Synopsis: Electronics:

and 80 billion sensors activated by 2020, organizations must build for Big data business models and insight economies.

#MIT researchers announce new transistors for more power efficient electronics A material called gallium nitride (Gan) is poised to become the next semiconductor for power electronics,

Massachusetts institute of technology spin out Cambridge Electronics Inc (CEI) has announced a line of Gan transistors and power electronic circuits that promise to cut energy usage in data centres, electric cars,

Many of these power-electronics systems rely on silicon transistors that switch on and off to regulate voltage but, due to speed and resistance constraints,

CEI Gan transistors have at least one-tenth the resistance of such silicon-based transistors, which allows for much higher energy-efficiency.

While Gan transistors have several benefits over silicon, safety drawbacks and expensive manufacturing methods have kept largely them off the market.

Power transistors are designed to flow high currents when on, and to block high voltages when off.

But Gan transistors are typically ormally onmeaning, by default, theyl always allow a flow of current.

The researchers developed Gan transistors that were ormally offby modifying the structure of the material. e always talk about Gan as gallium and nitrogen

CEI is currently using its advanced transistors to develop laptop power adaptors that are approximately 1. 5 cubic inches in volume the smallest ever made.

Among the other feasible applications for the transistors is better power electronics for data centres run by Google

But Gan-based power electronics, Palacios said, could save a very significant fraction of that.

Another application will be replacing the silicon-based power electronics in electric car, Palacios said. These are in the battery chargers

and the inverters that convert the battery power to drive the electric motors. The silicon transistors used today have constrained a power capability that limits how much power the car can handle.

This is one of the main reasons why there are few large electric vehicles the researchers said. Gan-based power electronics, on the other hand, could boost power output for electric cars,

while making them more energy-efficient and lighter and, therefore, cheaper and capable of driving longer distances v

#Smart sensor developed by Duke university, lets your smartphone hear in noisy parties People trying to talk to Apple electronic personal assistant Siri in a crowded place may soon no longer have to look like they are about to eat their iphones,

The sensor developed by Duke engineers can determine the direction of a sound and extract it from the surrounding background noise.

the device could have applications in voice-command electronics, medical sensing devices that use waves, like ultrasound,

After being picked up by a microphone on the other side, the sound is transmitted to a computer that is able to separate the jumble of noises based on these unique distortions.

The researchers tested their invention in multiple trials by simultaneously sending three identical sounds at the sensor from three different directions.

It is powered by a 1. 5 GHZ dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor paired with 2gb RAM.

and Micro-HDMI. Running blackberry 10, it is packed by a 2100 mah battery. Commenting on the launch, Hitesh Shah, Director of Sales and Distribution, at Blackberry India stated, ith the launch of the new P983 Graphite from Blackberry,

Toshiba has teamed up with Gujarat-based Einfochips to provide chips for Google Project Ara. The camera modules will be made available in both 5mp and 13mp versions,

and metabolism, finding that relatively low-level concentrations of the emulsifiers resulted in distinct alterations to the gut microbial ecosystem (microbiota) and led to low-grade inflammation and the onset of metabolic syndrome.

it uses bone conduction headphones that rest on the blind person cheeks, giving him turn-by-turn directions on where to go

At the same time, the headphones do not prevent wearers from hearing the sounds around them, allowing them to gather more information about the surrounding environment.

These techs include things like 3d printing, artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, infinite computing, networks, sensors, nanotechnology, and virtual realitynd is essentially a list of the most disruptive technologies ever invented.

An aluminum-ion battery generally consists of two electrodes, one negatively charged anode made of aluminum and a positively charged cathode.

The aluminum battery is also flexible so it can be used in electronic devices that can fold and bend.

and showed it to reporters and industry representatives with great fanfare at the 1993 winter Consumer electronics Show.

That project takes 173,000 mirrors and focuses the sunlight to the plant solar receiver steam generator,

Sensors will soon provide doctors valuable feedback for a range of chronic conditions: a pacemakers use in heart arrhythmias, efficacy (or side effects) of prescribed medications,

cloud, analytics as well as sensors and imaging, Nokia said in a press release Wednesday. lcatel-Lucent and Nokia have highly complementary portfolios and geographies, with particular strength in the United states, China, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

a desk, two bedside tables and floor, table and work lamps with embedded transmitters. The collection will arrive in U s. stores later this spring.

