Technologies

Printnig Before printing a 3D model from an  STL  file, it must first be examined for errors. Most  CAD  applications produce errors in output STL files: holes, faces normals, self-intersections, noise shells or manifold errors. A step in the STL generation known as "repair" fixes such problems in the original model. Generally STLs that have been produced from a model obtained through  3D scanning  often have more of these errors. This is due to how 3D scanning works-as it is often by point to point acquisition, reconstruction will include errors in most cases. Once completed, the STL file needs to be processed by a piece of software called a "slicer," which converts the model into a series of thin layers and produces a  G-code  file containing instructions tailored to a specific type of 3D printer ( FDM printers ). This G-code file can then be printed with 3D printing client software (which loads the G-code, and uses...

Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories have developed an innovative photovoltaic cells – tiny, flexible solar cells, the appearance of which is very similar to the snake scales. Their main feature is the integration possibilities in the surface of objects of virtually any shape and size. According to the developers, such batteries will able to change our approach to  solar energy  generation. The technology, called “Dragon SCALE”, it became part of the license agreement between the company mPower Technology and Sandia laboratories. According to the agreement in the near future will be put in commercial release of tiny solar cells that can be applied to various materials, like as the printing ink. The new solar cells can be integrated into a variety of appliances, such as sensors,  wearable electronics , drones and satellites. The batteries can also be used in larger-scale projects, for example, on building  solar power systems . Also easily foldable, “Dragon Sca...

We love our mice, really we do. Sometimes, however, such as when we're sitting on the couch watching a DVD on a laptop, or when we're working across the room from an MP3-playing PC, it just isn't convenient to drag a hockey puck and click on what we want. Attempts to replace the venerable mouse--whether with voice recognition or brain-wave scanners--have invariably failed. But an alternative is emerging. What is it?  Compared with the intricacies of voice recognition, gesture recognition is a fairly simple idea that is only now making its way into consumer electronics. The idea is to employ a camera (such as a laptop's Webcam) to watch the user and react to the person's hand signals. Holding your palm out flat would indicate "stop," for example, if you're playing a movie or a song. And waving a fist around in the air could double as a pointing system: You would just move your fist to the right to move the pointer right, and so on. When is it c...

Hyperloop One, just one of several startups trying to build Elon Musk's Hyperloop, has notched up an important milestone, today announcing it has successfully tested its full-scale system for the first time. While it has still got considerable work to do before it fires passenger pods through tubes at supersonic speeds, it was able to levitate the moving test vehicle over the track in what it describes as its "Kitty Hawk" moment. Hyperloop One, along with its competitors like  Hyperloop Transportation Technologies  and  Arrivo , aims to one day establish networks of near-vacuum tubes that shuttle passenger and cargo pods along at close to the speed of sound. This Hyperloop system would make it possible to travel between San Francisco and Los Angeles in 30 minutes. And Hyperloop One does seem to be making some solid progress. In March it  revealed its full-scale test track  in the Nevada desert, and it is also conducting feasibility studies with governme...

Virtual reality  ( VR ) is a  computer  technology that uses  virtual reality headsets  or multi-projected environments, sometimes in combination with physical environments or props, to generate realistic images, sounds and other sensations that simulate a user's physical presence in a virtual or imaginary environment.  VR systems that include transmission of vibrations and other sensations to the user through a  game controller  or other devices are known as  haptic  systems.  The  Virtual Reality Modelling Language  (VRML), first introduced in 1994, was intended for the development of "virtual worlds" without dependency on headsets.  The  Web3D consortium was subsequently founded in 1997 for the development of industry standards for web-based 3D graphics. The consortium subsequently developed  X3D  from the VRML framework as an archival,  open-source  standard for web-based distribution o...

The Avegant Glyph  is not a virtual reality device. I was told this over and over during my demo of the hardware. It's a media player, designed to give you a private screen for your existing devices. It doesn't offer an experience that engulfs you. The experience of wearing the glyph is more like sitting in a dark movie theater. The fact that reality doesn't disappear is a feature, not a bug. I was able to watch movie clips and play games from an iPhone while still seeing the room above and below my eye line. It was comfortable to interact with people around me, and they were able to speak with me without feeling like I was closed off. The screen itself also stood well above what other products in this space are offering. I took my glasses off to use the Glyph and was able to see the screens perfectly after spending a moment or two adjusting the focus and the interpupillary distance. The screen presented a beautiful image, with deep colors and no noticeable pixels. ...

What Is 5g? In the simplest possible definition, 5G is the fifth generation of cellular networking. It’s the next step in mobile technology, what the phones and tablets of the future will use for data, and it should make our current LTE networks as slow and irrelevant as 3G data seems now. 5th generation mobile networks  or  5th generation wireless systems , abbreviated  5G , are the proposed next telecommunications standards beyond the current 4G/IMT-Advanced standards. The Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance feels that 5G should be rolled out by 2020 to meet business and consumer demands. In addition to providing simply faster speeds, they predict that 5G networks also will need to meet new use cases,   such as the  Internet of Things  (internet connected devices) as well as broadcast-like services and lifeline communication in times of natural disaster. Carriers, chipmakers, OEMS and OSATs, such as Advanced Semi...

