#New IT-Based Fitness Tool with Sensors for the Physically Impaired A test subject rocks her upper body from left to right.
She has beaten just her personal best in a computer adventure. But this is no ordinary video game flickering on the tablet computer screen in front of her:
Behind all the excitement is a new kind of fitness tool for the physically impaired. The game required movements help the woman exercise motor functions,
and stamina. he controlled her on-screen avatar with the movements of her upper body
and the aid of our smart shoulder pad, says Andreas Huber, scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated circuits IIS in Erlangen.
Fitted inside the pad are small sensors that record each movement of the test subject
and wirelessly transmit them via Bluetooth to the tablet on the table in front of her, where software processes all the data and relays it to her avatar.
Huber shoulder pad is part of the akrobatik@home project. Other elements of the IT-based fitness game,
voice controls from the Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication systems FOKUS that enable users to navigate through the game menu,
and a video communication system from the company Bravis that allows users to interact via webcams. early fifty percent of adults in Germany suffer from physical impairments of a temporary or permanent nature,
whether as result of accidents, injuries or illnesses, observes Huber. Under the motto he New Future of Old age the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is sponsoring research projects for technical solutions such as akrobatik@home that help
and enable people to be physically active. Research in collaboration with users ur project is not just about developing innovative technology,
but about starting with concrete needs, says Karolina Mizera, who coordinates the project centrally from the Center for Responsible Research and Innovation in Berlin,
while others suffer from hearing impairments. hese specific disabilities led to concrete ideas, explains Mizera. Three ideas were implemented by the researchers together with the thalidomide victims, Heidelberg University,
and physiotherapists from Reha-Zentrum Lübben rehab center: The-bag an application for tablet computers that makes it easy for users to show their tickets on buses and trains,
a mobile signaler that enables communication with hearing-impaired people even when they are out of sight, and finally akrobatik@home, the largest of the three projects.
and shape and contains some very clever electronics. Researchers have fitted sensors for every conceivable movement,
whether rotational, vertical or horizontal. hile users play, they unconsciously do recommended the exercises by therapists.
The playful approach is designed to motivate people to keep repeating the movements on their own initiative. After all
says Mizera. ur focus was on closely integrating end users into the process and thereby developing technical solutions that are genuinely helpful
The project has shown how important participation is in terms of involving users and stakeholders before starting the technical development stage.
Recent research agendas have been emphasizing the very same thing, including the EU major Horizon 2020 framework program for research and innovation.
This includes developing advanced control technology for commercial video games and testing how the sensor technology could be integrated directly into clothing e
#New Technique Probes the Sea floor Using Ocean's Weak Seismic Waves A technology developed by Stanford scientists for passively probing the seafloor using weak seismic waves generated by the ocean could revolutionize offshore oil and natural gas extraction
or three times a year,"said Biondo Biondi, professor of geophysics at Stanford's School of Earth sciences.
Currently, many energy companies use a technique called time-lapse reflection seismology to monitor offshore oil
The data are deciphered then to reveal details about subsurface structures. Each survey can cost tens of millions of dollars,
and as a result they are conducted only two to three times a year. Environmental groups and marine biologists have expressed concerns about the use of air guns for contributing to noise pollution in the ocean that can disturb
or even injure marine animals, including humpback whales and giant squid. The new technique developed by Biondi and Sjoerd de Ridder,
a student of Biondi's who is now a postdoctoral scientist at the University of Edinburgh,
It exploits naturally occurring seismic waves generated by Earth's oceans that are several orders of magnitude weaker than those produced by earthquakes.
"We knew the ambient seismic energy was there, but we didn't know what we could do with it,
"The technique that Biondi and De Ridder developed, called ambient seismic field noise-correlation tomography,
or ASNT, uses sensors embedded in the seafloor. The sensors, which are installed typically by robotic submersibles,
are connected to one another by cables and arranged into parallel rows that can span several kilometers of the seafloor.
Another cable connects the sensor array to a platform in order to collect data in real time. The sensors record ambient seismic waves traveling through Earth's crust.
The waves are generated ubiquitous, continuously and traveling in every direction, but using careful signal processing schemes they developed,
Biondi and De Ridder can digitally isolate only those waves that are passing through one sensor and then another one downstream.
When this is done repeatedly, and for multiple sensors in the network, what emerges is a"virtual"seismic wave pattern that is remarkably similar to the kind generated by air guns.
