets for higher performance with less power consumption, a company official said Thursday.

"Our forthcoming Atom chip and Silvermont micro-architecture will accelerate mobile computing of smart phones and tablets to enrich user experience," Intel Asia-Pacific product marketing manger George Chacko said at a preview of the latest devices here.

Noting that the mobile device ecosystem in India was evolving rapidly with lot of innovation, Chacko said increasing product localisation would drive greater differentiation.

"We are committed to invest in new chips and architecture to accelerate next-generation mobility through smart phones, tablets and other wireless devices," he said.

The new Atom processor platform, codenamed 'Clover Trail', delivers higher performance with low-power and long battery life to compete with popular Android mobile phones, developed by global search engine Google on Linux open-ended operating system.

"The new processor will enable user to experience faster and smooth web-browsing and watching high definition movies on smart phones without a glitch with over nine hours of battery life," Chacko pointed out.

Similarly, the Silvermont micro-architecture has been designed and optimised with Intel's 22nm System on Chip (SoC) and three-dimension tri-gate transistors.

"The Silvermont micro-architecture testifies our design and process technology to enhance performance and power efficiency of tablets, as our quad-core SoC doubles their computing capability,"

Blood Protein Rejuvenates Aging Heart

                                         
Using proteomics in combination with a 19th-century surgical technique in which the circulatory systems of two mice are joined together, researchers have demonstrated that a protein found only in the blood of young mice reverses the effects of aging in old mice, according to a study published this week (May 9) in Cell.
“I think it’s a stunning result that, for the first time, points at a secreted protein that maintains the heart in a young state,” cardiologist Deepak Srivastava of the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease in San Francisco, who was not involved with the research, told Nature. “That’s pretty remarkable.”
Heart failure in elderly people is often caused by cardiac hypertrophy, a thickening of the heart muscle that results in the shrinking of the chambers within. To understand what causes this age-related thickening, and to search for a way to reverse it, stem cell biologists from Harvard University tested the effect of circulating factors in young blood on aging hearts.
To do so, they turned to a centuries-old technique called heterochronic parabiosis, in which two live animals of different ages are surgically joined together to share blood circulation. Having surgically linked the blood supply of five 2-year-old mice with five 2-month-old mice, the researchers found that, after 4 weeks of exposure to young blood, the older mice’s heart muscles had dramatically thinned and softened.
Using protein-analysis techniques to narrow down the list of what could be responsible for this reversal, the researchers identified a molecule called growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF-11), a circulating factor in young mice that declines with age. The team then showed old mice treated with GDF-11 for 30 days experienced that same heart rejuvenation as those in the parabiosis experiment, demonstrating that the molecule—which also appears in human blood—may hold promise for treating cardiac aging.

Wind Turbines in building

The Bahrain World Trade Center is the first skyscraper to have wind turbines integrated into the structure of the building.
Three large wind turbines are suspended between two office towers. The towers are aerodynamically tapered to funnel wind and draw air into the turbines.
This airfoil tapering allows the wind to enter the turbines at a perpendicular angle and increases air speed as much as 30 percent in each of the 95 ft wide turbine rotors.
The turbines supply about 15 percent of the electricity used by the skyscraper - approximately the same amount of electricity used by 300 homes.

Gyro Technology

This wild new motorcycle, invented by 19-year-old Ben J. Poss Gulak, is among the latest inventions to capture attention. Debuting at the National Motorcycle Show in Toronto, the "Uno" uses gyro technology for balance and acceleration.
It's a battery charged machine that accelerates by leaning forward and slowing down by leaning backwards.
The Uno weighs approximately 129 pounds (58 kg.) and has a top speed of 25 mph (40 klms).
Update: Since featuring Ben's invention, he has continued to develop and progress with his innovative product.
He won second place in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, and first prize in Popular Science's Invention Awards. Ben also appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and on the popular invention television show "Dragon's Den" where he received 1.25 million dollars from investors.
Gulak continues to develop and commercialize his invention while studying engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The latest prototype, known as the Uno 3, can automatically transform itself from a uno-dicycle into a conventional looking motorcycle, which allows for greater acceleration, speed and stability.
Ben shares this advice for inventors, "When you have an idea, it's easy to get discouraged. There are so many people who will tell you that you're wasting your time. The biggest thing is to not let people get you down. If you really believe in something - keep going after it because there is always a way and you can make your dreams come true."

