Tag Archives: could
The Galaxy S4 mini could thwart Apple’s emerging market ambitions
BGR
Affordable self-driving cars could be available within the next three years
Dissolving circuit could kick off “electroceutical” wound healing technology
Imagine a future where a wound, damaged nerves, and stunted bones can be tended to using a small electronic circuit that dissolves in the body after performing its necessary function. We’ve seen variations of such technology in a variety of science fiction and future-based TV shows and movies, but thanks to the work of scientists at the University of Illinois, such a device could be reality in the coming years.
Such a device does not yet exist, but substantial work towards that goal has already been performed by the researchers, of which mechanical engineer John Rogers is one member. Speaking about the various uses of such a device, said Rogers: “In each case, the device needs to function only for a time frame set by a healing process. As such, the ideal scenario is for the device to simply disappear afterward.”
Thus far, a biodegradable circuit that can harvest power and is remote controllable has been created, an important component in a future device that would completely dissolve in a certain period of time after serving its medical purpose. To achieve the biodegradability, the circuits are built from materials that are both water-soluble and compatible with a biological organism, such as magnesium and silk.
The circuits are remote-controllable via radio frequencies, which are picked up by a very small antenna and used to provide energy. A couple different versions of the biodegradable circuits have been created, with one that takes a few days to dissolve when exposed to water. Another, featured in the image above, is smaller and dissolves in a couple hours.
It has been suggested that power is the potential Achilles heel of such technology, with the antennas possibly being too small in the current designs to provide adequate power from radio frequencies once implanted. Such an issue can be ironed out after testing, however, which is now being conducted using implants in mice. So far, no adverse side effects, such as swelling, have resulted from the implants.
SOURCE: Wired
Dissolving circuit could kick off “electroceutical” wound healing technology is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Could storm-chasing UAVs help predict tornadoes?
(Credit: Oklahoma State University )
In the wake of the colossal tornado that rampaged through 17 miles of central Oklahoma, plans for storm-chasing UAVs are taking on new significance.
Students at Oklahoma State University have been working on “storm-penetrating air vehicles” that could help cope with deadly tornadoes.
The aircraft are “designed to penetrate thunderstorms, including the supercells that spawn tornadoes” to gather data used to predict storms and warn people about them, the university said in a release.
The three vehicles designed by engineering students could also be used to build better predictive models of tornado-spawning storms.
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Storm chasers, who put themselves at risk gathering storm and tornado data, could benefit from the use of UAVs, too.
Laden with cameras, sensors, and … [Read more]
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49ers WR Michael Crabtree could miss 2013 season after suffering a torn Achilles
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree suffered a torn Achilles during the team’s OTA practice on Tuesday and could miss the entire 2013 season, Mike Garafolo of USA Today reports.
The severity of the tear (complete or partial tear) is currently unknown and should be the determining factor for how much time Crabtree will miss. As noted by Garafolo, two players — Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Da’Quan Bowers — returned to the playing field in 2012 after suffering Achilles injuries during the OTAs. Lindsay Jones of USA Today notes that, in 2011, Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas returned to action seven months after tearing his Achilles.
However, losing Crabtree for even part of the season would be a major blow to the 49ers as the 2009 first-round pick out of Texas Tech is coming off a breakout season. Crabtree established career-highs with 85 receptions for 1,105 yards with nine touchdowns and his involvement in the 49ers’ offense increased with the insertion of Colin Kaepernick at quarterback.
Over the final seven starts, Crabtree was targeted on 10 or more passes four times as he caught 41 passes for 595 yards with five touchdowns during that stretch. Crabtree was targeted by Kaepernick on 28 passes in the 49ers’ three playoff games, resulting in 20 completions for 285 yards and three touchdowns.
