Google Launches Event Finder in Mobile Search

Did you missed the musical concert of your favourite singer that happened near your locality? Do you want an expert to work for you and remind the events that going to happen in your area? The Internet Giant google will help you to never miss any of your favorite event in upcoming days! Very recently, google has introduced event finder in mobile search. Google as well as intelligibly trying to address Facebook’s new ascendance in the event space, merely without any unified social attributes, prospects would credibly just exercise Facebook to take care events with your buddies.

The application can mark you by not only showing the upcoming concerts but also the events that are going to occur today or tomorrow or next week and so on.

This wonderful new feature of google's event finder has made the US users to find their favourite events and also buy tickets. A real sweet surprise for the entire US!

iOS and Android of Google's app now provide an systematic summing up of forthcoming events in results for searches regarding local events come with by date, time, and location information.

There is also a cutoff to the online website where passes can get for their local events such as musical concerts, local celebrations... We can modify the focus of search results through filters for everyday.

The mobile characteristic event finder, that was launched by google on Wednesday, lights-out into event services such as Eventbrite and Meetup to bring forth database for a scope of targeted searches.
To know the details of the event, we need to snap on the results that fetch you a card the offers that displays the everything about the event. As well as you can also can go through the options to track the event.

But now it has been released only for people of US and can obtain its wonderful usage through mobile browsers also.

More over, the google has rendered a new guide meant for web developers to evaluate up their events, thus they could be able to discover in search, that contains the directions to constitute the details for its event format. Alas, you cannot make use of this wonderful service to support non-events and discounts, but you can use this service to track or mark the events, i.e., from concerts to dance classes.

Can Amazon's Assistant Stay on Top?

In the latter half of 2014, Amazon surprisingly released a standalone digital assistant that couldn’t be matched by its competitors in terms of quality and aesthetics. A cylindrical speaker with a microphone called Echo holds the lead at 70% from all digital assistant use in the US against its competitors Google Home and Alphabet. Although the idea of talking to an inanimate object is unusual and uneasy to many, this is a new concept that companies are working on and are gaining traction.

In a market survey report, Emarketer made an estimate of about 36 million Americans use voice-activated digital assistant at least once in a month’s time which is a rise of 129% compared to last year. There are three Echo models made available by Amazon: Echo, which is the original model, the Echo Dot which is low-end and the Echo Tap Speaker which is portable.

A personal assistant named Alexa voices the Echo devices. More than half of all Echo units are accounted for by Echo Dot itself. The new device, which is Amazon’s latest effort to gain more success in this area, is likely to have a 7-inch touchscreen and provision for video calling along with weather condition display and other data.

It will be a big help in assisting many digital assistant users for simple things such as knowing how long back the timer was set or knowing the time where the digital assistant will simply announce it. Adding a screen to this interaction, simplifies things and opens a whole wide variety of possible interactions and new ideas.

Popularity gaining momentum

The leading company in selling assistants is not determined on the basis of its sale statistics. In a short span of time, Amazon became a major player on the basis of something nobody else thought of and that is home automation. Emarketer’s survey reveals that once a user opts for one brand of digital assistant, they are very unlikely to switch to another brand in the future. Amazon’s current lead in the sale of its digital assistant as compared to those of its competitors will be huge pay off when the internet is used in every day-to-day activity.

Unlike Amazon, its competitors are yet to catch up with the whole voice-activated digital assistant concept. CCS Insight analyst Geoff Blaber said that ultimate leader in this field will be those who can maximise customer data, have the ability to process natural language, provide it all to developers to build on and simultaneously maintain tight privacy.

Compared to its rivals, Amazon has made itself developer-friendly to a vast extent in order to move even more ahead in its lead. However, in Emarketer’s opinion, Amazon’s market share is likely to reduce from here as it is expected that Google Home may slowly cause a dent in Amazon’s current lead over the next year and a standalone version of Siri from Apple or standalone Cortana are yet to come. The shortcomings of Amazon’s FireOS could be exposed if screen-supported interface were to become standard. In the end, Amazon is likely to be subjected to market pressure with Echo as it encounters more competition.

Plastic Eating Wax Worms Could Solve Our Pollution Problem

A planet saving caterpillar with hunger for ‘plastic’ is discovered

Our planet is becoming a dumpster with the use of plastic in varied forms and the worst thing about it is that it isn’t degradable. However, researchers have found a new kind of caterpillar which possesses the capability to eat away the bio-degradable plastic shopping bags. This caterpillar was actually bred to be used as fishing bait but researchers has found this unique plastic breaking ability during their study. These caterpillars are also referred as wax form because they used by the beekeepers to lay eggs inside the hive and they live rest of their lives as parasites on the beeswax. Their unique environment friendly ability was unearthed by a researcher when he was indulged in removing the parasites from the honeycombs.

They carried out a study in the UK supermarket where about 100 worms were exposed to a plastic bag. Within 40 minutes researchers started looking a tiny holes appearing on the bag and in 12 hours they 92 gram worth reduction in the total mass of the plastic bag. It is worth noting that the degradation rate was way faster than ever before seen in the natural environment.

Is it really happening?

Science is not just about believing the things we see but also proving that it is happening in the right fashion. Scientists have done a unique testing to confirm whether the plastic is being broken down by the environment friendly caterpillar or they are simply chomping on it. Scientists have mashed up some of the worms and smeared them on the polythene bags and the results were positive. Later on they have found that the unique plastic degrading skills shown by the worms are very much related to their ability to digest the beeswax. It is found that the complete digesting process of the beeswax as well polyethylene is almost similar as it requires the breaking of the similar types of chemical bonds.

The future application of these new caterpillars

One of the lead researchers named Federica Bertocchini has clarified that the polymer used in plastic is also a kind of wax which can be called natural plastic. Wax chemical structure is not very different from the polyethylene. During the research, it was found that the caterpillar happens to secrete a unique chemical which help in breaking the chemical bond present in the plastic. Now the next job I front of the researchers is to identify the molecular processes involved in this reaction and get the hold of the enzyme which is responsible for it.

This research will certainly help us in saving our continuously degrading environment as well will be able to break the plastic waste on a large scale. It should be noted that low-density polyethylene and plastic bags takes as much as 100 years to decompose completely while the harder and tougher plastic variants can last for centuries. Very soon we will be able to lessen the burden of plastic on the nature by introducing the chemical or even the caterpillar in breaking down the plastic wastes.

