Engadget RSS Feed http://www.engadget.com Engadget http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif Engadget http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2013 AOL Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ <![CDATA[University of Michigan's Computer and Video Game Archive houses over 3,000 different games, roughly 35 unique consoles (video)]]> http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/31/university-of-michigan-computer-and-video-game-archive/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/31/university-of-michigan-computer-and-video-game-archive/ http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/31/university-of-michigan-computer-and-video-game-archive/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments University of Michigan's Computer and Video Game Archive houses over 3,000 different games, roughly 35 unique consoles (video)

Systems such as the ColecoVision, TurboGrafx-16 and 3DO may have been ousted from most home entertainment centers long ago, but they still have shelf space at the University of Michigan's Computer and Video Game Archive. Slashdot caught up with Engineering Librarian and Video Game Archivist Dave Carter and took a look inside the repository, which has curated around 35 classic and current-gen platforms and more than 3,000 different games. Having "one of everything" is the project's ultimate goal, but the logistics of acquiring every new game make achieving that feat a stretch. "Our realistic goal is to be sort of representative of the history of video games, what was important -- what was interesting," Carter said. "And then, not only to preserve the games, but also to preserve the game playing experience." As a "useable archive," patrons of UM's library can dig in and play at different stations with era-appropriate monitors and displays. While many visit for leisure, students have used the resource to research topics ranging from music composition to the effects of texting while driving (using an Xbox 360 racing title and steering wheel peripheral, of course). You can catch a glimpse of the collection in the video below or visit the archive's blog at the more coverage link.

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Source: Slashdot

]]> archivearchivesComputer and Video Game ArchiveComputerAndVideoGameArchiveDave CarterDaveCartergamegamesinterviewlibrarianlibrarieslibraryminipostretroretro gamesRetroGamesslashdotUMuniversity of michiganUniversity of Michigan Computer and Video Game ArchiveUniversityOfMichiganUniversityOfMichiganComputerAndVideoGameArchivevideovideo gamevideo game archivevideo gamesVideoGameVideoGameArchiveVideoGames Fri, 31 Aug 2012 20:48:00 -0400 21|20312420 <![CDATA[University of Michigan connects 3,000 cars for year-long safety pilot]]> http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/22/university-of-michigan-connects-3-000-cars/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/22/university-of-michigan-connects-3-000-cars/ http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/22/university-of-michigan-connects-3-000-cars/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments University of Michigan connects 3,000 cars for yearlong safety pilot

Road safety continues to be a major concern for both researchers and car makers alike. Yesterday saw yet another real-world trial kicking off, this time on a much grander scale. A total of 3,000 vehicles in Ann Arbor, Michigan are taking part in a 12-month project run by the state's Transportation Research Institute. The vehicles have Dedicated Short Range Communications and video recording facilities, which means the cars can communicate with each other, traffic signals, and share data to a central platform -- which in turn issues warnings when high risk situations, or if traffic problems occur. Of course, this trial will also create a massive data set, which researchers will be able to plunder, and help the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) better determine the viability of such systems. So while it's unlikely to lead to self driving cars just yet, it's a step in the right direction.

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]]> Ann ArborAnnArborcarcollision detectionCollisionDetectionconnected carsConnectedCarsdedicated short range communicationsDedicatedShortRangeCommunicationsDSRCmichiganminipostNational Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationNationalHighwayTrafficSafetyAdministrationNHTSApedestrian safetyPedestrianSafetysand boxSandBoxtesttransporttrialUMTRIuniversity of michiganUniversityOfMichiganvehicleswifi Wed, 22 Aug 2012 23:32:00 -0400 21|20306388 <![CDATA[Ford, GE and University of Michigan team up on sensor to track EV battery life, keep us on the road]]> http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/05/ford-ge-and-university-of-michigan-team-on-sensor-for-ev-batteries/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/05/ford-ge-and-university-of-michigan-team-on-sensor-for-ev-batteries/ http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/05/ford-ge-and-university-of-michigan-team-on-sensor-for-ev-batteries/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments Ford Focus Electric hands-on

Believe it or not, EV battery life is still something of a Pandora's Box, even for automakers: they can tell you the battery pack's current and voltage, but not how it's really performing under pressure. Ford, GE and the University of Michigan are uniting to unlock that mystery through a new ARPA-E project. In its role, GE is developing a minuscule sensor array that will track the nuances of battery cells that existing technology misses; it will promptly hand the baton to researchers at the University of Michigan, who plan to both prove that GE's data is on the mark as well as develop tricks for predicting behavior. Ford handles the last mile, almost literally: it's planning to fit the GE sensor technology to one of its cars and test in a more realistic environment. Before you fantasize about knowing the lifespan of your Focus Electric's battery down to the minute, however, the new alliance is stressing that it's only just getting started -- there's another three years and $3.1 million to go before the project wraps up. If all goes according to plan, though, we'll have electric cars and plug-in hybrids that can not only tell when they've seen better days but can eke out extra miles through smarter battery designs.

