One day we might be able to see microscopic devices, operating on power coming from synthetic cells which work just like a real battery. A research project carried out by Yale University, in fact, is studying the way in which some natural cells generate some small electric voltage.

During the course of these studies, researchers have produced an equally small battery which can convert chemical energy into electric power, with an efficiency percentage ranging around 10%. The synthetic cells that have been produces are made up of a salt solution coated by a thin layer of lipid.

When two of these cells get in contact, a double layer of lipid forms, inside which a modified protein is inserted, which creates microscopic pores through which positive and negative ions are passing. The voltage generated by the passing of ions can be gathered to generate a small electric current.

By inserting ultra thin electrodes inside the salt droplets, cellular batteries are created. A couple of cells undergoing such a treatment can supply energy for up to 10 minutes.

Synthetic batteries can have a level of efficiency twenty times smaller if compared to normal solid state batteries, but their efficiency rate is comparable to that of other devices which generate electricity from light or heat, for example like solar cells.

In the future, cell batteries might be useful in the nanotech field, to supply energy, for example, to memory chips or miniaturized devices. For people like us, working in the miniature technology, it might really be a breakthrough… let’s just wait and see what the future has in store!

After a forest fire or a leakage of polluting chemicals, the non visible dangers are certainly those that, besides being more difficult to detect, can have the worst long-term consequences for public health.

In order to inform the population and the authorities in case of water pollution after a fire, or if some polluting materials are being invisibly spilled into the soil, Tel Aviv University has developed a system called “Hyperspectral Remote Sensor”.

This system acquires hundreds of satellite optical images, each one shot on a different frequency, which, when combined together, allow the creation of a spectrographic map of the area, thus creating “thematic” maps in order to be able to literally “see” the polluting agents from the sky.

For example, when a forest fire hits a particular area, thanks to this imaging system it will be possible to see changes in the mineralogy. According to these changes, it will be possible to define how, for example, a rainstorm after the fire would wash out polluting agents, which could penetrate the soil in a different way than they would do before the fire.

Furthermore, the soil analysis carried out thanks to HRS mapping, could prove useful before signing the contract for purchase of a plot of land, providing valuable information for irrigation procedures and for detection of lack of certain minerals.

Another possible field of application is analyzing the environmental footprint of a chemicals storage plant, or a service station, which could release polluting elements into the ground. In short, a valuable help to solve problems of the Earth might come from the sky!

The global virus H1N1 fear does not seem to be slowing down, and while scientific research keeps running at full speed to provide us with reliable protections, the latest solution allows us to protect ourselves from the flu virus, and to do it in style!

Of course, when we are talking about extravagant solutions, they can only be coming out of Japan, where Haruyama Trading has just introduced its anti flu suit which, according to the manufacturer, can protect its wearer from H1N1. (Click on the link if you speak Japanese, otherwise… you just have to trust us!)

This suit, besides looking really smart, costs approximately 580 dollars, a reasonable price for a decent suit, and is available in four different classic colors. The main feature of the Virus Clean suit lies in its fabric, coated with titanium dioxide, a chemical widely used for production of toothpaste and cosmetics.

When exposed to the light, the chemical reacts, and the resulting agent can kill the virus upon contact. According to Haruyama, who have been working on the project for over a year, the protective characteristics of this suit remain unchanged after several cleanings, providing a long term protection.

Its actual usefulness has not yet been proven, but certainly the Asian countries, which have been hardest hit by the pandemic, would gladly welcome any protective measure with a certain effectiveness, especially in Japan where, according to recent statistics, the number of cases is approaching 25000.

Furthermore, if you can protect your health in style, why not do it? And shouldn’t it be useful, at least you will look good!

Don’t be afraid, there is no typing error in the name of the famous green superhero, for one simple reason: it’s not him we are talking about.
In fact, HULC is an acronym which stands for Human Universal Load Carrier, that is, an exoskeleton designed for armed forces in order to help them carry heavy material at a long distance.

Manufactured by the California-based Berkeley Bionics, HULC is in fact designed to multiply human strength; other models of exoskeletons, though, tend to concentrate their work mostly on the arms, allowing their users to lift up to 200 kilos of material without any effort.

Unlike these types, HULC’s functionality is mostly focused towards the shoulders, on which a normal soldier generally carries something like 30 kilos of equipment. Thanks to the exoskeleton’s support, his load capability is multiplied by five, allowing him to carry up to 300 pounds (136 kilos) on the gantry applied on the wearer’s back.

The whole structure, which also includes some sort of “crutches” which provide support for the legs, is powered by rechargeable batteries; walking at the average speed of 6 kilometers per hour, you can use HULC’s assistance for approximately 5 hours, enough to carry your equipment to your final destination without big trouble.