Swarms of Autonomous Aerial Vehicles Test New Dogfighting Skills

Hummingbirds, dragonflies, bats, bees, cockroaches - around the world, autonomous mini robots are being worked on, which are not only to perform specific tasks but also to interact in groups as far as possible. We can go through a lot of Technology News that buds over online and also through tech magazines.

Unmanned aerial vehicle is an important addition to manned aviation. Compared to the use of robots in the industry, which carry out dangerous or monotonous activities to assist the worker, the unmanned flying pilot relieves the crew of dangerous or monotonous missions. Possible scenarios are flying in disaster areas, inspection of supply lines (overhead power lines, oil pipelines), traffic monitoring (flying between high-rise buildings) or in bad environmental conditions (fog, storm).

Missions to be undertaken by unmanned aircraft in the future are typically complex and therefore require a wide range of capabilities. For this reason basic research is necessary on several subject areas. The Unmanned Aircraft Division of the DLR Institute of Flight Systems Technology meets this complexity by carrying out research in the following fields.

Flight control and mission control solutions with highly uncertain system and environmental characteristics, Sensorfusion and environmental awareness with camera and laser as a sensor in flight control, System solutions for extremely small footprint.

The goal is the simple and safe operation of an unmanned aircraft in unknown terrain. For this purpose, necessary intervention by the pilot is to be minimized by a high degree of automation of the overall system. In addition, the department is concerned with the simultaneous operation of manned and unmanned aircraft in a common airspace, hardware and software development as well as admissions aspects.

The applications and the associated methods are focused on modern aviation and spacecraft with the different subsystems and support processes. Research on the unmanned aerial vehicle continues to include areas that are located outside the traditional aerospace themes.

Their research results have resulted in development and evaluation capabilities that make the department an attractive partner for industry, government agencies and other research institutions outside the aerospace industry. A number of experimental unmanned aerial vehicle is available to the department to carry out the research. In addition to a fleet of unmanned helicopters of different sizes, it is also possible to use automatically controlled surface aircraft and parachute load-bearing systems for research purposes.

It is already impressive when Honda's humanoid robot Asimo slowly rises up a flight of stairs. But what fascinates the viewer is probably primarily due to the endeavour to construct a being in his own image. In fact, Asimo is dumb, is controlled from a distance, and if he does not recharge the after 40 minutes, he falls asleep.

But even if creatures such as Asimo still dominate the coverage, robotic researchers have long since found new models for their designs. For a long time, they did not have to search for it: After the principle of trial and error, Mother Nature finally produced enough successful creatures. And, by the way, has three important lessons.

• Specialization is efficiency. 
•  It does not depend on the size. 
•  Intelligence is not a question of the brain volume.

Efficiency through specialization

Among other things in the world of social insects it is part of everyday life that the inhabitants of a colony share the work. Depending on the role a specimen is to fill, it often possesses an extremely deviant physique. Nor is science so far as the nature where workers and queens are born with the same genetic equipment.

In the EU-sponsored Swarmanoid project, which runs until spring 2020, more than 60 autonomous robots are to work together to fulfil different tasks. Foot bots roll on the ground and possess special sensory abilities. Hand bots can climb vertical surfaces and manipulate objects, while the camera-bearing eye bots are raised by four rotors.

The possibility to observe the world almost unrecognized from above, of course, makes the military of this world listen. And so the robotic bat, which the US Army has developed within the framework of the COM-BAT program of three US universities for tens of millions of dollars, specializes in this task: it is to look at the world in stereo, Serve as a flying hornpot, sniff out gases and detect radioactivity. The bat is about 15 centimetres long still quite large. As she sails through the air, she recharges her battery via a miniaturized wind turbine and solar cells.

Students Develop Products to Assist Disabled Veterans

Sweet news for brothers and sisters who are physically challenged living with strong will to face the world of challenges. Daily we can able to go through lots of Technology news while we take a look on Google. The students from the Detroit University and Lawrence Technological University exhibited five innovative systems for addressing the necessities of physically challenged veteran in a staging before veterans at a well renowned Medical Center in Detroit. The students of LTU take a part in this great effort were BME majors. They have started this wonderful program functioning by VA hospital patients in 2009. LTU linked up in this program as a co-worker on the assistive projects in 2014. And this great project of LTU has been overseeing by Mansoon Nasir, the assistant professor of Biomedical engineering.

The students intended the devices as capstone senior design ventures and their exertions pencilled admiration from the veterans who were their clienteles. These students are planning to make those products in profit making production.

The presentations comprised of:

·
 The Under Pressure Bed:
A novel method to treat pressure ulcers (bedsores), this gadget is a pad that comprises of eight chambers that a individual in a wheel chair sits on. The chambers expand and devalue under a controlled program, altering the position of a person recurrently, and as a consequence averting pressure ulcers. The gadget is expected to cost a Grand.
·
StretchPro: 
This excellent product which is based on an automatic jack that supports an individual by means of limited leg agility bask his/ her legs, refining the agility. The group has having some plans to make the device more innovative so they are still continued to work on the gadget, making it weightless and cheap. The retail cost is estimated to be around $200.
·
Walk & Lift: 
The real boon for a multiple sclerosis patients: This gadget was designed for a multiple sclerosis patient who is having complications in lifting their feet off the ground o'er a few inches. The cane is having a cloth and latex foot support that pops out of the nethermost on the impetus of a knob, permitting a person to fit the strap round their foot and lift their leg – for instance, into a car, or on a chaise longue. The cane is made up of carbon fibre combined and the weight of this gadget is below a pound sterling, and is expected to retail for just $150.
·
Squeaky Kleen: 
It is a handy bath for an individual who lies in a wheelchair. This gadget can be located in any place, entails of a malleable or aluminium structure as well as bath draperies, as well as having a tiny electrically powered propel to clean up the water from the end of the bath. It’s expected to cost around $600. It as well having a heat sensing shower pate to avert scorches in parts of the body an individual in a wheelchair might not be capable to sense.
·
A fine Grip: 
It is an electronic glove that can help a physically challenged individual who is having the limited hand movement to hold things. It is having the combination of a glove, actuator, and sensors as well software.

