<![CDATA[[MobileRatty] tag: university]]> http://mobileratty.com/tag/university Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:55:00 +0000 iRatty Engine http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss <![CDATA[Vi-Fi While You Drive]]> http://mobileratty.com/article/6016c3f57ac5950a31bb3a7061016538 http://mobileratty.com/article/6016c3f57ac5950a31bb3a7061016538 /

Dubbed Vi-Fi, for vehicle Wi-Fi, Microsoft’s latest endeavor into car technology looks promising. In a partnership with the University of Massachussettes and the University of Washington, the software giant is working on making Wi-Fi connections in cars a steady and reliable experience, unlike current offerings from cell phone manufacturers and their laptop cards. The new system will allow multiple Wi-Fi signals to come and go at one time in order to keep the signal strong and avoid “hand-offs,” which often fumble, leading to spotty service. According to the article, the goal of Vi-Fi could be to power VoIP calls, Internet, and radio in cars of the future. [DailyTech]

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]]> Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:13:15 +0000 vi-fi unlike current offerings cell phone manufacturers multiple wi-fi signals power voip calls signal strong vehicle wi-fi avoid hand-offs cars Vi-Fi While You Drive <![CDATA[Robotic Cucumber Hand: Yummy or Not?]]> http://mobileratty.com/article/f74c3034f8e3d2b91d21e2114f90f901 http://mobileratty.com/article/f74c3034f8e3d2b91d21e2114f90f901 Here's an awesome video featuring a robotic cucumber hand, a styrofoam sheep and some other interesting creations in Pittsburgh. The easy to follow video list the ingredients as 5 seedless cucumbers, a round of cheese, basic kitchen utensils and a sensor sensitive to sound.

The result is a computerized cucumber hand that responds to sound. It's fun to watch though we are not sure how edible the final creation made by Mickey McManus, CEO of Maya Design actually is. Here's a step-by-step how to from YouTube.

There's also Moe, a six-legged Styrofoam sheep. Moe has ultrasonic range finders to keep him from crashing into objects while an invisible fence ensures he stays within the fence.

The robots were created as part of Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institutes's citywide outreach program in Pittsburgh this week.

Pittsburgh Puts Robots to Work [Wall Street Journal]

 


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]]> Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:24:35 +0000 robotic cucumber hand cucumber hand invisible fence ensures fence styrofoam sheep ultrasonic range finders wall street journal citywide outreach program follow video list Robotic Cucumber Hand: Yummy or Not? <![CDATA[Study Questions Whether or Not We Really Need Sleep]]> http://mobileratty.com/article/b29f7d55fe44de2d046dcfc12f0e6336 http://mobileratty.com/article/b29f7d55fe44de2d046dcfc12f0e6336

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin, Madison are wondering whether sleep is an essential part of life or something that has evolved over time to avoid stress and kill time.


]]> Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:49:42 +0000 time kill time avoid stress university wisconsin madison researchers essential life Study Questions Whether or Not We Really Need Sleep <![CDATA[Wood Burning Truck Travels Coast to Coast]]> http://mobileratty.com/article/da8b4961dca43b0928fb2d12cf9541d2 http://mobileratty.com/article/da8b4961dca43b0928fb2d12cf9541d2

Almost everyone is looking for ways to provide cleaner means of transportation without breaking the bank in the process. Renewable Energy Systems (RES) LLC has teamed up with Auburn University in an endeavor to show that such system are out there and often times are well with reach of many people.


]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:32:00 +0000 renewable energy systems syngas dodge dakota auburn university provide cleaner hybrid wood reach system res cars Wood Burning Truck Travels Coast to Coast <![CDATA[Worlds Smallest Linux PC fits in your hand!]]> http://mobileratty.com/article/77b5b4d93ffe82882976b47afebe74fb http://mobileratty.com/article/77b5b4d93ffe82882976b47afebe74fb

Okay, don’t get me wrong, this ISN’T the world’s smallest Linux PC.  Actually, the smallest Linux PC maybe even smaller as embedded Linux has evolved.

But from PC users’ standpoint, this Linux PC pictured above isn’t big at all, in fact, it’s as small as an apple designed for use in spaceships.

What’s the point?  It looks cool and eventually we should be able to replace bulky desktop PCs with these little min-versions.

