Wrist Band Device for Alcohol Monitoring Wins U.S. Prize

BACrack Wins U.S. Prize for Alcohol Monitoring Device

A U.S. government competition has been won by BACrack, a San Francisco-based company with an alcohol monitoring device which can be worn on the wrist, a latest milestone in the progress of wearable technologies that tends to monitor as well as diagnose medical conditions. The company which is a privately held medical device manufacturer, had taken the top prize of $200,00 in the National Institutes of Health – NIH, Wearable Biosensor Challenge recently with its wristband monitor that tends to measure blood alcohol levels through sweat on the skin.

 The said product named as BACrack Skyn has not been submitted to the Food and Drug Administration yet for marketing approval. The head of the NIH’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Dr George Koob had stated that he expected the device to be a valuable resource for alcohol research community.

He further added that it could help doctors to precisely measure the drinking history of a patient and not just depend on the most recent test which could help a lot with the treatment. Medical, law enforcement as well as transportation officials have pursued improved technology in detecting blood alcohol levels. The traditional PBTs – portable breath alcohol testers are heavy, costing over $1,000 and does not provide on-going monitoring of alcohol levels.

Blood Alcohol Monitoring Devices – Big & Bulky

The president of BACrack, Keith Nothacker, had informed that the blood alcohol monitoring devices that have been used in legal and medical circles seems to be big and bulky, similar to a ball and chain for the ones utilising it and that they wanted to make something which people would want to wear.

In its present form, the device though will not be an alternative for breathalysers or blood tests utilised by law enforcement since the device does not offer real-time blood alcohol levels. It has been mentioned by Nothacker that it takes around 45 minutes for ethanol to be transmitted through the skin and the device has been designed to offer a recent history of alcohol usage.

The company had been experimenting with consumer-centric alcohol testing for many years and in 2013 had introduced the BACrack Mobile Breathalyser which syncs with the smartphone in order to track blood alcohol content. BACrack had competed with seven other smaller companies and had won the NIH competition.

Skyn Cannot Replace Breathalysers

A Santa Barbara based technology start-up, Milo, had won the $100,000 second-place prize for its design for a wearable alcohol content tracker which tends to also use skin sensor and links with a smartphone, using wireless technology. Skyn, it is said cannot replace breathalysers which the cops tend to use, since it takes 45 minutes for the alcohol to be transmitted through the skin.

 However, authorities or researchers could utilise it to monitor constantly someone’s BAC levels. The device can alert you, if one has been drinking too much particularly if one intends to drive. Moreover, it could also notify member of a family if it senses alcohol in your system while one is supposed to be on a mission for abstinence.

Though the company has not submitted Skyn to the FDA for approval yet, according to Reuters, BACrack state that it would be releasing a restricted amount this fourth quarter. One could sign up on the company’s website to get notification whenever the wearable would be ready for pre-order.

High Efficiency Power Amplifier Could Bring 5G Cell Phones

5G Devices Designed to Download/Transmit Data/Videos Quickly

Latest efficient power amplifier for electronics will assist in making it possible for the next generation cell phones, reduced-cost collision-avoidance radar for cars and lightweight micro satellites for communications. The fifth-generation or 5G mobile devices which are anticipated in 2019 would need improved power amplifiers operating at very high frequencies.

The new phones would be designed to download and transmit data and videos much quicker than the present phones, would provide improved coverage, consume less power and would meet the needs of a developing `Internet of things’ wherein daily objects will have network connectivity, enabling them to send and receive data. Power amplifiers are essential in transmitting signals.

Since the present cell phone amplifiers are made of gallium arsenide, they are unable to integrate in the silicon based technology of the phone known as complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor – CMOS. The latest amplifier design is CMOS-based which means that it enables researchers to integrate the power amplifier with the electronic chip of the phone, thus reducing the manufacturing costs as well as the power consumption while enhancing performance.

Silicon Less Expensive than Gallium Arsenide

An associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue University, Saeed Mohammadi states that `Silicon is much less expensive than gallium arsenide, more reliable, having a longer lifespan and if one has everything in one chip, it tends to get easier to test and maintain.

