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Walyou

Asus to develop their own Smartwatch
Coolest dad ever takes kids out for a hovercraft ride
Evernote releases its Pfeiffer Collection of desk accesories
Robot Fish Replace Detergent in This Sci-Fi Washing Machine Concept
Transparent Solar Cell Turns Screens and Windows Into Power Sources
5Ghz LTE Means More Data for More People

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 07:00 AM PDT

Companies across the globe seem to be set on something: smartwatches are the future. Asus seems to be the most recent member of their club after their announcement.

Asus are the latest company to join the smartwatch craze, and now we can introduce the product of their work straight from Berlin’s IFA 2014, a smartawatch with a curved display.

September 3rd seems will be the date in which ASUS will announce this new device, based off the picture they uploaded of a smartwatch with a slightly curved display and that date. From what we see there, we can expect a camera, and a smooth shell. Intrigued yet? The price point remains to be seen, but we know it has to be accessible to compete in a market that’s seeing more and more models every day. Finally, there’s the issue of the OS itself: will this smartwatch run Android Wear, or something programmed in-house, specifically tailored for it? We’ll see in time.

Via Android Headlines

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Coolest dad ever takes kids out for a hovercraft ride

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 06:00 AM PDT

“What did you do last weekend?” “Oh, not much, I just got on a hoverboard and rode around the neighborhood”. This is not sci-fi anymore, but a real, plausible conversation.

Most of us were first taken out to see our neighborhood in bicycles, yet this is something else. The incredible guy who is the star of our story built a hovercraft himself, and took his kids out for a spin. Because, you know, they’re never too young to take an interest in engineering.

This home-made hovercraft lifts using a leaf blower in the center, which is in time powered by a battery. As you can see in the video below, it definitely does pull off the trick. But, don’t take our word and see for yourself.

Via Science Dump

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Evernote releases its Pfeiffer Collection of desk accesories

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 05:00 AM PDT

It can be really hard striking a balance between useful and good-looking at the office. And no, we’re not talking about ourselves, but about desk layouts.

Evernote, the guys behind a cloud storage service that also takes notes and provides solutions and gadgets for the workplace has announced the Pfeiffer Collection: a set of desk accessories meant to make your life easier. These gadgets and accesories are meant to be both beautiful and useful, thus enhancing the way you work. The collection includes a tray, slotted cup, stacking cup and tablet dish in soft touch plastic ($19.95 USD) or walnut wood ($105.95 USD).

This collection was created by furniture designer Eric Pfeiffer. Evernote probably best known for his iconic bent plywood designs. The idea is that Evernote and Pfeiffer are just getting started, and the collection will grow in time.

You may check out what’s already out there at Evernote’s Market website.

Via Geeky Gadgets

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Robot Fish Replace Detergent in This Sci-Fi Washing Machine Concept

Posted: 26 Aug 2014 01:55 PM PDT

Washing machines didn’t exactly go through any major design changes in the past couple of decades. The one imagined by industrial designer Chan Yeop Jeong for the Electrolux Design Lab does not only redefine the shape of washing machines, but also the way they function.

Basically, Jeong concluded that the detergent that’s used by millions of people is harmful for the environment, and proceeded to designing a washer that cleans clothes using robot fish instead of this dangerous compound. The idea itself is beautiful, as real fish would also be hurt by detergent.

Pecera, as this design concept is called, makes use of robotic fish that eat the dead cell skins in a similar way to the doctor fish used as part of spa treatments in the Netherlands (and most probably in other parts of the world, as well). On top of that, the robot fish that populate Pecera consume the dirt found in clothes as if it were a delicacy. As a matter of fact, the collection of robotic fish even has a name, Dofi.

The Dofi rely on hydroelectric power to circulate through the garments, and are able to detect dirt by using a minuscule camera that’s incorporated in each fish. If you thought that the awesomeness of this design concept stops here, you couldn’t have been wronger. Each Dofi uses an alkaline liquid jelly to take the dirt apart and then absorbs it. Needless to say, this is an eco-friendly way of washing clothes that prevents oxidation and discoloration, two things that occur quite frequently when using conventional detergent.

Pecera would also work wonders for people with sensitive skin, who are affected by chemical detergents. Replacing these with the Dofi isn’t the only measure that proves the industrial designer’s love for the environment. This washing machine design concept does not use multiple washing cycles, in order to save water and energy.

Since this is an exercise in design, I should talk a bit about Pecera’s innovative shape. Given the unusual forms, people would be able to place this sci-fi washing machine anywhere in their homes, as washing clothes in such a thing has the potential of being more entertaining than television. It would really be a show, were this product a reality!