Li-Fi - a wireless technology that transmits high-speed data using visible light communication (VLC) - in the coming months. With scientists achieving speeds of 224 gigabits per second in the lab using Li-Fi earlier this year , the potential for this technology to change everything about the way we use the Internet is huge. What is Li-Fi? Light Fidelity or  Li-Fi is a Visible Light Communications (VLC) system running wireless communications travelling at very high speeds. Li-Fi uses common household LED (light emitting diodes) lightbulbs to enable data transfer, boasting speeds of up to 224 gigabits per second. The term Li-Fi was coined by University of Edinburgh Professor Harald Haas during a TED Talk in 2011. Haas envisioned light bulbs that could act as wireless routers. How it works Li-Fi and Wi-Fi are quite similar as both transmit data electromagnetically. However, Wi-Fi uses radio waves while Li-Fi runs on visible light. As we now know, Li-F...

At HyperloopTT we innovate for better and smarter travel experiences. Passengers and goods will travel in pressurized capsules floating on a frictionless magnetic cushion within the tubes. Capsules are powered by a linear induction motor, an electromagnetic propulsion, and embedded rechargeable batteries. As a result, the system is silent and emission-free. Our capsules are engineered and designed to create a safe and harmonious environment for the passengers, with customized interior for use-based experiences. Each capsule is 30 meters in length and can carry 28 to 40 passengers. Our system is designed for capsule departures every forty seconds and a maximum speed of 1,223 km/h. Our system is capable of moving 164,000 passengers a day on one line at full efficiency. HyperloopTT's technology breakthrough is a next generation passive magnetic levitation system. It's called Inductrack. Magnets arranged in a Halbach array configuration enable passive levitation over an unpow...

The USB-C connectors connect to both hosts and devices, replacing various USB-B and USB-A connectors and cables with a standard meant to be future-proof. The 24-pin double-sided connector is slightly larger than the  micro-B connector , with a USB-C port measuring 8.4 millimetres (0.33 in) by 2.6 millimetres (0.10 in). The connector provides four power/ground pairs, two differential pairs for non-SuperSpeed data (though only one pair is populated in a USB-C cable), four pairs for SuperSpeed data bus (only two pairs are used in USB 3.1 mode), two "sideband use" pins, V CONN  +5 V power for active cables, and a configuration pin used for cable orientation detection and dedicated biphase mark code (BMC) configuration data channel. Connecting an older device to a host with a USB-C receptacle requires a cable or adapter with a USB-A or USB-B plug or receptacle on one end and a USB-C plug on the other end. Cable length should be 1.0 m or less. ...

The Internet of Things (IoT) is disrupting businesses, governments, and consumers and transforming how they interact with the world. Companies are going to spend almost $5 trillion on the IoT in the next five years — and the proliferation of connected devices and massive increase in data has started an analytical revolution. To gain insight into this emerging trend, BI Intelligence conducted an exclusive Global IoT Executive Survey on the impact of the IoT on companies around the world. The study included over 500 respondents from a wide array of industries, including manufacturing, technology, and finance, with significant numbers of C-suite and director-level respondents.  Through this exclusive study and in-depth research into the field, BI Intelligence details the components that make up IoT ecosystem. We size the IoT market in terms of device installations and investment through 2021. And we examine the importance of IoT providers, the ...

The USB connector has been one of the greatest success stories in the history of computing, with more than 2 billion USB-connected devices sold to date. But in an age of terabyte hard drives, the once-cool throughput of 480 megabits per second that a USB 2.0 device can realistically provide just doesn't cut it any longer. What is it?   USB 3.0 (aka "SuperSpeed USB")  promises to increase performance by a factor of 10, pushing the theoretical maximum throughput of the connector all the way up to 4.8 gigabits per second, or processing roughly the equivalent of an entire CD-R disc every second. USB 3.0 devices will use a slightly different connector, but USB 3.0 ports are expected to be backward-compatible with current USB plugs, and vice versa. USB 3.0 should also greatly enhance the power efficiency of USB devices, while increasing the juice (nearly one full amp, up from 0.1 amps) available to them. That means faster charging times for your iPod--and probably even mo...

While Polaroid was once a thing, recent attempts to bring back on-the-go printing haven't been all that successful. But, Pyrnt might just be the product to turn that around. The case works with any iOS or Android device, which is a a great boast to kick things off with, and lets you print shots off instantly, whether it's a picture you've just taken or one you've got saved. Prynt is a girthy phone case (it's more of a portable dock, if you ask me) and charges via USB. It comes with 10 sheets of paper, which are refillable through the free Prynt app, available in the Apple App Store and Google Play store. Once the case and app are easily  installed , you can use it to take a video or print a photo already stored on your phone and then record a five-second video. You have to record a video in order to print the photo. Photos print quickly and develop instantly -- no need to wait or shake it like a Polaroid picture. Unfortunately, the image quality is as underwhelmi...