For the last two years, Amal Graafstra, the founder and CEO of the Seattle-based company, has sold implantable devices including near-field communication (NFC) chips, radio-frequency identification chips (RFID), biomagnets,
Dangerous Things/Facebookimplanting a RFID tag only takes a few minutes and is a relatively painless procedure.
For example, Graafstra, who has an RFID chip implanted in each hand, has stopped almost completely using keys and passwords.
and unlock doors and log into his computer and password-secured websites. He even rigged his motorcycle
If you have enabled a NFC phone like most major Android phones, you can also unlock it with an implanted device just by holding it.
Dangerous Thingsbiohacking kits range in price from about $40 to $100. This RFID kit comes with everything needed to perform an implant.
Eventually, implantable devices could even be tied to your bank account so that you can make transactions, Graafstra said.
Prices for products range from $39 for a basic RFID/NFC glass tag to $99 for a NFC injection kit and take only a few minutes to implant into the hands.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved RFID chips for human implantation in 2004.
Dangerous Thingsgraafstra has a RFID tag in each of his hands. e have been picking up things like rocks
and demonstrates how the RFID tag implanted in his hand can be used to unlock a smart doorlock.
#Google has a brilliant new tool for avoiding long lines at stores and restaurants Google has added a new tool to its search bar that helps people avoid long lines at stores and restaurants.
The feature reveals peak traffic hours for millions of businesses on every day of the week,
the company said in a blog post. The tool is accessed by searching for a retailer,
"Google's post reads.""Now, you can avoid the wait and see the busiest times of the week at millions of places and businesses around the world directly from Google search.
For example, just search for"Blue Bottle Williamsburg,"tap on the title and see how busy it gets throughout the day
#Smartphone skin cancer app developed by Vancouver dermatologist A new smartphone app for monitoring skin cancer made its debut at the World Congress of Dermatology in Vancouver on Tuesday.
I don't have to wait 12 months to use a doctor's phone or...camera to look at my mole.
"The app works by attaching a mini-microscope to a smartphone camera, which takes images of skin moles
Maryam Sadeghi shows off an early version of Molescope, an app for smartphones and ipads that people can use to monitor for signs of skin cancer.
"Usually what I try to do is get good images with my iphone hovering over the dermatoscope,
The app currently only runs on ios, with an Android version in the works e
cellphones with EU plans pay same price everywhere The European union has agreed to end mobile roaming charges within two years
and allow travellers with European phone plans to pay the same price for calls, text messages and data anywhere in the 28 EU nations.
also means Internet users will be able to access content without being slowed unfairly down or blocked, a concept known as net neutrality.
and the full parliament, would allow Internet providers to use"reasonable"measures to manage online traffic,
#Growing number of Canadians cutting traditional television, CBC research shows A growing number of Canadians are ditching their traditional television subscriptions, according to a new CBC research report.
"meaning they had a television subscription and cancelled it.""With the prevalence of TV content on the internet and Netflix, Canadians are seeing less need to have a TV subscription,
"the report said. Sixteen per cent of Canadians don't pay for a traditional TV service, up from 12 per cent three years ago,
the report said.""We consider it a big jump, "said Mark Allen, senior director of corporate research at CBC/Radio-Canada in Ottawa."
if they're a light TV viewer, they can get what they need on the internet."
"Allen said cord-cutters are finding other ways to watch their favourite shows and some believe they were paying too much for television.
Marjie Lynn was looking for ways to save money when she decided to cut ties with her television provider."
"We're the average Nova Scotian family, living paycheque to paycheque to paycheque and...you look at things that you can do,
you can basically achieve all the TV watching that you want.""The report also said a fifth of television subscribers were interested in cutting the cord,
with a third already having taken steps towards that end. Allen said whether or not the number of cord-cutters continues to rise will depend on how much choice Canadians have in the future to watch television online
and the success of the CRTC's"pick -and-pay"and"skinny package"rules for television providers,
which become mandatory in December 2016.""Up until this point, cord-cutters have been light TV viewers,
"said Allen.""But there are a lot of new over-the-top services that are making it easier for people,
"The report is based on phone and online surveys conducted in the fall of 2014 with more than 8, 000 people across Canada a
"and observed them in their separate rooms as they were given each partial control over a virtual arm they could see on a screen.
they were able to synchronize their brain activity to guide the arm of an avatar, allowing them to reach for a virtual ball.
