The Tesla Tales
Welcome to The Tesla Tales blog! (Read about its namesake,
Nikola Tesla, here). Here is some of the latest information on wireless and energy technologies in the marketplace, plus an occasional off-topic post that's just plain interesting. Got an opinion you want to share?
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Monday, December 22, 2008
HD Wireless Video Combines 802.11n and H.264
Wireless video is a growing trend in the consumer electronics world. Two companies have put their forces together to provide HD wireless video in the home.
Quantenna Communications and W&W Communications have integrated 4x4 MIMO 802.11n solutions with H.264 video codecs for full-HD wireless video. This combo will enable standard home wireless networks to deliver multiple, simultaneous and interference-free HD-quality video streams throughout the entire home. Consumer electronics manufacturers will be able to build solutions that will fuel the adoption of standard Wi-Fi to deliver real-time HD video simultaneously to HDTV displays in any size home.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Quality Assurance Program Supports Windows
Testing is essential since engineers have to know how well their products perform under pressure. Here’s one program that can help many engineers.
The Corelis Quality Assurance Department created an Quality Assurance Test Platform (QATP) environment for expanded support of Windows XP 64-bit and Windows Vista 32- and 64-bit versions. The QATP is based upon an HPC (High Performance Computing) platform supporting a scripting environment. It enables test automation and coverage testing of Corelis boundary-scan products before they are delivered to clients.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Camera Application Helps Keep Latchkey Children Safe
Watching out for the well-being of children has become a bigger issue with kidnappings and children going missing. Here's one application that uses technology to protect kids.
Panasonic Systems Solutions Company's i-Pro IP cameras are being used for video viewing latchkey children via cell phones. mobiDEOS' MobileCamViewer plug-and-play remote home monitoring solution allows people to take advantage of pan, tilt, zoom and object tracking capabilities. Parents can now see their children within seconds when they're outside doing activities, such as walking home from the school bus. The cameras can also be used in conjunction with laptops and other mobile devices.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Researchers Create Superconducting Transistor
Faster microchips are essential to the functionality of electronic components. Here's a material that allows for a switchable superconductive FET.
Andrea Caviligia and his colleagues at the University of Geneva claim that its superconductive material, functioning as a FET, is able to be switched on and off by applying voltage to the interface. The team made the transistor by using the lanthanum aluminate side of its crystal as a source-drain channel and the strontium titanate layer as the gate. With an electric field applied to the strontium titanate, the dense electron gas gets shifted away from the interface and the lanthanum aluminate stops conducting current. The speed at which the FET can switch is limited by the resistance of the channel, which creates heat.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
RFID Tracking Hits Home
RFID tags can locate and tell what something is based on the information a user puts into a tag. One company has created a RFID kit that is suitable for home use, making meddling parents everywhere rejoice.
Alcatel-Lucent's Tikitag home RFID kit allows for people to attach RFID tags around their homes or offices. All it takes is to install the software. Users can utilize their own programming skills to make their computers do various things when various RFID tags are presented to your reader, or use Tikitag's application Web site to link the RFID tags to just about anything on the Web. This technology could have saved Caesar, if he suspected Brutus enough to use them in his palace.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Mobile Robot Performs Cardiac Therapy
The medical field can use all of the technological advances it can get since patient care is key. Here's one device that could save lives.
The Robotics Institute at CMU is using New Scale's SQUIGGLE micro motor in the mobile robot they're developing for minimally invasive cardiac therapy. The HeartLander OMNI (Onboard Motor Navigational Instrument) reduces tether stiffness, allows for increased turning capability and higher traction during locomotion, and represents the first step in designing a wireless mobile robot for cardiac therapy. The robotic design was developed as a proof of concept to demonstrate mobility on the cardiac surface.
Friday, Novermber 21, 2008
Book Documents Science and Religious Doctrine Clash
The holidays are approaching quickly, and buying the right present could be a struggle. For those with an affinity for scientific history, this book could make a great gift.
Electronics journalist Mike Green writes about the struggle between technological advance and Christian belief. He details the disparate viewpoints taken by scientists and men of the cloth and the outcomes that resulted. The author looks at how this discord has affected branches of science from genetics and astrophysics to telecommunications and electronics. He presents all the major flashpoints between scientific and religious doctrines, while covering the important people who were tortured and/or killed for their beliefs.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Christmas Lights Use LEDs
Around the holidays, people tend to forget about environmental problems since they're busy finding the right present or arranging what Christmas dinner will be. One product out this holiday season addresses environmental concerns and keeps the spirits of the holiday alive.
Evident's dotstrand™ LED Christmas lights are said to be the world's first consumer product to utilize quantum dot technology. The 12-foot set includes 40 lights, 2 replacement bulbs and the ability to connect 50 strands from end-to-end. The UL-rated product can be used indoors or outdoors, and stay cool to the touch when lit.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Collaboration Developing Next-Gen Wireless Chips
It's always a benefit to the industry to see a group collaborate in order to develop designs to offer more uses. Here's an example of how wireless chips could be affected for the better.
AWR's Finnish R&D facility will conduct research within the ICESTARS project to enable the development of low-cost wireless chips that can operate at frequencies up to 100 GHz. Tech being looked into include advanced analog simulation techniques, electromagnetic simulation, accelerated automated testing of analog circuits with digital signal processing, and solving modeling, algorithmic problems, and simulation issues. ICESTARS is funded by the European Commission within its Seventh Research Framework Programme (FP7), and is led by NXP Semiconductors.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Radiometrix Helps U.S. Students
It's always great to see companies get involved in projects with engineers of the future. Here's one example of how international collaboration helps engineering.
Radiometrix supplied 2 UHX1 multi-channel radio transceivers tuned to a special VHF frequency (147 MHz) to Idaho State University for its Research Involving Student Engineers (RISE) program. The NASA-sponsered program releases weather balloons with ceilings exceeding 25,000 meters. The balloons have payloads made up of a camera box, an automatic position reporting system for tracking purposes, and a flight computer, all under 12 lbs. They can carry various experiments from extremeophile bacteria research to egg drop mechanisms.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Design Contest Improves Quality of Life
Many competitions use electronic design innovations to better the world. Here's one contest that does that while helping college students in their future engineering endeavors.
Electric Motor Education & Research Foundation's (EMERF) Motorized Ability Design Awards encourages college students to apply their creative energies toward improving the quality of life. Entries in the competition will be judged on innovation, utility, marketability, and presentation. First prize for the winning undergraduate team is $5,000. The closing date for entries is June 30, 2009. EMERF will assist qualified teams in procuring donations of electric motors for use in their projects. EMERF is seeking support from companies in the mobility, accessibility and physical therapy industry who want to participate in the judging process or become cosponsors of the competition.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Bluetooth IC Creates Heart Monitoring Network
Having accurate medical testing is key, and devices on a wireless network must be properly set up, or lives could be at risk. Here's a Bluetooth solution for networking medical heart monitors.
CSR's BlueCore Bluetooth silicon allows wireless connectivity for Polar's Team2 heart rate monitoring system. The system consists of up to 28 Bluetooth heart rate monitors that link up to a PDA, PC or laptop to log and process the data via the Bluetooth Access Server platform from Bluegiga. The heart rate monitors achieve a battery life of up to 30 hours and a range of up to 100 meters. The device will benefit sports teams, research centers and universities by monitoring the performance of athletes.
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