LEDs are used for a long time for all kinds of data communications applications ranging from wireless IR remote controls and IrDA to wired fiber optics communication. There has been many years ago also ideas on optical wireless LANs based on infrared, but they faded quickly. But now when LED lights are becoming very popular →
When visiting Motonet show one day I saw LED light bubs display with following match for LED bulb power to classic light bulb watts (similar idea as in energy saving lamps matches certain watts normal bulb). The power ratings I saw was: 1.3W LED would match 13W normal bulb. And 2W LED would match 20W →
Whatever assurances have been given about the security of GSM cellphone calls, forget about them now. Breaking GSM With a $15 Phone … Plus Smarts article tells that a pair of researchers demonstrated a start-to-finish means of eavesdropping on encrypted GSM cellphone calls and text messages, using only four sub-$15 telephones as network “sniffers,” a →
The first law of musical robotics: rock hard. Rock Robots: PAM Can Seriously Shred, Open Source MARIE Could Do Even More article shows you some interesting videos on robotic musical experiments. Here is one of them. →
The European Commission supports industry’s commitment to provide a common charger for mobile telephones. Commission welcomes new EU standards for common mobile phone charger: European Standardisation Bodies CEN-CENELEC and ETSI have now made available the harmonised standards. The industry commits to provide chargers compatibility on the basis of the Micro-USB connector. The technical number for →
Use FPGAs for stunning surveillance camera images is a cool article on image processing performed inside modern surveillance cameras. The “stunning images” are made possible by utilizing the latest in high definition high dynamic range CMOS image sensor technology. The “valuable information” is provided by adding intelligence in the camera that can look for the →
Lego Holiday Ornament page shows how to build a set of fun holiday items with Lego. The first object you will tackle is an ornament for your tree. The project web page contains model file for free Lego Digital Designer 4.0 software. Geek Christmas Ornaments: Part 9 web page shows how to make keyboard circuitry →
Ethernet link speeds of 100 megabits per second or even 1 Gbit/s per second are typical in today’s LANs. When everything is wired to Ethernet LAN very many LAN connections are needed and they consume some power. And the faster the Ethernet connection is, typically more power it consumes. IEEE Spectrum Energy-Efficient Ethernet article tells →
Nokia, once a world leader, is losing popularity to rising stars like Google Android and Apple iOS. Android phones are selling more than Symbian phones. Google activates 300,000 phones every day and Nokia Symbian phones somewhat less. What has happened to the old clear smartphone OS leader Symbian. Why Symbian failed: developers, developers, developers article →
A working robotics prototype involves mechanical, electrical, and software design. Five golden rules for prototyping robotic systems article shares some lessons learned while designing an autonomous robotic helicopter.It shows that a well-thought-out plan for prototyping can significantly pay off in the long run and can be even more important in robotics applications than in other →