IKEA transmitters will work with the Samsung galaxy S6, and are compatible with any phone that includes Qi wireless charging technology.

hospitals and chip makers, to name two, and even the U s. Department of defense. Central to the concept of onsite generation that links with microgrids is energy storage,

and holding the microphone icon above the keyboard. The new voice calling feature will let you make phone calls to your contacts,

the system would include a sensor to detect the explosion or other shockwave-producing event

The system may include a sensor for detecting a source of the shockwave and generating a detection signal,

an arc generator in communication with the sensor and configured to receive the detection signal therefrom,

the sensor has to detect that a shockwave is on its way and then turn on in time to help save its protected asset.

#Terralux Battles Commoditization By Integrating Smarts With LEDS For Commercial Lighting Refits LED lighting technology has advanced in leaps and bounds in the last few years.

Less than a decade ago, LEDS were both ineffective and expensive. Not only did they have low output,

Fast forward to today and LEDS have improved greatly in efficacy, now demonstrating some of the highest light outputs,

At the same time, the economics of LEDS are now comparable with other light sources. These changes have resulted in LEDS displacing CFLS as the choice for organizations looking to save money

and deliver an environmentally friendly lighting alternative. But while these huge benefits for LED consumers have come to fruition,

LED TECHNOLOGY rapidly becomes commoditized meaning that LED vendors, once selling into a top-level market, now need to compete with other vendors based on price.

which integrates a LED light unit alongside sensor, communication and control technology. The company is pushing an Internet of things (Iot) slant on LED LIGHTS.

LEDSENSE units include sensors that can determine building temperature sense motion from a person in the vicinity as well as sensing odors and potentially toxic chemicals in the air.

This data is communicated then back to the building owner, via the cloud. Terralux wants to articulate the value it offers beyond simply providing light.

Advanced sensors provide safety and security information and alerts all through the LED LIGHTS. LEDSENSE is primarily an energy efficiency tool LEDSENSE can,

%But these gains are created not simply through the power reduction that LEDS bring, but rather through combining this benefit alongside smart lighting control.

and be granted a money transmitter license in every state. Facebook has been approved money transmitter licenses in every US state and territory along with many European and Asian countries.

My good friend Faisal Khan has been researching this for a number of years. In the US

Motion and sound detection sensors also monitor a user vehicle for unsafe or suspicious activity,

while an integrated microphone enables clear audio recording and sound detection. The subscription is optional however it does enable full functionality/user experience of the product.

According to The LA Times, the fan was too busy filming to sing along into the microphone Beyoncé was holding before his face.

but also carry electronics, sensors and batteries.""This would be an extremely difficult task, since the weight of the body has to be really lightweight for it to jump on water,

Semiconductors such as silicon or gallium arsenide absorb light efficiently and are used therefore in solar panels. However, these materials also oxidize

Previous work in Lewis laboratory led to a major advance in the design. The work showed that adding a nanometers-thick layer of titanium dioxide (Tio2) material found in white paint

and many toothpastes and sunscreensnto the electrodes could prevent them from corroding while still allowing light

and electrons to pass through. The new system uses such a 62.5-nanometer-thick Tio2 layer to effectively prevent corrosion

techniques on a gram-scale object to reduce quantum noise in detectors, thus increasing the sensitivity to pick up on those gravity waves,

#How to build millions of tiny microscopes all at once A new optical device made of silicon anopillarscould lead to advanced microscopes, displays, sensors,

and cameras that can be mass-produced using the same techniques used to manufacture computer microchips. urrently,

an assistant professor of applied physics and materials science at Caltech. ut this new technology is very similar to the one used to print semiconductor chips onto silicon wafers,

Ghodbane and six Rutgers researchers recently described the new technology in a paper published in Lab on a Chip. he results are as sensitive and accurate as the standard benchtop assay,

The team has combined several capabilities for the first time in the device theye dubbed LISA-on-a-chip (for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

To understand just how the new acoustic edge detector works it is important to know that sound waves are reflected off edges in a remarkable way:

At the head of the structure, four microphones measure the transmitted sound. To create an outline image,

They attached the polymer structure with the microphones to a robot very close to the object surface,

This phase, characterized by an unusual ordering of electrons, offers possibilities for new electronic device functionalities and could hold the solution to a longstanding mystery in condensed matter physics having to do with high-temperature superconductivityhe ability

a coating method often used in the field of microelectronics. This was the first time the technique had been used to produce a high-entropy alloy by atomizing the four elements and spraying them onto a substrate material.

for example for building sensors that are required to operate in extreme conditions. Source: ETH Zuric o

#Depth sensor could bring Kinect games outdoors A new imaging technology could address a major drawback of depth-sensing cameras, such as Microsoft Kinect controller:

