MEMs based device for voltage controlled oscillator market

According to SiTime, its new programmable voltage controlled MEMs oscillator (VCMO) is 'the world's smallest' and company's first product in a market worth $350million.

MEMs based device for voltage controlled oscillator market
The SiT3701 has programmable features such as frequency, voltage, tolerance and pull range, with, according to SiTime, the 'best pull range linearity' – 0.5%.
SiTime's ceo, Rajesh Vashist, said: "SiTime continues to drive innovation in the $5billion timing market with our high performance MEMS and programmable analogue technologies. This VCMO offering also expands our product portfolio of programmable oscillators, clock generators and embedded resonators, enabling SiTime to become a complete timing solutions provider."

Author
Chris Shaw


Supporting Information
http://www.sitime.com

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In a corporate wide, unlimited usage agreement with AdaCor

In a corporate wide, unlimited usage agreement with AdaCore, BAE Systems is providing its UK developers with access to the GNAT Pro Ada development environment.

typhoon1
More than 600 current developers will benefit under this new contract, with the ability to access GNAT Pro on 15 major native and cross development platforms in use across the company.
“This landmark investment by BAE Systems UK demonstrates how Ada continues to be the standard for development in the safety critical aerospace and defence markets,” said Franco Gasperoni, managing director of AdaCore. “This agreement builds on our long term relationship with BAE Systems UK and the large number of developers that can benefit demonstrates the importance of Ada to BAE Systems UK.”
BAE Systems UK has a long history of successful use of the Ada programming language. Current and recent projects include the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, Maritime Composite Training System (MCTS), Harrier and Nimrod updates, and the Seawolf Mid-Life Update (SWMLU) ship defence system. Future BAE Systems Ada programmes will be able to take advantage of this corporate-wide agreement, with immediate cost savings for software tool procurement.


Supporting Information
http://www.adacore.com
http://www.baesystems.com

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Finger is remote control of the future

The iPoint 3D allows users to communicate with a 3d display through simple gestures – without touching it and without 3d glasses or a data glove.

Finger is remote control of the future

The Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institut, HHI, has developed a suspended recognition device which can also be integrated into a table. Its two built in cameras detect hands and fingers in real time and transmit the information to a computer.
The system responds instantly to movement in front of the screen, so no physical contact or special markers are required. The small device is equipped with two FireWire cameras and, since the interaction is entirely contactless, is suitable for scenarios where contact between the user and the system is not possible or not allowed, such as an operating room.
Paul Chojecki, research scientist at the HHI said: “The HHI invention can be used not only to control a display but also as a means of controlling other devices or appliances. Someone kneading pastry in the kitchen, whose hands are covered in dough, can turn down the boiling potatoes by waving a finger without leaving sticky marks on the stove. In an office, for example, an architect can peruse the latest set of construction drawings and view them from all angles by gesture control. The finger is the remote control of the future.”
The researchers from Berlin will be presenting iPoint 3D at CeBIT, the trade fair for information and communication technologies, in Hanover from March 3-8 2009.

Author
Chris Shaw


Supporting Information
http://www.hhi.fraunhofer.de/

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IBM has announced the development of a computer that it claims has the power of 2million laptops.

IBM has announced the development of a computer that it claims has the power of 2million laptops.

Supercomputer has power of 2million laptops

The Sequoia computer runs at 20quadrillion floating point operations (petaflops) per second and will be used for simulating nuclear tests. It will use 45nm processors with 16 cores per chip for as many as 4096 processors per rack.


Once it goes online, Sequoia will smash the performance mark held by today’s most powerful system, the IBM RoadRunner system (pictured) in Los Alamos which runs at 1.105 petaflops.
It is scheduled for delivery in 2011 to the Department of Energy for use at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in which it will fill an area of 3422 square feet.

Author
Chris Shaw


Supporting Information
http://www.ibm.com
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE5120PZ2...

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Virus batteries have capacity to power cars

Electronics researchers at the Massachusetts Institute (MIT) of Technology have discovered a way of genetically engineering viruses to build both the positively and negatively charged ends of a lithium-ion battery.


