April 23, 2012

Good Morning,

If you've read Gizmo long enough, you may have picked up on how much I love coming across stories that talk about things that were once popularized by science fiction, but have found their way into reality. The first two articles do just that. The first story gives details about a prison in South Korea that uses robot security guards, and the second talks about technology that could make it possible for cell phones to one day look through walls.

Until Next Time,
Erin

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Robots guard S. Korea prison inmates

POHANG, South Korea - South Korea has begun testing the feasibility of using robots as prison guards by deploying them in an actual prison in Pohang, officials said. The robots' initial duty is to patrol the halls between cells looking for signs of trouble, and if detected alert human guards who will take appropriate action, PhysOrg.com reported Wednesday. Dubbed Robo-Guard by the press, the robots carry several cameras, including a 3D one, microphone, speaker and circuitry, and are programmed with software that allows them to move autonomously in predefined areas inside the prison. The software also allows the robots analyze inmates' behavioral characteristics to help in deciding whether assistance of human guards is needed. The robots' main purpose, the Asian Forum of Corrections said, is to reduce manpower costs in prisons and create a safer environment for both inmates and those that guard them. The current test trial, using three robots, is scheduled to last one month.


Cellphones may someday see through walls

DALLAS - U.S. scientists say they've developed an imaging chip that could turn cellphones into devices to see through walls, wood, plastics, paper and other objects. Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas say their research builds on two scientific advances; the ability to tap into an unused range in the electromagnetic spectrum, and a new microchip technology. The terahertz band of the electromagnetic spectrum, which falls between microwave and infrared, has not been accessible for most consumer devices, they said. "We've created approaches that open a previously untapped portion of the electromagnetic spectrum for consumer use and life-saving medical applications," Kenneth O, professor of electrical engineering, said in a UT release Wednesday. "The terahertz range is full of unlimited potential that could benefit us all." Researchers have combined this capability with CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) technology that creates the microchips found in many consumer electronic devices used in daily life such as personal computers, smart phones, high definition TV and game consoles. "CMOS is affordable and can be used to make lots of chips," O said. "The combination of CMOS and terahertz means you could put this chip and receiver on the back of a cellphone, turning it into a device carried in your pocket that can see through objects." Out of concerns of privacy, O and his team say they are focused on uses in the distance range of less than 4 inches. Applications could range from finding studs in walls to authentication of important documents or detecting counterfeit money, researchers said, and manufacturing companies could apply the technology to process control. Terahertz can also be used for imaging to detect cancer tumors, diagnosing disease through breath analysis, and monitoring air toxicity, they said. "There are all kinds of things you could be able to do that we just haven't yet thought about," O said.


Molecule reveals clues to birth of stars

TUCSON - U.S. researchers say a study of one of the most fundamental molecules in the universe is providing insights into how the very first stars could have formed. Scientists at the University of Arizona have studied the properties of a compound called H3+, also known as a triatomic hydrogen ion, believed to have been prevalent in the universe following the Big Bang around 13.7 billion years ago. The researchers have calculated the vibration patterns of H3+, allowing them to predict which wavelengths of light it will emit thus giving them a way to identify its signature in astronomical observations, LiveScience.com reported Wednesday. H3+'s vibration and light-emitting qualities may have enabled it to transfer heat away from the universe's first stars as they were in the process of forming, allowing them to coalesce without overheating and flying apart, scientists said. "There wouldn't be any star formation if there weren't molecules that slowly cool down the forming star by emitting light," researcher Michele Pavanello said. "Astronomers think that the only molecule that could cool down a forming star in that particular time is H3+." The findings should help in understanding the complicated physics of how stars form, especially the earliest stars in the universe, the researchers said.


Greenpeace says cloud computing 'dirty'

WASHINGTON - Environmental group Greenpeace has criticized Apple and Amazon for the inefficient use of energy at their cloud computing service U.S. data centers. Greenpeace released a report Tuesday on how energy-efficient and "green" cloud computing is. Apple and Amazon were singled out by Greenpeace as having some of the "dirtiest" clouds in the industry in terms of energy use, venturebeat.com reported. The report was released to coincide with a Greenpeace ad campaign aimed at cleaning up the cloud and naming Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon as energy offenders, venturebeat.com said. In its report Greenpeace said, "If the cloud were a country, it would have the fifth-largest electricity demand in the world," based on the fact that in 2007, the combined electricity demand of the cloud was around 623 billion kilowatt hours, beating out India, Germany and Canada in terms of total energy demand. Apple responded to the report by saying Greenpeace's numbers were flawed and its Maiden, N.C., data center operates with much less electricity than Greenpeace reported.

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