NASA Tests Next Generation Passenger Planes with Fat Test Dummies

NASA/FAA – Guidelines for New Airplane Crash-Worthiness

NASA in association with FAA have come together for a petrifying drop testwhich will be making way for guidelines for new airplane crash-worthiness. The scientists have strapped ten dummies of different body formsinto model of a regional jet fuselage dropping itt straight down at a speed of 30 feet per second.

 Moreover they also involved baggage in the cargo and though human would probably not withstand severe injuries in the situation, the bags got ragged right through the floor. The test had been piloted at Langley Research Centre of NASA in Virginia as part of the effort of Federal Aviation Administration – FAA, in order to consider the reliability of new planes which contains non-metallic parts.

Martin Annett, crash test engineer of NASA had informed that they were working with the FAA to update the necessities essential for the testing of next generation airframe concepts, particularly those which could comprise of composite materials. The scientist had examined what could have occurred to the structure of an airplane and the humans on board, should an accident take place. In order to do this, they released the fuselage cut-out from a height of 14 feet.

Collecting Data on Regional Jet-Sized Aircraft

Joseph Pellettiere, chief scientist and technical advisor for crash dynamics for FAA informed that they have been looking on collecting data on regional jet-sized aircraft and its performance especially metallic planes.

He further added that this way they could improve a regular baseline data which could be utilised in comparing with new and novel designs which could use changed materials. They then equipped ten dummies with transducers for testing the loads as well as strains on their bodies buckling them into conventional airplane seats.

The dummies had been designed to imitate actual travellers representing a variety of body categories. As per NASA, eight of the dummies were said to be 50th percentile males that had been exhibited after the average man in height, mass and proportion.

One is said to be a 95th percentile male and is designed to be heavier as well as taller than 95% of men while the tenth is a 5th percentile female of around five feet tall and 110 pounds. Together with the setting of the dummies with transducers, the engineers had also connected instrumentation in the model cross section of the fuselage also which enabled them to view how it held up under the effect.

Data Recorder to Measure What Occurred During Crash

Moreover they also placed baggage into the mix. Annett commented that one thing which was unusual in the test was that they had included baggage in the cargo hold which was an actual unclaimed baggage from an unclaimed baggage centre in Alabama.

They wanted to see how the luggage would interact with the subfloor separating it from the dummies. Justin Littell, test engineer of NASA also commented that they had put a data recorder in one of the bags in order to measure what occurred to it during the crash.

The engineers had dropped the cabin onto two feet in one trial. With the use of a technique known as full field photogrammetry, the camera was capable of capturing distinct deformations of the craft, created on black dots that had been painted around the tube.

Recording 500 frames per second, the camera followed each of the dots showing the changes. Though, the dummies received a `good jolt’, the researchers informed that they probably would have made it through all right.

Controlling a Robot is Now as Simple as Point and Click

Robots are on the rise: They ride, fly, swim or run on two or more legs. They work in the factory, are used in war and in disaster areas. Soon they will have conquered the household: they keep the apartment clean, serve the party guests, or maintain the grandparents. Even the toy will lead a life of its own. Each and every day the field of Robotics are getting more and more advanced.

Recently, a group of tech guys in Georgia Institute of Technology has found a new interface to Controlling Robot in just a point and click. The outmoded edge for tenuously functioning robots works just well for roboticists. They use a computer to autonomously switch six degrees, whirling three simulated rings and regulating arrows to get the robot into location to snatch items or execute an exact job.

This new interface seems to be cumbrous and erroneous for the older people or the people who are technically not advanced try to govern the assistive personal robots.

It is much modest, more well-organized and doesn’t involve major training period. The manipulator just points and clicks on a thing, then selects a clench. And the rest of work is done by the Robot itself.

It is said by Sonia Chernova, Catherine M. and James E. Allchin Early-Career Assistant Professor in the school of interactive computing that as an alternative of successions of rotations, lowering and hovering arrows, amending the grasp and fathoming the exact depth of field, they have abridged the procedure in just couple of clicks.

Her college students had found that the point & click mode ensued in suggestively littler errors, permitting accomplices to achieve tasks more hurriedly and consistently than using the outmoded method.

The outmoded ring-and-arrow-system is a split screen process. The chief screen shows the robot and the scene it plays; the next one is 3-D, collaborating view where the operator regulates the cybernetic gripper and communicates with the robot precisely what to do. This process makes no use of scene info, providing operators a thoroughgoing level of control and suppleness. However this choice and the magnitude of the terminal can develop an affliction and upsurge the number of booboos.

Controlling Robot by the means of point-and-click set-up doesn’t take account of 3-D representing. It only affords the camera interpretation, ensuing in a humbler edge for the user. Later a person snaps on an area of an element, the robot’s acuity system examines the objective’s 3-D apparent geometry to regulate where the gripper ought to be placed. It’s analogous to what we ensure once we place our fingers in the accurate positions to grip something. The computer formerly proposes a limited grasps. The user agrees, placing the robot to work.

In addition it considers the geometrical shapes, with creating conventions about minor sections where the camera cannot perceive, for example the backside of a flask. To do this work, they are influencing the robot’s aptitude to do the similar thing to make it conceivable to merely communicate the robot which thing we would like to be selected.

Metal as Fuel? These Canadian Scientists are Working to Make it Happen

Can we turn metal into fuel? Canadian scientists are just doing it.

The fuel as we known petroleum and gas will be over in next two decades and we have very little time come up with an alternative. So as per the mainstream technology news some of the Canadian scientists have found of turning the metal into fuel for vehicles in near future.

The researchers from the McGill University have been aggressively studying the combustion capabilities of the metal that also for over a decade. An experiment conducted by them last week in the space has helped in bringing a new twist to their hope of turning metal into fuel.

How this study has helped the scientists?

The technology news has affirmed that the reason behind conducting the experiment in space has the scientists in understanding the way practices react in weightlessness state. Using metal as a fuel is still a farfetched and unusual concept which seems to be an exclusive matter of science fiction but still it can be turned into reality. One of the researchers present in team named Andre Higgins has been studying and working on the concept of turning metal into fuel over two decades.

Collectively they had found that turning metal in powder can help in creating fuel which can be fed to the burner. This fuel will be highly efficient and it will help in releasing more energy and heat per litre of iron power than what is achieved today with a liter of gas.