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]]> Advanced Research Projects Agencyadvanced research projects agency energyAdvancedResearchProjectsAgencyAdvancedResearchProjectsAgencyEnergyarpa-ebatterybattery lifebattery packBatteryLifeBatteryPackcellelectric carelectric carselectric vehicleelectric vehiclesElectricCarElectricCarsElectricVehicleElectricVehiclesevfordgegeneral electricGeneralElectrichybridphevplug-inplug-in hybridPlug-inHybridresearchsensingsensortransportationuniversity of michiganUniversityOfMichigan Sun, 05 Aug 2012 12:50:00 -0400 21|20293515 <![CDATA[Alt-week 7.28.12: social mathematics, Pluto's moons and humans-on-a-chip]]> http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/28/alt-week-7-28-12/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/28/alt-week-7-28-12/ http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/28/alt-week-7-28-12/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days.

Alt-week 7.28.12

It's a beautiful world we live in. And, while the sweet and romantic part is debatable, strange and fantastic is not. Our universe is one populated by non-planetary celestial bodies with their own non-planetary satellites, high school social hierarchies based on predictable mathematical formulas and military-funded "gut-on-a-chips." It's a weird place filled with weird stories, and we just can't get enough of it. So, what has the last seven days brought us from the fringes of science and tech? Keep reading after the break to find out. This is alt-week.

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]]> alt weekalt-weekAltWeekbiologyDARPAeyeeyesgut-on-a-chipharvardhigh schoolHighSchoolhubbleHubble Space TelescopeHubbleSpaceTelescopehuman-on-a-chiplung-on-a-chipmathmathematicsorgan-on-a-chipp5plutoprintersresearchsciencesociologyspaceUniversity of MichiganUniversity of MissouriUniversityOfMichiganUniversityOfMissouriWyss InstituteWyss Institute for Biologically Inspired EngineeringWyssInstituteWyssInstituteForBiologicallyInspiredEngineering Sat, 28 Jul 2012 20:30:00 -0400 21|20287359 <![CDATA[Exploit uses firewalls to hijack smartphones, turns friends into foes]]> http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/exploit-uses-firewalls-to-hijack-smartphones/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/exploit-uses-firewalls-to-hijack-smartphones/ http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/exploit-uses-firewalls-to-hijack-smartphones/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments Image

Normally, firewalls at cellular carriers are your best friends, screening out malware before it ever touches your phone. University of Michigan computer science researchers have found that those first lines of defense could be your enemy through a new exploit. As long as a small piece of malware sits on a device, that handset can infer TCP data packet sequence numbers coming from the firewall and hijack a phone's internet traffic with phishing sites, fake messages or other rogue code. The trick works on at least 48 carriers that use firewalls from Check Point, Cisco, Juniper and other networking heavy hitters -- AT&T being one of those providers. Carriers can turn the sequences off, although there are consequences to that as well. The only surefire solution is to either run antivirus apps if you're on a mobile OS like Android or else to run a platform that doesn't allow running unsigned apps at all, like iOS or Windows Phone. Whether or not the exploit is a serious threat is still far from certain, but we'll get a better sense of the risk on May 22nd, when Z. Morley Mao and Zhiyun Qian step up to the podium at an IEEE security symposium and deliver their findings.

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]]> androidATTcellphonecellphonescheck pointCheckPointCiscoCisco SystemsCiscoSystemsexploitfirewallfirewallsgooglegoogle androidGoogleAndroidieeeJuniperjuniper networksJuniperNetworksmalwaremobilepostcrossnetwork firewallnetwork routingNetworkFirewallnetworkingNetworkRoutingpacketpacketsPhishphishingresearchresearchersrouterTCPTCP IPTcpIpuniversity of michiganUniversityOfMichiganvirusviruses Tue, 22 May 2012 03:18:00 -0400 21|20241810 <![CDATA[Texting: the truth serum of the 21st century]]> http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/17/texting-stops-lies/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/17/texting-stops-lies/ http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/17/texting-stops-lies/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments Image

The University of Michigan and The New School for Social Research has found that if you want someone to tell you the truth, you should text them. Dispensing with the lie detector for job interviewees, academics found that people gave more honest and detailed answers via SMS than over the phone. The team believes it's due to the lack of time pressure and not having to produce a pleasing answer for your interrogator. If the findings continue to provide similar results, it looks like Steve Wilkos could be replaced with a smartphone.