So, would you like a Space Cube? Tough luck, at least for the moment. Outside of Japan - where the Cube has been developed by the Shimafuji Corporation - your best bet is to keep watching the Star Dundee website. It’s an offshoot of the Space Systems Research Group of the University of Dundee. They’re planning to sell the Space Cube once a few technical issues are ironed out and, unfortunately, it’ll be a bit more expensive than the price we found before - around $325. Instead, this remarkable PC will probably be going for around £1,500.

via pcpro

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World’s Smallest Linux PC fits in your hand!

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]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:06:25 +0000 linux linux box plc users users space systems research systems research users standpoint standpoint star dundee website Worlds Smallest Linux PC fits in your hand! <![CDATA[ Microsoft Working on "Vi-Fi": Brings Seamless Internet and VoIP to Vehicles [Vi-fi] ]]> http://mobileratty.com/article/8b54ae944b373d4f748cc47a36ddda9c http://mobileratty.com/article/8b54ae944b373d4f748cc47a36ddda9c As if you didn't already spend enough time on the internet, Microsoft is looking to feed your addiction even further by developing a reliable "Vi-Fi" system for automobiles. The major problem that must be overcome is the fact that current Wi-Fi networks suffer hiccups in service as you pass through. This is especially true when moving out of the range of one base station and into another. To smooth the transition process, Microsoft and a team from the University of Massachusetts are working on building a network based around a base station anchor that is backed up by several auxiliary base stations in the area.

In other words, a computer or other wireless device that taps into the Vi-Fi system would select one base station at a time as an anchor. Using a complex algorithm, the system will calculate the probability that a packet received by an auxiliary base station was not received by the anchor. If the probability is high, the auxiliary will relay the packet to the anchor as a backup.

Microsoft hopes that their research will lead to the first truly reliable Wi-Fi system for vehicles, and recent tests conducted on their campus have been extremely successful. The next step is to scale up the project around the campus, but how or when a Vi-Fi system could be implemented in the real world has not been determined. Of course, one major hurdle would have to be that a serious municipal Wi-Fi infrastructure would be required to get the project off the ground. [SeattlePi via DailyTech via Newlaunches]


]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:30:57 +0000 vi-fi base station base station anchor auxiliary base station vi-fi system system microsoft auxiliary anchor Microsoft Working on "Vi-Fi": Brings Seamless Internet and VoIP to Vehicles [Vi-fi] <![CDATA[Vi-Fi While You Drive]]> http://mobileratty.com/article/7b9e9a21c836403fb7286b8ed4e4680a http://mobileratty.com/article/7b9e9a21c836403fb7286b8ed4e4680a Vi-Fi While You Drive

Wi-Fi definitely wasn’t built for the road, so if you plan on using a Wi-Fi network to make VoIP calls whilst driving, you probably won’t enjoy the experience too much. Microsoft and the University of Washington look like they’re trying to change that with a new technology called ViFi (Vehicle Wi-Fi), which aims to give users a steady signal whilst they drive. Wi-Fi doesn’t have the best of reputations when you’re moving, mainly due to the fact that it’ll have to switch to another base station when the distance to the current base station gets too far. The new design would allow for multiple base stations to be used simultaneously, with the station with the strongest strength designated the “anchor” system, and the others as “auxiliary” systems.

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]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:33:40 +0000 station current base station wi-fi base station wi-fi network vehicle wi-fi drive multiple base stations steady signal whilst Vi-Fi While You Drive <![CDATA[The Visual Assistance Card]]> http://mobileratty.com/article/11ae732bacbab4dab6b50e7e06eb0af6 http://mobileratty.com/article/11ae732bacbab4dab6b50e7e06eb0af6 Imagine being blind for a minute, and you have to go to the store to pick up a few things. You have everything in your basket ready to be checked out and since you have no cash in your pocket, you whip out the old trustworthy debit card. However, since debit/credit card machines have pretty much gone all digital, you will have to trust the clerk to help you with entering your private information. Yeah, pretty scary huh? Kyle Lechtenberg, an Industrial Design grad from Auburn University - WAR EAGLE! - placed himself in the shoes of the visually impaired and has created the Visual Assistance Card. The card lays on top of the debit/credit card reader and through the use of Braille imprinted on the card, the user is able to keep their personal information private thus increasing their independence while shopping in any store. The Visual Assistance Card is light weight and can be easily stored out of the way until future use. Definitely designed for usability - a must in today’s world.

