TechieTonics

Building Products with Conviction than for Profit Making: Creating Legacy

February 17, 2015June 9, 2015 Pooja Kashyap

I have always been curious to know the one thing that led to Apple’s meteoric success, which today is 710 billion and counting. Couple of months back I read Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson and the same thing kept haunting me for quite a long time. Of course, there were some stereotypical answers like – he pioneered products with cutting-edge technology, innovation, market maturity for the products etcetera. Yet I was unsatisfied, there must be something more, something that might have resulted in these obvious repercussions.

Interview: Wei Gao, Research Scientist at University of California, Berkeley and LBNL

February 16, 2015September 21, 2022 Pooja Kashyap

It gives me immense pleasure to introduce today Dr. Wei Gao, research scientist at University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. His research areas include nanomaterials, flexible electronics, micro/nanomachines, nanorobotics, biosensors, electrochemistry, nanomedicine and MEMS. Dr. Gao has coauthored numerous scientific journals like: “Reversible Swarming and Separation of Self-propelled Chemically-Powered Nanomotors under Acoustic Fields” “Artificial Micromotors in the Mouse’s Stomach: A Step Towards In Vivo Use of Synthetic Motors” “Water-Driven Micromotors for Rapid Photocatalytic Degradation of Biological and Chemical Warfare Agents” “Self-propelled activated-carbon Janus micromotors for efficient water…

Parasitic Wasp stings Virus to control Ladybug’s Mind: Bio-Weapon turns them into Zombie

February 13, 2015February 13, 2015 Neha Shukla

Life of animals, either big or small is not easy. Those with the most advanced skill can only survive in the nature. Our nature is full of such examples where for the survival, some animals resolves to take up sexual cannibalism while other uses virus to control the mind of their host organism. Such animals that derive benefits at the expense of other animals are termed as parasites.

Electronics to morph into Bendable Devices: Future of Wearable Gizmos

February 12, 2015February 12, 2015 Pooja Kashyap

Scientists in South Korea are working towards creating spintronics based wearable devices. Spintronics also known as spin transport electronics is an emerging technology that exploits the basic intrinsic spin of the electron along with its associated magnetic moment and electronic charge. Based on this technology, the researchers have fabricated a thin film that has an ability of maintaining its electric as well as magnetic properties even when curled into a cylinder.

Robots to Run Futuristic Japanese Hotel: Kokoro’s Actroids

February 11, 2015February 11, 2015 Neha Shukla

A hotel run by humanoid robots is no more a far fetched dream, especially from a country that is famous for robotics and technological innovation, Japan. The Henn-na Hotel located in Nagasaki plans to recruit 10 humanoid robot also named as actroid androids. These lifelike bots would greet the guests with a smile and would assist the guests by carrying their baggage, prepare coffee and even clean their rooms. Actroid, woman robot of Japanese descent Kokoro is the robotics company that is developing theses actroid robots since 2003 that looks…

Samsung’s Smart TV to Eavesdrop on Conversation: The TV Phone

February 10, 2015February 10, 2015 Pooja Kashyap

South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. has come up with a futuristic TV that can listen and share conversation taking place real time in its surrounding. Watching TV won’t be just a one sided affair now, it’s morphing towards becoming phone, just the camera is missing though. Period.

New Mobile Manipulator TIAGo: The Best Research Partner

February 5, 2015February 5, 2015 Pooja Kashyap

After the success of REEM humanoid, PAL Robotics, Spain has come up with TIAGo (Take It And Go). The bot is integrated with mobile manipulator system, which gives it an edge of mobile platform by extending the workspace of robotic manipulator arm.

Singapore’s First 3D-printed Concept Car: Coupé of the Future

February 4, 2015 Pooja Kashyap

Researchers at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have developed nation’s first urban solar electric car with cutting-edge 3D-printed body casing that is having nearly 150 parts. The two eco-cars, dubbed as NV8 and NV9, are racing in this year’s the Shell Eco-marathon Asia that is taking place in Manila at the end of this month.

Revering Aging Clock at Cellular Level: Extending the Telomeres

February 4, 2015 Pooja Kashyap

In an interesting research in the field of microbiology, experts at the University of Stanford have tried to explore the process that might lead to eternal youth by maneuvering the key that is responsible for making human cells old.

Buddhism Is Not What You Think by Steve Hagen

February 3, 2015February 16, 2021 Pooja Kashyap

Simple and free flowing book, Buddhism Is Not What You Think written by Steve Hagen talks about what reality is as per Zen Buddhism. The author resonates one central point in the entire book and that is, reality is about direct experience of the real time than mere feelings and thoughts, which happen to be in constant flux in conscious and subconscious level in human mind.

10 Images of ESA’s IXV Mini-Shuttle: Blasting off in February 2015

February 1, 2015February 1, 2015 Pooja Kashyap

ESA’s mini shuttle is all set to launch its flight and reentry mission. With this development, Europe will set strong foundation for innovative technology that would help future reentry missions for astronauts as well as other spatial bodies. The test flight is scheduled to be held on February 11. The entire operation would last for about 100 minutes testing the critical systems using 300 embedded sensors. Following are some of the images of the ESA’s space taxi, as they call it. 1) IXV during integration at Thales Alenia Space 2)…

Smartphone driven Autonomous Drone: The Smart Copter

January 31, 2015January 31, 2015 Pooja Kashyap

For the first time consumer-grade electronics are used for programming autonomous drones. This drone makes use of smartphone as its brain. The phone senses its environment by taking real time pictures. Even the real time computation is done on the device itself along with higher-level autonomy, maneuvering, navigation, control and computer vision algorithms. The product is the brainchild of GRASP Laboratory, University Of Pennsylvania. Click on the video below to see the autonomous flying robot: This makes me think, if you lose your smartphone, you’d end up losing the drone…

ESA’s Space Taxi ready for Flight: Mastering Autonomous Return from Orbit

January 31, 2015 Pooja Kashyap

Europe’s much-awaited “Space Taxi” is finally ready for its first test flight and reentry mission, which is scheduled to be held on February 11.

Hector Robot is the Giant Stick Insect: Biomimicry

January 28, 2015January 28, 2015 Pooja Kashyap

Biomechatronics researchers at Bielefeld University, Germany have come up with a bot called Hector that is inspired from stick insect, another invention in the field of biomimicry. The insect bot has six limbs with an ability of functioning independently. The embedded sensors help it in reacting autonomously to its external setting and accordingly assist in learning from experience. Only for research platform Jan Paskarbeit, the developer envisions Hector in areas like testing animal locomotion theories. The bot however, is not designed with an intention of severing humans in areas like…

Chewing of Gum leads to Oral Health: Dental Hygiene

January 27, 2015 Pooja Kashyap

Recent study from the University of Groningen, Netherlands has revealed the positive effect of chewing gums. Chewing of gum not only helps in exercising the facial muscles, but it also helps in contributing maintenance of oral health as it eradicates harmful bacteria from mouths.