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]]> BBMChatOnFred ConradFredConradHonestyiMessageLie DetectorLieDetectorLiesMessagingNew YorkNewYorkPsychologySMSSteve WilkosSteveWilkosTextingThe New School for Social ResearchTheNewSchoolForSocialResearchTruthUniversity of MichiganUniversity of Michigan Institute for Social ResearchUniversityOfMichiganUniversityOfMichiganInstituteForSocialResearch Thu, 17 May 2012 15:47:00 -0400 21|20239892 <![CDATA[Caltech sets 186Gbps Internet speed record, makes our 5Mbps look even more inadequate (video)]]> http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/13/caltech-sets-186gpbs-internet-speed-record-makes-our-5mbps-look/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/13/caltech-sets-186gpbs-internet-speed-record-makes-our-5mbps-look/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/13/caltech-sets-186gpbs-internet-speed-record-makes-our-5mbps-look/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments
Did you know that the Large Hadron Collider at CERN has already produced 100 petabytes of data that needed to be sent out to labs across the world for analysis? Pushing that amount of information across the Internet is a gargantuan task, which is why Caltech teamed up with the Universities of Victoria, Michigan and Florida (International) amongst others to try and break the internet speed record. Using commercially available gear (including Dell servers with SSDs), it was able to push 98Gbps and pull 88Gbps down a single 100Gbps fibre-optic connection between the Washington State convention center in Seattle and the University of Victoria computing center in British Columbia. Head on past the break for a video that shows you how it was done and why it probably won't be commercially available in time to super-size your Netflix queue.

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]]> CaltechCERNFlorida International UniversityFloridaInternationalUniversityLarge Hadron ColliderLargeHadronColliderLHCUniversity of MichiganUniversity of VictoriaUniversityOfMichiganUniversityOfVictoriavideo Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:11:00 -0500 21|20127050 <![CDATA[New 'subconscious mode' could improve smartphone battery life, supress your WiFi id]]> http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/16/new-subconscious-mode-could-improve-smartphone-battery-life-s/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/16/new-subconscious-mode-could-improve-smartphone-battery-life-s/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/16/new-subconscious-mode-could-improve-smartphone-battery-life-s/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments Kang ShinResearchers at the University of Michigan have figured out a way to drastically increase your cellphone's battery life, at least while using WiFi. By using what they're calling E-MiLi, or Energy-Minimizing Idle Listening, professor Kang Shin (right) and student Xinyu Zhang have developed a proof of concept that could extend battery life up to 54-percent with the WiFi radio on. Even when idle, a wireless radio is actively checking for incoming traffic. E-MiLi scales back the wireless card's clock to just 1/16th of its normal operating speed, and only kicks back into full gear when it senses incoming data. To be really useful though, we'd love to see the same trick employed on cellular data networks -- that LTE sure is fast, but it's not exactly battery-friendly. Check out the PR after the break.

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]]> batteriesbatteryE-MiLiEnergy-Minimizing Idle ListeningEnergy-minimizingIdleListeningKang ShinKangShinuniversity of michiganUniversityOfMichiganwifiwirelessXinyu ZhangXinyuZhang Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:46:00 -0400 21|20043998 <![CDATA[DARPA harvests energy from cyborg beetles to keep them brainwashed]]> http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/01/darpa-harvests-energy-from-cyborg-beetles-to-keep-them-brainwash/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/01/darpa-harvests-energy-from-cyborg-beetles-to-keep-them-brainwash/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/01/darpa-harvests-energy-from-cyborg-beetles-to-keep-them-brainwash/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments
Beetles packing cybernetic implants that control their brains make a cheaper and more useful micro-air-vehicle than a fully robotic one -- but due to the weight of the battery packs required, development has been slow. Now a DARPA-funded team at the University of Michigan thinks it's eliminated that problem. By attaching piezoelectric generators to each wing, the researchers can harvest the energy generated in flight and use it to juice the mind-control circuits. At present, the system generates about half the energy the team thinks it can produce, as innovations in ceramic production of the miniature devices should solve that. An experimental robotics project in competition with a cyborg one? This all feels a bit too RoboCop for us.

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]]> CyborgCyborg BeetleCyborgBeetleDARPAEthem Erkan AktakkaEthemErkanAktakkaHanseup KimHanseupKimKhalil NajafiKhalilNajafiMAVMAVsMicro Air VehicleMicro Air VehiclesMicroAirVehicleMicroAirVehiclesUniversity of MichiganUniversityOfMichiganWargadget Thu, 01 Sep 2011 19:43:00 -0400 21|20032144 <![CDATA[MABEL running robot snags bipedal speed title, cue 'Rocky' theme (video)]]> http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/15/mabel-running-robot-snags-bipedal-speed-title-cue-rocky-theme/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/15/mabel-running-robot-snags-bipedal-speed-title-cue-rocky-theme/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/15/mabel-running-robot-snags-bipedal-speed-title-cue-rocky-theme/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments MABEL the running robot has been training hard, grabbing the title of "fastest bipedal robot with knees." Like any great sports star, it's been plagued by many dream-crushing obstacles and injuries, but this time it's done it: running at a speed of 6.8 miles per hour on a track. Jessy Grizzle, professor at the University of Michigan's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, attributes this bot's success to its human-like weight distribution -- a heavier torso and flexible legs with springs similar to tendons for movement "like a real runner." This bipedal technology, which can mimic a human's ability to run and climb over obstacles, may be used to help the disabled walk again, in rescue situations or as the basis of future vehicles that don't require roads or wheels to drive. If MABEL doesn't make the SWAT team this year, it can most certainly snag a spot as an extra in the next Transformers movie. Check out the PR and video of this modern day robo-Flo-Jo after the break.

