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Nikola Labs' case uses stray radio waves to charge your iPhone
To hear Nikola Labs co-founder Dr. Rob Lee tell the tale, some 97 percent of the energy a smartphone expends to forge data and voice connections using radio frequencies is lost to the ether. Rather than let it all go to waste, this Ohio-based startup claims to have cooked up a way to harness that power and redirect it using a a humble-looking, $99 iPhone case. Unlike more involved solutions like the ultrasound power transmission system that uBeam has raised over $13 million to help build, there aren't any transmitters you need to stand in range of. The end result? A case that silently, slowly captures your iPhone's wasted power and uses it for recharging.
Buckeyes embed antennas in clothes, couture to improve radio reception?
We like what's in our wardrobe to be multifunctional, and we've seen threads do double duty as keyboards, flashlights and even drum kits in our day. Now, researchers at Ohio State have come up with a way to turn the shirt on your back into an omnidirectional antenna to boost radio reception. To do so, they etched brass wires into plastic film to create flexible antennae, and stitched 4 of them into the shoulders, chest and back of a vest. Using a computer controller the size of a deck of cards clipped to the wearers belt, the system senses body movement and activates the appropriate antenna to get the best signal. You see, antennae don't work so well when touching human skin -- as any iPhone 4 owner can attest -- and the multiple antenna system alleviates that problem while providing "significantly greater signal strength" than a standard antenna. The researchers see the technology having great appeal for the military, law enforcement, and emergency personnel, but here's hoping they make a consumer version, too. It'd be nice to eliminate all those cell-service dead spots by simply donning a jacket, right?
Quantum computer chips get infinitesimally closer to happening
We've already seen at least one (sort of) functional quantum processor, and one breakthrough after the other in quantum computing, but it looks like some researchers at Ohio State University have now made a breakthrough of their own that could possibly speed things up considerably. The big news there is that they've apparently found a way to fabricate a quantum device called a resonant interband tunneling diode (or RITD) using a chip-making technique called "vapor desposition," which is commonly used today for traditional chips. While there's still quite a bit of perfecting to be done on the device itself, lead researcher Paul Berger says the RTIDs could be used for ultra-low-power computer chips that operate with small voltages and produce less excess heat, and may even allow for ultra high-resolution imaging devices that can "operate at wavelengths beyond the human eye" -- opening up possibilities for everything from advanced medical imaging to the ability to see through rain, snow, fog and dust storms.[Via Physorg]
Time Warner Cable gets Big Ten Network in time for Ohio State's next BCS Championship blowout
Proud Buckeyes (& other fans in Big Ten country) served by Time Warner Cable can expect a new addition to their channel lineup ahead of Saturday's season opener against Youngstown State. On the way is the Big Ten Network's HD feed and video on-demand programming, so you don't have to worry about missing a snap as Ohio State looks forward to it's weak non-conference schedule (aside from USC) and the tantalizing future of yet another BCS Championship defeat at the hands of SEC speed. Cox customers take heart, word is they are also close to an agreement, not surprising now that TWC and Comcast have worked out their differences with BTN. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family][Thanks, Mike & Paul]Update: Unfortunately not everyone will have the HD & VOD packages in time for the August 30 game, but if you can stomach just one 480i game against punching bag Youngstown State, they're promised to be added "later" (Go Wolverines!). [Thanks Paul!]
Pink solar cells provide green power on the cheap
The race to build a cheaper solar cell continues to produce results, as researchers at Ohio State have developed a nanotech solar cell with a unique pink color that they say will one day be able to produce as much power as traditional silicon cells for a quarter of the cost. The dye-sensitive solar cells, or DSSCs, get their pink color from a mixture of ruthenium and either titanium or zinc oxide particles that absorb sunlight, while nanowires link the particles to provide power transfer. So far the team have gotten the cells to produce half as much power as traditional cells, but the next step is to start using nanowire "trees" to improve efficiency to equal or surpass those levels. No word on when we'll see this tech hit the market, but surely the prospect of a hot pink solar Cadillac isn't too far off.[Photo is of an unrelated DSSC concept from New Zealand]
Time Warner Ohio subscribers missing the big game...again
Even as most of us get set in front of our HDTVs to watch the very Game of the Century we bought them to watch, Time Warner customers in central Ohio are left frustrated again. Just like during the Super Bowl, due to the ongoing dispute between the cable company and the owner of the local ABC and Fox affiliates, Sinclair Broadcasting. As we're all too familiar with and our good friends in New Orleans recently found out, some affiliates want cable companies to pay up to provide an HD signal to their customers, while the cable co's refuse to pay for what is already available freely over the air. In Ohio, Insight and Wide Open West have made deals with Sinclair to provide HD programming so customers can switch. According to the article, Time Warner has been giving away antennas to interested customers to keep people from switching. Sinclair even plans to start charging to rebroadcast its SD channels, we'll see who blinks first in this standoff or if the FCC somehow steps in.
Aruba Networks to install "world's largest" WLAN at OSU
We all know how sketchy these "world's largest" claims can be, but Aruba Networks is dubbing its ongoing deployment of WiFi coverage across the gargantuous campus of The Ohio State University just that. While numerous cities (and even the entire country of Singapore) are moving forward with far-reaching wireless access plans, Aruba's "Mobile Edge solution" will reportedly be the most expansive WLAN by the time it's complete. Although the installation is only partially finished, 1,700 access points in over 28 buildings have already been lit, and Ohio State's IT department has plans to cover all 25 million square feet of the main campus with WiFi. Once complete, over 77,000 students and staff will have "ubiquitous wireless access to the university's networks" thanks to the "nearly 10,000" APs that will beam 802.11a/b/g all across OSU. Although the entire rollout won't be finalized until 2011, the 31 Buckeye residence halls will supposedly get blanketed within the next month, but we aren't sure if the 101,568 fans in The 'Shoe can expect unadulterated WiFi access to collegiate message boards or Facebook when Michigan comes to town later this year.
HDTV Listings for September 9, 2006
What we're watching: Tonight is the kind of big game that you probably bought your HDTV to watch. Ohio State vs. Texas on ABC, #1 vs. #2 this early in the season is possibly the biggest game we'll see until the National Championship game. Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr., Limas Sweed, Selvin Young and all the rest, some of the best players in college football will be on display tonight, if you're a sports fan it is the only option. Well...not the only option, there's also NASCAR Racing on TNT, the US Open Women's Final on CBS, Georgia vs. South Carolina on ESPN-HD, and MLS Soccer on HDNet, but you know what our choice is. If you absolutely must have watch something non-sports tonight, you can catch four episodes of Weeds on Showtime or The Dukes of Hazzard on Cinemax. Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
Researchers develop stealth radar system
Researchers at Ohio State's ElectroScience Laboratory say they've created a radar system that that is virtually undetectable when used, and able to penetrate solid walls to boot -- no doubt a significant boon to military, law enforcement, and disaster rescue operations. The radar works by scattering a very low-intensity signal across a wide range of frequencies, effectively disguising itself as random noise, but apparently not actually interfering with devices because its bandwidth is much broader than the signals it's hiding in. Although it's hardly the first to pull off wall penetration, the entire radar system can be built from components totaling less than a hundred bucks. But hold up before you run out to Radio Shack, because it shouldn't come as much surprise that they aren't providing detailed DIY plans. In fact, it sounds like those industrious Ohioans already got this system patented and are looking to license the IP -- so cheap gear or not, when it comes to the tech you gotta pay up or shut up.[Via Physorg]
