Tactile Holograms and Power for Wearables
December 19
Another year is drawing to a close. A huge year in technology advancement. 2020 promises to be even bigger. So many new startups on the scene and so many doing so well so quickly. In the final newsletter for the year, I will look at Tactile Holograms, Power for Wearables, Fast log ins and Smart Christmas lights.
Tactile Hologram
Holograms have been with us for some time however they have usually been small and not overly impressive. They have been the featured in movies (e.g. Star Wars) and science fiction for many years. Recently they have started to reemerge as a means of entertainment. Some will remember in 2012 when Tupac (for the older readers he is a rapper that passed away in 1996) reemerged as a hologram to perform with Snoop Dog at Coachella (again for the older readers, Coachella is a music festival in Indio, California every April).
A group of researchers at the University of Sussex have revealed that they are working on bringing a new type of hologram to life. The technology looks like a hologram however it uses an incredibly light, floating material that is manipulated using ultrasound waves. They took their inspiration from the old TV screens that used a single beam to move along a screen so quickly that your brain registers it as a single image. Their prototype uses a colored particle that can move so quickly anywhere in a 3D space that they naked eye sees a volumetric image in mid-air.
The system, which the researchers call the Multimodal Acoustic Trap Display (MATD), uses an LED projector, a speaker array, and a foam bead. The speakers emit ultrasound waves that suspend the bead in the air and rapidly move it, allowing it to create illusions as it moves and reflects light from the projector. Being 3 dimensional shapes they can be seen from any angle. We can’t see ultrasound waves however it is a mechanical wave and it carries energy through the air. The system uses these properties to stimulate our ears for audio and stimulate our skin so we feel the content.
At the moment the system can only create small simple shapes however research is continuing. This video gives a demonstration. There are also potential uses beyond entertainment. The team believes that the system could be used to manipulate matter across various fields. For example, the ultrasound could be used to levitate small does of drugs inside human tissue to accurately deliver them to the precise point where the drug is needed, thus reducing damage to other tissue and thus side effects.
Powering Wearable Technology
There is a growing hype about wearable technology. Think of your Fitbit, Apple Watch and other technologies that give you feedback about your movement and bodily responses. There are many, many more of these technologies in development and the devices are getting smaller and less intrusive. The question then becomes, how do we power these devices as they get smaller.
One solution from French and Californian researchers is to use a flexible fuel cell that can be worn on a person’s skin and use their own sweat as a power source. The device is designed to use “biofuels” present in the compounds of human sweat. It functions by following deformations in the skin and produces energy by reducing oxygen and the oxidation of the lactate present in perspiration.
The device is comprised of a flexible conductive material made from carbon nanotubes, cross-linked polymers and enzymes, and joined by flexible connectors that are screen-printed directly onto the material. Best of all the device is simple and inexpensive to produce.
Fast
We all have multiple passwords for the many sites that we visit on the internet (well, we should, do not reuse passwords on different sites! it makes hacking much easier). This leads to confusion and constant forgetting and resetting of passwords. Fast, an Australian startup (now based in San Francisco) is attempting to fix the problem with a one step log in. The developers claim the system is easier, more secure and (obviously given their name) faster. A growing number of websites allow a Fast log in. The team is also working hard on developing Fast Pay, a one click checkout for web purchases.
The Age of AI
A new YouTube series, The Age of AI, debuts on 18 December (US time). Narrated by Robert Downey Jr. it looks to be a well produced introduction to AI and the impact it will have on society. The trailer can be found here.
Smart Christmas Lights
It is that time of year again. Festivities are now in full swing. As a species we are getting lazier. No-one wants to turn on the Christmas lights when we get home from a long day. Smart Christmas lights are like any other smart device. They’re lights that can be controlled via a voice assistant, Alexa, Google etc. There are a range of brands of lights available and some will sync with your favorite playlist. You don’t even need to buy a whole new set of lights, just buy some smart plugs that are compatible with your current lights and home voice assistant. These plugs can be used indoor and out.
Amazon has also released an Alexa-enabled Christmas Tree. It allows you to choose your favorite colors, turn the tree lights on and off via a voice command and to set a timer so you don’t leave the lights on all day.
Happy New Year
This will be the last newsletter for 2019. I will be back bigger and better in 2020. Thank you for reading this year. It has been a pleasure writing.
I would like to wish everyone that celebrates Christmas, a very Merry Christmas and to all a prosperous and peaceful New Year.
Till next year.