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the man that plays Vader’s Imperial March using washing machines, and the Laundry Pod, a one-of-a-kind electricity-free washing machine.

Transparent Solar Cell Turns Screens and Windows Into Power Sources

Posted: 26 Aug 2014 01:24 PM PDT

What would it be like to power your smartphone with the energy harvested by its screen, or even better, to power your home with the energy harvested by its windows? Researchers at Michigan State University are about to turn this utopic dream into reality.

The fully transparent solar concentrator developed by the researchers is capable of turning any sheet of glass into a photovoltaic solar cell. There’s a lot of potential in this project, as research team leader Richard Lunt remarks that it could be implemented in “tall buildings with lots of windows or any kind of mobile device that demands high aesthetic quality like a phone or e-reader.”

A transparent solar cell is a bit of a contradiction in terms, as photovoltaic cells absorb photons and turn them into electrons (energy), fact that doesn’t theoretically happen if the sunlight goes passes through the cell. Particularly because of this reason, previous attempts of making a transparent solar cell resulted in partially transparent ones, and the one developed by Richard Lunt and his team is the first one featuring fully transparency.

The secret of their success is represented by the transparent luminescent solar concentrator (TLSC), which is made of organic salts that transform non-visible wavelengths of infrared and ultraviolet light into a different, non-visible infrared light. The resulting infrared light is in turn transmitted to the edge of the plastic, where typical photovoltaic solar cells transform it into electrons, and thus energy.

As expected, the main problem with this transparent solar cell is represented by its efficiency, which currently is of only 1%. However, the researchers are confident that an efficiency of 5% is attainable.

Ideally, this technology would become more efficient and would start being adopted by smartphone manufacturers and window makers. Green energy is becoming a more ardent problem with each passing day, and every development in this field should be exploited to the fullest. For the time being, the sun represents an infinite source of energy, and we should really take advantage of that. In other words, I also dream of cars that are powered by such transparent solar cells placed in their sun roofs. Of course, there are many other possible applications, so we just need to wait for this technology to become widely spread.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the temporary tattoo lactate sensor that turns sweat into a source of energy, and the Pavlok fitness band that runs 340 volts through your body to keep you motivated.

5Ghz LTE Means More Data for More People

Posted: 26 Aug 2014 06:00 AM PDT

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As more an more people use more and more data, two companies have tested new LTE technology that helps prevent data bottlenecks in dense population areas.

Since carrier’s began providing high speed 4G LTE service over their networks, the number of people streaming music and movies, or downloading large apps and games has skyrocketed.

Data speeds have gone way up, and with it, so have data demands, as more people switch to cell phones with faster radios on faster networks and carrier’s like T-Mobile and Sprint both push for unlimited data, or at least high data caps.

This new access to content due to faster data access is awesome for many people, but just like any transportation system, such as highways, the system that transports our data can get clogged, which sort of negates the whole point of high speed data access.

That’s where Huawei and NTT DoCoMo come in. The two companies have just recently performed a successful test of an LTE broadcast using the unlicensed 5Ghz spectrum normally used for WiFi.

Most carriers broadcast over spectrum licensed by national regulating authorities (such as the FCC in the United States). Licensed spectrum is well regulated and ensures that consumers can purchase service from one company without another company blocking or clogging the system.

The 5Ghz frequency is an unlicensed frequency, because it is used by consumers and businesses for WiFi, which would be a little excessive to regulate in the same way as the frequencies used by carriers.

5Ghz typically has lower range (only a few hundred meters) and doesn’t penetrate solid objects very well, but it does not require a large open space to broadcast, making it very well suited for mesh style networks in capacity laden cities.

Some people may find the concept of 5Ghz LTE deployment a bit redundant, considering most WiFi broadcasts use the same frequency, the two broadcasts would usually be suited for the same areas, and many people are already accustomed to to using WiFi when available since it can be more reliably and some people with data caps are looking for ways to avoid using up their cap.

This homogenization of radio frequencies is only a necessary component of wireless technology as we move forward, though. Carrier aggregation (use of multiple frequency bands in a single broadcast) is an essential component of next generation LTE Advanced, and many cellular providers are already moving towards WiFi calling and offering more “smart” network features.

The benefits of such service is undeniable. Besides the benefits of carrier aggregation, 5Ghz WiFi alone offers 1.6x the capacity of current methods, but the more networks can do, the more concerns are raised over issues like net neutrality, where wireless providers’ smart networks will prioritize traffic to offer the best quality of service.

The technology isn’t available immediately (it seems that’s always the case), but Huawei and NTT DoCoMo will continue testing through 2015, and we may actually start seeing 5Ghz deployment in 2016.

Source: PC World

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