Depth at wide receiver has been an issue for the 49ers over the previous two seasons, but they have taken steps to improve that aspect of their roster this offseason. The 49ers acquired veteran Anquan Boldin from the Baltimore Ravens in March and used a 2013 fourth-round pick on Quinton Patton, a 6-foot, 204-pound receiver who caught 183 passes for 2,594 yards and 24 touchdowns in a 25-game career at Louisiana Tech. The 49ers’ preferred method of cushioning the blow from the loss of Crabtree would be for 2012 first-round pick A.J. Jenkins to have a strong offseason.
Jenkins was inactive for much of last season, appearing in just 35 offensive snaps in three regular-season games, according to official playing-time documents. Jenkins dressed for two playoff games, but is still seeking his first meaningful reception in the NFL. If Jenkins does not develop, the 49ers could consider bringing future Hall of Famer Randy Moss back in 2013. Moss, 36, caught 28 passes for 434 yards and three touchdowns in 40.4 percent of the 49ers’ snaps last season and added seven receptions for 112 yards in the playoffs.
Integrated Vimeo, Flickr sharing could follow Twitter, Facebook to iOS
If you’re a popular social sharing service not named Google+, you might be integrated into iOS very soon. According to a report in 9to5Mac, Apple is working on integrating Yahoo’s revamped photo service Flickr and the social video network Vimeo into iOS 7. The two services would join the two big social networks, Twitter and Facebook, in enjoying operating system-level integration into the iPhone and iPad.
That would mean that users could sign in with their Flickr and Vimeo accounts within the Settings app on their iOS device, just as they can now with Twitter and Facebook. Then when the user hits the share button in an app, the menu will include the services that they’ve registered.
iOS is expected to be detailed by Apple at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco in June. 9to5Mac noted that the decision to include two additional social services could be reversed before any announcement is made. But the report does make a lot of sense.
Such a move could be read as a bit more anti-Google maneuvering from Apple. After all, the company last year shed all iOS-Google tie-ins in iOS 6 with the exception of keeping Google search as the default option in mobile Safari. YouTube is available as a third-party app from the App Store, but it’s no longer the default video service in iOS. Apple could also take up the move to support Vimeo in response to Google allowing iOS developers to enable a setting in their own apps that automatically opens YouTube videos in the YouTube app, instead of mobile Safari.
But it’s also just as likely that Apple is simply increasing feature parity between iOS and Mac OS X. OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion has built-in Flickr and Vimeo integration, as well as Twitter and Facebook. Facebook integration also began on OS X and moved to iOS, so Yahoo’s photo service and Vimeo’s social video service could be following that same path.
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How cloud services could save Microsoft from sinking PC sales
Close Up With Xbox One: Every Photo You Could Ever Want
As part of WIRED’s exclusive look at the development and capabilities of the Xbox One, we present a detailed look at the hardware. (Well, the exterior of it, at least. We’ve got another gallery for the insides.) Can you spot …
Gadget Lab
NFL could move annual draft to May
The NFL and NFLPA are closing in a deal that would make significant alterations to the league calender over the next three years, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
According to the report, the union is close to signing off on a deal allowing the league to move the start date of the new league year to before the annual scouting combine in Indianapolis. Historically, the new league year has begun in early-to-mid March, nearly two weeks after the final day of the combine.
An even bigger change, and one that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell does not need union approval for, is pushing the date of the annual NFL draft from late April to May. While the collective bargaining agreement allows for the commissioner to set the date at his or her discretion, Goodell would like to the NFLPA’s approval before taking that step.
Schefter adds that the tentative dates for the 2014 draft are May 15-17, with the 2015 draft taking place from May 7-9 and 2016 draft on May 5-7.
In March, Albert Breer of the NFL Network reported that the NFL had sent a proposal to the NFLPA that would have pushed the combine back to March, the start of free agency to April and the draft to May. The period after the Super Bowl would focus on regional combines with the goal being that those events would increase the interest and viewership of the national combine in Indianapolis.
Veteran players, and their agents, were not too keen on the idea of delaying free agency until April since that financial frenzy is essentially their Super Bowl. Starting free agency earlier would be good news for veterans (and their agents), which should make it easier for the NFLPA to sign off on date changes for the combine and draft.
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