This is all done by the sensor. ne prototype based on this model synchronizes a laser projector with a common rolling-shutter camerahe type of camera used in most smartphoneso that the camera detects light only from points being illuminated by the laser as it scans across the scene.

noting that a robot sensors expend a relatively large amount of energy because they are always on. very watt matters in a space mission. arasimhan says depth cameras that can operate outdoors could be useful in automotive applications,

The memories are based on tantalum oxide, a common insulator in electronics. Applying voltage to a 250-nanometer-thick sandwich of graphene, tantalum, nanoporous tantalum oxide,

Like the Tour lab previous discovery of silicon oxide memories, the new devices require only two electrodes per circuit,

he says. nd it doesn need even diodes or selectors, making it one of the easiest ultradense memories to construct.

the resulting areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUC) of the panel were 0. 89 in the training (70%of the data)

The combined effect of those patterns led to final images with 62-nanometer resolutionuch better than standard SIM and a threefold improvement over the limits imposed by the wavelength of light."

#Protein Based Sensors Expand Synthetic biology Repertoire Engineering proteins to detect specific DNA, RNA, or peptide sequences may not be a new idea,

The findings from this study were published recently in the Journal of the American Chemical Society through an article entitled highly selective electrochemical DNA-based sensor that employs steric hindrance effects to detect proteins directly in whole blood.

(or traffic) at the surface of a sensor, which drastically reduced the signal of our tests,

and limits the ability of this DNA to hybridize to its complementary strand located on the surface of a gold electrode.

The resulting current created by the signaling mechanism is sufficient enough to be picked up by simple electronic devices,

leaving open a default pathway that led to photoreceptor genesis. The scientists detailed their work in the journal Development,

#New chip could turn phone cameras into high-res 3d scanners As if smartphones can't already do enough,

robotics, gesture recognition, biomedical imaging, personal electronics, and more. A paper describing the research was published in the journal Optics Express E

#Inkjet printers could produce paper sensors that identify dangerous food and water contaminants Sensors that identify infectious disease

and food contaminants may soon be printed on paper using ordinary office inkjet printers. Researchers at Mcmaster University have developed a prototype that could lead to a commercial product in the next few years which helps doctors

The new sensors are also much simpler to produce.""Our original E coli sensor required a very sophisticated ink jet-printer printer

and very specialized inks in order to be produced, "Brennan told Gizmag.""We have found that these specialized requirements have made scale up

which gives the technology the potential to find applications in the burgeoning field of flexible electronics.

inexpensive electrodes, good safety, high-speed charging, flexibility and long cycle life. I see this as a new battery in its early days.

#Overview of a Smart Optical Time-of-Flight Sensor Technology With billions of sensors already being deployed in all types of devices and applications,

the sensor revolution is well underway. Through the Internet of things (Iot) and the Internet of Everything (Ioe), smart sensors have the potential to significantly help our societies resolve countless global challenges.

In order to do so in a timely manner, major advancements are required in the development of ultra-efficient sensors.

Figure 1. Signal travelling through the main components of a Leddar sensing modulefigure 2. Emission beam pattern and match to a 16-element photodetectorfigure 3. Sample trace

View all Sensors are linked very closely to the Iot, as its core function is to collect valuable data.

Fundamentally, what makes a smart sensor"smart"is its onboard signal/data-processing capabilities. Through the Iot, large amounts of quality, sensor-based data can be collected at any time and from anywhere,

and it can then be transmitted over a network in real time. This provides enhanced awareness of our immediate or remote environment, bringing forth opportunities for faster and better decision-making,

The new generation of ultra-efficient smart sensors requires key characteristics such as small size low cost, low power consumption, low bandwidth consumption,

Leddar Technology Overview Leddar (acronym for light-emitting diode detection and ranging) is patented a sensing technology developed by Leddartech,

The main innovation behind this new approach lies in the superior signal processing that drives every Leddar sensor.

Combined with the use of visible or infrared LEDS to perform time-of-flight measurements,

the Leddar sensor's LEDS and emitter optics are used to create a diffuse beam covering a wider area of interest.

The receiver collects the backscatter of the reflected light from objects in the beam and, using full-waveform analysis,

measuring the distance of the detected objects (based on the time taken by the light to return to the sensor).

and a wide range of optics options are available for the sensor modules, providing a variety of beam patterns for different needs.

or multiple sensors. This unique sensing technology presents multiple advantages. The use of a diffuse light beam increases the detection robustness of specular surfaces.