The monkeys were connected only to a computer, but not one another. However, in a second set of experiments, the team directly wired the brains of four rats together,
and to a computer, to allow the animals to transmit neural brain activity to each other. The team outfitted the animals with multi-electrode arrays in the motor and somatosensory (sense of touch) cortices to capture
Duke scientists say the results support earlier claims that brainets"may serve as test beds for the development of organic computers created by the interfacing of multiple animal brains with computers."
#Wi-fi Aware enables location-based apps without GPS, cell service A new Wi-fi technology will soon let smartphones
and other Wi-fi enabled devices easily find each other and communicate without a cellular or internet connection or GPS.
Wi-fi Aware is a way for devices and apps to scan their surroundings for other devices
and apps they might want to connect to and exchange small messages before making a more solid Wi-fi connection.
Some uses suggested in a promotional video including: Finding someone to play a game with on a subway train.
Finding nearby people to share photos with at a crowded concert. Sending push notifications from a museum about an app that provides more information about exhibits
The new technology was announced this week by the Wifi Alliance, a collaboration of companies involved in making
or selling Wi-fi devices or components, including Apple, Microsoft, Sony, Intel and Samsung. Location-based services have been billed as a convenient way to target information to people, such as shoppers,
where and when they need it, but they have raised also privacy concerns. Many of the technologies used to deliver them also have weaknesses and limitations.
In Wi-fi Aware-certified devices, the service runs continuously in the background, looking for services
or devices that the user has configured it to seek out. While it only allows the exchange of basic information,
users who find what they're looking for can establish a more solid connection via Wi-fi,
or Wi-fi Direct, which allows some devices to connect directly without an internet connection. Regular Wi-fi has sometimes been blamed as a battery drain in smartphones
but the Wi-fi Alliance says Wi-fi Aware operates in a very power efficient way"through a unique process of discovery
and synchronization, establishing a common'heartbeat'".'"Works indoors, in crowds It's billed as working well even indoors somewhere GPS doesn't work very well,
limiting the use of GPS in location-based services. Wi-fi Aware will also work in crowded places like concerts
and protests without a cellular, Wi-fi or GPS connection. Its range is similar to that of a regular Wi-fi connection several dozen metres.
So far, the Wi-fi Aware technology has been incorporated into a wireless chips from Broadcom, Intel, Marvell and Realtek."
"Wi-fi Aware closes many of the gaps preventing other technologies from offering a rich experience where users can fully engage with the world around them,
"said Clint Brown, director of product marketing for Broadcom Corp.,in a statement. Existing technologies used for location-based services all have weaknesses.
GPS doesn't work well indoors, regular Wi-fi is not very power efficient, NFC has an extremely short range,
and Apple's ibeacon, based on Bluetooth Low energy (BLE) is designed to work only with Apple devices. ibeacon:
How much privacy would you give up for a coupon? This week, Google announced its own competitor to ibeacon, known as Eddystone,
which can be compatible with any Bluetooth Smart device, regardless of whether its Apple, Android,
or some other platform. Kevin Robinson, director of product marketing for the Wi-fi Alliance, said another advantage of Wi-fi Aware over beacon technologies is they offer only one-way conversations."
"So you can discover proximity to a uniquely identified service or device but the benefits stop there,
"he said in an email.""Wi-fi Aware enables a two-way conversation that doesn't rely on the cloud."
"For example, he said, existing proximity-based apps can notify travellers that they're near an airport security checkpoint.
But Wi-fi Aware would let the app ask about wait times at that and nearby security checkpoints o
transport infrastructure and individual mobile devices. That strategy takes advantage of new-generation cars as rolling collections of sensors
for example through social media and online shopping, are big parts of the explanation for this decline among the Millennial generation.
Litman learned that city is buying a fleet of 400 new buses, all with onboard Wi-fi, USB ports at every seat and bike racks.