The highest efficiency CMOS power amplifier has developed in the frequency range needed for 5G cell phones and the next-generation radars’. Results are detailed in two papers, one which is to be presented during the IEEE International Microwave Symposium on 24 May in San Francisco, authored by the earlier doctoral student Sultan R. Helmi together with Mohammadi. They had authored another paper with Jing-Hwa Chen, the former doctoral student to appear in a future issue of the journal IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques.

The researcher have created the new kind of amplifier by utilising a high performance king of CMOS technology known as silicon on insulator – SOI wherein the design has many silicon transistors loaded together which reduces the number of metal interconnections generally essential between transistors, reducing `parasitic capacitance that hinders performance and could lead to damage to electronic circuits.

Eradicate Metallization between Transistors

The amplifier attains an efficiency of 40% comparable to amplifiers made of gallium arsenide. Mohammadi had commented that they have merged transistors to use less metallization around the device and that they have reduced the capacitance to achieve higher efficiencies. Moreover they are attempting to eradicate metallization between transistors. The latest amplifiers is said to bring low-cost collision-avoidance radars for cars and electronics for lightweight communications microsatellites. The CMOS amplifiers would enable researchers in designing microsatellites which are one-hundredth the weight of the present day technology. Three U.S. patents with regards to the amplifier have been issued. The research was funded partly by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.Researchers have been working on the latest version of the amplifier which would be twice as powerful. Additional work would be essential in integrating the amplifier into a cell phone chip.

A New In-Ear Devices Promises a Future Devoid of Language Barriers

Instant language translation devices have only been the element of the science fiction literature and cinema. For a long time we have been waiting for such a kind of device which can help in erasing the language barrier. As of now, we have speech recognition and translation technology which does the job fairly well but it means you must have working internet connectivity. Near real-time translation has improved immensely recently due to effort of the Apple, Google and other tech companies but we can’t still convert the videos or audios directly to other language. Over the years, a number of rumors have emerged regarding a so called GoogleX super project which is believed to developing a similar kind of language translation device. A new device has been launched named Pilot which will offer near real time language translation in a seamless fashion.

Problems associated with the development language translation devices

Real-time translation is simply hard to perform even for the machines. It has already taken more two decades to come with advanced and respectable translation services and application in the form Google translation and others. But these application and services takes a small amount of information at a time and translates into another language but accuracy is quite questionable in various cases. In simple words to offer real-time and completely error free language translation we will still require the help from the super-computer which won’t be profitable for any consumer at all.

Second major issue while developing real time language translation device is that whether they will require internet connectivity or huge amount of power or not. In order to use translation apps one is required to have working internet subscription as apps use their online data and language repository to translate the texts. Pilot works in its own unique way by wirelessly accessing the cellphone processor in order to perform the translation exercise seamlessly.

Other problems related to creating universal translator are basically revolves around the design concept and practicality of the device. Should the device be kept online at all times or should it remain offline when not required, automatic and manual functionality is also a concern.

The features of Pilot

Pilot isn’t a single earpiece gadget rather it is a two-earpiece gadget. In order to get instant language translation users has to be give one earpiece to other person who speaks a different language and put other in their own ear. Now both the person can start conversing in the language of their own choice and it will be instantly translated by the device. Sin both other earpiece has translator users will be able to understand each and other in the profound manner.

It is still in its nascent stage so there will be some glitches and shortcoming, which means simply putting the device in your ear, wouldn’t turn everyone speaking in your language. However it appears to be highly ambitious device and thus tend to offer better and more refined instant translation than the present services offered by the Microsoft’s Skype and Google translation.

FTC and FCC Shine A Light on Mobile Security Updates

Queries Raised on Security Updates on Devices by FTC & FCC

Since the Stagefright bug had been revealed, Google has started issuing monthly security updates for Android with companies like Samsung, LG and Sony dedicated to the program to also issue updates to their Android devices. Some of the queries which the Federal Trade Commission – FTC and the Federal Communications Commission - FCC have raised are – how exactly are these updates moving along, what is the process of deciding which phones tend to get updates, do manufacturers communicate to software developers when there are threatening vulnerabilities?

To seek additional information regarding how they issue security updates to address vulnerabilities in smartphones, tablets together with other mobile devices, the FTC had issued orders to around eight companies and the list of companies were not restricted to Android device manufacturers. The orders had been sent to Apple, BlackBerry, Google, HTC, LG, Microsoft, Motorola and Samsung. The requests for information include topics like `when does a company decides to disclose a susceptibility to consumers, whether companies provide unlocked variants of devices, what security testing procedures should each company follow’ and much more.

