Invisibility ‘cloak’ hides objects by making them seem flat

Humanity is still some distance away from a real, honest-to-goodness invisibility cloak, but British scientists are that much closer to making it practical. They've developed a coating that uses graded refractive index nanocomposite materials (just r...

Disney scanner identifies gadgets by their electromagnetic field

If someone placed your naked smartphone on a table alongside two identical models, how would you determine which one is yours? If you're an engineer at Disney Research, you would pull out a little scanner and immediately pinpoint the handset based on...

EM-Sense Tech Lets Your Smartwatch Know What You are Touching

I thought smartwatches were pretty smart already. I love not having to dig my phone out of my pocket to see who is calling and if I want to talk to them. Thanks to a new technology that was developed by scientists at Disney Research and Carnegie Mellon University, smartwatches are set to get lots smarter.

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Using their EM-Sense technology, your smartwatch will know what you are touching. It uses your body as an antenna and custom software to filter electromagnetic signals produced by objects. For instance, it can tell if you are brushing your teeth or touching your office door.

In testing, the system proved smart enough to tell between very similar objects, such as when a user was holding a drill or a Dremel tool for instance. The ability to detect the objects you’re touching, the system can provide contextual data and information, such as starting a timer when you start brushing your teeth.

The cool part about this tech is that the objects require no special instrumentation, and all sensing is done by the smartwatch and the software developed by the team.

[via Gizmag]

Miniature Machine Controlled by Heat and Electromagnetic Fields: TermiNature

Last year we looked at Harvard University’s prototype for a robot that folds itself up from a flat shape into a spider-like form when exposed to heat. This small…device invented by MIT and TU Munich researchers has a similar feature, but I don’t know if I should call it a robot.

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This “miniature origami robot” is nothing but a neodymium magnet and thin layers of PVC encased in paper or polystyrene body. As with Harvard University’s bot, this tiny worker’s body has been laser cut such that it will fold itself into shape when exposed to heat.

Instead of a motor, this tiny transformer is controlled by electromagnetic coils positioned beneath the operating surface. The coils generate an electromagnetic field that causes the magnet inside the machine to shake. That shaking coupled with the magnet’s off-center position inside the machine and the machine’s asymmetrical shape causes the whole thing to skitter about.

Thus, this mindless package of reactive materials can be made to walk, climb, swim and carry or push other objects. When you’re done using it, you can steer it into a vat of acetone to destroy its body while leaving the magnet inside intact for further use.

I’m not a roboticist, but it seems to me like this is not really a robot but a clever application of programmable materials. It could be part of a robotic system if the machine that handles EM coils are programmable, but if this is a robot then I guess we can call iron filings robots too. Semantics aside, I think these kinds of stimuli-responding devices – stimborgs? – have a lot of potential and are just as fascinating as programmed machines.

[via IEEE via Gizmodo]

iFind Bluetooth Locator is Powered by Ambient Electromagnetic Energy

Last year we talked about a concept device that charges AA batteries by harvesting the electromagnetic energy emitted by nearby electronic devices. WeTag Inc.’s iFind Bluetooth locating device uses a similar method to power itself, eliminating the need for replaceable batteries.

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According to WeTag Inc.’s technical brief, in an environment with ample Wi-Fi signal – which is one of the things that iFind can harvest – the device can fully charge its built-in battery in as little as 15 minutes. In the event that the iFind is stuck in a place with no nearby electromagnetic waves, WeTag Inc. claims that the device “will still hold power for days.” As for its locating capabilities, iFind can be detected by any mobile device that supports Bluetooth 4.0 from up to 200ft. away.

Pledge at least $16 (USD) on Kickstarter to get an iFind as a reward.

Hydra evolved: Sixense Stem launches on Kickstarter, we go hands-on with a prototype (video)

Hydra evolved Sixsense Stem launches on Kickstarter, we go handson with a prototype

Sixense might not be a household name, but its electromagnetic motion sensing technology crops up in the darndest places. The 1:1 tracking technology is used in medical rehabilitation and Japanese arcade games, but it's most widely known as the wizardry behind the Razer Hydra motion controller. Now the company is gearing up to release a spiritual successor to the Hydra, the Sixense Stem System.

Like the Hydra, Stem offers six degrees of motion-tracking freedom, albeit without the wires or Razer branding. It isn't necessarily more accurate, but it is more comprehensive -- it's a modular system that offers up to five trackable modules, or "Stems," that attach to game controllers, VR headsets, accessories or even appendages. We caught up with Sixense president and CEO Amir Rubin to learn more about the Stem's Kickstarter launch and the company's first foray into the consumer product space.

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Source: Kickstarter

Cota Wireless Charging Technology: Wi-Fry

Wireless chargers already exist, but I’m not a big fan of the current setup because it’s not convenient at all. Sure, you don’t have to plug anything to your device, but today’s inductive chargers require that the device being charged remain in contact with the charging dock or platform. That leaves your device more tethered than if you used a charging cable. But what if wireless charging worked like Wi-Fi? That’s what a company called Ossia is working on.

cota wireless charging technology

Founded by physicist Hatem Zeine, Ossia is working on a wireless charging technology that it calls Cota. Like today’s inductive charging systems, Cota requires a power transmitter as well as a receiver on the device to be charged. Zeine claims that the receiver can be made small enough to fit inside gadgets and even AAA batteries. Best of all – and this is the trillion dollar claim of Ossia – the Cota transmitter can supposedly power devices up to 30 ft. away. Furthermore, Zeine claims that Cota is as harmless as Wi-Fi, it works through walls and it can charge multiple devices at once. In other words, it’s just like having a Wi-Fi router except this one sends electricity. You can skip to around 2:30 in the video below to see Zeine demonstrate Cota:

Wow. If Cota takes off, future mobile devices won’t need high capacity batteries, because we’ll be able to charge them all the time. Just imagine how convenient that would be.

[via TechCrunch via Engadget]