IntellectBeat

Mechanical engineers from University of Wisconsin-Madison are developing an innovative energy harvesting and storage technology that can reduce reliance on batteries in mobile devices and charge your smartphone as you walk. Tom Krupenkin, professor of mechanical engineering, and senior scientist J Ashley Taylor described a technology that could capture the energy of human motion to power mobile electronic devices. This could enable a footwear-embedded energy harvester that captures energy produced by humans during walking and stores it for later use. The technology could prove useful for the military as soldiers carry heavy batteries to power their radios, GPS units and night-vision goggles in the field.  "Human walking carries a lot of energy. Theoretical estimates show that it can produce up to 10 watts per shoe and that energy is just wasted as heat. A total of 20 watts from walking is not a small thing, especially compared to the power requirements of the majority of mode...

It's an idea that has generated quick interest within the industry. Last week, XL Airways France became the first carrier to trial SkyTheater headsets. This week, another four carriers based in Europe and the Middle East have also agreed to pilot the devices, reports industry site Future Travel Experience (FTE). The identities of the airlines are being withheld because of non-disclosure agreements. Despite appearances, the headset created by French start-up Skylights, is not a virtual reality device. Instead, the device works on a fixed screen and is designed to reproduce the cinematic experience in both 2D and 3D options. Users are immersed wholly in the movie-watching experience thanks to wraparound headsets that block out their surroundings - if only temporarily. “Our mission is to bring the movie theatre or cinema experience on board using immersive glasses,” said Skylights CEO David Dicko in an interview with FTE. “It will give the passenger the sense that ...

PC sales may be declining, but no handheld device can beat the PC when it comes to productivity. While casual PC users might find much of their needs being fulfilled with a smartphone, the power users will need a power machine with lots of juice. And the metal-clad Asus ZenBook UX305LA promises to be one such. This ultrabook comes with top-notch specifications and delivers to boot. The laptop is available in both Intel Core i7 and Core i5 variants. Our review unit had a i5-5200U (2.2GHz) at its heart along with 8 GB DDR3 RAM. The 5200U is an ultra low voltage dual-core processor based on Intels Broadwell architecture. This is a powerful enough processor of everyday office and entertainment tasks while taking it easy on the battery. The inclusion of a 256 GB SSD also speeds up things. During our review phase it dealt with ease every task that we threw its way in our intensive multi-tasking online news production process and also ran for long hours without needing to be plugged in. ...

The new iOS app, called Pyro, will enable you to become the DJ of your own party. Just upload a playlist of your favourite songs and as long as they have a party rhythm, Pyro will automatically mix and fade the songs for you, keeping the music going all through the night. And as long as the songs have a party beat, Pyro can mix anything, leaving you to just hit play and enjoy the party. "It's definitely dance music, hip hop, top 40s, and that kinda music that really this app is designed for and does an amazing job of," says AJ Bertenshaw, Serato's CEO and co-founder. However Bertenshaw was keen to stress that Pyro is not a replacement for the real thing. Instead, he says, it's for when you have a few friends over and "no one wants to be the guy up there DJing to five people." You can however also play around with the playlists, combining them together, reordering songs, and queueing the right record for the right moment, to ensure the perfect party ...

LG's latest flagship phone, the G5 won't be revealed until February 21, however, the company isn't letting that get in the way of showing off its accessories. The LG Quick Cover has a semi-transparent mesh front that protects the handset's display. However, it still allows the user to view important information, such as time and date via a window and, impressively, to take or drop calls just by touching the cover. "The latest LG Quick Cover offers the advantages of previous Quick Covers but with even more features. The touch function, recently introduced on the K10's Quick Cover View, is now available on the G5 Quick Cover's semitransparent mesh cover. It enables users to take calls and control alarm settings without opening the case for the ultimate in convenience," said LG. LG hasn't revealed much about what to expect from its latest phone other than it will have an "always on" display. We'll have to wait until its official pres...

