ATHARVA GLOBAL NEWS TIMES

CONTACT LENS THAT COULD LET YOU SEE IN THE DARK

Researchers are working on a new smart contact lens that could give its wearer infrared ‘night vision’. Scientists developed the first room temperature light detector that can sense the full infrared spectrum and has potential to put heat vision technology into a contact lens.

EMOTION DETECTOR TO MAKE DRIVING SAFER

Researchers at Swiss institute are working on a device that could read facial expressions of the driver. They adapted a device for use in a car, using an infrared camera placed behind the steering wheel. The idea was to get the device to recognize irritation on the face of a driver.

SCIENTISTS FIND EARTH’S NEW ZEBRAPRINT JACKET

Scientists have uncovered a mysterious structure that surround the earth like a giant zebra print jacket. The structure is produced by the slow rotation of earth,

previously considered incapable of affecting the motion of radiation belt particles, which have velocities approaching the speed of light.

POWER FROM SPACE TO LIGHT UP CITIESThe scheme used a ‘sandwich’ module which packs all electrical components between two square panels. On top is a photo-voltaic panel that absorbs the sun’s rays. An electronic system in the middle converts energy to radio frequency. The bottom is an antenna that transfers power to a target on the ground. This allows heat to radiate more efficiently , so the module can receive greater concentrations of sunlight without overheating.

AN APP TO LET YOU ‘DONATE’ YOUR VOICE TO SPEECH-IMPAIRED

A new Smartphone app may allow people to donate their voice to be customized into synthetic speech for those who are unable to speak. The app is being developed under a program called VocaliD which aims to give a voice to those with severe speech impairments because of a stroke, Parkinson’s or cerebral palsy.

PARTICLES SMALLER THAN HIGGS BOSON MAY EXIST

The Higgs boson is a central part of the standard model of particle physics that describes how the world is constructed. Techni-quarks can be the yet-unseen particles, smaller than the Higgs particle that will form

an extension of the standard model which includes three generations of quarks and leptons. So far it has, however, not been possible to prove their existence.

SAMSUNG LAUNCHES S5 IN INDIA FOR RS.51K-PLUS, SANS 4G

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is finally launched in India but the phone costs at least Rs. 51,000. It could be as high as Rs. 53,000.

MICROSOFT EYES BIG BUSINESS FROM SMALL FIRMS

Microsoft, which has for long sold its Office software to small businesses in CDs and downloads, is now eyeing a potential market of 40 million small and medium businesses (SMBs) in India by betting on cloud computing in which companies can simply rent its popular software over broadband links.

BIODEGRADABLE BATTERY MELTS INSIDE THE BODY

A new battery is designed to dissolve in the body after doing its work as power source for devices embedded in tissue. The battery uses anodes of Magnesium foil and cathodes of Iron, Molybdenum or Tungsten. All these metals would slowly dissolve in the body and their ions are biocompatible in low concentration, along with the biodegradable polymer packaging the battery comes in.

These batteries could eventually yield implantable drug-delivery devices that are controlled by radio signals.

FACEBOOK WANTS TO BEAM THE INTERNET FROM THE SKY

Facebook revealed it has a lab working on using drones, satellites and solar powered planes to provide web access around the world. The lab is looking at varying tactics to achieve its mission. For remote regions or spread out populations, the team is interested in using satellites orbiting the Earth.

IN NEW SOCIAL NETWORKS, ANONYMITY IS THE RAGE

Yik Yak, which allows smartphone users to see posts in a radius up to 8km, is a part of flurry of new apps hat offer novel ways to interact on social networks without revealing one’s identity. Some say the move to anonymity is a response to a growing ability to track people’s activities and social network posts- in some cases leading to lasting reputation damage.

HUMANS TO BE SUSPENDED BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH

For the first time, scientists in US will test a groundbreaking emergency technique in which knife-wound or gunshot victims will be cooled down and

placed in a suspended animation-a state where people are not alive but yet not dead. The technique, if successful, could be used in medical emergencies giving doctors more time to treat patients with traumatic injury (gunshot, stabbing etc.).

DIGITAL CLASSROOMSPearson, a learning company, has selected IBM as its strategic technology partner to deliver customized e-learning solutions to more than 22,000 classrooms across India. The five-year agreement was signed in Bangalore recently by representatives from both sides.

IT SUPPORTFindings of a survey, recently released by HCL Technologies Ltd, highlighted how global 2,000 organizations could save up to USD6.8billion through improved application, support and maintenance (ASM).

MANUFACTURING JOBSAn analysis recently released by the Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) depicts that despite deceleration in its performance, India’s registered manufacturing sector has clocked a healthy 28.5% growth in employment generation during 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12).

BANKING REGULATIONS

Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) recently concluded the eighth annual Banking Tech Summit, where stalwarts from the banking and finance sectors discussed the challenges the industries face like50% Indian still not having a bank account, technology remodeling, user friendly experiences etc.

INDIAN TEEN COULD HELP US SAVE $400m A YEAR

14-year old Suvir Mirchandani, Indian origin boy, has come up with a unique plan that could help the US save nearly $400m a year by merely changing the font used on official documents. The student in a Pittsburgh area middle school has claimed that if federal government uses the Garamond font exclusively it could save about $136m a year, nearly 30% lesser than the estimated $467 dollars it spends annually on ink.