Li-Fi System - No slow Wi-Fi anymore !!

Transferring data in short ranges has now become faster than ever. Radio waves were used to transfer data in the form of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth but now researchers from the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM), have developed a wireless technology that transmits data in visible light emitted from LED lamps, while lighting the room at the same time. And the best part is that it speeds upto 3.5 Gbps, which means we could download an HD Movie from the Internet within the blink of an eye.

The system is called Li-Fi, which is short for light fidelity; the technology is what is known as Visible Light Communication (VLC). Unlike infrared-based systems, VLC involves transmitting data using light visible to the human eye. In this case it is transmitted as intermittent, imperceptible flickers of light emitted by LEDs. For the wireless internet transmission, a receptor device is designed to be placed above a router. The router incorporates an LED lamp to transmit data so anyone falling within the halo of light emitted will be in range. However, only those with a receptor/transmitter device will be able to send and receive the signal. The Sisoft team says it has used the technology to transmit audio, video and internet at rates of up to 10 gigabits per second. This is an improvement over similar Li-Fi systems developed at Siemens and Pennsylvania State University that achieved transfer rates of 500 Mbps and 1.6 Gbps, respectively. Li-Fi also has the advantage of being useful in electromagnetic sensitive areas such as in aircraft cabins, hospitals and nuclear power plants without causing electromagnetic interference. It is expected to be ten times cheaper than Wi-Fi.

PureLiFi demonstrated the first commercially available Li-Fi system, the Li-1st, at the 2014 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. With it’s marvelous advantages there come negative points too. The US Federal Communications Commission has warned of a potential spectrum crisis because Wi-Fi is close to full capacity, Li-Fi has almost no limitations on capacity. The visible light spectrum is 10,000 times larger than the entire radio frequency spectrum. Researchers have reached data rates of over 10 Gbit/s, which is more than 250 times faster than superfast broadband. Short range, low reliability and high installation costs are the potential downsides.

Source: SiSoft

Piper - Pipe into your home from outside !!

Piper is a home security and automation device that monitors and interacts with your home via a smartphone or tablet.

The device has a wide-angle camera, motion detector, a speaker, microphone, siren, Wi-Fi, Z-Wave controller and sensors for humidity, temperature, sound and ambient light. It can be mounted on a wall or simply placed on a flat surface, and an accompanying app allows users to interact with, and control it. Up to five users can be manage it through the app. It provides a video feed that users can remote monitor the home via the app. A 180° fish-eye lens aims to provide a full-view of a room in one shot, and users can also pan and zoom as required. The device also monitors temperature, humidity, ambient light and sound levels. Perhaps the device's most useful functionality is its home automation feature. It can be programmed to perform actions such as send notifications when it senses certain things and communicate with other Z-Wave devices allowing users to control things like lighting or heating.

Piper, which was named a Design and Engineering Awards Honoree at CES 2014, is available now in the US, retailing from US $239.

Source: Piper

Spyder 3 Arctic Laser - A Supervillianous Thing !!

This post was posted on a special request by my friend,so here it is. Do you think your laser pointer is not cool or unworthy? Then try the new Spyder III Pro Arctic Series. The looks may make it look like a sweet light saber, but it is seriously not a toy to play with. Wicked Lasers brings the most powerful laser pointer in the world with the latest high definition blue laser diode technology. 

The diodes in Casio's new mercury-free Green Slim projectors apparently allow for unprecedentedly powerful portable lasers, and the company has gleefully harvested them for the 1 Watt Spyder III. Comparing it to the $2000 Sonar, the Spyder III laser is 2000 times brighter to the human eye, and, at $200, 1/10th the price. You can’t obviously use it to blast up your school or your enemy’s house but this bad boy laser would surely burn or blind you if precautions aren’t followed. This is what the company warning says:

Warning: Extremely dangerous is an understatement to the power of 1W of laser power. It will blind permanently and instantly and set fire quickly to skin and other body parts, use with extreme caution and only when using the included eye protection. Customers will be required to completely read and agree to our Class IV Laser Hazard Acknowledgment Form.

In other words, don’t screw around with it and if you think you can handle one, go grab it for $197.97 from the company’s official website. A perfect gift for the SuperVillian !!

Source: WickedLasers

Spike - Measure Anything !!

A device that is a boon for Architects and Engineers just recently launched. It measures distances and heights of any object over air through laser technology, and that’s not it. The best part is that this technology is filled in your smartphone - the researchers have developed an app too for it.

The device needs to be attached to the back of a smartphone and then can be used as a laser range finder after which the user can just take a photo of the object they wish to measure through the Spike companion app on their smartphone. The hardware then measures key metrics, such as distance, direction and volume and communicates this data to the smartphone via Bluetooth, displaying the augmented results on the screen. Users can then share this data, or use it to produce 3D models with what the company says is laser accuracy. According to it's successful Kickstarter campaign page, the company will allow third party app developers access to an API (application programming interface), enabling the embedding of specialist ikeTools into applications in anticipation of augmented reality and location based services apps. Spike is also compatible with 3D modeling software SketchUp. This means that rather than importing measurements manually, users can take an image with Spike to reproduce a scalable model of the object or building and 3D-print it as required. The entire device weighs approximately 100 g (3.5 oz) and measures 90 x 50 x 20 mm (3.5 x 2 x .8 in).

Spike is powered by an internal Li-ion cell battery recharged via a Micro USB connector, with each charge lasting two days of typical use, according to the company. You can pre-order it on the official website for US$559 with shipping estimated for May 2014.

Source: ikeGPS