At the current stage, the potentials of this exoskeleton are only in the development phase, although a demo version has been already presented to operators and experts, and the initial field test, thanks to the cooperation of soldiers in war zones (of course far from the frontline) will be carried out in summer 2010.

Robotic prostheses currently used to give at least a bit of dignity to those who lost a hand or an arm due to an accident, have several limitations. First of all, along with the discomfort and trouble in wearing them, comes the lack of response under the sensory point of view, which makes it very hard to forget that the piece of plastic you are wearing is not your hand.

At the University of Michigan, researchers are working on a sort of sleeve, to be placed over nerve endings which have been severed with the accident; the sleeve can improve hand prostheses’ performance, and restore sense of touch in patients.

The researchers have created a sort of interface made up of muscle cells and polymeric material, which connects the nerve endings to the prosthetic hand. Thanks to this neuro-muscular junction, the brain can control muscles’ movements. By using the interface, signals sent by the nerve endings towards the brain, which are normally useless, can be used to control muscle movements and generate touch sensations.

Muscle cells mounted on the “glove” and nerve endings on the limb interact with each other, creating a stable connection. In laboratory tests, results are showing that not only does the usage of this interface improve the prosthetic hand’s motion control, but it mostly makes it possible to have a two-way communication, sending temperature and touch impulses to the brain, enabling it to tell a rough surface from a smooth one, or cold from hot.

The project, funded by the US Department of Defense, is initially aimed at improving the life of those who came back from Iraq or Afghanistan with permanent injuries, but it is obviously opening interesting possibilities for those who suffered mutilations while working. The first tests on humans are scheduled in approximately three years from now.

Mechanical fish? Yes, we’ve been there and we’ve seen that, along with a wide range of other robot animals created by scientists who probably did not have enough time to take care of them at home, so they were making up their own robotic pets. The RoboFish, created by a team of scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, at least, is imitating the natural movements of fish, speeding through the water by flexing its mechanical “muscles”.

Its body, approximately 20 centimeters long, is made up of a single shell in polymeric material, which moves in a natural way just like real fish, through vibrations coming from the inside, generated by the engine which powers it. The fishes’ natural movement, in fact, comes from contraction of their muscles, which allows them to travel underwater at a speed around 10 times the length of their body per second.

The RoboFish has currently a very low speed in comparison, speeding at just one length per second, but this speed is achieved naturally, as the engine inside can increase or decrease the stiffness of different sections on the shell, thus obtaining a motion that flows much smoother when compared to older versions of mechanical fish; this motion is mostly concentrated in the tail section.

Thanks to the single-piece body, and to the durability of the material with which they are built, robotic fishes are certainly more solid now, and scientists are planning to power them with batteries rechargeable through motion, thus being able to use them, for example, for underwater inspection of ships, to examine tubes and pipes in search of any leaks or imperfections, or for underwater patrolling and surveillance of ports and rivers in areas infested by smugglers or pirates.

Private security agencies’ personnel, employed in surveillance of banks, office buildings, large firms, shopping malls and so on, is exposed to a high level of risk due to the extremely sensitive nature of the targets guarded, especially if they are on a night route and not inside a building behind bulletproof glass.

To minimize the level of risk connected to this job, GuardTrax has launched GT2 Security Force Locator, a system designed to keep surveillance personnel’s position under control in real time.

GT2 is made up of a small transmitter, more or less as small as a normal mobile phone, housed in a sturdy weather-proof plastic shell, which includes a series of functions and features useful both for patrolling routes and for communication with control center.

For example, via the “panic button” the surveillance operators can send an instant message to the control center, while entering preset codes at fixed intervals, they will be able to inform the center on their activities and operating conditions. Also, the motion detection sensor can determine a lack of motion for a certain time interval, and send a top priority alert to the supervisor who will be able to contact the staff member via mobile phone to make sure that all is fine.

GT2 also works like a normal mobile phone, calling up to 4 preset emergency numbers. Furthermore, like a GPS locator, it can send an automated alert if it leaves a certain area or if it enters a designated “danger zone”, thus allowing to determine if the guardian is being held hostage by thieves or terrorists.

Thanks to GT2, working conditions of those who work in the security and surveillance field will certainly be improved, with understandable benefits for the operator, for his employers, and ultimately, for the client whose security is being guarded.

When you are carrying out a surveillance and monitoring operation, you may happen to have to follow your suspect inside a hotel. In such cases, you must be extra careful and be as nondescript as possible, to avoid arising any unnecessary attention either from the suspect or the hotel staff.

