Refrigerators, electric irons,washing machines - once luxury
items, now as much a part of life
as dal-chawal.
But human beings being the
way they are, it's never enough.
Its not enough to own a computer
-what about one that can talk and
think. If its cell phones, what about
an in-built mechanism to prevent
theft? Non-stick utensils are not
enough; we want something that will ensure that food never gets burnt.
So while change and innovation remains the name of the game,
we bring to you some of the exciting inventions that have come
up recently.
Air Washing
A truly futuristic design, an
Airwash washing machine
should hopefully be a common
fixture in all homes by 2020.
Designed by two industrial
design students from the
National University of Singapore,
the Airwash Washing Machine won
Electrolux's Design Lab Award.
Inspired by the waterfall, nature's
negative ion generator, this washing
machine does not use any water or
detergent. It utilizes negative ions,
compressed air and deodorants to clean clothes. The atmospheric
air and negative ions - a natural cleansing agent - fight the dirt and
bacteria. The machine can be placed anywhere at home and not
necessarily in the laundry area.
Sigh! Do we really have to wait for 14 years to get our hands
on this miracle washer?
Robotic Cookware
If you are into cooking, you
must realise the agony of
accidentally burning a dish.
No matter how much you look
over it, the dish ends up getting
badly burnt and fit only for the
dustbin.
Where non-stick pans helped cut
down on the oil as well as all the
scrapings, this new cookware
brought out by Vita Care, will ensure that you can safely cook without
any worry of burning it up. Each Robotic Cookware pan is fitted with
a RFID computer chip that has been designed specifically for that pan.
While cooking, the chip sends a signal to communicate with coordinated
chips in the cooktop and special recipe cards that monitor each cooking
step for a particular dish.
So when you are ready to cook a dish, just scan the recipe card under the
pan handle where the chip is loaded. This done, the pan will communicate
with the cooktop 16 times per second, while it is cooking, to ensure that the
food does not get burnt.
The cooktop and the pans utilize the magnetic field interference between the two to generate and distribute heat. Thus only the pan heats up and not the cooktop and once the pan is removed from the cooktop, the energy transfer stops.
Though a perfect solution for amateur cooks, even the experienced can do with a helping hand. However, with the dishes limited to the recipes mentioned in the card, it really needs to expand if it has to fit into the multi-cuisine culture of India.
Talking, thinking computer
First we had the bulky PCs with their
keyboards. Things began to move fast
when decades later we were introduced
to the mouse. Soon enough laptops, sleek
monitors with LCD screens followed and
have now become a common sight on
most desks.
As our needs have increased it is not enough
to have things at our disposal at the click of a
mouse; it has to be easier still. So now freeing
our hands will be, a talking and thinking computer-animated face.
Doing away with the keyword and mouse and even touch screen,
will be new computer generated faces that will be programmed to
understand our needs. No longer will we have to book a ticket or
withdraw money from the bank by punching keys. Instead the
animated-computer face will listen to our verbal instructions and
take care of our requirements.
However, this computer is not out in the market yet. A team of
Australian researchers are working to create it and maybe in the
coming decade we'll have a animated computer face greeting
us at the ATMs.
The team is using technologies like computer animation, speech
recognition and computer-generated dialogue to construct the
talking, thinking head that emulates face-to-face conversation.
It will work on visual clues such as different mouth shapes and
face expression to understand what is being said. Further still,
it will be capable of tailoring its communication to the different
types of people, by accessing different databases. The team also
plans to make this computer learn from its interactions with different
people and improve its communication. They even intend to make it
capable of giving emotional responses when the need arises.
Talk about getting personalised attention!
First we had the bulky PCs with their
keyboards. Things began to move fast
when decades later we were introduced
to the mouse. Soon enough laptops, sleek
monitors with LCD screens followed and
have now become a common sight on
most desks.
As our needs have increased it is not enough
to have things at our disposal at the click of a
mouse; it has to be easier still. So now freeing
our hands will be, a talking and thinking computer-animated face.
Doing away with the keyword and mouse and even touch screen,
will be new computer generated faces that will be programmed to
understand our needs. No longer will we have to book a ticket or
withdraw money from the bank by punching keys. Instead the
animated-computer face will listen to our verbal instructions and
take care of our requirements.
However, this computer is not out in the market yet. A team of
Australian researchers are working to create it and maybe in the
coming decade we'll have a animated computer face greeting
us at the ATMs.
The team is using technologies like computer animation, speech
recognition and computer-generated dialogue to construct the
talking, thinking head that emulates face-to-face conversation.
