Personal Cloud Will Replace The Personal Computer By 2014

The personal computer has long been the essential tool of corporate employees, keeping all the secrets – and spreadsheets – of a business across a network of machines.  But now, as the cloud technology trending recently, according to Gartner, Inc. the reign of the personal computer as the sole corporate access device is coming to a close, and by 2014, the personal cloud will replace the personal computer at the center of users’ digital lives.
Gartner analysts said the personal cloud will begin a new era that will provide users with a new level of flexibility with the devices they use for daily activities, while leveraging the strengths of each device, ultimately enabling new levels of user satisfaction and productivity. However, it will require enterprises to fundamentally rethink how they deliver applications and services to users.

“Major trends in client computing have shifted the market away from a focus on personal computers to a broader device perspective that includes smartphones, tablets and other consumer devices,” said Steve Kleynhans, research vice president at Gartner. “Emerging cloud services will become the glue that connects the web of devices that users choose to access during the different aspects of their daily life.”

“Many call this era the post-PC era, but it isn’t really about being ‘after’ the PC, but rather about a new style of personal computing that frees individuals to use computing in fundamentally new ways to improve multiple aspects of their work and personal lives,” Mr. Kleynhans said.

The Next Paradigm Shift: Personal Cloud Computing

Several driving forces are combining to create this new era. These mega trends have roots that extend back through the past decade but are aligning in a new way.
    Megatrend No. 1: Consumerization — You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
Gartner has discussed the consumerization of IT for the better part of a decade, and has seen the impact of it across various aspects of the corporate IT world. However, much of this has simply been a precursor to the major wave that is starting to take hold across all aspects of information technology as several key factors come together:

• Users are more technologically-savvy and have very different expectations of technology.
• The internet and social media have empowered and emboldened users.
• The rise of powerful, affordable mobile devices changes the equation for users.
• Users have become innovators.
• Through the democratization of technology, users of all types and status within organizations can now have similar technology available to them.

    Megatrend No. 2: Virtualization — Changing How the Game Is Played
Virtualization has improved flexibility and increased the options for how IT organizations can implement client environments….
    Megatrend No. 3: “App-ification” — From Applications to Apps
When the way that applications are designed, delivered and consumed by users changes, it has a dramatic impact on all other aspects of the market….
    Megatrend No. 4: The Ever-Available Self-Service Cloud
The advent of the cloud for servicing individual users opens a whole new level of opportunity. Every user can now have a scalable and nearly infinite set of resources available for whatever they need to do….
    Megatrend No. 5: The Mobility Shift — Wherever and Whenever You Want
Today, mobile devices combined with the cloud can fulfill most computing tasks, and any tradeoffs are outweighed in the minds of the user by the convenience and flexibility provided by the mobile devices….
“The combination of these mega trends, coupled with advances in new enabling technologies, is ushering in the era of the personal cloud,” said Mr. Kleynhans. “In this new world, the specifics of devices will become less important for the organization to worry about. Users will use a collection of devices, with the PC remaining one of many options, but no one device will be the primary hub. Rather, the personal cloud will take on that role. Access to the cloud and the content stored or shared in the cloud will be managed and secured, rather than solely focusing on the device itself.”

Source: www.teckpark.net

LEDs: Its Begining Of End For The Traditional Light Bulbs

Incandescent light bulb

In the beginning, there was darkness.

Then came fire.

It wasn’t until the 19th century that artificial light was first generated. The big leap came in the 1880s, when Thomas Edison lit homes with the incandescent bulb. Since then, for the next 130 years, incandescents ruled the nights, the roads, and especially the Christmas tree.

But now, the incandescent light bulb, one of the most venerable inventions of its era but deemed too inefficient for our own, will be phased off the U.S. market beginning in 2012 under the new energy law just approved by Congress.  In Europe alsom the stage has been set for the imminent death of the incandescent light bulb. And the rest of the World is also following the same. Already many stores across the world stopped stocking the good old bulbs already.