Jeff Wood monitors developments in urban transport technology at The Direct Transfer website. While he says"transit agencies are pretty far behind the times
#Cord-cutting grows as more people flee traditional TV, report says In living rooms across the country, viewers are cutting ties with conventional television
and hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake. Growing number of Canadians cutting traditional television, CBC research shows A new report predicts that cord cutting is poised to gain momentum,
buoyed by the growing choices and ease of use of online video streaming services, like Netflix."
"This is a time of significant transformational change in the traditional TV service market here in Canada,
The IDC report projects that the number of Canadians opting for traditional television services like cable
over time, have become more user friendly. She points to tools like Apple TV or Roku video streaming devices,
which have made it simple for even technically challenged folk to streamline their online video selections."
and get content to the big screen and certainly that's compelling for many consumers,
With the help of a tech help service, Kutko Canada, Chris and Aleksandra Devine have just set up a Roku device along with Apple TV.
Now they can seamlessly stream a dizzying amount of content onto their big screen TV.
Cutting the TV cord? Call the anti-cable guy"I can see myself getting rid of cable pretty quick.
His wife asks Chris to show her how to access the last episode of the TV series The Bachelorette.
and suddenly the episode plays on the big screen.""I think it's great,"comments Aleksandra.
checks out the dizzying number of streaming services that offer viewers an alternative way to watch TV.
More choice without borders Taylor with IDC says the growing selection of streaming content is another reason viewers are jumping ship from traditional TV.
"Still, no mass exodus Taylor acknowledges that streaming video is a real threat to traditional TV
and transformed the way they watch TV, many Canadians still enjoy tuning in to comfortable, conventional,
And traditional TV will have to make room for the new kid on the block.""They just have to recognize they're not the only game in town anymore,
#Smartphones tested as tools for medical research Jody Kearns doesn't like to spend time obsessing about her Parkinson's disease.
Yet since she enrolled in a clinical study that uses her iphone to gather information about her condition,
She taps the phone's screen in a certain pattern, records a spoken phrase and walks a short distance while the phone's motion sensors measure her gait."
"'Smartphone apps are the latest tools to emerge from the intersection of health care and Silicon valley,
and doctors together online, applying massive computing power to analyze DNA and even developing ingestible"smart"pills for detecting cancer.
Smartphone Medicine Dr. Michael Mcconnell, a cardiologist who's using an app to study heart disease,
calls a smartphone a great platform for research because it's one thing that people have with them every day.
Eric Risberg/Associated press) More than 75,000 people have enrolled in health studies that use specialized iphone apps, built with software Apple Inc. developed to help turn the popular smartphone into a research tool.
Once enrolled, iphone owners use the apps to submit data on a daily basis, by answering a few survey questions
or using the iphone's built-in sensors to measure their symptoms. Scientists overseeing the studies say the apps could transform medical research by helping them collect information more frequently and from more people, across larger and more diverse regions,
than they're able to reach with traditional health studies. A smartphone"is a great platform for research"
said Dr. Michael Mcconnell, a Stanford university cardiologist, who's using an app to study heart disease."
researchers also say a smartphone's microphone, motion sensors and touchscreen can take precise readings that,
in some cases, may be more reliable than a doctor's observations. These can be correlated with other health or fitness data and even environmental conditions, such as smog levels, based on the phone's GPS locater.
Others have had similar ideas. Google Inc. says it's developing a health-tracking wristband specifically designed for medical studies.
Researchers also have tried limited studies that gather data from apps on Android phones. But if smartphones hold great promise for medical research
experts say there are issues to consider when turning vast numbers of people into walking test subjects.
The most important is safeguarding privacy and the data that's collected, according to ethics experts.
Study organizers also acknowledge that iphone owners tend to be more affluent and not necessarily an accurate mirror of the world's population.
Democratizes medicine Apple had created previously software called Healthkit for apps that track iphone owners'health statistics and exercise habits.
Senior vice president Jeff Williams said the company wants to help scientists by creating additional software for more specialized apps
using the iphone's capabilities and vast user base estimated at 70 million or more in North america alone."
"This is advancing research and helping to democratize medicine, "Williams said in an interview. Apple launched its Researchkit program in March with five apps to investigate Parkinson's, asthma, heart disease, diabetes and breast cancer.
For scientists, a smartphone app is a relatively inexpensive way to reach thousands of people living in different settings and geographic areas.