Angela Belcher holds a display of the virus built battery she helped engineer The battery the silver coloured disc is being used to power an led
According to Angela Belcher, MIT's professor of materials science and engineering and biological engineering, the virus produced batteries have enough energy capacity to power a car. The synthesis requires no harmful organic solvents and the materials that go into the battery are non toxic.
The researchers constructed a lithium-ion battery that uses genetically engineered viruses to create a negatively charged anode and positively charged cathode. In a traditional lithium-ion battery, lithium ions flow between a negatively charged anode, usually graphite, and the positively charged cathode, usually cobalt oxide or lithium iron phosphate.
In the latest work, the team focused on building a highly powerful cathode to pair up with the anode, said Belcher, the Germeshausen Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Biological Engineering.
Because the viruses recognise and bind specifically to certain materials, each iron phosphate nanowire can be electrically 'wired' to conducting carbon nanotube networks. Electrons can travel along the carbon nanotube networks, penetrating throughout the electrodes to the iron phosphate and transferring energy in a short time.
Belcher explained that by incorporating carbon nanotubes, the cathode's conductivity increased without adding too much weight to the battery. In lab tests, batteries with the new cathode material could be charged and discharged at least 100 times without losing any capacitance.
The technology allows for the assembly of very lightweight, flexible and conformable batteries that can take the shape of their container.
Belcher said that she intends to further the research into materials with higher voltage and capacitance, with a view to putting the technology into commercial production.

Author
Chris Shaw


Supporting Information
http://web.mit.edu

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High tech meters for every home in UK

The government has announced that all UK homes will have gas and electricity meters replaced by 'smart' meters by 2020.

High tech meters for every home in UK
By replacing gas and electricity meters with the high tech meters, the government says that every household in Britain could reduce its energy use, cut carbon emissions and save money.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) stated: "Smart meters will be a key step towards future smart grids which have the potential to help our shift to a low carbon economy, making it easier for renewable generation to feed into the grid, including micro and community level generation and will support the decarbonisation of heat and transport through the greater use of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles."
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Milliband, added: "The meters most of us have in our homes were designed for a different age, before climate change. Now we need to get smarter with our energy. Smart meters will empower all consumers to monitor their own energy use and make reductions in energy consumption and carbon emissions as a result." Milliband believed that the meters will put an end to inaccurate bills and estimated meter readings.
In a statement, EDF Energy, which is setting up 3000 trial smart meters, stated that the meters would provide domestic and SME customers with real time consumption data that will assist in the adoption of energy efficient behaviours. The company also explained that the meters would provide a range of opportunities for suppliers to offer new services and new pricing structures supporting energy efficiency.

Author
Chris Shaw


Supporting Information
http://www.decc.gov.uk/

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Hitachi has revised its original forecast of losses for the fiscal year ending March, to 788billion yen.

Hitachi forecasts record loss
The Japanese electronics maker had previously predicted a net loss of 700bn yen partly as a result of smaller projected tax refunds. If the amended forecast is correct, this would result in the worst annual loss for a Japanese manufacturer and the second largest in Japanese corporate history.
The company also lowered its sales forecast for the fiscal year ending March to 10trillion yen from its original projection of 10.02trillion yen. Hitachi has already announced it is to axe 7000 jobs globally across its car equipment and electronics divisions.
Last year the Hitachi Group recorded a net loss of 58bn yen.

Author
Chris Shaw


Supporting Information
http://www.hitachi.com/

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A collaboration between Citrix and OK Labs will provide a set of virtualisation solutions that allow enterprise applications to be delivered securely to mobile devices.

Secure access from mobiles
The combined technologies, including Citrix' application delivery infrastructure and the OKL4 mobile phone virtualisation solution, will provide securely managed access to enterprise and desktop applications from wireless devices.
"Citrix has 100million daily users and the OKL4 microvisor is already deployed in more than 300million devices," said Steve Subar, OK Lab's president and ceo. "The intersection between (our technologies) creates new opportunities across the mobile/internet ecosystem."

Author
Chris Shaw


Supporting Information
http://www.citrix.co.uk
http://www.ok-labs.com

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A wireless robot has been created to simulate a patient

A wireless robot has been created to simulate a patient, allowing medical staff to train and minimise risk to human patients.

Robot replicates human medical symptoms


SimMan 3G is the result of three years' research at Laerdal and opens up numerous simulation possibilities for variable locations and mobility.
The robot features an 'Automode' option, which combines physiological models, pre programmed patient cases a method for managing model based simulation. This allows it to make pre programmed 'responses' for more than 100 drugs.
SimMan operates remotely but it's also possible to wirelessly integrate it with existing computer networks. The robot is capable of replicating such medical conditions as convulsions, chest decompression, eye secretions and even bleeding. Wound models can be connected to an internal blood reservoir which will 'bleed' both from arterial and venous vessels. Connected to the simulator's physiological modelling, SimMan 3G will react appropriately according to treatment.





Author
Chris Shaw


Supporting Information
http://www.laerdal.co.uk/

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