Aligning the sensor is also easier, which results in fast and simple installation. Additionally, the multi-element receiver provides detection

and ranging for multiple segments of the beam without the need to scan (no moving parts).

Time-of-Flight Principle Leddar sensors use LEDS to generate very short light pulses, typically 100,000 pulses per second.

The time-of-flight (Tof) principle essentially consists in measuring the time taken by a light pulse to travel from the sensor to a remote object

and to return to the sensor. The range R of the detected object is deduced from the measured full round-trip time T of the light pulse using the simple relation R c T/2 n

This causes different irradiances of the echo pulse at the receiver, which are measured by the Leddar sensor.

This measured irradiance depends on the distance measured by the Tof principle and the angle of incidence that can be determined by imaging-collecting optics that focus the reflected beam on the sensor photodetectors.

A 16-element photodetector is used typically in Leddar sensors (shown in Figure 1). Figure 1. Signal travelling through the main components of a Leddar sensing module Figure 1 Signal travelling through the main components

of a Leddar sensing module Beam Pattern for Multi-Element Option The multiple-element photodetector has a rectangular sensing area.

The purpose of the emission optics of a Leddar sensor is to direct as much of the emitted light from one

or more LEDS into a pattern that best fits the photodetector geometry. The purpose of the reception optics is to collect the backscatter of light from objects in that beam onto the photodetector.

Figure 2 illustrates a simulated emission beam pattern of a Leddar sensor with an overlay of the matching segments provided by the reception optics corresponding to the photodetector elements.

The sensor signal is amplified, and the signal acquisition is synchronized to the pulses. An oversampling scheme using multiple light pulses is implemented to improve the resolution of the acquired signal.

in order to improve the signal to noise ratio. The oversampling value and number of accumulations influence the detection/measurement,

The performance of the sensor can thus be optimized with these parameters to meet the requirements of the application.

Detection and Distance Measurement The detection and distance measurement is performed by the sensor's processor,

The signals consist of a series of values representing light amplitude at incremental distances from the sensor.

The amplitude depends on distance, size, reflectivity and angle of the object with respect to the sensor. An object will be detected by the sensor

if a light pulse above a predetermined threshold is found. The threshold at which a peak in the trace is interpreted as the presence of an object depends on the signal-to-noise ratio.

Leddartech determines the default threshold level for each sensor based on the signal-to-noise ratio. A threshold table is applied in the detection processing of the traces,

and a threshold offset parameter is provided on most sensors in order to adjust this threshold table. The offset can be set to increase

or decrease the sensitivity of the sensor. This can be used to ignore the presence of objects returning weak signals

Another setting available on Leddar sensors IS LED the intensity. LED intensity control can be set to manual mode or automatic mode.

In automatic control mode, the sensor will dynamically adjust the LED intensity based on the amplitude of the signal for objects detected in the sensor beam.

With this control, a sensor model can be used for a wide range of applications with different range requirements

and also be used in applications where objects can both be very close or far from the sensor.

In this example, the sensor is collecting light reflected back by two separate objects. Full waveform analysis performed by Leddar sensors provides the capacity to detect multiple objects in the same segment.

This is possible if the closer object is smaller than the illuminated area for that segment.

the multi-element sensor software generates a combined graphical representation of all segments, as shown in Figure 4 below.

this beam contains 16 of the pulses illustrated in Figure 3 Benefits of Leddar Technology Leddar sensors provide three key benefits compared to competing products:

As an optoelectronic technology it can easily be adapted to almost any final application. Of particular benefit to developers and integrators is the technology's unmatched cost/performance ratio,

its ability to detect multiple objects in each segment and lateral discrimination (multi-element platform), its long detection range with low-power LEDS, real-time object-tracking capabilities, detection

Integrating with Leddar Sensor Modules At the heart of all Leddar sensors lies the Leddarcore with patented Leddar Light Processing,

providing an ultra-low-power sensor core that can easily fit into a small footprint. Because of their compact size and flexible interfaces

Namely, the included software development kit provides sample code for developers to quickly integrate sensor data into their application software.

As for the receiver, one can choose from several beam options, ranging from 3°to 95°.

