South Korea - a group of scientists has created a transparent non-volatile memory chip (like the ones used in flash drives), a breakthrough that can open the way for see-through computers and other devices. The technology, named TRRAM (Transparent Resistive Random Access Memory) could take the place of the metal-oxide semiconductors (CMOS), widely in use today. CMOS chips are widely used in USB memory devices, and employed in the manufacture of microprocessors, microcontrollers and various types of digital logic circuits. The technology used to build TRRAM is very simple. The circuit is designed using a transparent oxide film with electrodes on glass or plastic circuit boards. The new transparent memory chip has an operational life expectancy that exceeds 10 years.

The good news doesn't stop here. The full-scale commercial production of the TRRAM chips and other similar technologies could take off in less than 3-4 years, opening a new dimension of the development of electronic appliances and machinery. Below are some transparent gadget designs... the future looks bright transparent .

It has been coming for years now, although nothing confirmed as yet. However, sources indicate that SONY is targeting the release of the PSP-4000, the successor of the PSP, during 2009, with the PSP2 coming a some time after that. What's more is that there are rumours that game developers are already working on new titles for the PSP2. News or speculation? We let you decide. In the meantime, enjoiy some of the most ambitious designs, and probably, how users would want their PSP2 to look like.

Probably the most original look. Larger screen, more portable and very very cool design!

Same as the image below, with the button slider open

A mockup/copy of the Nintendo DS... can never see a PSP like this. However... good try

A slimmer, sleeker PSP, based on the current design

Well... let us know what you think and which model of the above three you like most!

Definitely a new concept in the automotive industry... and more definitely a new alternative energy to move us around. This is a human-hybrid vehicle, which, by packing an entire health club inside a car, your training, not only helps you staying fit, but allows you to move around.

How does this work? Well... in theory quite simple. The car packs inside it popular gym equipment like a step machine, rowing machine, bench press, pull-up simulator and weights, all within the car's discrete dimensions. While training, the car charges batteries which will then power the four electric motors located in the wheels. Quite an interesting concept I must say.

This car was designed by a Coventry University (Britain for those of you who don't know ) as an idea for a competitions sponsored by P4 Cad Cam, a creative design consultancy and model-making company in England.

The exterior of the car is not humble either. Reminding of a hybrid between an F1 car, the bat-mobile and an F-117A stealth fighter, the designer (Mr. Feng) stated he came up with this design inspired by World War II fighter planes.

What isn't as yet clear is if you can exercise while driving... which could be dangerous, as it would seriously inhibit your ability to steer... and even to see the road ahead (figure - bench pressing and driving). However, the car can provide a good distraction, and something useful to do in traffic jams. For those that are about to dart away and amend their Christmas wish lish, first we must wait and see if this car will ever make it to production.

A team of researchers at the ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories in Japan have come out with a technology that is allowing them to reconstruct images from inside a person's mind and display them on a computer monitor. They are indicating that in the non-so-distant future, they will be able to visualise people's dreams while they sleep. The idea behind this technology is nothing complex, and several similar experiments have been tried out in the past utilizing different machinery and sensors, but this is absolutely the first breakthrough of the sort, and an extremly promising one.

The technology utilized was the changes in the cerebral blood flow monitored by a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Machine. The subjects were given tablets containing various images and texts (shown above and below) in tha 10 x 10 pixel matrix. 400 ot these tablents were shown to the subjects for a period of 12 seconds each, and whilst the fMRI monitored changes in brain activity, and a computer elaborated the data with each of the different designs presented. Then when the subjects were demonstrated the tablets with the words N-E-U-R-O-N, the computer was able to reconstruct the words based solely on the subjects' brain activity.

Even though at present the technology is able to reproduce only monochromatic images, Dr. Kang Cheng, a researcher from the RIKEN Brain Science Instititue, indicated that by improving measurement activity, it will be possible to reproduce images in colour. He also stated that in 10 years time, the advancements of the technology will allow us to read out a person's thoughts within a certain degree of accuracy.

