Harry Potter's invisibility cloak

A small version of the Harry Potter's invisibility cloak now exists, though it works only in microwave light, and not visible light, so far. Still, it's a nifty trick, and the physicists who've created the new cloak say it's a step closer to realizing the kind of invisibility cloak that could hide a person in broad daylight.

The invention is made of a new kind of material called a metascreen, created from strips of copper tape attached to a flexible polycarbonate film. The copper strips are only 66 micrometers (66 millionths of a meter) thick, while the polycarbonate film is 100 micrometers thick, and the two are combined in a diagonal fishnet pattern.

'The overall effect is transparency and invisibility at all angles of observation.'

- Andrea Ali, a physicist at the University of Texas at Austin

The creation is a departure from previous attempts to create invisibility cloaks, which have aimed to bend light rays around an object so that they don't scatter, or reflect off it, a technique that relies on so-called bulk metamaterials. Instead, the new cloak uses a technique called mantle cloaking to cancel out light waves that bounce off the shielded object so that none survive to reach an observer's eye. 

"When the scattered fields from the cloak and the object interfere, they cancel each other out and the overall effect is transparency and invisibility at all angles of observation," study co-author Andrea Ali, a physicist at the University of Texas at Austin, said. In lab tests, Ali and his colleagues successfully hid a 7-inch-long cylindrical rod from view in microwave light. They said the same technology should be able to cloak oddly shaped and asymmetrical objects, too.

"The advantages of the mantle cloaking over existing techniques are its conformability, ease of manufacturing and improved bandwidth," Ali said. "We have shown that you don't need a bulk metamaterial to cancel the scattering from an object — a simple patterned surface that is conformal to the object may be sufficient and, in many regards, even better than a bulk metamaterial." In principle, the same kind of cloak could be used to hide objects in the visible range of light, as well, though it may work only for teensy-tiny objects, at least at first.

"In fact, metascreens are easier to realize at visible frequencies than bulk metamaterials and this idea could put us closer to a practical realization," Ali said. "However, the size of the objects that can be efficiently cloaked with this method scales with the wavelength of operation, so when applied to optical frequencies we may be able to efficiently stop the scattering of micrometer-sized objects." The invention isn't just a novelty to thrill Harry Potter fans and aspiring spies. The researchers say it could have practical applications down the line, such as in noninvasive sensing devices or in biomedical instruments. They described their device in a paper published in an issue of the New Journal of Physics.

Here a little clip from the movie to remember how awesome was that cloak: 

Samsung flexible amoled display

Samsung said that it had developed a prototype flexible color video screen that is small enough to be rolled around a pencil. The screen consists of an ultra-thin flexible material that is covered in semiconductors, potentially pointing to a future of flexible mobile devices like TVs, electronic newspapers and magazines.

"Even after 1,000 cycles of repeatedly rolling-up and stretching the display, there was no clear degradation in the display’s ability to reproduce moving images", Sony told AFP News of its flexible Organic Light Emitting Display (OLED).Sony is not the only Japanese firm working on a long-lasting flexible display.  Â  NHK has been working on a similar product in recent years as well.

Japan’s department of New Energy and Industrial Technologies (Nedo) is also heading up a research program in an attempt to create a manufacturing chain for the displays similar to the way newspapers are printed. Samsung said that the prototype screen was presented at a conference in Seattle.

Samsung has integrated Organic Thin-Film Transistors (OTFTs) and OLEDs in this 20-micrometer thick flexible substrate. A flexible on-panel gate-driver circuit with OTFTs and soft organic insulators means that Sony has been able to create the display without using conventional rigid driver integrated circuit (IC) chips.

The screen is 4.1-inches wide and 80 micrometers thick, with a resolution of 432 x 240 pixels at 121 pixels per inch (ppi) and the ability of producing 16.8 million colors with a peak brightness of over 100 cd/m2 peak and contrast ratio over 1000:1.

After 1000 cycles of repeatedly rolling-up and un-rolling the display there was no effect on the quality of the moving images on the screen.

Production issues reportedly forced Samsung to put back its plans for Youm, after it demoed a phone with a flexible OLED screen at CES 2012.

Samsung was apparently switching to laser-induced thermal imaging to produce higher-resolution AMOLED screens than it could with the fine metal mask method it's currently using, according to Phonearena.

Further, there's the question of encapsulation. The materials in OLEDs degrade when exposed to air and moisture, so they must be encapsulated. Currently, screen manufacturers are using glass, but you have to use some plastic substrate if you want to make the screen unbreakable.

One more time Samsung brings their good technology for us making people wants every piece of technology that they create, this screen will change the way we are used to work with our phones and our tv’s. The only bad thing that I can tell you guys is that is not fun to be expending money every year to get all this cool and new stuff. I wish that they create a system so we can be able to change our old stuff for the new ones for less money, it will be awesome to upgrade every year without any big problem with the money. I will see you in the next blog and I will bring more information from the interesting world of technology, I hope you enjoy this cool view to the future.

Brazil, electric taxis

The City of São Paulo, with the Renault-Nissan, AES Eletropaulo and Adetax (Taxis Association of São Paulo), has launched a pilot program to evaluate the feasibility of using electric vehicles as taxis in the city of São Paulo.

The experience is based on the compact model Nissan Leaf, the first 100% electric vehicle manufactured world scale able to transfer energy to a home. Two units will start the practical part of the pilot program in the coming weeks by a previously established circuit in São Paulo beltway. The program includes professional drivers who have been specifically trained by Nissan do Brasil.

The program has a network load of 15 points, five fast chargers where the Leaf is reset to a maximum of 30 minutes (full load reverses conventional eight hours). Program partners will analyze in detail the needs of taxi drivers, the best places for rapid charging and maintenance and performance of a zero-emission vehicles. The autonomy of these models is 160 km.

With respect to its propulsion, the Nissan LEAF has a laminated compact lithium-ion batteries, which generate power output of over 90 kW, while its electric motor delivers 80 kW and 280 Nm of torque. Unlike the internal combustion engine, has no exhaust pipe, therefore, has no CO2 emissions or other toxic gases. A combination of the braking system and batteries allow you to have a range of up to 160 kilometers.

The charging mode can take up to thirty minutes on a fast charge and up to 80% through a 220 V outlet is estimated to take eight hours to complete the battery.

On the streets of São Paulo not only study the behavior of the electric car, but also, this pilot aims to include a charging network about fifteen points. Thus, the city of San Pablo is the first in South America to employ such policies.

At the moment, there are two units available but then added another eight that roam the streets of San Pablo.

Here i will give you 5 things that you should know about electric cars and i will expect you to come back for my next post :

1. They Don’t Drain the Grid

Believe it or not, recharging an electric car uses approximately the same amount of energy per year as the average use of 4 plasma TVs.

2. They’re more Fuel-Efficient

Gas-powered cars are roughly 20% fuel-efficient. Electric cars are about 80% fuel-efficient.

3. Refueling them is Easier on Your Wallet

Depending on your current car’s mileage per gallon, a 100-mile trip will cost you upwards of $10. One hundred miles in an electric car will set you back about $3.

4. You Can Recharge Any Time

Contrary to what’s often reported, electric cars can be charged at any time during the day or night. But it’s cheaper and cleaner to do it at night when the demand for electricity is lower and renewable power sources such as wind are feeding the grid to a greater degree. And since a full charge currently takes about eight hours, there’s no better time to fuel up than while you’re catching some z’s.

5. They’re Clean AND Green

Using less fossil fuel is inherently green. But when you consider that using an electric vehicle results in a 30% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared to a gas powered car, that certainly completes the planet-friendly picture.

                                 

Samsung Galaxy

Last year was one of the best years for the North Korean company, after they present to the public the Samsung Galaxy S III  With a design that can make jealous his biggest rival of the moment, Apple, they accused Samsung for stilling some ideas for their phone.    

Apple has always been in huge battleground since its existence first it was IBM then Microsoft and now Samsung and Google. With recent launching of iPhone 5 the battle seems to have intensified. But at the end I believe that apple created this entire problem because they feel like losing people from buying their products.

Touchscreen electronic devises are ruling the world and Samsung seems to be on the leader board with their product, Samsung Galaxy S III was such successes that they are working on the next version of this devise. Since last year the rumors were spreaded all over the world forcing apple to release their iPhone 5. Rumors go around and around but the true is that the wait is coming to its end. 

    

While Samsung is keeping in secrets on its future product release, a 'leak' of information claim the South Korean firm is putting the final touches to its fourth-generation almost certainly to be called the Samsung Galaxy S4. While Samsung is keeping in secrets on its future product release, a 'leak' of information claim the South Korean firm is putting the final touches to its fourth-generation almost certainly to be called the Samsung Galaxy S4. The Samsung S3 release took place in London on the 3rd of May 2012, so Samsung has only allowed for 10 months between handsets. The S3 then went on sale to the public on the 29th of May worldwide, and so you can expect to have the S4 in your hands by the middle of April at the latest.

One of the most commented features of this new devise is the Eye-Tracking Scroll Technology. An anonymous source told the New York Times that the new smartphone will use its front-facing camera to track the position of users' eyes, and so scroll through web pages without you having to leave fingerprints on the screen.

After months of rumors, the release date for the Samsung Galaxy S4 could be just around the corner, Samsung has sent out invitations to come and meet the next Galaxy at an event in New York on March 14th. The event, hosted at NYC’s Radio City Music Hall, will be live streamed on the firm’s YouTube Channel. Samsung is planning to present the new Samsung Galaxy S4 to the public in Times Square at the same time of the official release.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 made a case for the Android operating system like no phone before it. It picked up the T3 Gadget Award for Best Smartphone of the Year 2012 and regularly tops lists of the best smartphones available on the market.

A rumor reported to Sammobile from a "trusted insider" at Samsung pegs the Galaxy S4 release for March 15, 2013. Apparently, the handset will then go on sale in the second week of April, with Europe getting first dibs. Some believe the phone will be more like the Galaxy Note 2, rather than the Galaxy S3.

We just have to keep waiting for this devise and compare then the big change, I hope that this phone brings more new features than the S3, because we don’t want to companies doing the same every time but adding more to the price of their devises, yeah an example of that … Apple.