European scientists have given up hope of restoring contact with space probe Philae, which successfully landed on a comet in a pinpoint operation only to lose power because its solar-driven batteries were in the shade. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) said on Friday it suspects Philae is now covered in dust and too cold to operate. "Unfortunately, the probability of Philae re-establishing contact with our team at the DLR Lander Control Center is almost zero, and we will no longer be sending any commands," Stephan Ulamec, Philae Project Manager of the DLR, said in a statement. Philae came to rest on a comet in November 2014 in what was considered a remarkable feat of precision space travel. But it closed down soon after because it was in the shade and could not be recharged. The probe woke up in June as the comet approached the sun, giving scientists hope that the lander could complete some experiments that it had not done before its solar-powered batteries ran out. But...

Activision has announced that it plans to release a "full game sequel" to Bungie's online-only FPS Destiny sometime in 2017, as part of its quarterly financial report released on Thursday. In what serves as a confirmation of rumours surrounding the development of Destiny 2 since last month, the video gaming titan said it is on track to launch "a large new expansion" for the original Destiny before the end of 2016, with a sequel following the year after. According to a contract leaked by LA Times in May 2012, Bungie's deal with Activision Blizzard was for four Destiny games, scheduled for alternate years starting from Q3 2013. But the franchise starter got delayed and only made it to the market in September 2014. So while Destiny 2 should have been on track for Q3 2016 following that rule, it seems there have been some upsets during pre-production. It is unclear if this is related to the departure of former Bungie president, Harold Ryan who left at the en...

Global software major Wipro on Thursday announced buying a healthcare services business in the US for $460 million (Rs. 3,150 crores). "We have signed an agreement to acquire HealthPlan Services from Water Street Healthcare Partners, a strategic investor, for providing business process as a service in the US health insurance market," the company said  in a statement  in Bengaluru. As a leading technology and back office provider since partnering with Water Street in 2008, the Florida-based HealthPlan offers health insurance products through its proprietary technology platform and connects its payer clients to 40 public exchanges and 150 private exchanges across the US. It employs about 2,000 people The transaction is aligned with Wipro's growth levers, which are set to dominate the services market through industry utilities that multiple customers can use. "HealthPlan strengthens our position in the health insurance exchange market while offering synergies with ...

Reliance Jio’s new smartphone- Reliance Jio Lyf Wind 6 4G is silently listed online. The phone is available to buy from Homeshop18. As for specifications, it is powered by a 1.1GHz quad-core processor paired with 1GB of RAM. Running Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system, it features a 5-inch IPS display. There is no word on display resolution of the phone as of now. On imaging front, the phone sports a 5 mega pixel camera on both rear and front. The primary camera comes with LED flash and offers several features such as- auto frame rate, panorama, red eye reduction, smile detection, gaze detection, blink detection, continuous auto focus and video HDR supported in code. Backed up by a 2250mAh battery, it is claimed to deliver up to 8 hours of talk time. It measures 143.5x72x8.7 mm and weighs 156 grams. Connectivity options which the dual SIM phone offers, include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. Specifications & Features Of Reliance Jio Lyf Wind 6 4G • Processor : 1....

Astronomers on Thursday announced the detection of a gravitational wave, a phenomenon Albert Einstein predicted a century ago in his theory of general relativity. This is a big breakthrough in the world of physics. (Explained: What you need to know about gravitational waves) Scientists mostly use the word "hear" when describing gravitational waves, and the data does, in fact, arrive in audio form. The researchers can don headphones and listen to the detectors' output if they want. On Thursday, to prove they found a gravitational wave, the researchers played a recording of the sounds. - Gravitational waves sent out from a pair of colliding black holes have been converted to sound waves, as heard in this animation. The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), says that on September 14, 2015, it observed gravitational waves from the merger of two black holes, each about 30 times the mass of our sun. The incredibly powerful event, which released 50 time...