The days of the traditional incandescent bulb look numbered because these electricity-sapping glass orbs have fallen out of favour with environmentally-conscious governments and consumers.
Moving to more efficient lighting is one of the lowest-cost ways to reduce electricity use and greenhouse gases. In fact, it actually will save households money because of lower utility bills. Ninety percent of the energy that an incandescent light bulb burns is wasted as heat.

LED and it parts

And waiting in the wings is a new breed of hi-tech light based on the humble LED (light-emitting diode), the small lights found in everything from TV remote controls to bike lights. Not only do they promise to solve the bulb’s environmental woes, their backers say they will also respond intelligently to your surroundings and even influence the way we behave.

Efficient LED technology looks set to flick the switch on traditional incandescent lightbulbs forever, say researchers.

Already, the efficiency and long life of LEDs is making them a popular – if costly – option in places where changing bulbs is inconvenient or expensive, such as in motorway lights, traffic signals, airport runways or on large buildings and bridges. For example, the Louvre museum in Paris is currently replacing 4,500 bulbs with LED equivalents, a change that is expected to result in a 73% reduction in energy consumption. Plans are also in place to replace the 25-year-old lighting system that illuminates Tower Bridge in London with LED lighting in time for the 2012 Olympic Games.

An assortment of LED  lightbulbs that are commercially available as of 2010 as replacements for screw-in bulbs

Of course, the death warrant for the incandescent bulb has been signed before. Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) – or energy efficient bulbs, as they are more commonly known – were supposed to spell the end of the light bulb in the 1970s. But despite rising to prominence in the 90s and constantly improving, they have failed to deliver on their promise. In part this is down to them costing more than regular bulbs, taking an age to warm up and often producing low quality light. And that is without even mentioning the environmental concerns over bulbs that contain mercury.

LEDs, it is claimed, will help overcome these problems. These tiny lights were invented by GE in the early 1960s and were initially only available in red, a property that defined the look of early pocket calculators and digital watches. Over the years, however, more colours have appeared.

People still use vacuum tubes for some applications, and similarly incandescent bulbs may never go away completely. But it is not a question of if, but of when LED lighting will be the norm throughout the world.

We are only just at the start of the LED lighting revolution, and you may never look up at the ceiling in the same way again.

Source: www.teckpark.net

Google Builds Artificial Brain Which Can Recognize A Cat

Taken From: www.techpark.net

The Google X laboratory has invented some pretty cool stuff: refrigerators that can order groceries when your food runs low, elevators that can perhaps reach outer space, self-driving cars. So it’s no surprise that their most recent design is the most advanced, highest functioning, most awesome invention ever… a computer that likes watching YouTube cats?

Okay, it’s a bit more advanced than that. Several years ago, Google scientists began creating a neural network for machine learning. The technique Google X employed for this project is called the “deep learning,” a method defined by its massive scale. In layman’s terms, they connected 16,000 computer processors and let the network they created roam free on the Internet so as to simulate a human brain learning.

Stanford University computer scientist Andrew Y. Ng, led the Google team in feeding the neural network 10 million random digital images from YouTube videos. The machine was not “supervised,” i.e. it was not told what a cat is or what features a cat has; it simply looked at the data randomly fed to it. Ng found that there was a small part of the computer’s “brain” that taught itself to recognize felines. “It basically invented the concept of a cat,” Google fellow Jeff Dean told the New York Times.

So Google may have created a machine that can teach itself. But what Ng and his team have done is not as new as you may think. Over the years, as the scale of software simulations has grown, machine learning systems have advanced; last year, Microsoft scientists suggested that the “deep learning” technique could be used to build computer systems to understand human speech. This Google X machine is the cream of the crop—twice as accurate as any other machine before it. However, “it is worth noting that our network is still tiny compared to the human visual cortex,” the researchers wrote, “which is a million times larger in terms of the number of neurons and synapses.”

After “viewing” random pictures from random YouTube videos, the neural network created a digital image of a cat based on its “memory” of the shapes it saw in the images. The cat the computer created is not any specific cat, but what the computer imagines to be a cat. Plato had his Forms, and now Google has its computer-generated cat image.