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]]> bipedalbipedal robotBipedalRobotfiremenj.w. grizzleJ.w.Grizzlejessy grizzleJessyGrizzlemabelrescuerobotroboticsrobotsrunningsciencetransformerstransportationumichuniversity of michiganUniversityOfMichiganvehiclesvideo Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:06:00 -0400 21|20018181 <![CDATA[Telex anti-censorship system promises to leap over firewalls without getting burned]]> http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/14/telex-anti-censorship-system-promises-to-leap-over-firewalls-wit/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/14/telex-anti-censorship-system-promises-to-leap-over-firewalls-wit/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/14/telex-anti-censorship-system-promises-to-leap-over-firewalls-wit/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments Human rights activists and free speech advocates have every reason to worry about the future of an open and uncensored internet, but researchers from the University of Michigan and the University of Waterloo have come up with a new tool that may help put their fears to rest. Their system, called Telex, proposes to circumvent government censors by using some clever cryptographic techniques. Unlike similar schemes, which typically require users to deploy secret IP addresses and encryption keys, Telex would only ask that they download a piece of software. With the program onboard, users in firewalled countries would then be able to visit blacklisted sites by establishing a decoy connection to any unblocked address. The software would automatically recognize this connection as a Telex request and tag it with a secret code visible only to participating ISPs, which could then divert these requests to banned sites. By essentially creating a proxy server without an IP address, the concept could make verboten connections more difficult to trace, but it would still rely upon the cooperation of many ISPs stationed outside the country in question -- which could pose a significant obstacle to its realization. At this point, Telex is still in a proof-of-concept phase, but you can find out more in the full press release, after the break.

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]]> blacklistcensorshipcomputer scienceComputerScienceconceptfirewallfreefree speechFreeSpeechgovernmentIP addressIpAddressISPopen internetOpenInternetpoliticsproxyproxy serverProxyServerresearchsecuritysoftwarespeechtelexuniversity of michiganuniversity of waterlooUniversityOfMichiganUniversityOfWaterlooUSENIX Security SymposiumUsenixSecuritySymposiumweb Sun, 14 Aug 2011 15:56:00 -0400 21|20017195 <![CDATA[BioBolt brain implant could help the paralyzed walk again]]> http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/24/biobolt-brain-implant-could-help-the-paralyzed-walk-again/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/24/biobolt-brain-implant-could-help-the-paralyzed-walk-again/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/24/biobolt-brain-implant-could-help-the-paralyzed-walk-again/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments BioBoltControlling a cursor with your brain? Yawn. Restoring movement to paralyzed mice? Color us unimpressed. Help a wheelchair-bound man walk again using only his thoughts? Now we're talking. That's the goal of researchers at the University of Michigan who have developed BioBolt, a (comparatively) noninvasive implant that rests on top of the cortex rather than penetrate it. The device is inserted through an easily-covered, dime-sized hole in the skull and feeds patterns from firing neurons to a computer using your epidermis (which is showing, by the way) as a conductor. The ultimate goal of helping the paralyzed walk again is still years away but, in the meantime, it could be used to suppress seizures or diagnose diseases like Parkinson's. Everyday this mind over matter thing sounds a little less like a load of bullpuckey.

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]]> bioboltbrain implantBrainImplanthealthimplantimplantsmedicalmedicineparalysisparalyzedresearchuniversity of michiganUniversityOfMichigan Fri, 24 Jun 2011 19:55:00 -0400 21|19975735 <![CDATA[Newly discovered properties of light promise better solar batteries, really great tans]]> http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/15/newly-discovered-properties-of-light-promise-better-solar-batter/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/15/newly-discovered-properties-of-light-promise-better-solar-batter/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/15/newly-discovered-properties-of-light-promise-better-solar-batter/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments Are you tired of waking up to the same old semiconductor-based solar array? Do you yearn for a change? We know you do and, thanks again to the wonder and mystery of magnetic fields (they're not just for stopping speech anymore), there's a new day dawning. University of Michigan scientists were shooting lasers at glass, as they do, and made a remarkable discovery: light passing through a non-conductive surface like glass generates impressive magnetic effects - up to 100 million times greater than expected. The resulting magnetic force could replace the electric effect exploited by current technology, paving the way for "optical batteries." Though different from the Wysips transparent photovoltaic cell, the technology could have similar applications and may render obsolete those massive solar farms. No need to worry, though -- your stylish solar backpack is as fly as it ever was.