Vodafone India launched its high-speed 4G service in select pockets of the city. Remaining parts of the tech hub will be covered in a phased manner by March 2016, Vodafone India CEO Sunil Sood told reporters here. The launch marks the completion of the first phase of rollout of Vodafone's 4G service in Kerala, Karnataka, Kolkata, Delhi-NCR and Mumbai, Sood said. Built on the efficient 1800 MHz band, this state-of-the-art network would enable Vodafone 4G customers to access internet at high speeds across a range of smart devices, he said. Leveraging its global network, Vodafone is currently the only telecom service provider to offer international roaming on 4G to its customers in India visiting UK, Germany, Romania, Spain and Netherlands, with many more countries to be added in the coming weeks, Sood said. "Initial response from customers who have experienced our 4G services has been positive and encouraging. " Vodafone's global expertise and experience of launch...

Google is developing a virtual reality headset that works without a smartphone or computer, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The headset will include a screen, high-powered processors and outward-facing cameras, the Journal reported, citing one person. Alphabet Inc's Google currently sells a virtual reality device made of cardboard into which users slide in their mobile phones. Since the launch in 2014, Google has shipped five million Google Cardboards. The company declined to comment on the Journal report.

Intex Technologies has announced the launch of its new fitness band - FitRist . Priced at ₹ 999 , the FitRist will be exclusively available on Snapdeal. The new fitness band features an OLED display and comes with various health and fitness features such as step monitoring, distance measurement, and calorie count. The band is compatible with phones running Android 4.3 OS or above and iOS 7 or above. FitRist, which can be paired with the smartphone via Bluetooth, also lets users control music tracks on their phone. The new fitness band also has a Remote Shutter, a feature that lets users control the mobile camera from the band itself. According to Intex, the FitRist is powered with a long-lasting battery which is said to last up to 12 days. FitRist is water-resistant, and comes in two colours - Dark Blue and White .

General Motors Chief Executive Mary Barra on Thursday said the company's European division Opel would build an affordable five-seater electric car, the Ampera-e, in 2017. The car shares the same underpinnings as GM's other electric car, the Chevrolet Bolt. " Like its twin, the Chevrolet Bolt EV, the Ampera-e promises to transform the electric vehicle market in Europe as the first EV that combines long range at an affordable price ," Barra told an industry conference. Barra said the Ampera-e would offer a greater electric range than the vast majority of electric vehicles currently available in Europe, and offer room for five passengers and trunk space comparable to that of a compact car. General Motors said it would announce further details about Ampera-e’s range and price at a later date. Production is set to start in 2017.

Myspace still exists? It does, and the company that owns the once-ubiquitous social network is being bought by Time Inc to help the magazine publisher target ads. Time Inc did not say on Thursday what it paid. The publisher of People, Sports Illustrated and Time magazines was spun off from entertainment company Time Warner in 2014. It is facing a decline in print ad dollars and posted an $881 million loss last year. Myspace's parent company is Viant, which says it provides marketers with access to over 1.2 billion registered users. That's the number of people who have signed in to Myspace since it was created in 2003. Myspace peaked in 2008 with some 76 million US visitors before losing ground to Facebook. News Corp sold it in 2011 to Justin Timberlake and digital ad company Specific Media, which was founded by brothers Tim, Chris and Russell Vanderhook, for $35 million, a fraction of News Corp's $580 million purchase. Today, Myspace is an entertainment-focused site tha...

Great excitement rippled through the physics world as astronomers on Thursday announced that their new billion-dollar US observatory has detected a gravitational wave, a phenomenon Albert Einstein predicted a century ago in his theory of general relativity. Here's what that breakthrough means. Q: What are gravitational waves? A: Gravitational waves are extremely faint ripples in the fabric of space and time that come from some of the most violent events in the universe. In this case, it is from the merger of two black holes 1.3 billion light-years away. The way to think of this is to imagine a mesh net and visualize pulling on its ends. Those kinks are sort of like what a gravitational wave does. Albert Einstein predicted gravitational waves in his general theory of relativity a century ago. Under this theory, space and time are interwoven into something called "spacetime" - adding a fourth dimension to our concept of the Universe, in addition to our 3D perception of ...