THE SQUARE

Jack Dorsey, the co-inventor of Twitter, is promoting his latest invention called the Square.
The square is a small plug-in attachment to your mobile phone that allows you to receive credit card payments.
The idea originated from Dorsey's friend Jim McKelvey who was unable to sell some glass work to a customer because he couldn't accept a particular card being used.
Accepting credit card payments for something you're selling isn't always easy, especially if you are mobile like a tradesman, delivery service or a vendor at a trade show.
This latest invention uses a small scanner that plugs into the audio input jack on a mobile device.
It reads information on a credit card when it is swiped. The information is not stored on the device but is encrypted and sent over secure channels to banks.
It basically makes any mobile phone a cash register for accepting card payments.
As a payer, you receive a receipt via email that can be instantly accessed securely online. You can also use a text message to authorize payment in real time.
Retailers can create a payer account for their customers which accelerates the payment process.
For example, a cardholder can assign a photo to their card so their photo will appear on the phone for visual identity confirmation. Mobile devices with touch screens will also allow you to sign for goods.
There are no contracts, monthly fees, or hidden costs to accept card payments using Square and it is expected the plug-in attachment will also be free of charge.
A penny from every transaction will also be given to a cause of your choice.
As with Twitter, it's anticipated that Dorsey will direct the company based upon feedback from users.
Square Inc. has offices in San Francisco, Saint Louis and New York and is currently beta testing the invention with retailers in the United States.

Invention Of Oxygen Particle That, Allows You To Live Without Breathing

A team of scientists at the Boston Children’s Hospital have invented what is being considered one the greatest medical breakthroughs in recent years. They have designed a microparticle that can be injected into a person’s bloodstream that can quickly oxygenate their blood. This will even work if the ability to breathe has been restricted, or even cut off entirely.
This finding has the potential to save millions of lives every year. The microparticles can keep an object alive for up to 30 min after respiratory failure. This is accomplished through an injection into the patients’ veins. Once injected, the microparticles can oxygenate the blood to near normal levels. This has countless potential uses as it allows life to continue when oxygen is needed but unavailable. For medical personnel, this is just enough time to avoid risking a heart attack or permanent brain injury when oxygen is restricted or cut off to patients.
Dr. John Kheir, who first began the study, works in the Boston Children’s Hospital Department of Cardiology. He found inspiration for the drug in 2006, when he was treating a girl in the ICU who had a sever case of pneumonia. At the time, the girl didn’t have a breathing tube, when at the time she suffered from a pulmonary hemorrhage. This means her lungs had begin to fill up with blood, and she finally went into cardiac arrest. It took doctors about 25 minutes to remove enough blood from her lungs to allow her to breath. Though, the girl’s brain was severely injured due to being deprived of oxygen for that long and she eventually died.

Microparticle Composition

The microparticles used are composed of oxygen gas pocketed in a layer of lipids. A Lipid is a natural molecule that can store energy and act as a part of a cell membrane, they can be made of many things such as wax, vitamins, phospholipids, and in this case fat is the lipid that stores the oxygen.
These microparticles are around two to four micrometers in length and carry about three to four times the oxygen content of our own red blood cells. In the past, researchers had a difficult time succeeding as prior tests caused gas embolism. This meant that the gas molecules would become stuck trying to squeeze through the capillaries. They corrected this issue by packaging them into small deformable particles rather ones where the structure was rigid.