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]]> batterycellclean techCleanTechGreen Lightinggreen technologyGreenLightingGreenTechnologymagnetmagnetismmagnetsopticaloptical batteryOpticalBatterypowerRenewable EnergyRenewableEnergysolarsolar cellsolar cellsSolar PowerSolarCellSolarCellsSolarPoweruniversity of michiganUniversityOfMichigan Fri, 15 Apr 2011 18:11:00 -0400 21|19914513 <![CDATA[Scientists improve blue OLED efficiency, don't promise everlasting light]]> http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/26/scientists-improve-blue-oled-efficiency-dont-promise-everlasti/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/26/scientists-improve-blue-oled-efficiency-dont-promise-everlasti/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/26/scientists-improve-blue-oled-efficiency-dont-promise-everlasti/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments Although this is not the first time we've seen an efficiency increase in blue OLEDs, it's worth noting that their proposed cap of productivity up to this point was a lowly five percent. It's exciting to learn, therefore, about a breakthrough by professor John Kieffer and graduate student Changgua Zhen from the University of Michigan, which has resulted in them successfully increasing azure diode power efficiency by 100 percent. The duo, accompanied by some bright minds in Singapore, manipulated performance controllers by rearranging OLED molecules in a computer model, improving material characteristics. In simple terms though, we're still looking at a measly ten percent efficiency, so we'll see where they take it from here.

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]]> 4kblueChanggua ZhenChangguaZhendiodedisplayefficiencyefficientincreaseJohn KiefferJohnKiefferlightmichiganoledOrganic Light Emitting DiodeOrganicLightEmittingDiodepercentprofessorresearchsingaporestudenttvuniversityuniversity of michiganUniversityOfMichigan Sat, 26 Mar 2011 20:08:00 -0400 21|19892414 <![CDATA[Researchers debut one-cubic-millimeter computer, want to stick it in your eye]]> http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/26/researchers-debut-one-cubic-millimeter-computer-want-to-stick-i/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/26/researchers-debut-one-cubic-millimeter-computer-want-to-stick-i/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/26/researchers-debut-one-cubic-millimeter-computer-want-to-stick-i/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments This as-of-yet-unnamed mini computer was fashioned as an implantable eye pressure monitor for glaucoma patients, but its creators envision a future where we're all crawling with the little buggers. Taking up just over one cubic millimeter of space, the thing stuffs a pressure sensor, memory, thin-film battery, solar cell, wireless radio, and low-power microprocessor all into one very small translucent container. The processor behind this little guy uses an "extreme" sleep mode to keep it napping at 15-minute intervals and sucking up 5.3 nanowatts while awake, and its battery runs off 10 hours of indoor light or one and a half hours of sun beams. Using the sensor to measure eye pressure and the radio to communicate with an external reader, the system will continuously track the progress of glaucoma, without those pesky contacts. Of course, the mad scientists behind it look forward to a day when the tiny device will do much more, with each of us toting hundreds of the computer implants all over our bodies -- looks like a bright future for cyborgdom.

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]]> 1 millimeter computer1MillimeterComputercomputerdiseaseseyeeye pressure monitorEyePressureMonitoreyesglaucomahealthhealthcareimplantimplantablemedicalmedicinemonitornanoscalenanotechnologypressureresearchsmallsolarsolar cellssolar powerSolarCellsSolarPowertinytiny computerTinyComputeruniversity of michiganUniversityOfMichiganUOfM Sat, 26 Feb 2011 17:43:00 -0500 21|19859927 <![CDATA[UM students make cheap and portable solar charger / light source for developing nations]]> http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/31/um-students-make-cheap-and-portable-solar-charger-light-source/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/31/um-students-make-cheap-and-portable-solar-charger-light-source/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/31/um-students-make-cheap-and-portable-solar-charger-light-source/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments Solar power is the most egalitarian of all energy sources, yet residents in many parts of the world still lack access to electricity. Three University of Michigan engineering students have created an affordable solution to this problem -- to the delight of camping geeks everywhere -- with the Emerald, a portable solar panel that does double duty as both a cellphone charger and personal light source. We've seen the personal solar panel idea before, but the price of entry made it an untenable solution for developing nations. Solar-powered light bulbs have been around for a while too, but the Emerald's light lasts for eight hours on a charge (as opposed to the bulbs' two to six hours), and it's able to fully charge a phone in the same time it takes an outlet to do the job. They aim to sell the device for the low, low, price of under twenty bucks for customers in the developing world, which is 90 percent cheaper than other solutions and 100 percent more awesome.