Quite interestingly the residue in form of iron oxide can again be collected using a vacuum to act as the fuel again. Higgins proudly states this theory as the closed loop system which has higher efficiency than the bio fuel as well as the modern day fuels used in the vehicles.

Saving the planet with green fuel

Metal fuel will not be a ‘green’ fuel and the threat to the Mother Nature and global climate changes will be aggravated if we bring the metal fuel in daily usage. Technology news further shed light onto how researchers will be employing a noble way of recycling the metal fuel with closed-loop system.

These researchers have studied the metal fuels for over a decade which has helped in understanding how it can be brought into fruition for the benefit not the smaller vehicles like cars but also the large vehicles like ships and trains.

A state like Canada which has abundant of metals will certainly see the economic benefits of the shipping metal fuel to other countries. Countries suffering from acute air pollution like China will benefit from the truly closed loop system of the metal fuel.

The biggest benefit of the metal fuel is that it works in closed system wherein the materials will go around and around without causing any harm to the environment. Technology news also brought a revelation that metal fuels isn’t a new thing as NASA has already been using about 16 percent Aluminum powder for its space shuttle’s rocket boosters for quite some time.

Google Uses Neural Networks to Translate Without Transcribing

Google Makes Use of the Neural Networks for Translating without Even Transcribing

Google is actively working towards enhancing its translation abilities to a whole new level where it can be helpful and promptest in every manner. Google eagerly wants to help the mankind in communicating with people in different language by translating the speech rather than the text language. Almost all the translation tools focuses on translating the text rather than text and Google understand the amount of good work it can bring with it.

The machine translation will actually work by translating the speech into the text then that text is translated in another language. In case the machine gets any kind of error while recording the speech then it will result in error prone language translation which will fail to serve the purpose which it is intended to do. This is where Google is working at.

The Google Brain

Google has deployed a large number of researchers at the Google Brain where they are making use of the deep learning research facility for better results. Researchers have started making use of the neural networks which can help in skipping transcription while translating any given speech at a faster pace with higher level of accuracy.

Researchers has spent huge amount of time which counts into hundreds of hours in training the system with Spanish to improve its translation skills into the English language. The system present at the Google at first went to analyze the waveform of the Spanish audio in order to learn who he different parts of the language tend to correspond with the words in the written English language. Later on this system was entrusted with the task of translating the speech and its was do so with great accuracy and precision through making use of the neural layers.

The capability of this system

A researcher from the University of Montreal who wasn’t a part of this research has stated that the capability of the Google Brain is mind-blowing. It has the ability to find the patterns of the correspondence between the various waveforms. These waveforms happen to be present in the source language as well as the written text. Over the time where learning phase is initiated The Google Brain has the ability to bring one of the best English translations of the Spanish speech.

The quality of translated of the speech is evaluated using the BLEU which helps in understanding how good machine based translations are when compared to the professional human.

The future application of this system

Google developed system will be of great use for translating the speeches in such languages which is usually done by very few people. It can play a vital role during international disaster relief wherein teams can make use of a robust translation system in order to communicate with people who speak different language. An incident can help in imploring its advantages this system as in 2010’s Haiti earthquake the relief team had a hard time in conversing with the people speaking Haitian Creole.

Controlling Turtle Motion with Human Thought

About nine years ago we saw the flick which showed humans controlling the body of an alien. Today we have that technology though it is in the initial but has huge potential to grow by leap and bounds in the upcoming years. Leaving the realm of science fiction aside scientists has long been working on developing a system called ‘brain computer interfaces’ or BCI. This particular technology is designed to allow humans to read and use the thought in order to control the machines and one of its prime examples are the humanoid robots.

Now the researchers at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) had successfully developed a highly sophisticated human turtle interaction system. This system allows the signals emerging from the human brain to produce desirable effect on the movement of the turtle.

How this technology works?

If you are wondering how human are able to control the turtle movements simply with their thought then here is complete process. Human operator has to wear a head mounted display which is commonly refereed as HMD. HMD IS combined with the BCI which helps in immersing the human operator right into the turtle environment. On other hand the turtle in question is equipped with a cyborg system which consists of a camera, Wi-Fi receiver along with a control module as well as a battery. All of this is mounted on the upper shell of the turtle. A black semi-cylinder with a slit is also placed on the shell which helps in forming a true simulation device.

A camera is mounted on the turtle which is received by a human operator. Using these real time video images the human operator has to be deciding where he wants the turtle to move about. Human operator is required to provide all the commands which affects the motion of the turtle using a wearble BCI system which effectively makes use of the electroencephalography (EEG) signals.

Currently the BCI system is designed to take commands only in the three metal states of left, right and idle. Now when the human operator tends to make the choice either left or right that commands happens to activate the turtle simulation device which is connected through a Wi-Fi. This particular process invokes a natural instinct in the turtle to move towards the light and thereby it changes the direction.

Future applications of this technology

This research has clearly demonstrated how the human thought can be utilized in developing animal guiding scheme for turtles. This technology in future can be easily integrated into positioning system and can certainly help in augmented and virtual reality techniques.

On other hand this can be helpful in enabling a wide range of application which might devices form the military reconnaissance and surveillance. But for these to happen it might take another decade to make the technology human proof, robust and highly reliable so that it can distinguish from the raw and concentre commands originating from the human mind.

Innovative Software Convert Wi Fi Data into Energy Savings

The advancement of technology had begun since the arrival of human kind of Earth’s sphere. From the invention of knifes and spears to the creation of computers and tablets, man has managed to come a long way. It is a known fact that this technological advancement has been exceptionally brilliant in the past two centuries. Every day scientists around the world are striving to create something newer that is not only mind boggling but will also be useful to mankind.

High quality air with reduced energy consumption 

Recently in the University of British Columbia in Canada, a group of dedicated engineers have derived a way by which they could use Wi-Fi to establish number of building residents. By determining the number, they can easily adjust the ventilation through which they would be able to save energy without compromising on the air quality. Stefan Storey who holds a PhD in environmental studies and resource management and masters in mechanical engineering from UBC is leading the project. He remarked that thousands of tablets, laptops, and Smartphone are connected everyday to Wi-Fi through UBC. The Bridge Software incognito calculates the total number of Wi-Fi connected devices in every room. This anonymously calculated number is then passed on to the head building control system of UBC, which then regulates airflow through the buildings, in real time.