Less disruptive Because the ASNT technique is entirely passive, meaning it does not require a controlled explosion
The scientists worked with the energy companies BP and Conocophillips to study recordings from existing sensor arrays in the Valhall
and Ekofisk oil fields in the North sea that are capable of recording ambient seismic waves. The proof-of-concept experiment has been successful,
#Glucolight Sensor Measures Blood sugar Level Through the Skin Drawing blood regularly from the sensitive little ones for hours on end however is impossible as the blood loss
and stress would be too great. In a project funded by The swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) Empa
and the University Hospital Zurich thus teamed up to develop the sensor Glucolight which gages the blood sugar level through the skin without taking any blood.
Although skin sensors already exist they have to be calibrated before use which means that the skin's permeability value needs to be known.
In order to establish this the blood sugar value has to be determined via a blood sample and the glucose concentration on the skin measured.
Based on these readings the permeability can then be calculated and the sensor calibrated. Glucolight spares the premature babies blood samples
and enables the blood sugar level to be monitored permanently thanks to the sensor's novel measuring technology which comprises several parts:
A microdialysis measuring head which was developed at the University Hospital Zurich with a smart membrane developed at Empa;
light sources; a pump; and a microfluidics chip with a fluorometer also developed at the University Hospital Zurich.
The smart Empa membrane contains special dye molecules known as spiropyrans. If UV LIGHT is beamed onto these spiropyran molecules they alter their chemical structure
and become charged (polar). When irradiated with visible light they revert to their original neutral structure.
and pumped through the microfluidics chip while enzymes are added to trigger a reaction. During the reaction a fluorescence appears which the fluorometer measures
and the computer uses the reading to calculate the glucose concentration. The process is repeated then with UV LIGHT.
The computer then uses these two different readings to calculate the premature baby's blood sugar level.
and the first clinical studies are scheduled at the University Hospital Zurich for 2015. However it could be years before the use of Glucolight becomes standard.
Empa and the University Hospital Zurich are currently in negotiations with partners for the industrial production of the sensor.
For the future the researchers also envisage the use of Glucolight in other fields such as diabetes s
#ams Introduces New Class of Sensor-Integrated Smart Lighting Manager Solutions This new class of sensor-integrated smart lighting manager solutions delivers cost-effective Iot-connected
Photopic sensors built with nano-optic filters integrated into the AS721X series are designed to help lighting manufacturers address the growing challenges of energy saving lighting mandates including daylighting controls.
These challenges are more cost-effectively met by bringing the controls connectivity such as Bluetooth and high-granularity sensing into the luminaires themselves.#
#The AS721X family of smart lighting silicon photonics sensor solutions create a natural Internet of things (Iot) sensor hub within smart buildings
which results in an Internet of Awareness#through the convergence of Iot-connected lighting and sensor fusion#said Sajol Ghoshal who is responsible for Emerging Sensor Strategies at ams.#
#The AS721X family with Broadcom's groundbreaking easy-to-use connectivity from their WICED#Smart Bluetooth and Smartbridge platform delivers a secure plug-and-play connection to the Iot for big data aggregation and the anticipated wave of machine learning.#
#The AS721X family is ams#first platform technology of integrated sensor solutions that provide system-level sensing
Integrating a sensor-based manager into each luminaire optimizes the overall responsiveness and efficiency of the lighting system maximizing energy savings.
and temperature variations and allows fully connected luminaire systems to respond to building -or space-level command
#ams#ground-breaking sensor-integrated manager series addresses head-on the lighting industry#s desire for technically feasible integrated controls that are also cost
#Competitive offerings in the space are essentially#build your own#devices requiring discrete components including sensors processors memory and
I/O chips that require design integration and time-consuming programming of control and communications algorithms.
In contrast the AS721X family delivers a fully integrated solution providing users with a high level of integration at far lower cost
#Saturas Successfully Conducts Field trials of Embedded Stem Water Sensor The field tests were conducted on peach and citrus trees at the Hula Valley Orchards Experimental Farm.
Today most farmers typically overwater crops by up to 20%just to be on the safe side.
Overwatering puts pressure on an already scarce and expensive resource increases pollution from nutrient-rich runoff affects the quality of the fruit
Optimal irrigation can improve quality and quantity of crops and increase farmers incomes and profitability.
Based on the research of Dr. Moshe Meron Saturas has developed a miniature stem water potential (SWP) sensor that is embedded in the trunks of trees vines and plants.
SWP is recognized a scientifically highly accurate parameter for determining water status in crops but today SWP can only be measured in a labor-intensive procedure.
The Saturas sensor provides accurate information for optimized irrigation to reduce water consumption with no stress to the plants and increases fruit production and quality.