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]]> chargerchargingcharging stationChargingStationelectricityenergygreenlightlightingsolarsolar chargersolar chargingsolar charging stationsolar energysolar lightsolar light bulbsolar lightssolar panelssolar powersolar poweredsolar-poweredSolarChargerSolarChargingSolarChargingStationSolarEnergySolarLightSolarLightBulbSolarLightsSolarPanelsSolarPowerSolarPowereduniversity of michiganUniversityOfMichiganvideo Mon, 31 Jan 2011 18:35:00 -0500 21|19820436 <![CDATA[Audi commissions four US universities to research urban mobility issues]]> http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/20/audi-commissions-four-us-universities-to-research-urban-mobility/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/20/audi-commissions-four-us-universities-to-research-urban-mobility/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/20/audi-commissions-four-us-universities-to-research-urban-mobility/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments We've seen what other companies have in store for our automotive future, and now Audi's given us a glimpse of what we can expect from its car of tomorrow. The company's Silicon Valley research lab has teamed up with four universities here in the US to develop technologies that will give city drivers the full KITT treatment -- vehicles that recognize the driver (and his or her preferences) and can detect and avoid dangers and traffic delays. Called the Audi Urban Intelligence Assist initiative, each participating university has a specific area of urban mobility research ranging from urban crash analysis to aggregating historical and real-time traffic, parking, and pedestrian data in cities. The schools will also study how best to deliver relevant information to drivers and get them from point A to point B as easily and efficiently as possible. Looks like the groundwork is being laid for a German counterpart to GM's EN-V we test drove in Vegas, and we look forward to the fruits of their labor. Ich bin ein Ingolstädter!

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]]> audiaudi urban intelligent assistAudiUrbanIntelligentAssistautomobilecarelectric networked vehiclesElectric Networked-Vehicleelectric vehicleelectric vehiclesElectricNetworked-vehicleElectricNetworkedVehiclesElectricVehicleElectricVehiclesEVresearchsan diegoSanDiegoSo CalSoCalUC berkeleyuc san diegoUcBerkeleyUcSanDiegoucsdUMTRIuniversity of michiganUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversityOfMichiganUniversityOfSouthernCaliforniaurban mobilityUrbanMobility Thu, 20 Jan 2011 18:24:00 -0500 21|19807823 <![CDATA[iPhone headset socket hijacked to power DIY peripherals (video)]]> http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/17/project-hijack-uses-iphone-headset-jack/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/17/project-hijack-uses-iphone-headset-jack/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/17/project-hijack-uses-iphone-headset-jack/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments Apple's proprietary dock connector may keep would-be peripheral manufacturers at bay, but if you want to build your own iOS companion devices, there's another way. You might have noticed that the Square credit card reader uses Apple's 3.5mm headset jack to transmit power and data at once, and gadgeteers at the University of Michigan are busy open-sourcing the same technique for all the DIY contraptions you can dream of. Project HiJack has already figured out how to pull 7.4 milliwatts out of a 22kHz audio tone, and built a series of prototype boards (including working EKG, temperature, humidity and motion sensors) that transmit data to and from an iOS app at up to 8.82 kbaud -- using just $2.34 worth of electronic components. See the basic principles at work in the video above, and -- as soon as the team updates Google Code -- find out how to build your own at the links below.

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]]> AppleDIYdo it yourselfdo-it-yourselfDoItYourselfhackhackshacks and modsHacksAndModsiOSiPadiPhoneiPodmodmodsperipheralsPrabal DuttaPrabalDuttaProject HiJackProjectHijacksensorsensorsThomas SchmidThomasSchmiduniversity of michiganUniversityOfMichiganvideoYe-Sheng KuoYe-shengKuo Mon, 17 Jan 2011 02:56:00 -0500 21|19802933 <![CDATA[DC election website hacked, John Philip Sousa pleased]]> http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/07/dc-election-website-hacked-john-philip-sousa-pleased/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/07/dc-election-website-hacked-john-philip-sousa-pleased/ http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/07/dc-election-website-hacked-john-philip-sousa-pleased/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments
Unlike the secrecy that usually surrounds e-voting efforts, the folks at the Washington D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics had a novel approach: Why not invite hacksters of all stripes and temperaments to bust into the new online system being tested for overseas and military voters? Of course, it was only a matter of time before a security hole was discovered -- and now we know that the University of Michigan fight song is called The Victors. It seems that a certain college professor unleashed his students on the site, at which point they quickly sniffed a way in and left an MP3 of the tune ("the greatest college fight song ever written," according to John Philip Sousa) as their calling card. The board has made the source code and server info available (the better to test its mettle) and we must say, it's certainly good to see public officials paying more than lip service to security -- especially where electronic voting is concerned. The site was down over the weekend, and is back up now, but with one crucial difference: ballots will have to be mailed, faxed, or e-mailed in.