Based on this resident count, the control system can manage the airflow, ramping it for a crowded lecture, or bringing it down in other times. Storey collaborated with UBC for testing the effectiveness of this new technology at one of the busiest places, Irving K Barber Learning Centre, which is attended by thousands of staffs and students. It not only resulted in increased occupant comfort and goof air quality but also reduced energy expenditure by five perfect in 12 months.

Increased thermal comfort at a reduced rate 

UBC’s managing director, David Woodson remarked that this system can save over $100,000 in energy costs every year and would also assist the university in reducing greenhouse gas emission. UBC is considering this system to be the future of managing and better handling of energy consumption. The test conducted at the learning centre was highly successful and seeing the results of this ordeal, UBC is all set to install the technology in 8 to 10 more buildings within 5 months. Woodson also stated that this software uses Wi-Fi network, to reduce the disruption and lower the costs while offering thermal comfort and providing good air quality. He also stated that UBC Wi-Fi user’s private information is completely secured and protected as per the rules of Canadian privacy legislation.

Storey believes that this project emphasizes the prospective advantages of using Wi-Fi network to create smart buildings. With the support from UBC he also co founded Sensible Building Science, a company that helps staff entrepreneurs, faculty, alumni and students to lead their way through, from a basic idea to the market. Storey’s patent innovation is being set up at campuses around B.C. UBC is extremely happy about the success of this project and is thus is planning to expand their system to 10 more campuses.

‘Machine Folk’ Music Shows the Creative Side of Artificial Intelligence

Folk music is seen a direct link which connects us to our past and helping in cementing the cultural bond. When it comes to Artificial Intelligence it doesn’t possess any cultural heritage, bond or traditions but can we help Artificial Intelligence in building those attributes which defines the human intelligence at some levels. Over the years AI has grown by leap and bounds as it has been able to defeat the brightest human minds at Chess and even demonstrated breath-taking wordplay skills but can it create music or show us the creative side.

Artificial Intelligence on the rise

Researchers are trying to unlock the creative side of the Artificial Intelligence for quite some time. In 2016 a AI has been able to produce a piece of musical theatre which was premiered in the London. The effort is given towards broadening the boundaries of the creative research through new evolved AI techniques and utilizing the larger collection of the data. The Artificial Intelligence written musical piece has been a result of a thorough analysis of hundreds of other successful musicals.

Some of the prominent Artificial Intelligence project which aims towards bringing art and music out of the AI includes Sony’s Flow Machines, Google’s Magenta project and some projects under the British startup called Judedeck.

During the current study researchers has made use of the state of the art Artificial Intelligence techniques in order to educate Ai about the musical practice in the Celtic folk tradition. Traditional folk music was reduced into the form of music notation using ABC. In this method the music is denoted using the text characters as a rough guide for the musicians. Researchers have been successful in training the Artificial Intelligence for using as many as 23,000 ABC transcription of the folk music. This particular feat of transcription this amount of folk music was made possible with the active contribution of the people on the ‘the session.org’. During recent workshop researchers has asked the folk musician musicians to perform some of the songs composed by the machines.

The culmination of the artificial compositions and the human melodies

This particular Artificial Intelligence is trained to look at a single ABC symbol and predict what will come next and this helps in generating new tunes which appears to be like original compositions due to the use of existing patterns and structures. So far researchers have generated as many as 100,000 new folk tunes using Ai which is a remarkable feat in itself.

The structure of the folk music composed by the AI has two repeated part of similar eight-bar length and they complement each other quite musically. Secondly AI had also shown a great ability of repeating and varying the musical patterns which has always been the key characteristic of the Celtic music. AI has been able to understand as well learn all the rules set for the Celtic folk song compositions on its own though carefully analysing the patterns in the fed data within a very short time.

Nanoscopic Golden Springs Could Unravel Twisted Molecules

Molecular vibration is one of the known phenomena in the world of physics. Twisting of molecules is usually observed, while the present atoms of any molecule have periodic motion. In fact, many of the molecules are found to get twisted in a variety of ways. On the basis of their pattern of twisting, they are present in the right or left handed position. Such type of twisting is known as chirality. Recently, some scientists have determined that twisted molecules may be discovered with the help of nanoscopic golden colored springs.

Scientists from the University of Bath have collected gold spring-like coils in their experiment. They are more than five thousand times thinner, in compared to our hair strands. Another component, used by these researchers is the laser, which has allowed them to identify some twisted molecules. All these trials will perhaps bring about an improvement in the design of pharmaceutical matter, nanorobotics and telecommunications. Thus, the coils assist in knowing much data on chiral molecules. However, it is important to have a good idea on chirality and how it alters the behavior of molecules in any place, including our own body.

Chirality- What it is about?

The term, chirality has been extracted from a specific Greek word, which is related to a chiral object. Any system or object is considered as chiral, while it is distinguished from some mirror or reflective image. Chiral molecules consist of a carbon-based atom along with 4 non-identical components.

With the use of laser system, the researchers are able to work on all chiral molecules. This light becomes twisted at the time of travelling. However, their research turns out to be much tricky, while the molecular amount is much small. At this point, the tiny golden springs are much useful. Their design allows the lights to become twisted. It may also adjust to molecules in a better way. Thus, it becomes quite simple to make out the microscopic amounts.

Enhancement of pharmaceuticals through the use of nanoscopic springs-

There are some springs, which are much smaller in size, and the researchers have analyzed their effectiveness. They want to know whether these springs are able to increase the interactions of chiral particles and light. The research is based on the method for converting color. This process is called as the Second Harmonic Generation.

If a spring performs better, more amounts of red colored lights are transformed into the blue ones. From the experiment, the researchers have understood that there’re high potentials in their springs. However, the expected performance depends on the angle towards which they are directed. The system works as kaleidoscope, which involves deformation. The scientists want to reduce this distortion. And this is achievable only with the optimization of springs or in other words, chiral nanostructures.

A very close observation may lead to a development of purity and design of many pharmaceuticals. According to a member of the scientists’ team, it also helps in controlling motion of miniaturize elements in the future.

How to Protecting Bulk Power Systems from Hackers

Consistency Measure of Electricity Grid – Escalating

Consistency measures of electricity grid have been escalating to new norm since it tends to include physical security together with cyber-security. Fears to any of them could trigger instability resulting to blackouts as well as economic losses.