Rise in Susceptibilities with Mobile Operating System

The FTC also needs to know how the mobile device companies have responded to each weakness that could end in unauthorized code execution or compromise the confidentiality of consumer data. FCC in a blog post had mentioned that there have been a growing number of susceptibilities linked with mobile operating systems which tend to threaten the safety as well as the reliability of a user’s device that includes Stagefright in the Android operating system that could affect around 1 billion Android devices all over the world.

Yet the way the mobile device manufacturers, OS provider as well as mobile carriers have reacted to vulnerabilities could leave the user defenceless, for long period of time or even indefinitely, according to FCC. According to Google’s second annual Android security report that had been released last month, around 30% of Android devices seemed to be running the older versions of the OS which Google no longer tends to support with security updates.

As for operating system such as Android, the main reason as to why the updates do not tend to reach the consumers is due to carriers. Several of the carriers seem to delay pushing updates for a substantial period of time and generally wait for big operating system updates.

FTC/FCC – Focus on Significant Delays from Device Manufacturers/Carriers

It is said that FCC had send out orders to carriers and in a separate though parallel inquiry. The FTC and FCC intend to focus on the significant delays from device manufacturers as well as carriers in addressing vulnerabilities in order to safeguard consumers from security threats.

If this type of action tends to take place, it would be a boon for Google since it could probably fix Android’s fragmentation problem. Since its launch, security has been an uncomfortable spot for Android and with several manufacturers manufacturing Android devices with their own customization; it has become difficult for Google to control the updates. It has instead been the task of manufacturers to update devices.

Monthly security updates seems to be quite common of late though only for certain devices. Cheaper and older devices are left aside and security seems to be a problem.

Google Patents ‘Sticky’ Cars to Save Pedestrians hit by Driverless Vehicles

Google’s Driverless Cars – Safer than Humans

Google has stated that its driverless cars would be several times safer than humans vividly reducing the millions of road accidents which are seen every year. However, it does not mean that they will not hit someone and many times accidents could be inevitable. Google has patented a design for sticky layer on the front of a car which would tend to defend pedestrians when they get hit by a vehicle. Google’s self-driving vehicles would soon be catching pedestrians like flies which as per the patent granted recently tends to act like flypaper and instead of bodies bouncing off a car and resulting in further injury when hit; they would stay stuck to the vehicle till it slows down and stops.

These vehicles are fitted with sensors, clever lane mapping and networking in order that the vehicles can stay away from obstacles much better than human and also park accurately. The patent reads that `in case of an accident between the vehicle and the pedestrian, injury to the pedestrian takes place not only due to the impact of the vehicle as well as the pedestrian but also by the secondary impact between the pedestrian and the road surface or any other object. The adhesive bonds the pedestrian to the vehicle in order that the pedestrian remains with the vehicle till it stops and is not thrown from the vehicle’.

Work as Human Flypaper

The technology which has been awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office – USPTO tends to work as human flypaper wherein the front bumper, hood and the side panels of the car would be enclosed with the sticky coating. Whenever a pedestrian is hit, the protective layer would break apart and trap the pedestrian and save the person from be sent skywards which could cause injuries.

It is said that the adhesive layer would cover the complete front area of the car, though would itself be underneath a special coating only activated in case of a collision, preventing bugs, leaves and other deposits from getting stuck to the car.Google’s fleet of 57 self-driving cars had covered over 1.5 million autonomous miles and had been involved in many collisions, most of which have been other drivers rear-ending the vehicles.

Bryant Walker Smith, self-driving car expert and Affiliate Scholar with Stanford Law School’s Centre for Internet and Society informed The Mercury News that there is another issue utilising sticky cars – What if the person tends to obscures the view of the driver thereby resulting in them crashing into another surface or vehicle?

Company Has Targeted 2020 for Public

However, Smith admired Google for its solution. He said that the idea that cars need to be safe for people other than the ones in them is the next generation of automotive safety and I applaud anyone for thinking as they should about people outside the vehicle. As a target date for being made available, the company has targeted 2020 for the public though they still tend to have many technical as well as legal challenges to overcome. Apple, Tesla, Uber together with other has been involved in driverless car research with many trials underway in the UK. Members of the public now can sign up to the first trials to be in London.