TEN TOP TECHNOLOGIES

Check out the ten top technologies that are changing the way we live and work, and promise more action this year.

You are on way to the air port for boarding a flight to attend a business conference in Bangkok. Your smart phone detects the WLAN (wireless local area network) hotspot en route and starts downloading last-minute changes to your business presentation, Suddenly, this WLAN connection goes down, but your smart phone switches to WIMAX (world wide interoperability for microwave access)network to continue downloading.

Now, on detecting low battery, the smart phone shuts down WIMAX connection to save the battery over and switches to lower-power GPRS (general packet radio service) connection to continue downloading. On reaching the airport, it detects the WLAN hotspot and completes the download.

What’s interesting to note here is that the phone has interacted with different wireless technologies to download the presentation at varying data rates during your journey to the airport. This is the mobile lifestyle with always-on connectivity, any where, at any time and over any network.

Back in home, technology is enhancing the lifestyle. Internet surfing is emerging as the third most popular pastime after TV and music. Web has become a favorite medium for communications and news updates.

1. WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS:- wireless technology providing access to information when and where one wants is a boon to business seeking higher productivity.

Mobile phones are graduating from just talking devices to multimedia tools. Multimedia wireless chips combine cell phone, Fourth generation (4G) wireless is the next stage of broadband mobile communications after 3G that may be launched in 2006. It will offer faster data transmission, richer multimedia, smooth streaming video, universal access, portability and connectivity across the globe, and be operable from any location on or above the earth.

Designed for short-range, wireless personal area networks the ultra-wide-band (UWB) technology the frees people from wires, connecting multiple devices for transmission of AV and high-bandwidth data. It occupies a bandwidth greater than 20 per cent of the centre frequency, or bandwidth of at least 500 MHz, to provide high channel capacity at short range.

An internet in the Sky project is underway that could let planes fly without banking on ground controllers, air-traffic control and radars. Each plane could continually transmit its identity, precise location, speed and heading to other planes in the sky via an airborne network. Software would then take over, coordinating the system by issuing instruction to pilots on how to stay separated, optimize routes, avoid bad weather and execute precise ladings in poor visibility.

2. BIOMECHATRONICS:- Imagine metallic fingers that close around yours in near perfect synchrony and tighten their grip as you try to pull away. The European Union project lab is developing such a prosthetic hand capable of eliciting natural sensory signals.

The bionic hand, with its wired joints discreetly covered by a synthetic glove will be implanted in human arms. Linked to nerves by tiny electrodes and biometric sensors, it would help patients sense the position and movement of the hand, as well as stimuli from the outside environment.

Prosthetic knees with built-in programmable microprocessors help limbs move naturally. Also, knees are being developed with built-in sensors that measure how far the knee is bent and the force the user applies while walking. The PC chips analyses the sensor data to create a model of the user’s gait and \adapt the movement and resistance of the knee accordingly. Sensors distributed beyond the knee joint detect not only the mechanical forces of the body but also neural signals from muscles near the joint.

3.ROBOTICS:- Robotics is overlapping with electronics, computing, artificial intelligence, mechatronics, nanotechnology and bioengineering. Smart, mobile, unattended robots with AI and movement sensors are enhancing productivity at homes and workplaces.

Denmark is developing a shape shifting robot made of modules. Each module has its own processors, sensors, actuators and batteries. The modules can attach and detach from each other so that the robot can change its form. Used in earthquake-affected sites, this robot can transform into a crawler to climb over the debris, a snake to get through a hole or a column to hold up a collapsed building and protect a survivor.

Mighty mouse or M2, famous in USA for its heroics, is a remote-controlled bomb-disposal robot with drills and robotic arms. It is being used for fixing problems in nuclear installations.

Robots performing assembly application carry out welding, painting, ironing, assembly, pick-and-place, palletizing, product inspection, and testing with a high endurance speed and precision.

Robotic arms are being used to perform surgery on patients. A high resolution, 3D telescope on the robotic arm allows surgeons to see what is going on. Seated at a console, the surgeon can remotely control the robotic arm to perform complex operations like making incisions, manipulating tissues or even suturing tissues.

4. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:- Storage has become ubiquitous in network attached storage (NAS) boxes, automobiles, camcorders, DVD players and even plasma TVs. Hard drive capacities are increasing to cater to applications.

Virtual private network (VPN) ecommerce and voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services are increasingly using the IP network infrastructure. To mands, terabit IP nodes are being developed with bandwidth routing processors, cross bar switches, high-speed line interfaces, packet processing units, network interfaces and routing manager CPUs.

The internet is being upgraded to internet protocol version 6 (Ipv6), which will transform how it works and the way we interact with it. IPv6 can be installed as a software upgrade is internet devices and interoperable with the current Ipv4. It is designed to run on high performance networked and at same times, is efficient for low bandwidth networks.

Mobile IPv6 will change the way you drive. Cars will collect and generate reports on traffic, road condition and weather. With IPv6 and intelligent transport systems, you’ll be less likely to get stuck in traffic or drive into heavy storms or dangerous roads.

The broadband over power line technology allows the internet data to be transmitted over utility power lines. Subscribers need not use a phone, cable or satellite connection. Instead, they install a modem that plugs into the power socket outlet.

`5. NANOTECHNOLOGY:- nanotechnology involves creation of structures at a size below 100 nm, including those used for fabrication of nanowires for semiconductor fabrication, ultraviolet lithography, molecular self-assembly, etc. Nano-scale dimensions, with attributes of flexibility, resilience, high thermal and electrical conductivity and strength, will spur interesting applications in electronics, microelectronics, fiber-optics, avionics, superconductors, telecom, etc.