Several tend to take it for granted of turning on the light. Though in reality, the energy drawn from the electrical grid in brightening homes, freeze food as well as watch TV is said to be a part of a complex together with a widespread system. Comprehending the susceptibilities of the system and the dependability is a vital step in improving its security.

Fresh research headed by scientists from Michigan Technological University explored in the so-called scenarios wherein the hackers tend to exploit the security flaws implementing a disturbing plan of cyber-attacks. Recently the Journal IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid had published their work. Chee-Wooi Ten, lead author, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Michigan Tech stated that the fundamental problem was an opening between physical equipment and intangible software.

 Improvements in smart grid technology like smart meters in homes, management systems for the purpose of distributed energy resources such as wind together with solar production with instrumentation system in power plants, control centres or substations, creates improvements in monitoring as well as access for hackers.

Convenience/Cost Reduction Streamlines Process

Ten had commented that `ten years back, cyber security did not exist and the same was not spoken about and was not an issue. He jokes that people presumed that he was crazy for suggesting the possibility of power grid hacking. He further added that now with events such as in Ukraine last year together with malware like Stuxnet, hackers could plan a cyber attack which could result in larger power outages, people would begin clutching the severity of the issue.

 He further pointed that the hackers focus on specific areas of the control network of power infrastructure and targeted on the devices which tends to control it. Mechanized systems are inclined to control most of the grid from generation in the transmission for usage.

According to Ten, the convenience as well as the cost reduction of automation streamlines the process though without solid security means, it could also make the system susceptible. The interconnectivity off the grid could also result in cascading impacts leading to blackouts, equipment failure and is landing with the areas isolated and cut off from the maid power grid.

Connections/Asses Flaws Utilising Framework

Ten together with his colleagues arrived at connections and assess flaws utilising framework which would regularly assess the block of a power grid as well as its interconnection with their adjoining grids. With the use of quantitative systems in arranging cyber security protection would ensure power grids are operated in a much more secured and safe manner.

Ten also mentioned that it is like measuring blood pressure. He added that one tends to know that their health is at risk since it monitors systolic and diastolic numbers and hence one would work out more or eat healthier. The grid requires established metrics for health also; a number to gauge if one is ready for this security challenge. After gaining an understanding of the weaknesses of the system, it tends to get a lot easier to be strategic and shoreline security risks.

Tens says that in the future, improving regulations with particulars to match actual infrastructure requirements, providing cybersecurity insurance could be beneficial.

Heated Pavement Technology Tested at Des Moines International Airport

We are living in future or future is dawning upon the humankind. The line is blur and the amount of scientific, technology advancement we are experiencing it will become highly difficult to pinpoint the moment we will step into the future. A team of researchers from the Iowa State University have been successful in deploying the fully functional electrically conductive concrete pavement installed on an America airport. The lead researcher going by the name Halil Ceylan has to simply run an app on his smartphone in order to begin the successful testing on the full scale heated pavement installed at Des Moines International Airport.

Winter season is round the corner the technology implemented by the Ceylan team will help in turning on heated pavement system which will allow snow and ice to melt away. All this is done through an app and it can be seen in real time due to its video capability.

How much it costs?

Most of the people are amazed by the technology and are hooked on learning about the cost incurred in developing it. Ceylan has clarified that the success of the heated pavement slabs has shown that benefits are far greater than the cost. Researchers have carefully calculated the number at the operating cost of just 19 cents per square meters which is unbelievably cheaper.

How the testing slabs were made?

The test slabs designed for the installation at the airport are made up of 1percent of the carbon fiber along with a special mix of the cement, rocks and sand. The use of carbon fiber in the heated pavement technology allows concrete to conduct electricity which ultimately helps in creating heat.

A team member has prepared hundreds of concrete samples in order to come up with the right combination of comprehensive strength, electrical conductivity, tensile strength and workability required for its success. The test slabs are wired with varied kind of sensors which includes strain gauges, temperature probes, humidity sensors as well as it has two surveillance camera mounted near it. These test slabs are powered by the hangar’s power supply which helps in its smooth functioning.

Why testing on an airport?

The reason which prompted Des Moines Airport for testing heated pavement because it’s a part of Federal Aviation Administration sustainability program. In a bid to boost the sustainability and a partnership was established way back in 2012 which brought together a number of credible researchers from the Purdue University as well as other core members from Iowa State. This brings together a number of FAA’s centres of excellence along with the federal government, universities and industry in an established one-of-a-kind cost-sharing research partnership.

This program is currently about $2.2 million for Iowa State to bring about a full scale demonstration of unique airfield d pavements as well as heated pavements for future usage. Earlier a prototype of the heated pavement was successfully placed at the campus lab which showed promising results and feasibility to integrate for the large scale studies.

Intel Launches Optane Memory M.2 Cache SSDs For Consumer Market

Intel finally unveiled its first Optane product called SSD DC P4800X enterprise drive just a week ago and today it has brought the Optane Memory product which is targeted for the consumers. This product is essentially a low-capacity M.2 NVMe SSD which can only be used as a cache drive in the systems for simple tasks and performance boost.

How does Intel Optane Memory SSD works?

Intel has simply launched two variant of the Optane Memory SSD which makes use of either one or two single die packages of the 3D XPoint which happens to be the non-volatile memory. And this product will be made available only in the 16 GB and 32 GB models. Without going into the fine technical details of the Optane Memory let’s focus on the performance which Intel is proclaiming to be selling point of these device. The Optane Memory drives are of very low capacity which means they can’t be used like the traditional SSDs. The best part about these new drives is that it is designed to be used specifically with the caching capability of its Rapid Storage Technology. Intel has made this technology available way back in 2011 with the Smart Response Technology.

Therefore the Optane Memory is better suited for the 3D Point memory performance which brings a definite flexibility advantage usually missed in the flash memory. Secondly the Optane Memory comes with the NVMe remapping feature which has become a staple feature in the Intel’s Skylake generation 100-series chipsets. Thirdly the Optane Memory caching capability is only limited to the Windows 10 64 bit and that also for the boot volume which might be a bummer for a large number of consumers.

Optane Memory SSDs are expensive 

Intel’s market share has taken a hit by the recent rise in the adoption and popularity of the AMD’s processor and chipsets. Therefore it has envisioned a world where Optane Memory equipped system are running the show which also ends up giving a remarkable performance over the hard drive only system which has become a norm in today’s society.

