In this week's wrap, Microsoft's IllumiRoom blurs the lines between on-screen content and the physical world, literally bringing consumers' favourite shows into their living rooms; and patients in need of physiotherapy will soon be able to receive expert advice on their progress while exercising at home. Get the details on these stories and more below.
Paper-thin tablet showcased at CES
The word's first flexible computer made of paper has been unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), in Las Vegas. Termed the PaperTab tablet, it was created through a collaboration between developers at Queen's University, in Kingston, Ontario, and a company called Plastic Logic. According to Plastic Logic, the slim PC represents the future of desktop computing. The paper-thin tablet is said to need another five to 10 years' of development before reaching consumers.
Via: Reuters
Texts to aid anti-poaching efforts
The Kenyan Wildlife Service is debating an anti-poaching initiative that utilises SMSes to alert rangers when a park boundary is breached, enabling them to react to the situation. The initiative involves alarming the fences of all parks - some of which do not even have physical boundaries at present. The plan has caused concern, as it will be exceptionally difficult because some parks are just too big for this kind of implementation to become a reality. Conservationists are positive nonetheless and hope the scheme will reduce poaching by 90%.
Via: Fast Company
IllumiRoom merges real world and TV
Microsoft has unveiled a technology that turns the room around a TV into an extension of it. Using a Kinect sensor and a projector, IllumiRoom blurs the lines between on-screen content and the environment around the TV set, combining "virtual and physical worlds", said Microsoft. The Kinect maps its surroundings, tweaking the projected images to match the room. There is no word on the actual release date of the IllumiRoom, as the project is still just a prototype, but more will be revealed at the Conference on Human-Interface Computing, in Paris, later this year.
Via: Mashable
Self-powering bicycle
The OneBike is an electric bicycle that is powered by kinetic energy. Designed by Byoung-see Choi and Jun-kyeong Kim, the bicycle functions as a stationary bike when set into its cradle. Every pedal rotation harnesses energy and converts it to electric power that is used to operate the bike's digital heart rate monitor, speedometer and distance tracker. The bicycle can also be used outdoors should the user want a change of scenery.
Via: That's like Whoa
At-home physio coming soon
A new technology, termed telerehabilitation, has been designed to give patients extra motivation to do their exercises following an accident or operation. The system consists of an exercise editor, a physio box and a mobile sensor unit that connects to a smartphone. As part of the programme, unique software is used to map each patient's bodily characteristics in 3D and translate them into a biomechanical computer model. The data is then interpreted and sent via the Internet to the rehabilitation centre, where a therapist tracks the patient's progress and adapts exercises accordingly.
Via: Science Daily
Jamaica could hold key ingredient for future tech
Jamaica stands to benefit from newly discovered deposits of rare-earth elements, which are key ingredients for smartphones, computers and other high-tech goods. Jamaican science, technology, energy and mining minister, Philip Paulwell, believes the discovery has the potential to boost the Caribbean island's stagnant economy. According to Paulwell, Japanese researchers have found what they believe to be "high concentrations of rare-earth elements" in the country's red mud, or bauxite residue. Should this prove true, the island nation will be able to compete with China, currently the world's main supplier of rare-earth elements.
Via: Timeslive
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