Potential Future Uses

Medical: There is the obvious medical uses where the microparticles can be used to save off death from a restriction in breathing due to inflammation of the lungs, collapsed lungs, and the like. It would be good to have these injections ready in hospitals and ambulances for when the time is needed.
Military: Can you imagine a navy seals capability when they wouldn’t need to surface for air and could stay underwater for over 20 minutes? If a boat was to begin to sink, you could shoot yourself as the boat is going down to ensure you aren’t drowned in the under current of the sinking vessel. How about for toxic gases when a facemask is unavailable. The military could have a number of uses for such a medical advancement.
Private Sector: Really this can be used as a precaution for anything nautical where the potential to drown is a real danger. Deep sea rescue crews could inject themselves prior to making a rescue, underwater welders can use it in case they become stuck or air is lost to their suits. The potential use for anything water related seems extremely worthwhile.

Conclusion
In the end, this is an amazing medical advancement and I cant help but recall the movie the Abyss when they took the pill, their helmets filled with air, and they were told they can breathe the water. Well what if they really couldn’t “breathe” water” but since the urge to breathe is natural, that must take place… even if you’re not breathing air per se. But your body was provided with enough oxygen for a time period by taking a pill. It’s just goes to show that anything, absolutely anything that can be thought up, can potentially one day become reality. Thank you scientists, for reminding me that people and their ingenuity are nothing short of awesome.

MAGNETO PLASMA DYNAMIC THRUSTER

MAGNETO PLASMA DYNAMIC THRUSTER

The Magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster (MPDT) is a form of electrically powered spacecraft propulsion which uses the Lorentz Force (a force resulting from the interaction between a magnetic field and an electric current) to generate thrust. It is sometimes referred to as Lorentz Force Accelerator (LFA) or (mostly in Japan) MPD arcjet.
Generally, a gaseous fuel is ionized and fed into an acceleration chamber, where the magnetic and electrical fields are created using a power source. The particles are then propelled by the Lorentz force resulting from the interaction between the current flowing through the plasma and the magnetic field (which is either externally applied, or induced by the current) out through the exhaust chamber. Unlike chemical propulsion, there is no combustion of fuel. As with other electric propulsion variations, both specific impulse and thrustincrease with power input, while thrust per watt drops.
There are two main types of MPD thrusters, applied-field and self-field. Applied-field thrusters have magnetic rings surrounding the exhaust chamber to produce the magnetic field, while self-field thrusters have a cathode extending through the middle of the chamber. Applied fields are necessary at lower power levels, where self-field configurations are too weak. Various propellants such as xenon, neon, argon, hydrazine, and lithium have been used, with lithium generally being the best performer.
The name once existed in the Star Wars, now proven to be the most powerful form of electromagnetic propulsion. Magnetoplasmadynamic thruster also called Lorentz Force Accelerator or MPD Arcjet has extreme theoretical capability to convert megawatts of electrical power into thrust, makes it the prime candidate for the next generation missions to Mars, Saturn, asteroids and into deep space with both cosmonauts and robonauts. MPDT creates thrust expelling plasma. So far, theoretically MPDT can process more power and create more thrust than currently available any kind of electric propulsion system.

          

Operating principle:

Magnetoplasmadynamic thruster uses Lorentz force to generate thrust. Generally an ionized fuel is inserted into an acceleration chamber, where magnetic and electric fields are created using power source. Then the ion particles are propelled by Lorentz force resulting from the interaction between current flowing through the plasma and extremely applied magnetic field.

By principle there are two main types of MPD thrusters: Applied field and Self field thrusters. Applied field thrusters have magnetic rings surrounding the exhaust chamber to produce magnetic fields. In Self field thrusters there’s a cathode through the middle of the chamber. Xenon, Neon, Argon, Hydrazine and Lithium are used as propellants, but lithium proven to be the best.