The first step is obtaining the right hotel room, that is, the one next to your suspect’s. To do this, you will not need to leave a hefty tip to the concierge or receptionist as you may have seen in old spy movies: this would have the opposite effect, and the tipped staff member would wonder why you love that room so much. Remember, you will have to be as invisible as possible!

Therefore, the best advice to obtain that specific room is… asking if that room is available, period. And if the receptionist should ask you why you want THAT room, you can always answer by saying that “it’s your lucky number”, or that in that room you spent a night on a special occasion and so on. Giving fewer details means being less visible, and having less trouble.

Once you reach your famous “right room”, it’s time to jump into the action. Once again, forget movie scenes of secret agents sneaking into the suspect’s room while the guy is taking a shower or such things. You will preferably have to wait for him to leave the room, and at this point you will just need a silenced drill, and make a tiny hole, just 2.5 mm wide, in which you will place an optical fiber endoscope.

It is a tool which, thanks to the characteristics of optical fibers, which guarantee a clean signal transmission along with a tiny size, allows, through a microscopic lens on one end of an optical cable, to monitor any movements inside a room with a visual range of 55 degrees. Basically, it will be like having a peephole pointed towards the inside of a room, and not the other way around.

In this moment, you are capable of following all of your suspect’s movements inside his room; so, if for example he is a drug dealer, you will be able to record footage of all his illegal activities by connecting your endoscope to a small digital video recorder, to download the footage on your computer and use it as evidence.

The next stage will be, listening to your suspect’s conversations. In this case, you will not need to drill any hole, all you need Is a wall microphone. In short, a wall microphone is the technologically advanced version of your doctor’s stethoscope.

In fact, it is made up of two piezo-ceramic sensors, similar to the ones that we all know well from our doctor, which on the inside contain ultra-sensitive microphones, connected to an audio amplifier which enhances their sensitivity, making it possible to listen through a wall. All this can be connected to a digital audio recorder, to gather further evidence to be used before a court of law.

Thanks to all these technologically advanced devices, you will be able to operate without arising any unwanted attention. At this point, all you have to do is sit back, open your room’s minibar, order room service, lie down on your hotel bed, put your earphones on and you will have all the time to listen to your neighbor!

One of the staples of male elegance throughout decades and centuries is represented by the right combination of tie, shirt and pocket handkerchief. Especially the latter, if folded according to the rules of style, and placed in the right way, can provide that extra touch that makes a man fascinating and irresistible for the opposite sex, as well as respected and admired by other men.

And when your small humble pocket handkerchief can even save your life, well, at that point it really becomes a literally vital accessory. But how can a normal pocket square save your life? Nice and easy, if it’s not the ordinary square for the common men like you and me, but rather a bulletproof handkerchief!

As you may have noticed, we are not talking about ordinary stuff; besides being a useful means to wipe your nose or clean your fingers in case of need, the bulletproof square, thanks to its texture in Kevlar Aramid (a synthetic fiber used as a coating in military and aerospace applications), can protect your heart in case of terrorist or sniper attacks.

It is worth noting that the manufacturing company, the Icelandic tailors Liborius, does not guarantee a 100% efficiency and reliability, therefore they do not recommend shooting your mates just to put it to the test! In any case, for those among you who should need that little bit of extra protection in public occasions, without giving up the tiniest bit of their elegance, Bullet-Proof Gentleman’s Square is an accessory you can not miss!

In the US State of North Carolina, mass migrations of insects are a real calamity for the local agriculture and farming industry. The so called Mormon Crickets move in huge packs of hundreds of thousands or possibly millions, devastating fields and crops during their migration journeys. Scientists are trying to track down the path of their migrations, in order to be able to protect the fields by targeted application of pesticides, instead of the current blanket application policy.

At the University of Chapel Hill, NC, thanks to funding received from the Department of Agriculture, a research is being carried out through application of miniature radio transmitters on the back of migrating crickets. The crickets are separated from the pack, and with special glue, a micro transmitter weighing less than a gram is placed on their backs.

Thanks to the application of these transmitters, scientists have been able to ascertain, as a first result, that when crickets are separated from the pack, their mortality rate increases dramatically. Therefore, traveling in packs is a survival mechanism.

If this research program allows to identify migration routes, farmers will be able to take the suitable measures, reducing costs for indiscriminate use of pesticides, which kill all insects in the area, causing damages to the food chain and polluting drinking water.

Solution of a local problem in an agriculture-based region of the US might have positive effects also on a world scale, functioning as a reference point for other areas, particularly in underdeveloped countries, and maybe even help reduce famine in these areas.