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]]> e-votingelectronic votingElectronicVotinghackhackingthe victorsTheVictorsuniversity of michiganUniversityOfMichiganvotingwashington dcWashingtonDc Thu, 07 Oct 2010 15:39:00 -0400 21|19664823 <![CDATA[U of M laser mimics helicopter heat signatures to thwart missiles]]> http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/06/u-of-m-lasers-mimic-helicopter-heat-signatures-thwart-missiles/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/06/u-of-m-lasers-mimic-helicopter-heat-signatures-thwart-missiles/ http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/06/u-of-m-lasers-mimic-helicopter-heat-signatures-thwart-missiles/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new laser-based countermeasure for aircraft, and unlike others we've seen (and we've seen a few) this technology aims to "blind" missiles rather than knock 'em out of the sky. The system uses a mid-infrared supercontinuum laser to mimic the heat signature of a helicopter, and it has no moving parts -- making it rugged enough to last a long time on rotor-based aircraft. The school has even spun off a company, Omni Sciences, to develop the thing, and has received some $1 million in grants from the Army and DARPA to build a second-generation prototype. Of course, questions remain: is it really a wargadget if you can't blow something up with it? And even if it is, where's the fun in that?

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]]> armycountermeasuresdarpadefenseheat seekingHeatSeekinghelicopterlaserlaser-based countermeasuresLaser-basedCountermeasuresmissileOmni SciencesOmniSciencesuniversity of michiganUniversityOfMichiganwargadget Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:08:00 -0400 21|19622624 <![CDATA[Memory Shocker: keeping busy makes you too busy to remember things]]> http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/30/memory-shocker-keeping-busy-makes-you-too-busy-to-remember-thin/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/30/memory-shocker-keeping-busy-makes-you-too-busy-to-remember-thin/ http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/30/memory-shocker-keeping-busy-makes-you-too-busy-to-remember-thin/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments The New York Times has picked up the scare-story baton again, this time citing two pieces of research that supposedly indicate we're spending too much time jacked into our electronic devices. The University of California, San Francisco, has come out with some data showing that the brain needs "downtime" to properly digest, learn, and memorize events. This is supported by the University of Michigan, which confirms that people remember much better after a walk through nature than after a walk through dense urban environments. Basically, crunching new data is preventing us from assimilating older, potentially more important, information. That's neatly (though somewhat dubiously) tied into electronics by reference to their ubiquitous presence and use in daily life. If you're constantly listening, watching, or checking something, you can't very well be packaging those precious memories of grandma's 85th birthday at the same time. Of course, the same could be said of a really good book you can't put down, but that doesn't make for a sexy headline, now does it?

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]]> brainbusydigital agedigital fatigueDigitalAgeDigitalFatiguedowntimeelectronicsfatiguehealthlearningmemorymentalmindmultitaskingresearchrestshockerstressuniversityuniversity of california san franciscouniversity of michiganUniversityOfCaliforniaSanFranciscoUniversityOfMichiganwellbeing Mon, 30 Aug 2010 06:27:00 -0400 21|19612949 <![CDATA[Nanotechnology enables ultra high-def LCDs, cheaper stacked-electrode OLED screens]]> http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/27/nanotechnology-enables-ultra-high-def-lcds-cheaper-stacked-elec/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/27/nanotechnology-enables-ultra-high-def-lcds-cheaper-stacked-elec/ http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/27/nanotechnology-enables-ultra-high-def-lcds-cheaper-stacked-elec/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments Pixel density enthusiasts, pay close attention, because science is ready to blow your minds -- the University of Michigan has developed an LCD technology that can display their logo in a space just nine microns high. By creating a filter made of microscopic metal gratings with differently sized holes just a few hundred nanometers wide, researchers discovered they could precisely capture wavelengths associated to red, green and blue light, producing pixels roughly eight times smaller than those in the iPhone 4's famous screen, and entire images that could practically fit inside a single dot of Kopin's microdisplay.

Meanwhile, OLEDs (which don't require filters to produce their color) saw a nanotech breakthrough of their own last week, as a group at the University of Florida have discovered that carbon nanotubes can revitalize a once-inefficient but promising vertical stacking technique. Layering thin sheets of aluminum, carbon nanotubes, organic material and finally gold on top of a glass substrate, scientists have created OLEDs that promise to be cheaper, faster and require one-tenth of the power of those using polycrystalline silicon, and could theoretically be printed as a flexible display as well. Here's hoping we'll see the fruits of these fellows' labors soon -- we can't wait to pen a follow-up to this epic fight.