It will work on visual clues such as different mouth shapes and
face expression to understand what is being said. Further still,
it will be capable of tailoring its communication to the different
types of people, by accessing different databases. The team also
plans to make this computer learn from its interactions with different
people and improve its communication. They even intend to make it
capable of giving emotional responses when the need arises.
Talk about getting personalised attention!
Screaming mobiles
Mobiles changed the way we
communicate. From having to
wait for ages for a landline
connection to buying a mobile
phone off the rack at rates that
allows even the maid to posses one, long-distance communication has
definitely become cheaper and
accessible.
But along with easy communication
came another menace - that of theft. Majority of mobile users will have at
least one story to tell about the theft of their brand new mobile. Once
stolen, there was little the user could do other than buy another one.
However, slowly this problem is being addressed and new softwares are
coming up to trace the lost phone and its thief. The latest and one of the
most interesting amongst them is the screaming mobile!
A new system has been developed which makes a mobile scream after
it has been stolen. Security experts have devised a system, due to which,
when the phone gets stolen, it triggers a high-pitched screech from the
phone along with a message which reads, "This phone has been stolen.
" The phone is automatically disabled with the contact numbers, texts,
images and emails being removed.
In the new system, Remote XT, a signal is sent to the mobile once it is
reported stolen or lost, which causes it to emit an alarm similar to a
scream. With this service the Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum,
which is backing the project, hopes to make mobile phones less
desirable items to steal and making them worthless in the hands
of those who do.
Available in England, the service does come at a cost. Subscribers
have to shell out £10 a month to avail of this service.
Mobiles changed the way we
communicate. From having to
wait for ages for a landline
connection to buying a mobile
phone off the rack at rates that
allows even the maid to posses one, long-distance communication has
definitely become cheaper and
accessible.
But along with easy communication
came another menace - that of theft. Majority of mobile users will have at
least one story to tell about the theft of their brand new mobile. Once
stolen, there was little the user could do other than buy another one.
However, slowly this problem is being addressed and new softwares are
coming up to trace the lost phone and its thief. The latest and one of the
most interesting amongst them is the screaming mobile!
A new system has been developed which makes a mobile scream after
it has been stolen. Security experts have devised a system, due to which,
when the phone gets stolen, it triggers a high-pitched screech from the
phone along with a message which reads, "This phone has been stolen.
" The phone is automatically disabled with the contact numbers, texts,
images and emails being removed.
In the new system, Remote XT, a signal is sent to the mobile once it is
reported stolen or lost, which causes it to emit an alarm similar to a
scream. With this service the Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum,
which is backing the project, hopes to make mobile phones less
desirable items to steal and making them worthless in the hands
of those who do.
Available in England, the service does come at a cost. Subscribers
have to shell out £10 a month to avail of this service.
Mosquito-repellent cloth
Nothing could be more
appropriate for Delhites
now, than this piece of fabric.
With the city gripped by the
dengue menace, a mosquito
repellent cloth may help where
other repellents have failed.
The fabric of this designer cloth
is activated by rubbing which
in turn keeps the mosquitoes
away at a distance of 50 cm.
Clinically tested and proven
by the London School of Hygiene
and Tropical Medicine, this cloth, brought out by Arnywear, can
keep away not only mosquitoes but also midges, stable flies, ticks
and other unwelcome insects.
Definitely better than the sticky and oily sprays and creams,
this piece of cloths can be a great fashion accessory too.
It comes in four different designs which you can match with
your wardrobe - Aqua Blue,Khaki Stripe, Cerise-Pink and Five-O.
However, the cloth is the use-and-throw type. After couple of uses
they need to be disposed off.
Nothing could be more
appropriate for Delhites
now, than this piece of fabric.
With the city gripped by the
dengue menace, a mosquito
repellent cloth may help where
other repellents have failed.
The fabric of this designer cloth
is activated by rubbing which
in turn keeps the mosquitoes
away at a distance of 50 cm.
Clinically tested and proven
by the London School of Hygiene
and Tropical Medicine, this cloth, brought out by Arnywear, can
keep away not only mosquitoes but also midges, stable flies, ticks
and other unwelcome insects.
Definitely better than the sticky and oily sprays and creams,
this piece of cloths can be a great fashion accessory too.
It comes in four different designs which you can match with
your wardrobe - Aqua Blue,Khaki Stripe, Cerise-Pink and Five-O.
However, the cloth is the use-and-throw type. After couple of uses
they need to be disposed off.
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