But what are the applciations for such a technology? It would be possible to access quickly and easily images within artists' and designers' heads. The technology might also lead to a new approach in the treatment of some psychiatric disorders involving hallucinations, whereby doctors will be provided with a window on the mind of the patient.

That's more to it. According to the ATR chief researcher Yukiyasu Kamitani, the technology can be applied to other senses, making it possible in not such a so distant future to read feelings and complicated emotional states.

Doesn't this make the famous lie detector machine look absurdly absolete?

One thing that totally fascinates me, and which has slowly become one of my major areas of interest is astrophysics. The grandiosity of the universe is so hard to comprehend, and its complexity and mysteries, all waiting to be discovered, have lured scientists from the dawn of mankind.

As you have probably read in the news today (for those of you, which will definitely read this blog in the future, here's a link to the Article), scientists have now confirmed the existance of a SuperMassive Black hole at the centre of our galaxy - the Milky Way. The most difficult thing to comprehend is to understand the magnitude of this stellar giant at the centre of our galaxy, and what role it has in the stability of the whole stellar system within.

An artist's impression of the centre of our galaxy.

First of all, let us talk about it's mass and dimensions. The latest studies have indicated that the mass of this object is 4 Million Solar Masses (compared to the previous 3.7 Million estimate), with a diameter of 44 Million kilometers. But what do these figures represent? Here is a quick comparison:

• Sun - 333,000 times mass of Earth
  Sagittarius-A - 1.33 Trillion (1,330,000,000,000) times mass of Earth
• Sun - 110 times diamter of Earth
  Sagittarius-A - 3350 times diameter of Earth
• Sun - 5.58 Million (5,580,000) times volume of Earth
  Sagittarius-A - 158 Billion (158,000,000,000) times volume of Earth
• Sun - 0.0597 times density of earth (16.7 times less dense)
  Sagittarius-A - 8.41 times denser than earth

The density is also impressive. A volume of 10cm x 10cm x10cm (1000cc) was to be filled with each of the following, here are the respective weights:

• Water - 1Kg
• Gold - 19.3Kgs
• Osmium (densest element known to man) - 22.61Kgs
• Earth (average) - 6.88Kgs
• Sun (average) - 0.41Kgs
• Sagittarius A (average) - 58Kgs

The impressive density of the black hole, which is higher than any known element or material makes its action on the galaxy even more apparent, but this will be tackled in another blog entry.

Relative positioning of Earth and Sagittarius-A in the Milky Way

No... this isn't a photo shopped image.. this is the real thing. Italian company Covini has confirmed the commercial production of the C6W pictured below - the world's first commercial 6-wheeler sports car.

Originally designed as a Formula One race car, and presented to the public in 2004, the Covini C6W is now to be come street-legal. As pretty obvious, the Covini C6W is very unusual, with 6 wheels, however these give further advantages to the car, namely better road-grip, thus it can corner at higher speeds, and improved absorbtion of street impacts at the front of the car, thus delivering a smoother ride.

The body of the car is made mostly of carbon fibre and fiberglass. The Audi V8 engine, similar to the one used in the Audi R8 4.2, has been specially tuned by Corvini to generate over 430 horsepower, allowing the car to cruise at a whopping 185MPH/300KMPH. The interior of the car exudes luxury, with digital instrument guages and blue leather bucket seats. You can get yours towards the end of 2009.

And if you still aren't convinced that this is not a photoshop arwork, check out the video of the car on the racetrack I uploaded a shot of it on the racetrack in the video section. Enjoy!

Cars - although they've been with for just about a century, they have radically transformed the lifestyle of pace of the whole planet. People can now travel greater distances and experience a higher level of indipendence. But what if suddenly, cars were to be no longer? This question has arised following first the continuous depletion of our fuel resources, and now, it is greatly emphasised by global warming and emission control. Over the past decade there have been substancial developments in alternative power technologies for mobile vehicles. In this article we will go through the different forms of technologies, their pros and cons, and how does the future look for all of them.