The pricing for the Optane Memory drive has been kept at $44 for 16GB version while $77 for the 32GB version. Over the years the prices for the flash memory drive has declined rapidly which had made it possible to buy the SSDS for ordinary usage with pretty ease.

Therefore Intel Optane Memory will get a stiff competition for the Flash drive which happens to be first choice of the consumers at the world. Pricing will play a major role in the overall success of the Optane Memory products. Currently buying a 32 GB Optane Memory drive will costs as much as 256 Gb class SSDs while 512 GB class will cost as much as the 25TB hard drive. Intel is hoping that the performance driven Optane Memory will help in creating a niche market for it in upcoming days.

Android O: Everything You Need To Know About Next Android OS

In the world of mobile and related technologies, Apple has already attained much attention from the users. However, Android has also become one of the leading Operating Systems as lots of devices with this OS are available in different designs and specifications. Those, who love using Android phones, may be happy to know that Google has recently revealed some information on Android’s newest version Android O. Obviously, the Smartphone users hope to get lots of thrilling features on the newest edition of Android. They want to have custom icons or fonts, better standard audio system and amazing ways for running games or any other apps.

Google will not officially release Android O version until it organizes I/O seminar in the month of May. However, the possible features that may be found with this model are described here.

Notification system with latest Android edition-

Overloading of notifications is really an issue. That is why Android O is intended to prevent such problem. It will offer notification channel, which is customizable to any user. All the alerts and notifications may be categorized, according to the specific type, for example, message or entertainment news. The users may also get the option- Snooze that is helpful to control these notifications. Styles for massaging and colors for notification backgrounds may also be changed.

Limitations on some activities at the background-

In Nougat version of Android, the users are presented with an opportunity for restricting a number of activities of apps. In case of Android O. this aspect has been improved to a significant level. If some apps are prevented from performing their tasks, then life-span of your Android battery may get increased.

Picture-in-Picture-

If you have used TV version of Android, then this mode is not new to you. Android O will also include it as it is useful to run video.

Control cached file in a better way-

Each app needs some space for storage, especially if it is a cached record. While the space of disk is to be made available, it may remove some data or files from applications.

Incredible gestures-

This is a unique feature that you may enjoy with Android O version. Just draw the alphabet, C on the screen, and you will get the contact list. However, you can see this option in some Chinese Smartphone models, when you may open app by drawing letter onscreen.

When you say Android L, it indicates Lollipop version. And while it is N, you may easily recognize it to be Nougat version. Now, regarding Android O, lots of speculations have been made. Some people guess that it is Oatmeal Cookie, while others think it to be Oreo. However, Google hasn’t announced specific name for Android O version.

But, it is hoped by Google that Android may become the only platform, which is proper in appearance and performance. With new features and limits, Android O version may be a good gift to Android users, who like to have better experience of using their Smartphone.

Stanford Scientists Reveal How Grass Developed a Better Way to Breathe

Stomata – Holes in Leaves of Plant – Take in CO2, Give Out Oxygen

When we recall our first lesson in photosynthesis we think of the stomata, the holesin the leaves of plants which tend to take in carbon dioxide giving out oxygen together with water vapour. During the 400 million years from the time the plants inhabited the land, these holes seemed to stay unchanged but for one main exception namely grasses.

The plants that tend to make up around 60% of the calories which people consume all over the world is said to have a modified stoma which experts are of the belief that it makes them capable of withstanding drought or even high temperature.

An increased productivity of grass stomata has now been confirmed by Stanford University scientists who have gained some knowledge on how they tend to grow. Their discoveries, conveyed in the issue of Science of March 17 could be beneficial in cultivating crops that would flourish in a changing climate.

Professor of biology and senior author of the paper, Dominique Bergmann, stated that eventually they have to feed people and the climate is changing, regardless of the cause, they still tend to depend on plants in order to survive irrespective of the climate they may have.Grasses that comprise of corn, rice and wheat tend to develop various stomata that could have been helpful in spreading at the time of prehistoric era of improved global dryness.

Food & Agriculture Taken for Granted

Stomata tends to have two supposed `guard cells’ having a hole in the centre which opens and closes based on how the plant requires to steady its gas exchange. Should the plant require more carbon dioxide or needs to cool with the release of water vapour, the stomata tends to open and if it needs to conserve water they then are inclined to remain closed.

The unusual structure of the grasses improved on recruiting two extra cells on each side of the guard cells, enables little additional spring with the opening of the stomaalso tends to respond much more quickly and sensitively to changes in light, temperature or humidity which occurs in the course of the day. Scientists expect that by being aware on how grass developed this system, they would be capable of creating or selecting edible plant which could endure dry as well as hot environments that would probably be more predominant with the changes in climate.

According to Michael Raissig, a postdoctoral research in the Bergmann lab and lead author of the paper commented that they take food and agriculture for granted and it is not something the `first world’ had to deal with but there were still large areas of the world that suffer from famine and this would be on the rise.

Unusual Stomata of Grasses – Extra Efficient `Breathers’

Moreover the human population would be exploding in the next 20 to 30 years, most of which would be in the developing world which is also where the changes in climate would be having the major effect.

As per the scientists, the unusual stomata of the grasses tend to make the plants extra efficient `breathers’. The researchers, however urged by curiosity together with a desire for developmental biology, planned to test that theory. They located a mutant of wheat relative Brachypodium distachyon which had two celled stomata. In association with the Berry lab at the Carnegie Institution for Science, the team then compared the stomata from the normal four celled stomata to the mutant.

They not only confirmed that the four-celled type seems to open wider and faster but identified which gene had created the four –celled stomata, though it was not the gene they were expecting. Raissig stated that since it was a grass specific cell type they were of the belief that it would be a grass specific factor also. Rather than depending on a totally new mechanism, the recruitment of the additional cells appears to be organised by a well-studied factor known to switch other genes on and off.

Wheat Brachypodium

That factor in other plants seems to be present in guard cells where it is involved in their progress. The team discovered that in grasses the factor migrated out of guard cells and directly into two surrounding cells, recruiting them in the formation of the four-celled stomata.

From the evolutionary period, humans have produced and propagated plants which had produced the types of food they desire and which could survive the extreme climate. Dominique Bergmann, also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator commented that they were not consciously breeding for stomata though they had been unconsciously selecting them.