"Smartphones also offer the ability to collect precise readings, Dorsey added. One test in the Parkinson's study measures the speed at
which participants tap their fingers in a particular sequence on the iphone's touchscreen. Dorsey said that's more objective than a process still used in clinics,
who said she already used her iphone"constantly"for things like banking and email.""I figured that participating would help my family and friends,
Geli Energy Operating system and Energy management applications will be used to manage the microgrid. Las Positas College in Livermore will be the site of the flow batteries installation,
where there is already a 2. 35 MW solar array that generates about 55%of the campus electricity.
Solar, software and storage are making distributed energy possible in the same way that semiconductors,
software applications and digital storage paved the way for distributed computing. With the right storage technology and software the management of microgrids is seamless, safe
and very easy for the customer to manage. Projects like this are setting a template for our industry,
The interior is much more 21st century too, with big comfy seats, air suspension, infotainment screen,
since last June. he app is currently available for download on ios and Android. With the the new Bridj app
For example atie Pasciucco, 34, an account manager at a software company, is a typical Boston commuter.
switching from a Web-based booking system with predetermined routes to a model that driven by the app
The app can be found in both the Apple and Android app stores. It allows users to book their trips hours
or days in advance. he app will find a trip that meets your needs, said Kelly. ou select a trip,
Kelly said users of the service will notice similar pickup and drop-off locations for now,
but as the algorithm learns their habits, those locations may begin to shift. Bridj is one of many means in this Boston market of transit services.
A new partnership between Google and Motiv Power works as follows: n Mountain view shuttle buses will be free for the public
The company has a goal of making materials for about 30 million cell phone batteries by 2016.
Cell phone batteries are notorious for having to be recharged frequently which inconveniences and irritates customers.
when people buy new cell phones. Solid Energy launched in 2012 and has raised $4. 5 million.
including Google, for its roject Ara. This is a very ambitious effort to bring modular, customizable smartphones to billions of people.
It sounds as if, potentially, the ARA phone could allow more than one battery, if that was preferred.
T he Ara platform is designed to permit hot-swapping of modules without requiring you to power down the phone
which means that you could slide out the camera and replace it with a battery
So, if the Ara phone is launched, could it be possible to have four times the battery life of a current, conventional cell phone?
That Google would choose Solid Energy as a potential partner for such a huge project seems to speak well of the startup new battery materials. he reason wee focusing on the materials side is that it where we can add the most value,
not in manufacturing, explained CEO Dr. Qichao Hu. An article in MIT Technology Review says Solid Energy battery technology is appropriate for smartphones,
but probably not for electric cars, because it can be recharged enough times. Some people drive the same car for ten years,
all at the same time, could lead to an energy bottleneck that could require tens of thousands of dollars in service upgrades.
which can support up to ten EV chargers without costly infrastructure upgrades to the building by doling out power in a smarter way.
%According to GE, the Digital Wind farm makes use of the industrial internet o address a longstanding need for greater flexbility in renewable power. very business including our own at GE
added Bolze. y harnessing the full power of the Industrial Internet, we can create a world where wind farms learn,
A lakeside lifeguard station in The netherlands was used as the site for the first application of bioconcrete.
and operation software modeling firm NAPA and supported by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland,
as shown in this nifty Youtube video (don miss the cartoon version, too): Hook up the floating engine to a generator,
to be precise source for hydrogen that the company has been messing around with (visit our sister site Gas2. org for more coverage).
That provides much more flexibility for site selection than offshore wind turbines which can easily run into aesthetic obstacles.
Think of energy like you think about an iphone The first and most important driver is the argument
Then we add in electric cars, which are now on the same path converting a staid, slow moving industry (traditional auto companies like GM) into a disruptive technology-driven one (innovators like Tesla).
Add in the need to be clean not just for climate change reasons but for local air quality and the choice developing countries will face will be between large, old, dirty,
battery manufacturers, copper and lithium miners, electronics producers, software developers, electric engine makers, smart grid builders and, of course, solar and wind power manufacturers, installers and financiers.
Shell and Exxon don see Google and Apple as competitors, which is just why incumbents so often lose.
and Google who are both developing battery and car opportunities, with a close eye on the technology integration opportunity.