Hybrid Technology
Hybrid vehicles have been around for quite a few years. Most of them function by having a standard fuel engine (diesel or petrol), and then a battery pack paired with electric motors on each wheel. Energy is created by the main fuel engine, however part of it is harvested in the battery packs and energy from braking, going down hills is also stored there. These vehicles however, are just a transitory technology, in what main energy will in the future be derived probably from Hydrogen or Bio-Fuels. Hybrid vehicles are becoming more popular. The only drawback is the increase in premium that a buyer must pay for the vehicle, although price difference is decreasing as the technology evolves.

Fully Electric Cars
Fully electric cars have been around also for a few years, but have had a very poor penetration typically because of the excess weight taken by the batteries since they have to deliver all the power for the car, their low speed (not more than 80kmph in most cases) and poor milage (about 100-150km) covered per charge. Additionally, charging times vary from 8 to 12 hours, which can be an inconvenient. Finally, charging could only happen at home, and thus the car's niche market was limited to urban usage. However, things are changing fast. Lately, sports cars are being constructed as fully electric cars. With new battery technologies, which deliver lighter and more power batteries, new cars are being constructed which can acheive speeds in excess of 200kmph, have a distance autonomy of over 300km (and this will increase at a steady 35-50% rate each year), and best of all, can achieve a 95% charge from flat in 8 minutes! Charging points for the cars are being installed in several fuel stations and parking areas. This is definitely a technology that will be extremely popular in the following decade.

Solar Powered Cars
Solar Power - more specifically photovoltaic technology - has been around for the past 40 years or so. Concept cars powered by solar energy have been around for over a decade, however none has made it to the production line, mainly for one simple reason - solar energy harvesting technology is not powerful enough to drive a car. Even though prospectives for the technology are bright, and in a couple of decades can reach a level where solar energy on its own will be enough to power a vehicle decently, the future of this technology lies mainly in the integration of the photovoltaic cells with fully electric cars or hybrid cars, which will help in charging the battery when the car is in direct sunlight, and thus reduce on the base charging time/bill.

Hydrogen Powered Cars
Hydrogen is definitely the power of the future. Featuring zero carbon emissions (combustion produces just water vapour), and can be utilized via fuel-cell technology, which has no moving parts and is extremely more energy efficient than internal combusion engines. Hydrogen can be produced by electrolysis of water, and is therefore potentially widely and unlimitedly available. The only drawback of hydrogen is that is a very low density gas, and cannot be converted to a liquid at room temperature. However, new technologies for "packing" larger amounts of hydrogen in tighter space at reduced pressures are being developed, using complex carbon arrays, that have increased the density by a six-fold over previous technologies. Hydrogen will find its place on the market in hydrogen-electric hybrid cars. Some manufacturers are already planning to produce in series hyrdogen-electric hybrid vehicles.

Bio Fuels
Bio Fuels such as Bio-Ethanol and Bio-Diesel are chemical compounds similar to the crude-oil derived counterparts, but derived from crops and fruits grown commercially. These are being considered as the transition fuel on the way to Hydrogen, as they are easier to produce, and most car engines operate on them. The future of bio fuels lies mainly in aviation and marine industry, as, especially in the case of aviation, no alternative technology known till now can store enough energy in a low mass as to move air planes over large distances carrying heavy loads.

Methane
Methane is a gas derived from a variety of natural and industrial processes. It is cheap to manufacture and distribute. The only problem it has for integration into cars is that it requires very heavy containers so as to carry it around, not as much as hydrogen though. It can also power a fuel cell. Methane will probably assist in the transition of vehicles from liquid fuels to hydrogen. It is also the gas of choice that will power a number of mobile devices in the future.

As it is apparent, the auto industry is moving towards greener energies, and at the same time not compromising performance as we know it today. Obviously, cars will tend to get lighter, and SUV's have a very grim future ahead. Nonetheless, technology is progressing at an amazing pace, and it can safely be stated that the transition from liquid carbon based fuels, to clean, non-carbon based technologies in the automotive industry has started.