Conclusion This innovative core technology is giving rise to the creation of a completely new generation of ultra-efficient smart sensors,

Leddar is poised to become a key enabler in the smart sensor revolution. For more information on this patented*technology, visit leddartech. com. Leddar is registered a trademark of Leddartech Inc. Leddar technology is covered by one or more of the following U s. patents:

#Graphene device makes ultrafast light to energy conversion possible Converting light to electricity is one of the pillars of modern electronics, with the process essential for the operation of everything from solar cells and TV remote control receivers through to laser communications

Riverside utilized an arrangement consisting of graphene film layers set up as a p-n (positive-negative) junction semiconductor, a sub-50 femtosecond, titanium-sapphire,

along with an ultra-sensitive pulse detector to capture the speed of conversion to electrical energy. When this arrangement was fired up and tested

And, given that the basic operating principles of hot-carrier graphene devices are substantially different from traditional silicon or germanium semiconductors,

an entirely new stream of electronic components that take advantage of this phenomenon may evolve. The findings of this work have recently been published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology h

#Canon's new four million ISO video camera leaves nothing in the dark Ever been poking around in low-light with your camera

000,000 ISO HD video camera that seems sure to bring the noise. The seeds were sewn for Canon's new shooter in 2013,

when the company announced the development of a new 35 mm full-frame CMOS sensor specifically for filming in poorly lit environments.

This sensor has now found its way into a cubed-shaped 4 x 4. 5 x 4. 4 in (10.2 x 11.4 x 11.2 cm) body that weighs approximately 2. 4 lb

The sensor's pixels measure 19 microns, which is more than five times larger than those generally found in high-end DSLRS and amounts to a modest 2. 26 megapixels.

or 60 fps and features 3g/HD-SDI and HDMI outputs for hooking up to peripherals like recorders and monitors.

#World's highest-performance single-molecule diode created As electronics miniaturization heads towards a theoretical physical limit in the tens of nanometers,

new methods of manufacturing are required to produce transistors, diodes, and other fundamental electronic components. In this vein, a new range of molecule-sized devices have been created in the laboratory,

though with varying results in terms of efficiency and practicality. Now a group of researchers from Berkeley Lab and Columbia University claims to have created the highest-performing,

single-molecule diode ever made, which is said to be 50 times better in performance and efficiency than anything previously produced.

Ordinary diodes are constructed usually from silicon with a p-n (positive-negative) junction created at the point of contact between a positively"doped"semiconductor (that is,

Flanked by connecting electrodes (an anode on one side and a cathode on the other),

the most common function of such a diode is to permit electric current to flow in one direction only,

As such, a diode used in this way can be seen as a type of flow-control valve that is either"on"or"off".

and so these types of diodes are known as rectifiers. This on/off asymmetric behavior in the nascent field of molecule-sized electronics, on the other hand, is achieved usually by the creation of molecules that chemically emulate the p-n junction.

However, these synthesized molecular junctions have resulted generally in poor forward current flow capabilities and inefficient or patchy rectification.

This is where the Columbia university scientists claim to have made significant improvements with their new single-molecule diode."

"Using a single symmetric molecule, an ionic solution and two gold electrodes of dramatically different exposed surface areas,

we were able to create a diode that resulted in a rectification ratio, the ratio of forward to reverse current at fixed voltage, in excess of 200,

"The asymmetry necessary for diode behavior originates with the different exposed electrode areas and the ionic solution.

This leads to different electrostatic environments surrounding the two electrodes and superlative single-molecule device behavior."

particularly as diodes form the basis of many microminiature electronic devices. Since then, a range of devices have been constructed,

including single molecule diodes and transistors. Operating at this nanoscale, though, such devices may emulate their macro counterparts,

"said professor"The efficiency of the tunneling process depends intimately on the degree of alignment of the molecule discrete energy levels with the electrode continuous spectrum.

and Zhenfei Liu to understand the diode behavior quantitatively.""Zhenfei Liu a postdoctoral fellow at Berkeley Lab and professor Neaton worked with Latha Venkataraman

and Luis Campos from Columbia University to create their high-performance rectifier diode using junctions prepared from symmetric molecules attached to gold electrodes.

To achieve the necessary asymmetric properties required to operate as a diode, the researchers then altered the surface area of the electrodes as they were exposed to an ionic solution.

As a result, a positive voltage increased the current significantly, whilst a negative voltage reduced current flow in an equally significant manner."

"The ionic solution, combined with the asymmetry in electrode areas, allows us to control the junction electrostatic environment simply by changing the bias polarity,

"In addition to breaking symmetry, double layers formed by ionic solution also generate dipole differences at the two electrodes,

The Columbia group experiments showed that with the same molecule and electrode setup, a nonionic solution yields no rectification at all."

"The combined Berkeley Lab-Columbia University research team is convinced that the way they have managed to produce a single-molecule diode sets the benchmark for future nonlinear nanoscale device tuning and development, with applications above and beyond just

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