#Google street view Now Monitors Urban Air pollution Wee come to rely on Google street view for everything from roads to hiking paths to coral reefs,
Tech startup Aclima just announced a partnership with Google earth Outreach to equip Google street view cars with its mobile sensor platform.
Google, and EPA will empower people to eeurban air quality like never before, and could turn Google maps into platform for mapping environmental air quality against public health standards.
Google street view Maps Urban Air pollution Like Never Before Aclima equipped three Google street view vehicles for the Denver pilot program for a month-long system test during the DISCOVER-AQ study conducted by NASA and EPA.
The cars spent 750 hours of drive time gathering 150 million data points on nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitric oxide (NO), ozone (O3), carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, black carbon
which were correlated then with data from EPA stationary measurement sites. So far, EPA has relied on an extensive network of these stationary devices in urban areas to measure harmful airborne pollutants
Google earth Outreach Program Manager. his partnership with Aclima enables us to take the next steps in our pilot project to utilize Street view existing infrastructure
and test Google maps as an environmental sensing platform for mapping the environment. Aclima Denver air quality The Denver pilot returned interesting results.
and breathe in an entirely new way by integrating Aclima mobile sensing platform with Google maps and Street view cars, said Davida Herzl,
While the Google street view partnership could change the way we live and breathe outside, Aclima is focused also acutely on how we live
Aclima Sensory Science system connects stationary sensors with scalable hardware and software to generate billions of data points across multiple environmental factors,
and can monitor air quality either in one office building or across an entire city. For several years, 500 connected Aclima sensors have been monitoring air quality
and analyzing 500 million data points daily across a global network composed of 21 Google offices around the world.
Aclima Denver pilot program air quality data image via Aclima The data covers temperature humidity, noise,
and will be used by Google to evaluate environmental factors within their offices and inform future workplace design decisions to boost employee health
Google Real estate and Workplace Services. ur vision is to create buildings that seamlessly support the people who inhabit them.
At the moment the sensors don't provide tactile feedback to the user. Instead they are connected to an array of LEDS.
#Robots learn to cook by watching Youtube When it comes to teaching robots how to do things,
This is one of the key parts of figuring out machine learning: How can you program a robot
as researchers at the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies are finding out,
is Youtube. More specifically, cooking tutorials on Youtube. By watching these videos, robots are able to learn the complicated series of grasping
and manipulation motions required for cooking by observing what humans do on the Internet.""We chose cooking videos
because everyone has done it, "said UMD professor of computer science and director of the UMIACS Computer Vision Lab Yiannis Aloimonos."
"But cooking is complex in terms of manipulation, the steps involved and the tools you use. If you want to cut a cucumber, for example,
"The robot uses several key systems in order to learn from Youtube videos. Computer vision, with two different recognition systems, allows the robot to visually process how the presenter grabs something,
artificial intelligence processes that information, and finally language parsing helps it understand spoken commands and translate it into an action.
In this way, the robot can gather individual steps from various videos and assign them rules according to its programming,
putting them together in the correct order.""We are trying to create a technology so that robots eventually can interact with humans,
"The team will be presenting their research at the Association for the Advancement of Artificial intelligence Conference in Austin, Texas, on January 29, 2015 1
While this operates in concert to circumvent the injured site on the spine allowing the patient--theoretically--to use their limbs it can also be used to monitor electrical impulses from the brain in real-time allowing the researchers to accurately gauge the patient's intention to move before the signal is translated into motion.
#Dutch Harvest Electricity From Living Plants To Power Streetlights, Wi-fi & Cell Phones Plant-e, a company based out of The netherlands,
using them to power Wi-fi hotspots, cell phone chargers, and even streetlights. The company debuted their project, called tarry Sky, in November of 2014 near Amsterdam,
where they lit up more than 300 LED streetlights at two different sites. Their plant power technology is also being used to power the company headquarters in Wageningen.
Their technology allows them to produce electricity from practically every site where plants can grow. ia photosynthesis a plant produces organic matter.
On the company website, they feature animated pictures of mini-forests growing on building rooftops supplying power to the entire building.
www. plantpower. eu or visit their website listed in the sources. More and more energy innovations seem to be emerging every single day,
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