Attempt To Convert Prof Hawking’s Brainwaves Into Speech

Intel began working with Prof Hawking after he wrote a letter to its co-founder Gordon Moore in 2011

An American scientist is to unveil details of work on the brain patterns of Prof Stephen Hawking which he says could help safeguard the physicist’s ability to communicate.

Prof Philip Low said he eventually hoped to allow Prof Hawking to “write” words with his brain as an alternative to his current speech system which interprets cheek muscle movements. 

Prof Low said the innovation would avert the risk of locked-in syndrome.

Intel is working on an alternative.

Prof Hawking was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 1963. In the 1980s he was able to use slight thumb movements to move a computer cursor to write sentences.

His condition later worsened and he had to switch to a system which detects movements in his right cheek through an infrared sensor attached to his glasses which measures changes in light.

Because the nerves in his face continue to deteriorate his rate of speech has slowed to about one word a minute prompting him to look for an alternative.

The fear is that Prof Hawking could ultimately lose the ability to communicate by body movement, leaving his brain effectively “locked in” his body.

In 2011, he allowed Prof Low to scan his brain using the iBrain device developed by the Silicon Valley-based start-up Neurovigil.

Prof Hawking will not attend the consciousness conference in his home town of Cambridge where Prof Low intends to discuss his findings, but a spokesman told the BBC: “Professor Hawking is always interested in supporting research into new technologies to help him communicate.”

Decoding brainwaves

The iBrain is a headset that records brain waves through EEG (electroencephalograph) readings – electrical activity recorded from the user’s scalp.

Prof Low said he had designed computer software which could analyse the data and detect high frequency signals that had previously been thought lost because of the skull.”

An analogy would be that as you walk away from a concert hall where there’s music from a range of instruments,” he told the BBC.”As you go further away you will stop hearing high frequency elements like the violin and viola, but still hear the trombone and the cello. Well, the further you are away from the brain the more you lose the high frequency patterns.

The iBrain devic collects EEG data which it transfers to a computer

“What we have done is found them and teased them back using the algorithm so they can be used.”

Prof Low said that when Prof Hawking had thought about moving his limbs this had produced a signal which could be detected once his algorithm had been applied to the EEG data.

He said this could act as an “on-off switch” and produce speech if a bridge was built to a similar system already used by the cheek detection system.

Prof Low said further work needed to be done to see if his equipment could distinguish different types of thoughts – such as imagining moving a left hand and a right leg.

If it turns out that this is the case he said Prof Hawking could use different combinations to create different types of virtual gestures, speeding up the rate he could select words at.

To establish whether this is the case, Prof Low plans trials with other patients in the US.

Intel’s effort

The US chipmaker Intel announced, in January, that it had also started work to create a new communication system for Prof Hawking after he had asked the firm’s co-founder, Gordon Moore, if it could help him.

It is attempting to develop new 3D facial gesture recognition software to speed up the rate at which Prof Hawking can write.

“These gestures will control a new user interface that takes advantage of the multi-gesture vocabulary and advances in word prediction technologies,” a spokeswoman told the BBC.

“We are working closely with Professor Hawking to understand his needs and design the system accordingly.”

Source:http://www.techpark.net

Wireless Window Sentinel Draws Its Power from Its Environment

Window contacts tell users if a window is open or closed. Typically, such sensors are wire-based. Scientists working with industry partners recently developed a new system that operates without wires or batteries. It draws its power from its environment: from sunlight and ambient heat.

The sensor nodes embedded in the window frame transmit the data via the s-net wireless sensor. The prototype of the RF node (left) pictured here will be installed in the sensor housing (right) of the finished system. (Credit: © Fraunhofer IIS)

A bad weather front is fast approaching and a cloudburst is imminent. If you happen to be away from home, but have left a window open, either deliberately or because you forgot to check one room, you may be in for a wet surprise when you come home. However, it does not have to be like that: Thanks to a new sensor system, such situations can now be avoided. A sensor embedded in the window frame detects if a window is closed, cracked open or wide open and sends this information to a base station at the main door. When leaving the house, a resident can tell at a glance which windows are open and which closed. Since the system enables remote queries, users can even monitor windows via a smartphone. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, based in Erlangen and Nuremberg, have developed the product in close collaboration with Seuffer, a Calw-based company which has been an IIS industry partner for over a decade.
The intelligent window monitor is based on the IIS-developed HallinOne® sensor -- a 3-D magnetic field sensor that is already being used in mass-produced washing machines, where it determines the exact position of the drum. "We've adapted our technology for the window application. A fingernail-sized sensor embedded in the inner frame detects sash and handle positions by measuring any changes in the angle and position of a magnet that's embedded in the bottom of the sash. When you lock the window, for example, the magnet moves to the right," explains IIS engineer Klaus-Dieter Taschka. "The sensor even detects if a casement window appears to be properly latched, but has actually just been pulled shut. No other system can do this." In addition, the system is tamper-proof and so can help protect against break-ins. The magnet cannot be removed without the sensor detecting its removal.

Wireless communication:

Also embedded in the frame is an RF node. Comprising a radio unit and a microcontroller, it uses the s-net® technology developed by IIS for extremely energy-efficient wireless data transmission to a base station. This can take the form of a PC, cell phone or tablet, even a room controller. "The s-net® wireless sensor network is a multi-hop network where sensor nodes exchange data both with each other and with master nodes," says Taschka. Nodes have a communication range of 20 to 30 meters, which defines the maximum distance between one window and the next. Multi-hop capability means the system can cover vast areas, making it suitable for use in businesses. Installed in an office building, it could provide front-desk security staff with window status information and so do away with the need for walk-through checks. Another feature of the window sentinel is that it requires no cables or batteries. The sensor draws all the power it needs from its surroundings. The underlying technology, known among experts as "energy harvesting," enables power to be derived from ubiquitous sources such as air currents, vibrations or in this case sunlight and ambient heat.
Thermoelectric generators embedded in the window frame transform heat into power. Solar cells attached to the outer window frame also help power the 3-D sensor. "Our tests showed that this works even in north-facing windows," says Andreas Buchholz, Head of Research and Development at Seuffer.
Obviously, the system is suitable for everyday use only if all sensors function reliably. To ensure that this is the case, each chip is equipped with a coil that creates a magnetic field as soon as power is applied. If a signal is emitted, then the sensor is intact. "The window monitor is the result of a vigorous exchange of ideas we've maintained over the years with Fraunhofer researchers," says Buchholz.
The window, which includes the sensor, magnet, RF node and solar cell, is currently available as a prototype. By the end of the year it is expected to be ready for mass production. Manufacturing will be done by Seuffer, which also developed the electronics and produced the housing.

source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120905110935.htm

New Processes for Cost-Efficient Solar Cell Production

The competition in the photovoltaics market is fierce. When it comes to price, Asian manufacturers are frequently ahead of the competition by a nose. Now, Fraunhofer researchers are designing new coating processes and thin layer systems that, if used, could help to reduce the price of solar cells significantly.

Scientists will unveil a few of these new processes at the EU PVSEC trade show in Frankfurt from September 25 to 28.

Many people answer with a resounding "yes!" when asked if they want environmentally-friendly solar cell-based power -- though it should be inexpensive. For this reason, a veritable price war is raging among the makers of photovoltaic cells. Above all, it are the cheap products of Asian origin that are making life tough for domestic manufacturers. Tough, that is, until now: the researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST in Braunschweig are providing support to these companies. They are engineering coating processes and thin film systems aimed at lowering the production costs of solar cells drastically.

The competition in the photovoltaics market is fierce. When it comes to price, Asian manufacturers are frequently ahead of the competition by a nose. Now, Fraunhofer researchers are designing new coating processes and thin layer systems that, if used, could help to reduce the price of solar cells significantly. (Credit: Image courtesy of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft)

Hot wires instead of plasma

The photovoltaic industry is pinning its hopes particularly on high-efficiency solar cells that can achieve efficiencies of up to 23 percent. These "HIT" cells (Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin layer) consist of a crystalline silicon absorber with additional thin layers of silicon. Until now, manufacturers used the plasma-CVD process (short for Chemical Vapor Deposition) to apply these layers to the substrate: the reaction chamber is filled with silane (the molecules of this gas are composed of one silicon and four hydrogen atoms) and with the crystalline silicon substrate. Plasma activates the gas, thus breaking apart the silicon-hydrogen bonds. The now free silicon atoms and the silicon-hydrogen residues settle on the surface of the substrate. But there's a problem: the plasma only activates 10 to 15 percent of the expensive silane gas; the remaining 85 to 90 percent are lost, unused. This involves enormous costs.

The researchers at IST have now replaced this process: Instead of using plasma, they activate the gas by hot wires. "This way, we can use almost all of the silane gas, so we actually recover 85 to 90 percent of the costly gas. This reduces the overall manufacturing costs of the layers by over 50 percent. The price of the wire that we need for this process is negligible when compared to the price of the silane," explains Dr. Lothar Schäfer, department head at IST. "In this respect, our system is the only one that coats the substrate continously during the movement -- this is also referred to as an in-line process." This is possible since the silicon film grows up at the surface about five times faster than with plasma CVD -- and still with the same quality of layer. At this point, the researchers are coating a surface measuring 50 by 60 square centimeters; however, the process can be easily scaled up to the more common industry format of 1.4 square meters. Another advantage: The system technology is much easier than with plasma CVD, therefore the system is substantially cheaper. Thus, for example, the generator that produces the electric current to heat the wires only costs around one-tenth that of its counterpart in the plasma CVD process.

In addition, this process is also suitable for thin film solar cells. With a degree of efficiency of slightly more than ten percent, these have previously shown only a moderate pay-off. However, by tripling the solar cells (i.e., by putting three cells on top of each other) the degree of efficiency spikes up considerably. But there is another problem: Because each of the three cells is tied to considerable material losses using the plasma CVD coatings, the triple photovoltaic cells are expensive. So the researchers see another potential use for their process: the new coating process would make the cells much more cost-effective. Triple cells could even succeed over the long term if the rather scarce but highly efficient germanium is used. However, germanium is also very expensive: in order for it to be a profitable choice, one must be able to apply the layers while losing as little of the germanium as possible -- by using the hot-wire CVD process, for instance.

Saving  35  percent in the sputter process for transparent conductive oxide

The power generated by photovoltaic cells has to be able to flow out, in order for it to be used. To do so, usually a contact grid of metal is evaporated onto the solar cells, which conducts the resulting holes and electrons. But for HIT cells, this grid is insufficient. Instead, transparent, conductive layers -- similar to those in an LCD television -- are needed on the entire surface.

This normally happens through the sputter process: ceramic tiles, made from aluminum-doped zinc or indium-zinc oxide, are atomized. The dissolved components attach to the surface, thereby producing a thin layer. Unfortunately, the ceramic tiles are also quite expensive. Therefore, the researchers at IST use metallic tiles: They are 80 percent cheaper than their ceramic counterparts. An electronic control ensures that the metal tiles do not oxidize. Because that would otherwise change the manner in which the metal sputters. "Even though the control outlay is greater, we can still lower the cost of this production process by 35 percent for 1.4 square meter coatings," says Dr. Volker Sittinger, group manager at IST.

The research team intends to combine both processes over the long term, in order to make thin-coated solar cells more cost-effective and ultimately, more profitable. "You can produce all silicon layers using the hot-wire CVD, and all transparent conductive layers through sputtering with metal tiles. In principle, these processes should also be suitable for large formats," states Sittinger. However, the processes being used are not production processes quite yet: Even if the researchers already apply the processes to a countless number of square centimeters, it will still take about three to five years until they can be used in the production of solar cells.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120919082933.htm