Basically MPD consists of two metal electrodes. Rod shaped cathode at the centre and a cylindrical anode structure that surrounds the cathode. When a high electric arc is applied between the anode and the cathode, the cathode heats up and emits electrons. And the emitting electrons collide and ionize the propellant gas to create plasma. The electric current running through the cathode creates a magnetic field; this self induced magnetic field interacts with electric current flowing from the anode, through plasma to cathode producing a Lorentz force. This force pushes the plasma out of the structure. To produce more thrust external magnetic rings are used that creates magnetic fields to accelerate the plasma discharge.

Irrespective of their interior details, magnetic tensor analysis yields a generic thrust relation:

T = (J^2. µ /4pi) [ln (Ra/Rc) + A]

T= total thrust,

µ= vacuum magnetic permeability,

J= total arc current,

Ra, Rb = effective arc attachment radii,

A= parameter depends upon the finer details of the current attachment patterns on the electrodes,

(A<1)

Advantage and capabilities:

MPDT had demonstrated its capability to provide Specific Impulse (Isp) in the range of 1500 – 8000 sec. and thrust efficiencies 30 – 40% or above. The exhaust velocity range is beyond 110,000 m/s, triple the value of current Xenon based thrusters and 20 times better than liquid rockets. An MPD Rocket can make a manned mission into Mars in just 39 days while it takes more than 8 months for conventional chemical rockets.

Disclaimer:

There are several problems on the commercial operation of MPDT. It requires powers in the range of hundreds or kilowatts, that current solar arrays or radioisotope thermal generator are incapable to produce. One possible option is to use nuclear reactors. But many controversies are there using nuclear reactor in space, while Roscosmos and Kurchatov Institute already announced to develop a megawatt scale nuclear spaceship. Magnetohydrodynamics is an alternative option but with many engineering and commercial challenges.

Once these problems are overcome, MPDT will open a new frontier of space exploration and human’s everlasting urge for ultimate knowledge.

CGI rendering of Princeton University's lithium-fed self-field

 MPD thruster (from Popular Mechanics magazine)

 

 

Research

Research on MPD thrusters has been carried out in the US, the former Soviet Union, Japan, Germany, and Italy. Experimental prototypes were first flown on Soviet spacecraft and, most recently, in 1996, on the Japanese Space Flyer Unit, which demonstrated the successful operation of a quasi-steady pulsed MPD thruster in space. Research at Moscow Aviation Institute, RKK Energiya, National Aerospace Universit , Kharkiv Aviation Institute University of Stuttgart, ISAS, Centrospazio, Alta S.p.A., Osaka University, University of Southern California, Princeton University's Electric Propulsion and Plasma Dynamics Lab (EPPDyL) (where MPD thruster research has continued uninterrupted since 1967), and NASA centers (Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Glenn Research Center), has resolved many problems related to the performance, stability and lifetime of MPD thrusters.
An MPD thruster was tested on board the Japanese Space Flyer Unit as part of EPEX (Electric Propulsion EXperiment) that was launched March 18, 1995 and retrieved by space shuttle mission STS-72 January 20, 1996. To date, it is the only operational MPD thruster to have flown in space as a propulsion system.
Result:

The actual performance of the thruster is somewhat less impressive than predicted, with peak thrust in the range of 20-40 N and peak currents of 30-40kA. These levels of performance more closely approximate those that would be expected from an electro-thermal thruster. This discrepancy was expected, and is caused by the fact that my thruster was operated at atmospheric pressure, whereas  these thrusters are typically operated in near vacuum conditions. The higher operating pressure increased the density of the gas and therefore the rate at which the ions collided with each other, resulting in the loss of momentum. The fact that the thruster's performance was near that predicted for a thermo-electric accelerated was also expected, as the dominant thrust mechanism was the thermal expansion of the propellant gas. Predictably, this corresponded to extensive wear and loss of electrode material due to the extreme temperatures and loss of self-shielding mechanisms provided by low pressure operation.   

if you want a ppt on this topic here is the link

 ppt link