Saturas'precision agriculture sensing system comprises of miniature implanted sensors wireless transponders and delivery of information to the farmer's Internet device:
computer tablet or smartphone. Despite numerous approaches to sensor-based irrigation including measuring soil and leaf moisture the market lacks a solution that combines accuracy ease of use and affordability.
The Saturas sensing system tailors irrigation to the crop's real-time water needs resulting in more efficient water use
and increased yields fruit size and sugar content (e g. vineyards). Embedding the sensor in the trunk eliminates the common problem of damage to sensors placed in the soil or on fruit or leaves.
Anat Halgoa Solomon Saturas CEO remarks We are pleased extremely with the results of the recent field trials.
and complete the development of a reliable user friendly and efficient industrial product to achieve a precise irrigation tool for farmers worldwide.
Source: http://trendlines. com/portfolio/saturas s
#Silicon Labs Debuts New Family of Power-efficient High-Precision Temperature Sensors Silicon Labs, a leading provider of environmental and optical sensing solutions for the Internet of things and industrial
automation, today introduced a new family of high-precision temperature sensors offering industry-leading power efficiency. Silicon Labsultra-low-power Si705x temperature sensors consume only 195 na (typical average current)
when sampled once per second, which minimizes self-heating and enables multi-year coin cell battery operation.
Unlike traditional digital temperature sensors, the Si705x devices maintain their accuracy across the full operating temperature
and voltage ranges and offer four accuracy levels up to+/-0. 3°C. The sensors are ideal for HVAC,
white goods, computer equipment, asset tracking, cold chain storage, industrial control and medical equipment. AEC-Q100-qualified versions are also available for automotive applications.
Traditional approaches to temperature sensing that use thermistors or embedded MCU temperature sensors suffer from poor accuracy and higher power consumption.
Although improved accuracy can be achieved through end-of-line calibration, this technique presents additional manufacturing costs and challenges while accuracy is still susceptible to variations in power supply voltage.
In contrast, the Si705x sensorspatented signal processing technology provides stable temperature accuracy over the entire operating voltage
and temperature ranges without the need for costly end-of-line production calibration. In addition the integrated low-power analog design delivers an optimal price/performance solution with up to 35 times better power efficiency than competing temperature sensor products.
Available in a compact 3 mm x 3 mm DFN package, the Si705x sensors feature an industry-standard I2c interface for easy configuration.
Each device provides up to 14-bit temperature resolution for high-precision measurement, and the-40 to+125°C temperature range is suitable for consumer, industrial and automotive applications.
With a low 1. 9 V minimum power supply voltage, the Si705x sensors can be connected directly to a battery without the need for an external voltage regulator. emperature is the most pervasive environmental metric that embedded developers need to measure
accuracy and price/performance from their temperature sensing solutions, said Ross Sabolcik, vice president and general manager of Silicon Labsanalog,
Power and Sensor products. lthough many competing options are available for temperature sensing, the Si705x devices provide the most power-efficient option
The Si705x temperature sensors are the newest members of Silicon Labsgrowing portfolio of environmental and optical sensor products for the Internet of things, consumer and industrial automation markets.
Silicon Labssensor portfolio includes relative humidity (RH) and temperature sensors proximity and ambient light sensors, UV index and ambient light sensors,
and capacitive touch sensors, as well as isolated ac current sensors and high-side dc current sensors for power management applications.
The Si705x temperature sensors are pin-compatible and software-compatible with Silicon Labspopular Si70xx RH and temperature sensor family.
This compatibility enables existing RH sensor designs and software to be reused easily for temperature-only applications.
Pricing and Availability Samples and production quantities of Silicon Labssi705x temperature sensors are available now.
Si705x sensor pricing in 10,000-unit quantities begins at $0. 61 (USD. The Si705x USB dongle evaluation kits, priced at $49 (USD MSRP),
streamline Si705x sensor evaluation and application development. The Si705x USB dongle kits are supported by a Windows-based GUI that simplifies control of the Si705x sensors and temperature measurements.
A variety of source code and driver examples is available in Silicon Labssimplicity Studio development environment. For additional Si705x product information, to order samples and evaluation kits,
and to download development software, visit www. silabs. com/temperature-sensors i
#Scientists Discover Nutrient Sensor That Senses Amino acid Arginine Through a variety of mechanistic interactions mtorc1 interprets cues in the cellular environment including the availability of nutrients
and signals the organism to act accordingly. mtorc1 is apt to trigger growth during times of abundance
and dial back metabolism when food is scarce. Owing to years of intense scrutiny in the lab of Whitehead Institute Member David Sabatini the key players of this pathway
--whose deregulation is associated with diseases ranging from diabetes to cancer to epilepsy--have gradually been brought to light.