Silicon-based technology’s potential to fabricate smaller and faster chips is nearing the dead end. This is where nanotech will make the differe4nce. Breakthroughs in molecular electronics and memory are now pushing the limits of electronics beyond silicon.

Transistors built from carbon nanotubes outperform silicon transistors. Micro-refrigerators use carbon dioxide to cool chips. Denser hard drives, smaller and faster chips, and better optical switches are advances resulting from the synergy of nanotechnology electronics and computing.

Nano MRAMs are already being used in satellites and missiles, where electronics is exposed to cosmic rays. Nano-scale magnetic sensors will enhance the storage capacity of hard disk drivers. Nano batteries will improve the capabilities of cellophanes and power tiny pumps or presses in micro-electromechanical systems.

6. SPINTRONICS: Spintronics, an emerging nano-scale electronic domain involving detection and manipulation of electron spin, is of interest to manufacturers of semiconductor devices; particularly ICs Spin is detected as magnetic field with either of down and up orientations. This provides additional two binary states to conventional ‘low’ and ‘high’ logic values. Existence of four, rather than two defined states for logic bits, translates into higher data transfer speed, greater processing power, increased memory density and increased storage capacity.

Spintronics has been tested in mass- storage components such as hard drives. Storage related applications currently on their way to the market are MRAMs. These memories provide non-volatility, I.E., the memory state is conserved even after the power is switched off. Unlike other non-volatile memories, such as flash, the switching speed and storage density of MRAMs are higher.

7. WEARABLE ELECTRONICS:- Textile makers are incorporating microelectronic systems in clothing to realize intelligent functions. Smart shoe, a nifty little creation by Adidas, embeds computer chip in its sole. This 40-gm chip enables the shoe to adjust its cushioning level to the wearer’s size weight and stride for optimal comfort and effectiveness. Attached to the heel, it is powered by a battery when pressure is applied.

Rosner and infineon have a developed the MP3 blue jacket with built in mobile telephony using Bluetooth wireless and an Mp3 player. Electronics forms integral part of the jacket and is controlled by a textile keyboard on the sleeve. Electrically conductive fabric is sewn into the Mp3 blue jacket to connect the compact electronics module to the textile keyboard on the left sleeve, headphones and microphone integrated into the collar.

The module contains the Mp3 player with 128MBmemory, Bluetooth gateway to control the mobile phone and rechargeable battery to supply power. When the wearer makes a call, the stereo system becomes a headset, and music is automatically interrupted when calls come in.

8. ELECTRONIC PAPER:- If computer screens were as light and flexible as paper, newspaper could be updated every hour. Nanotechnologists predict that soon everyone could be reading off electronic paper. This paper will update itself constantly, and offer excellent resolution and high contrast.

Paper-like electrophoretic information displays are being developed for mobile devices due to their high contrast and readability in any light. These are thinner, lighter and less power-hungry than liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and organic light-emitting diode displays.

Seiko and E-Ink are developing the first wristwatch using electronic in k a technology that allows ultra-thin displays to be printed onto any surface. The display cross-section of the watch includes flexible organic transistors, microcapsules and two electrodes.

An ultra-slim computer display developed by E Ink ends and rolls up into a narrow tube. Radiopaper, or digital paper as it’s called, will revolutionize the publishing industry. It uses electronic ink, which can be controlled electronically, and doesn’t require extra power to retain the text or images. Using tiny capsules of minute particles of black and white pigments sensitive to electrical changes, the display can be updated .It can be rolled up into a cylinder without distorting the words or pictures, and download information wirelessly from the Internet.

9.TV BROADCAST:- first, there were TVs, then came PCs Now, mobile phones are emerging as the third option for viewing video. By offering video games, music videos, clever ads, news, and weather and sports updated, their small screens may have the best future. Always carried by user, cell phones are emerging as the most important of the trio for mobile entertainment and information.

The digital video broadcasting handheld (DVB-H) technique is used to broadcast TV signals to mobiles. In Japan, one-to-five minute videos are already popular with 3G phone users. Ericsson’s interactive mobile TV allows mobile phone users to communicate with the TV presenter while watching a show. Nokia is planning to integrate TV receivers into its handsets. It will combine digital broadcasting and internet protocol to enable receptions digital broadcasts on mobile handhelds. Motorola’s videophone user MPEG/H-264 advanced video codec’s to transmit full-motion video with synchronized audio. Mitsubishi Electric’s digital camera-size pocket projector attaches to mobile phones. Using three LEDs, it can project video images on a wall or desktop. The projector is being compressed enough to be built into phones.

IPTV is the future of TV. It harnesses the Web as the channel to provide content not usually viewed. AV signals are distributed to subscribers on broadband over IP. Using the two way internet path renders the TV set interactive.

10. DIGITAL HOME:- Homes are being automated for enhanced comfort and security. Home automation involves control of lights, room temperature, doors window shutters security and surveillance systems, multimedia entertainment, plant watering, pet feeding, etc.

Networking the home allows access to any content on any device from anywhere. You can see the latest movies; participate in videoconferencing and avail of home tutoring facilities on broadband networks. Home appliances can be controlled remotely from a PC or cell phone.

The Z-wave technology facilitates networking, automation and device interoperability to automate everything from garage-door openers to lights to security systems. Using a single remote you can control almost all devices of your house.