He further added that they wanted something which is more drought resistant or something which could work better in higher temperature, or something which is just capable of taking in carbon better and often what they tend to actually do is select for numerous properties of stomata.

In the research led by Bergmann, the researchers utilised a relative of wheat Brachypodium in demonstrating that all grass stomata having four-cell configuration inclusive of two subsidiary cells were more responsive to changed environmental condition, having a wider range of holes for opening and closing of pores and it was this sensitivity which probably improved the performance of the plant especially in high temperatures or famine conditions.

Gene – BdMUTE

Moreover, the team comprising of lead author Michael Raissig together with the others, utilised sophisticated research techniques in identifying specific gene which enabled Brachypodium to form the imaginative subsidiary cells. The gene known as BdMUTE, encodes a protein which is said to be a `master regulator’ of cell behaviour by turning on and off the other genes which tend to give the cells their exceptional properties.

Deprived of the master regulator, Brachypodium stomata looks like the primitive two-celled stomata which is located in other plants. According to the scientists, due to the flexibility together with the productivity of grass, it seems to make the understanding of this plant family dangerous for the survival of humans.

Irrespective of genetic modification or selective breeding, scientists someday would be capable of using these discoveries in producing the other plants with four-celled stomata. Besides, this could also be one of the several changes, to chloroplasts or enzymes, for instance which would be helpful for plants photosynthesize much more in an efficient manner in feeding an ever growing population.

The research had been financed by Swiss National Science Foundation, The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation together with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Howard University Opens a New Campus at the Googleplex

It is an unaltered reality that novice and emerging minds have always exposed top-notched versions of technology that comes up with a lot of dynamism enrapt in it. Previously, almost a decade ago there was hardly any attempt was made in the field of the technology but, one must remember that it is an undenied fact that it is rigorously imperative to reflect that how innovative the working groups of Howard University are, which is generally termed as the Black institution since time immemorial.

It is the time to feel proud of one’s institution that has groomed us to stand at the position where we are. Students who pursued their undergraduates from Howard University in Computer Science, are being recruited by a renowned tech support organization i.e. Googleplex.

The unhindered service that they have received from the students of Howard have enforced them to recruit more employees from Howard West which has now become the central zone of Google to employ extraneous Black Software Engineers from different institutions like the esteemed colleges and Universities. Besides, providing them with thehighest order of perks and pays; they also ensure that the employees are given the best working environment so that they feel at home, though physically far away from it.

Peter Drucker, a consultant at the managerial post said that the only way by which one can predict their future is by creating it, and this is what the students from Howard University is bent proving it. The students are the harbingers of values loaded with diversity and Google has taken the initiative to include diversity in its curriculum.

They are thriving to develop an another version of campus Googleplex that was till now denoted only to the physical space, but now the students on campus can mingle and coordinate with several creative and innovative minds across the universe on this unique platform provided by Googleplex. This initiative to bring the entire world to a single space is sure to churn the whirlwind by enfolding every new aspect of creativity that was undoubtedly not thought before.


The Googleplex program is designed in such a manner that everyone whether a junior or a senior from Howard University pursuing Computer Science will get the opportunity to be a part of it by attending the program for a period of three months, but only for once. An added advantage to all the participants would be that they would be supervised by Senior Google Engineers and Faculty members from Howard University.

They will always be there s instructors so that they can provide their best support to all the emerging talents. The program is said to have been started in summer this year and they are also thinking of incorporating students from other Black Universities who would be the perfect example of best minds travelling across space and geographical boundary. This is a revolutionary initiative taken by Google which would definitely give a proper platform to the fresh and emerging talents.

Looking for the Next Boost in Rechargeable Batteries

An Alteration to Lithium-Sulfur Battery

The USC researchers have come up with a solution for rechargeable batteries. In the January issue of the Journal of the Electrochemical Society, which had been published by Sri Narayan and Derek Moy of the USC Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute, outlines how they had designed a modification to the lithium-sulfur battery which could be more competitive with the industry standard lithium-ion battery.

The lithium sulphur batter which was presumed to be better in energy storage ability than the well=known lithium-ion counterpart had been vulnerable due to its short life span. The lithium=sulphur battery, presently can be recharged 50 to 100 times, unreasonable as an alternative energy source in comparison to 1,000 times, for several rechargeable batteries in the present day market.

The solution planned by Narayan together with lead author and research assistant Moy is what they call the `Mixed Conduction Membrane’, or MCM. This is a small piece of non-porous invented material inserted between two layers of porous separators, soaked in electrolytes which are placed in the midst of two electrodes.

MCM – Essential Movement of Lithium ions

The membrane acts as a block in decreasing the transporting of dissolved polysulfides among anode and cathode. This is a process which tends to increase the type of cycle strain makes use of lithium-sulfur batteries for the purpose of energy storage an experiment.

The MCM enables the essential movement of lithium ions, imitating the procedure as it takes place in lithium-ion batteries. This innovative membrane solution tends to preserve the high-discharge rate ability together with energy density without losing the capacity over a period of time. The researchers had discovered that the lithium-sulfur batteries which have a tendency to make use of MCM at several rates of discharge, had led to 100% capacity retention and had around four times longer life in comparison to batteries without the membrane.

According to Narayan, senior author and professor of chemistry at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Science had stated that this progress removes one of the major technical barriers to the commercialization of the lithium-sulfur battery, enabling them to realize improved options for energy efficiency.

Lithium-Sulfur Batteries/Lithium-ion Batteries

It is said that lithium-sulfur batteries tends to have a lot of advantage over lithium-ion batteries and are made with plenty and cheap sulphur. They are two to three times denser making them both smaller and better at storing charge.

According to researchers, lithium-sulfur battery could be appropriate in saving space in mobile phones as well as computers. Moreover, it would also reduce weight in the forthcoming electric vehicles inclusive of cars, together with planes thereby further reduction in reliance on fossil fuels. The real MCM layer developed by Narayan and Moy is said to be a thin film of lithiated cobalt oxide but future alternate materials may produce much improved effects.

Any alternative material utilised as an MCM, according to Narayan and Moy should satisfy some vitalstandards. The material should be non-porous and should have mixed conduction properties and it should be electrochemically inactive.The research had been financed by USC together with the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute.