Worldwide wrap

In this week's wrap, KitKat helps people take a break with its Free No WiFi Zones; and researchers from the University of Georgia may have developed a way to harvest energy from plants. Get the details on these stories and more below.

FIFA has taken a high-tech approach to combating hooliganism at the 2014 World Cup, in Brazil. The football association is enlisting the help of military robots to ensure security at the event. IRobot will send 30 PackBots to Brazil for the sporting competition. The robots are similar to those deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq and inside Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant. The devices are remote-controlled and feature camera equipment, which allow operators to investigate suspicious objects or explore dangerous environments without any fear of harm. The robots will work in tandem with thousands of soldiers and Brazilian police, who will sport facial-recognition camera glasses capable of capturing 400 facial images per second.

Via: Mashable

In line with its slogan, "Have a break, have a KitKat", the chocolate brand is calling on consumers to do just that, encouraging them to put down their gadgets and actually take that break. Instead of offering free WiFi like every other brand, KitKat is pioneering Free No-WiFi Zones. The brand has deployed WiFi jammers that will block all signals within a five-metre radius, forcing people to read a newspaper, a real book or have a genuine conversation - all while munching on a KitKat, of course. "The world is becoming one giant WiFi zone," says the brand, adding that these Free No-WiFi Zones serve as an opportunity for people to disconnect from their ever-connected lives.

Via: Digital Buzz Blog

A team of researchers at Virginia Tech's College of Engineering have created a robotic jellyfish that could one day be used by the military as an underwater spy. The team first unveiled a prototype of the jellyfish, called RoboJelly, in 2012. The prototype was only the size of a man's hand, while Cyro is five-feet-seven-inches wide and weighs 170 pounds. The research forms part of a nationwide, multi-university project funded by the US Naval Undersea Warfare Centre and the Office of Naval Research, the goal of which is to create self-powering, autonomous robots that could be used for underwater surveillance or to monitor the ocean environment. According to Alex Villanueva, a Virginia Tech doctoral student in mechanical engineering, the aim is to get the device to look as much like the natural animal as possible.

Via: CNN

What do Barack Obama, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber have in common? According to a new Web site, they are all sexist. Tweet-Q, which stands for Twitter Equality Quotient, can tell if a Twitter user is sexist. By typing in the user's Twitter handle, Twee-Q will determine how many of the user's most recent re-tweets were originally written by men or women, outlining if the person favours one gender over another. The user is then given a score out of 10. Tweeters deemed to be biased towards a certain gender will be given a low score. The tool was developed by Swedish equal opportunities group, Crossing Boarders, and has been launched in collaboration with UK author Joan Smith.

Via: Daily Mail

Come July 2016, Angry Birds fans will be able to enjoy their favourite game in a different way - on the big screen. A film about the game, which features birds being shot at things with slingshots that has been downloaded some 1.7 billion times, is being produced and financed by Rovio Entertainment and will be distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment. Plans are for the film to be an animated 3D feature. "Every studio in town would love to add Angry Birds to their slate," Sony chairman and CEO Michael Lynton and co-chairman Amy Pascal said in a statement. "There are few titles out there that bring this kind of excitement, brand awareness and built-in audience to the table."

Via: Wired

Researchers from the University of Georgia (UGA) are using plants to harvest energy. The team has developed a method of harvesting the power generated through photosynthesis before the plants can make use of it. The energy can be used to run low-powered electrical devices.

Led by Ramaraja Ramasamy, assistant professor in the UGA College of Engineering, the researchers are interrupting the photosynthesis process by manipulating the proteins contained in the plants. Thylakoids are the membrane-bound compartments that are responsible for capturing and storing energy from sunlight and are key to the team's research. "Clean energy is the need of the century," said Ramasamy. "This approach may one day transform our ability to generate cleaner power from sunlight using plant-based systems."

Via: GizMag