Lifeboat Foundation

For makers, 3D printed circuit boards are no longer a mere dream. 3D printers. which can do DIY PCB printing, will become commercially available soon.

The making of DIY circuit boards is a complex task. First, you’ll have to plan the PCB, make a 2D print of the layout, cut a copper plate, transfer the PCB layout to the copper plate, iron the circuit, go through the process of etching, cleaning, disposing… and after some hours of manual labor, you should be ready.

There must be a way to do this more efficiently, right? Wouldn’t a 3D printer be perfect for that job? Fortunately, the first PCB 3D printers will become available soon. Currently, these machines are able to 3D print electronics.

Scientists have created pressure detectors so sensitive, they respond to the footsteps of a spider. This advance combines the latest in nanotechnology with a decades-old children’s toy. VOA’s Steve Baragona has more.

Novel approach could enable various electronics from sensors to displays on packaging.

A Bill Andrews speech. You can watch the whole thing but the meat of it starts at about the 14 minute mark.

[Ch.19] 세상에 없는 TV 이제 시작합니다.

Continue reading “[GLOBAL LEADERS FORUM 2016] Session 1 — Bill Andrews [ENG]” »

A Marinha dos Estados Unidos fez uma parceria com cientistas do Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) para criar uma rede de sensores barato, portátil que monitora o consumo de energia de cada um dos seus dispositivos domésticos.

O sistema consiste de cinco sensores de tamanho selo-postais colocados acima ou perto de linhas elétricas que entram na casa, que podem identificar cada luminária ou aparelho com base em seu uso de energia. Ele canaliza os dados para um aplicativo em tempo real, permitindo que as pessoas possa ver quando sua geladeira consome para um ciclo de degelo, por exemplo.

“Já existem maneiras de monitorar o uso de energia doméstico, mas elas envolvem a contratação de um eletricista licenciado ou cortando linhas de energia ou tubos caro para anexar, equipamento especializado,” professor de engenharia do MIT e chefe do projeto Stephen Leeb disse em um comunicado de imprensa. “Com o nosso sistema, é possível instalar sensores sem contato usando laços zip ou mesmo velcro, e usar o processamento de sinal para medir o consumo de energia. Também poderia servir como uma maneira de dizer quando o equipamento precisa de manutenção ou substituição.”

Continue reading “MIT’s sensor network tracks your power-hungry appliances” »

Glasgow University has taken delivery of Scotland’s most powerful magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner.

The £10m device was lifted into place at the new Imaging Centre of Excellence (ICE) at the city’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH).

A giant crane eased the 18-tonne scanner down an alleyway with inches to spare on each side, then through a hole in the wall of the new building.

Not trying to throw stones; however, why didn’t they just connect with the DoE as they already (for 2 decades) had an real-time solution doing this type of tracking.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 (UPI) — The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has completed the first citywide assessment of its SIGMA radioactive threat detection system.

Continue reading “Citywide test of DARPA’s radioactive threat detection system complete” »

Samsung took the leap and delivered Quantum Dot TV ahead of the competition and now they’ve setting their eyes on something more revolutionary: Holographic TV.

Engineers from the University of California, San Diego have brought together a couple of nascent technologies that could result in inexpensive and long-lasting electronic devices. The team created a magnetic ink that can print a variety of self-healing components.

The ink is loaded with inexpensive microparticles made of neodymium that are magnetically oriented in such a way that if the material rips, each side of the tear is attracted to the other. This allows components printed with the ink to self-repair tears as wide as 3 mm, which the researchers claim is a new record.

Continue reading “Magnetic ink brings printable and self-healing electronics together” »