I-slate to bring tablet computing to rural India

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Computers have become an essential part of a child’s education, yet there are currently over 100 million Indian children who attend rural schools that don’t have electricity – no electricity means no computers. Recently, however, a group of organizations from several different countries put their heads together to create the I-slate, a low-cost, low-energy tablet PC designed for use in these schools that runs on solar power. In trials conducted so far, it appears to be a hit with the kids.

The I-slate – not to be confused with the early iPad prototype of the same name – was the result of a collaboration between Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Houston's Rice University and an Indian nonprofit, Villages for Development and Learning Foundation (ViDAL). The project is being led by Rice’s Prof. Krishna Palem, who is also supervising development of the I-slate at NTU’s Institute of Sustainable and Applied Infodynamics (ISAID).

Palem stated that this is the first of a series of electronic notepads which will utilize a new type of ultra-energy-efficient microchip, that uses a fraction of the electricity consumed by conventional chips. The new chip, which is being developed by ISAID and the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology, makes it possible for the I-slate to run on solar power from panels similar to those used in hand-held calculators.

Prototypes of the computer were produced this summer, and tested with a class of 10 to 13 year-olds at a rural school near Hyderabad in August. They reportedly picked up on the technology instantly, and while they didn’t like the placement of the buttons, they enjoyed other features such as the scratch pad app. A second session of tests is scheduled for later this month.

The I-slate team is now planning to further develop the device’s hardware and teaching content, and to perform long-term academic tracking of students who use the computer.

“The research will not just help in the sustainability of our planet but the development of such sustainable, low-cost technologies will also help the poorer communities in the world to close the digital divide,” said NTU President Su Guaning. “It will be life-changing and it will help to improve lives.”

Reference:
[1] Ben Coxworth, http://www.gizmag.com/i-slate-tablet-pc/16900/

The upgradable, recyclable Bloom laptop concept

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It’s a given that we will one day be discarding our present laptop computers. It’s also a given that e-waste is currently a huge problem, that looks like it’s only going to get worse. While most of the materials in a laptop can be recycled, all of those pieces of glass, metal, plastic and circuitry are stuck together pretty tight, and require a lot of time and effort to separate. What is needed are laptops that are designed to be taken apart, for easy recycling – that’s why a group of graduate students from Stanford University made one.

As part of Stanford’s ME310 industrial design course, design software maker Autodesk asked the students to create an easily-recyclable consumer electronics product, using the company's software. What they came up with was the Bloom laptop, which can be completely disassembled by hand, in under 30 seconds, and in ten steps. By contrast, a traditional laptop requires three tools, up to 120 steps, and takes about 45 minutes.

Needless to say, this limits the number of computers that can be taken apart in one day, making the recycling of them less financially-viable. It also leaves the disassembly process in the hands of trained workers, whereas the Bloom can be taken apart by its owner.

A by-product of making the computer modular was the development of a detachable wireless keyboard and trackpad – a feature that allows users to type from wherever they wish, without having the screen right there in their face. Upgrading is also much easier, as users can just pop out the obsolete piece, buy a new one, then pop it in.

The ME310 students won Autodesk’s Inventor of the Month award for this October. They were assisted in the Bloom project by students from Aalto University in Finland.


Article Source:
http://www.gizmag.com/recyclable-bloom-laptop-concept/16853/

Detecting traffic violations using Mobile automated system

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In July of 2008, the European Union launched ASSETT (Advanced Safety and Driver Support for Essential Road Transport), a program aimed at reducing accidents caused by traffic rule violations. It involves a consortium of 19 partner organizations in 12 countries, but it boils down to one thing thing for European drivers – the police will be handing out more tickets. In order to cover a larger number of vehicles, while making things easier for officers and more fair for motorists, VTT Technical Research Center of Finland is currently testing a mobile system that monitors traffic and notes when infractions occur.

The current version of VTT’s system is contained within a small trailer, which can be towed and set up at any roadside location. Using automated surveillance cameras and a wireless network connection, it detects when drivers are doing things such as not wearing their seatbelts, speeding, and following other vehicles too close. It can also monitor road surface conditions, and calculate traffic emissions.

Information on offending vehicles is recorded and transmitted to a central database, but all other traffic footage is automatically deleted after one month.

The system is presently being tested in the Finnish city of Tampere. Once the testing phase is over, the technology could be implemented directly into police vehicles. VTT estimates that the system could be ready for commercialization by 2013.

Reference:
[1] Ban CoxWorth,  http://www.gizmag.com/mobile-system-detects-traffic-violations/16789/