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]]> Andrew RinzlerAndrewRinzlercarbon nanotubesCarbonNanotubesdarpaHDhigh definitionHighDefinitionJay GuoJayGuoLCDnanotechnanotechnologyOLEDstacked electrodestacked-electrode OLEDStacked-electrodeOledStackedElectrodeUniversity of Floridauniversity of michiganUniversityOfFloridaUniversityOfMichigan Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:29:00 -0400 21|19610284 <![CDATA[Sequoia e-voting machine hacked to play Pac-Man (video)]]> http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/20/sequoia-e-voting-machine-hacked-to-play-pac-man-video/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/20/sequoia-e-voting-machine-hacked-to-play-pac-man-video/ http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/20/sequoia-e-voting-machine-hacked-to-play-pac-man-video/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments Oh Sequoia, why are you so changeable? The thoroughly hacked electronic voting machine is back with another ignoble showing, courtesy of researchers from the universities of Michigan and, of course, Princeton. Picking up an AVC-Edge box that had seen live duty in collecting votes for the 2008 Virginia primaries, they quickly and all too easily managed to supplant the embedded psOS+ software with DOS, which was promptly followed by the installation of Pac-Man. Given that the underlying circuit boards were populated with such luminaries as a 486 processor and 32 megabytes of RAM, we find this a most appropriate match of hardware and software. As to that whole voting security thing, maybe next time we should let people do it with their BlackBerrys, eh? See the Pac do his thing on video after the break.

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]]> 486alex haldermanAlexHaldermanariel feldmanArielFeldmanavc-edgedose-votinghackhackedhackingmichiganpac manpac-manPacManprincetonprinceton universityPrincetonUniversityresearchsequoiauniversity of michiganUniversityOfMichiganusavideovotevoting machineVotingMachine Fri, 20 Aug 2010 03:41:00 -0400 21|19601391 <![CDATA[University of Michigan's MABEL robot hits a stride, breaks a leg (video)]]> http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/25/university-of-michigans-mabel-robot-hits-a-stride-breaks-a-leg/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/25/university-of-michigans-mabel-robot-hits-a-stride-breaks-a-leg/ http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/25/university-of-michigans-mabel-robot-hits-a-stride-breaks-a-leg/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments
We're going to warn you up front. This isn't easy to watch, but robotics research can sometimes be a nasty business, and some things just can't be left unseen. At the center of the disaster waiting to happen pictured above is MABEL, a bipedal robot that researchers at the University of Michigan have been working on for the past few years, and which, on an otherwise ordinary May 18th, made its first attempt at walking over rough ground. Things got off to a well enough start, with MABEL able to walk with a reasonably natural gait, and even recover after a small slip after a few boards where placed in her path. As the university itself points out, however, the whole point of the experiment was to "push her til she cracked" -- and crack she did, with a shin eventually giving way after one too many boards were added, resulting in one of the sadder sights we've seen in our years of robot watching. Head on past the break for the complete video, if you can handle it.

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]]> bipedbiped robotbipedalbipedal robotBipedalRobotBipedRobotgrizzlej.w. grizzleJ.w.Grizzlemabelresearchrobotu-muniversity of michiganUniversityOfMichiganvideo Tue, 25 May 2010 21:18:00 -0400 21|19491521 <![CDATA[Ford, U-M students send socially-connected Fiestas on cross-country roadtrip, aim to become Mayor of the USA]]> http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/14/ford-u-m-students-send-socially-connected-fiestas-on-cross-coun/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/14/ford-u-m-students-send-socially-connected-fiestas-on-cross-coun/ http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/14/ford-u-m-students-send-socially-connected-fiestas-on-cross-coun/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments
Ford is certainly no stranger to internet-connected cars, but it looks like it's now truly stepped up its game with a little help from some University of Michigan students, who have teamed up to send two Fiestas on a socially-networked, cross-country road trip. The two cars (part of the American Journey 2.0 project) apparently each pack a similar trunk-full of gear -- including both WiMAX and EV-DO modems, and a 2.6 GHz PC with an 80GB SSD hard drive -- and they'll each be testing out a number of different applications developed by Ford and the students. Those include the UMich-developed Caravan app, which allows the two cars to communicate with each other during the trip, and three different Ford-developed social networking apps, which will let the cars blog and tweet their progress and, yes, even check in on Foursquare each time they make a stop. Head on past the break for the complete press release, and be sure to hit up the Autoblog link below for a closer look at the cars themselves.

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]]> american journey 2.0AmericanJourney2.0fiestafordford fiestaFordFiestasocial networkingSocialNetworkingu-mumichuniversity of michiganUniversityOfMichigan Fri, 14 May 2010 14:36:00 -0400 21|19477905