Friday, July 29, 2011

Chinese supermarket trialling WiFi-enabled tablet PC-equipped shopping carts

Chinese supermarket trialling WiFi-enabled tablet PC-equipped shopping carts: "It doesn't have quite the appeal of sending a robot to do your shopping, but this Smart Cart service being trialed by SK Telecom could definitely take some of the hassle out of trolling the supermarket aisles."

Cows check in for meals using electronic ear tags

Cows check in for meals using electronic ear tags: "With diseases such as Foot and Mouth, TB, and of course Mad Cow still presenting a danger to cattle, it's of the utmost importance that farmers monitor the health of their animals, and immediately proceed to isolate any that might be showing symptoms."

Hitting the brakes by reading drivers’ minds

Hitting the brakes by reading drivers’ minds: "With human error the predominant cause of car accidents, automatic braking systems like the Pedestrian Detection system found in the Volvo S60 use cameras and sensors to assist drivers in detecting oncoming hazards and automatically applying the brakes."

Wireless sensor to monitor structural integrity of bridges

Wireless sensor to monitor structural integrity of bridges: "According to a 2009 estimate by the U.S. Society of Civil Engineers, more than one in four U.S. bridges are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. While newer 'smart' bridges have embedded wired networks of sensors to monitor their structural integrity, the high cost of installing such systems on existing bridges is simply unaffordable for strained city, state and federal budgets."

'Roll it' turns compact housing on its head

'Roll it' turns compact housing on its head: "Students from the University of Karlsruhe in Germany have created a flexible housing solution that makes the most of its minimal interior space in a very unusual way. Dubbed 'Roll it', this cylinder-shaped home changes its purpose depending on its orientation - roll the the work space 180 degrees and it becomes a bed, the kitchen becomes a bathroom and you even get some exercise in the mouse wheel-like center section when you decide to 'move house'."