Designer: Kyle Lechtenberg

]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 03:58:50 +0000 card visual assistance card card lays debitcredit card machines trustworthy debit card kyle lechtenberg debitcredit card reader industrial design grad pretty scary The Visual Assistance Card <![CDATA[Physicists develop microlens with earth-shatteringly short focal length]]> http://mobileratty.com/article/c2da298419ca74ab0aaa3201547f1435 http://mobileratty.com/article/c2da298419ca74ab0aaa3201547f1435 Filed under: ,

It's hard to say when we, the consumers, will actually see any real benefit from the latest noteworthy discovery from Northeastern University, but we can only imagine that Srinivas Sridhar and team aren't wasting any time moving things forward. Said crew has recently created a "new microlens that focuses infrared light at telecommunication frequencies," and if you're looking for specifics, it can focus an infrared beam to a spot just 12-micrometers away from the surface. The science behind the discovery is probably only digestible by those that understand rocket science, but the long of short of it is this: the "research shows that it is possible to create smaller, ultra-compact infrared optical components that can be integrated into existing semiconductor technologies while not sacrificing image quality." Now that's something even the layman can appreciate.

[Via Physorg]
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]]> Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:42:00 +0000 discovery rocket science science noteworthy discovery srinivas sridhar microlens digital cameras optical components short Physicists develop microlens with earth-shatteringly short focal length <![CDATA[Motorola Deploys Campus-Wide Wireless LAN for Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications]]> http://mobileratty.com/article/7056663c1aa328a719c284baa9989b18 http://mobileratty.com/article/7056663c1aa328a719c284baa9989b18
SAN JOSE, Calif. – 27 August 2008 – The Enterprise Mobility business of Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced that it has deployed a campus-wide wireless LAN (WLAN) for Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, one of the top universities in China. The campus-wide WLAN will enable multimedia Internet-based teaching, automatic academic office management, Internet access, long-distance teaching and many other services. Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications is one of the few universities in China to provide complete wireless LAN coverage to every building in addition to the campus’ outdoor spaces.

“With its high performance and scalability, Motorola’s wireless LAN solutions will provide the university with reliable, end-to-end coverage, security and manageability both outdoors and inside academic and administrative buildings, hostels, and canteens,” said Jian-Zheng Xu, campus network manager, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications. “Motorola is helping us realize our goal of managing and teaching through the WLAN network to provide convenience to the lecturers and enhance the students’ learning experiences.”

The Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications WLAN features Motorola solutions for indoor and outdoor coverage, enabling an all-wireless enterprise. To deliver campus-wide coverage spanning more than 4.5 million square feet and with the potential to support 15,000 users, the WLAN required 600 access points (APs) including Motorola AP300 wireless access ports and mesh-enabled AP-5131 access points. The campus also utilizes Motorola’s highly scalable RFS7000 RF switch which features the Wi-NG architecture and the RF Management suite. The mesh connectivity of the AP-5131 complements the existing wired network points and extends the WLAN outdoors blanketing virtually every open space across the university.

Motorola’s enterprise WLAN solution centrally manages all the wireless APs and integrates with the telecommunications network. This enables the IT management team to control and monitor the entire wireless network at the campus network center to ensure that the system is able to automatically detect and report any AP errors and, seamlessly, adjust the power of nearby APs to compensate for blind spot areas. The system can provide backup data for two campuses so that the WLAN coverage will not be affected if either the wireless network or wired network is disrupted. Additionally, the Motorola WLAN provides state-of-the art security with support for Wi-Fi protected access (WPA) and WPA2. The inclusion of a wireless intrusion protection system (WIPS) further enhances security by monitoring, detecting, protecting and helping prevent intrusions to the wireless network.

The WLAN at Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications will enable wireless Internet access for its lecturers, students, staff and distinguished visitors at any location on the campus. User verification is managed through a central verification platform at the campus network center to ensure security, stability and manageability of the network.

“Motorola’s wireless switches and AP distribution technology are ideal for large-scale WLAN deployments in education, healthcare, and the hospitality industry,” said Steve Choi, general manager of Greater China, Motorola’s Enterprise Mobility Business. “Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications is a pioneer in deploying an indoor and outdoor wireless LAN to enhance the learning experience.”

Enterprise WLAN is part of Motorola’s portfolio of innovative wireless broadband solutions and services that complement and complete internet protocol (IP) networks. Delivering IP coverage to virtually all spaces both indoors and outdoors, the portfolio includes fixed broadband, mesh, broadband over powerline, WiMAX and Enterprise WLAN solutions for private and public networks.

Revenue has been recorded in previous periods.

]]> Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:55:00 +0000 campus campus-wide wireless lan coverage deliver campus-wide coverage wlan wlan network campus outdoor spaces spaces campus network center Motorola Deploys Campus-Wide Wireless LAN for Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications