Fiber Optics
Chip Upgrade Helps Miniature Drones Navigate
Researchers at MIT, who last year designed a tiny computer chip tailored to help honeybee-sized drones navigate, have now shrunk their chip design even further, in both size and power consumption. The team, co-led by Vivienne Sze, associate professor in MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), and Sertac Karaman, the Class of 1948 Career […]
Japan ‘Drone-Brella’ Promises Hands-Free Sun Cover
It’s the hands-free experience you never knew you needed—a Japanese company has developed a drone-powered parasol it says can hover over users, protecting them from the sun. The drone-powered sunshade—being developed by Asahi Power Service—should be released next year, and will initially target those in need of a hands-free head covering wider than your average […]
iPhone X Tops Global Smartphone Hit List In Q1 2018
Despite several reports suggesting “lackluster demand” for the iPhone X, Apple’s most expensive smartphone model to date is proving to be very popular. According to latest estimates from IHS Markit, Apple shipped 12.7 million units of its flagship phone in the first three months of 2018, making the iPhone X the most popular phone in the […]
DHS S&T Announces Four SBIR Awards To Secure Mobile Device Firmware
Four small technology firms were awarded Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) to create solutions that will automate analysis of mobile technology firmware at scale and identify vulnerabilities and prepositioned cyber-threats. The various components of today’s mobile technology, including smart phones, wearables and Internet of Things (IoT) […]
Hacking Virtual Reality
One of the newest makerspaces on MIT’s campus exists in virtual reality — where students are pioneering a medium so new that the terminology is still being defined. In the hands-on humanities class CMS.339 (Virtual Reality and Immersive Media Production) students are grappling with multiple dimensions of making virtual reality (VR), among them: technical challenges, […]
Researchers Develop Novel Technique To Identify Counterfeit Flash Memory
Counterfeiting electronic components may sound like a plot point lifted from a technothriller by Daniel Suarez or Michael Crichton, but it’s a very real – and growing – threat to the safety and reliability of our critical infrastructure. “Nowadays we use consumer electronics for a year or so, but the components in them remain ‘alive’ for up […]
Ultrasonic Firewall Protects Smartphones From Secret Monitoring
Our smartphones are vulnerable to secret tracking cookies through an inaudible data transmission channel. This is possible through ultrasonic sounds, which exchange information via microphones and loudspeakers (known as “data over audio”). The St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences (UAS) attempts to expose this hidden monitoring through their SoniControl project—an ultrasound-firewall for smartphones and tablets. At its […]
Researchers Mimic Comet Moth’s Silk Fibers To Make “Air-Conditioned” Fabric
Fabrics made from silkworm fibers have long been treasured for their beautiful luster and refreshing coolness. Columbia Engineering researchers have discovered that fibers produced by the caterpillars of a wild silk moth, the Madagascar comet moth (Argema mittrei), are far superior in terms of brilliance and cooling ability. Not only do the comet moth’s cocoon fibers have […]
Credit Card Payments Evolve Beyond The Mobile Wallet
Mobile wallets can make paying by credit or debit card seamless: Tap your phone at checkout and you’re on your way. But mobile wallets are just the beginning. Payment networks and manufacturers are building payment functions into more devices—expanding your options as well as freeing up your hands. You could find yourself buying gas from […]