Yet one essential question remained unanswered: How exactly does mtorc1 actually detect the presence of nutrients?
Now it seems scientists in Sabatini's lab have at least a partial answer describing for the first time a protein that appears to sense the amino acid arginine.
The discovery of this transmembrane protein known as SLC38A9 is reported this week in the journal Science.
No one doubts that this is an important pathway with implications for aging cancer and diabetes and we had figured out the core machinery of the pathway says Sabatini.
But the mystery has been what are the sensors? Now we've found what is likely the first nutrient sensor.
This is what connects that core machinery to the world around it. The finding suggests a model in
which mtorc1 located at the surface of cellular components known as lysosomes receives go/no-go signals from a family of enzymes dubbed Rag GTPASES.
It had been known that the Rags convey information about nutritional status to mtorc1 but it wasn't clear how the Rags came by this information.
Through a series of experiments researchers found that SLC38A9 is capable of transporting and directly interacting with amino acids the building blocks of proteins.
Further they found that in cells overexpressing SLC38A9 mtorc1 signaling is activated even in the absence of amino acids.
Taken together such compelling evidence points to SLC38A9 as an amino acid sensor tipping off the Rags to the availability of nutrients.
what starts the race says Zhi-Yang Tsun a graduate student in Sabatini's lab and co-first author of the Science paper.
It has all the properties consistent with a sensor. As new components of the pathway are identified
because hyperactivation of the pathway can lead to aberrant growth seen in cancer or metabolic abnormalities associated with diabetes.
Intriguingly because SLC38A9 activates the pathway it may represent a target for clinical situations in
or off says Shuyu Wang another Sabatini lab graduate student and co-first author of the Science paper.
In this case one could think about situations where you would want to increase protein synthesis perhaps to treat muscle atrophy and disease-related weight loss.
Although the discovery of the first nutrient sensor in this pathway represents an important advance the researchers know much work lies ahead.
SLC38A9's specificity for arginine suggests that many more such sensors--for other amino acids and glucose for example--interact either directly or indirectly with mtorc1.
#Taiwan Biophotonic Releases DOE Reflective Sensor for Fingerless Wrist-Worn Pulse Oximeters Vast amounts of biometric information such as pulse rate blood oxygen
saturation temperature respiration blood pressure ECG blood sugar motion and other physiological parameters are generated continuously from our body
It is well-known that the measurement of ECG pulse rate and blood pressure will tell us the condition of heart and cardiovascular system in our body.
However it is known lesser by the non-medical public that the blood oxygen saturation is actually another important vital sign
Wearable devices are now creating new ways for wellness healthcare and medical care sectors to connect with general public and sub-health population.
In particular wearable vital sign monitoring devices is set to revolutionize the healthcare and medical devices industry over the next few years.
In the hospital and home healthcare there are portable pulse oximeters that provide noninvasive continuous monitoring of individual's heart rate
and blood oxygen saturation but they all rely on a clip probe that applies only to fingertips earlobe or toes.
That is because blood in those body sites is close to the skin surface and the clip probe can emit light from one side of skin into the tissue and measure the transmitted light from the other side of the skin.
Therefore there are surface mount reflective sensors that attach to skin surface emit the incident light and detect the reflective light at the same side of the skin surface.
The Taiwan Biophotonic's Reflective Pulse Oximetry Sensor consists of red and infrared LEDS a light detector and a unique DOE component
which exhibits high signal to noise features. This DOE component is structured a micro optical element designed to modulate the photon propagation within the skin tissue
This technology enables the development of one of the industry's first reflective optical sensor that continuous measures the pulse rate
and blood oxygen saturation at various body sites including some low blood perfusion sites as wrist and arm.
Currently the measurement of pulse rate and blood oxygen saturation at the wrist has not yet been achieved successfully by common reflective optical sensor.
A demonstration unit of wrist-worn pulse oximetry device with Taiwan Biophotonic's Reflective Pulse Oximetry Sensor was developed
and compared with a medical grade handheld pulse oximter. Human trial testing results shows that the accuracy of the wrist-worn pulse oximetry device closely agreed with the medical grade specifications said Jyh-Chern Chen President of Taiwan Biophotonic Co
. This report has been submitted to the journal of Biomedical Optics Express in Nov. 2014 for publication.
Founded by a team of experts from the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) the Taiwan Biophotonic Corporation has developed the world-leading noninvasive and wearable sensing technologies for healthcare
and medical devices said Ching-Yen Tsay Chairman of ITRI. This reflective pulse oximetry sensor is just the beginning of a line of wearable solutions that Taiwan Biophotonic Co. will be introducing this year.
About Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) ITRI is one of the world's leading technology R&d institutions aiming to innovate a better future for society.
Based on its long-term partnership with various industry sectors ITRI offers a wide range of services from technical to business consultation to the international community--such as contract research product and process
development and pilot runs for technological upgrades; IP strategy and licensing industrial analysis and talent training for hi-tech business;
and sales of medical and healthcare related products Headquartered from Hsin-chu Taiwan tbpc is dedicated to develop novel noninvasive sensing solutions that measure various physiological parameters for healthcare and medical care.
Additional information about Taiwan Biophotonic Corporation is available on the web at http://www. tbpchc. com m
#ON Semiconductor Showcases Fully-Functional 3d Stacked CMOS Imaging Sensor at CES 2015 The technology has been implemented successfully
and characterized on a test chip with 1. 1-micron(#m) pixels and will be introduced in a product later this year.
Conventional sensor designs in a monolithic substrate process require separate die area to support both the pixel array and supporting circuitry.
With 3d stacking technology the pixel array and the supporting circuitry are manufactured on separate substrates
This allows the pixel array to overlay the underlying circuitry and result in a more efficient die floorplan.
With this approach design engineers can optimize each part of the sensor for imaging performance cost power
With the optimization of the pixel array sensors can have improved pixel performance with lower noise levels and enhanced pixel response.
The underlying circuitry can use more aggressive design rules to lower power consumption as well. The smaller overall footprint supports today#s advanced camera modules that integrate Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and additional data storage in the same module footprint.#
#3d stacking technology is an exciting breakthrough that enhances our ability to optimize ON Semiconductor#s future sensors#said Sandor Barna vice president of Technology for ON Semiconductor#s Image Sensor Group.#
#This technology provides manufacturing and design flexibility to ensure continued performance leadership across our entire sensor product portfolio.#
#CES 2015: Linktop to Present Mechanical Smart Watch and Graphene-Based Thermometer Linktop Technology is introducing its mechanical smart watch
and Graphene-based products cloud thermometer to the 2015 Consumer electronics Show (CES) in Las vegas, Nevada (January 6-9, 2015).
So Linktop created Mechanical smartwatch U2. U2 is a perfect combination of the traditional mechanical watch and smart watch,"Mr. Bill states."
It puts a transparent color TOLED display above the mechanical dial. The transparent display is sleeping if not activated
so that to conserve the battery life, which enables the standby time of the display is long to 30 days.
Meanwhile, the mechanical dial keeps telling wearers the time even the display's battery runs out.
Connected with smartphone by using Bluetooth 4. 0, U2 will keep the wearer informed of what happens in their smartphone in real time.
The watch will notify the wearer about all incoming calls SMS, email, facebook and twitter or other applications'notification anywhere anytime.
It is also a remote control for smartphone so that to take a picture and control the music player.
Besides, the U2 watch can keep track of the wearer's activity. It will tell the running steps, distance and calories burnt.
Linktop Technology is the world's first company that uses Graphene for fast and accurate heat conduction in a groundbreaking and original body temperature thermometer.
Graphene is well known for its unique structure and physicochemical properties. It is the strongest, thinnest and most conductive material in the world.
Linktop cloud thermometer can get the measurement data very quickly, which far surpasses other thermometers in the market.
The device is connected to smart phones (ios and Android) via Bluetooth 4. 0 and the users can read real time measurement data from an easy to use but highly sophisticated app.
Users can also share the data with others by uploading them to the cloud. During CES, Linktop will present many more new and innovative products,
such as a Kid safety GPS watch, 6 in 1 Health Monitor etc. We welcome media, dealers, distributors and other professionals to visit our booth#43009 in Westgate e
#Exelis-Built Crosstrack Infrared Sounder Ready for Integration onto NOAA JPSS-1 Spacecraft The Cris is advanced an sounder that provides detailed atmospheric temperature and moisture observations for weather and climate applications.
It is an example of environmental intelligence technology Exelis is focused on for growth in the area of intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and analytics.
The first version of the sounder is currently operational on the NOAA/NASA Suomi-National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite, a bridge between NOAA's legacy polar satellite fleet,
NASA's Earth observing missions and NOAA JPSS constellation. ris is proven technology that is already providing high-quality environmental data to the meteorological and climate communities on Suomi NPP,
which directly impact three-to seven-day weather forecasts in the United states. Cris enables weather forecasters to more accurately predict days in advance the path and severity of weather like tornadoes and snowstorms.
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