Saturday 23 March 2013

The First 'Perfect' Invisible Clock Completely Conceal an Object from Microwaves

It's not quite the visible-spectrum breakthrough we're waiting for, but invisibility science has hit a theoretical high point.

The 'Perfect' Invisibility Cloak 
A big step forward in invisibility cloaking: Researchers have pulled off the first ever 'perfect' cloaking of an object. 

Rending a small cylinder completely invisible while creating absolutely no reflections of incident light that might give the concealed object away. The catch? The object was centimeter-scale, and the cloaking was done in the microwave spectrum rather than in visible light. Your invisibility cloak is still on hold.
But that doesn’t make this any less of a breakthrough where metamaterials and cloaking are concerned. Many attempts at cloaking have been made, and many have been some degree of successful. But the original theory that led to all this cloaking science says that we should be able to cloak objects entirely, and up to this point we’ve failed to do that. Every other attempt has, to some extent, left behind small reflections of incident light.
Successfully bent light waves around the target object to make it appear invisible, they still didn’t perfectly translate the light from behind the object to the space in front of the object--had these attempts happened in the visible spectrum, the space concealing the object would’ve appeared dark or discolored or otherwise not quite right.
This stuff is of course quite complicated and these kinds of cloaking materials can be extremely expensive and difficult to produce, but nonetheless a Duke University team has managed to create what it believes is the first cloak that achieves perfect invisibility by concealing a one-centimeter-tall cylinder from microwave detection without any incident reflections.
The trick: a diamond-shaped material cloak that was extremely finely tuned at the diamonds corners to ensure the light bent perfectly around the object with no aberrations. The catch: this cloak only works from one-direction, and would be really difficult to replicate in the visible spectrum. Still, it’s a milestone and a step forward for the discipline; microwave cloaks could be important in future communications and defense applications, as the world around us is not tuned strictly to the visible spectrum.
Comic Relief’s ‘Red Nose Day’ 25 Years On!

Last Saturday was Red Nose Day’s 25th Anniversary, and one of the UK’s premier charity fund raising events. A concept and television and radio driven event designed to elevate awareness of poverty and raise significant amount to funds via comedic stand-up acts, humorous theatrical productions, high profile funny for money TV challenges and on-the-street and school fund raisers.

‘Davis Brent’ (the first person to get 9 million hits on iPOD, bless) did an update rendition of ‘The Office’ 10 years on. Pop star Jessie Jay shaved her head to raise some funny money! One Direction was filmed in Africa, crying with despair (with their million pound contract). Mr Bean played a cranky Bishop (he lives in mansion house in Kent). The Gay Dr gave out some emollient cream (Ooo! Madam).  And Simon Cowell, well, ‘I would thee trove!’ You did something ‘funny for money’ (www.BBC.Co.UK/rednoseday)! And this kind of satirical kindness does ease anguish somewhat.

Red Nose Day and other kin do a lot of decent work from these efforts. Often saving lives. But they are acutely short-term and definitely not systemic solutions that bring poverty to an end. The trouble is that Red Nose type events are so pervasive, so extravaganza, and run by people that haven’t a clue about moving from such ‘Zero-Sum’ strategies (which is what they are engaging in) to ‘Positive-Sum’ policy and approaches. That it totally whitewashes and overshadows the real issue!

Poverty is not merely a sociological, short-term phenomenon. So what then? What is the alternative as I criticize as Red Nose Day?

The prime cause of poverty is technological – period! Look at any modern economy that is thriving or beginning to grow (BRICS, E7 and N11) and they will be a technologically advanced nations or emerging as a technological state.

What are needed are technological strategies and tools that attack poverty systemically. Positive sum strategies where the whole is greater than the sum! So, before we look at the underlying technological issues and solutions, take a look at the outcomes of poverty. Where much of the effort is focussed.

Wheel spinning governments, analytical pecuniary institutions and malignant demand-based charities utter the inconsiderate benchmarks for what they consider poverty to be. They overtly say that 4 billion people on this planet live under or somewhere around the so-called poverty-line. A billion people live under the fiscal measure of on or below 2 dollars a day. And of course the institutes must know, they are wise after all.
Well, I have been around for 50 years and travelled the world. Yes, much has been at the behest of corporate edicts and generous expenses; but much has been at the will of a rucksack and walking shoes around inner India, Africa and East Asia. And my experiences and definition of poverty is far from merely fiscal.

So let me tell you what poverty is, and more’s the point, what poverty does.  Here’s quote from my forthcoming book:

Poverty is complex! A huge variable condition set by growing populations outpacing productivity, ultimately leading to extreme economic margin. In times of crisis it is children and families wasting away; babies shrilling and emaciated souls lying curled up in filthy rags. It is inaccess to clean water, sustenance, basic medicines and shelter.
But it is the immeasurable lack of voice, resolve and loss of dignity that truly opens up comprehension to poverty. It is subjection to exploitation and exposure to indifference, humiliation and inhumane treatment from not merely the haves; but the public services and instruments from which the poor look for help.
It means emotional pain, server anxiety and fear, and bone deep tears caused by infringement of basic human rights and sensibilities, that you the reader take for granted. It is an inability, even curfew to maintain cultural identity, customs, traditions and personal beliefs; an insufferable incapacity to participate in society and breakdown in equality; and not least, it is vulnerability and exposure to dangers, risks and gross uncertainties that whither character and soul.

Hence, the definition of living on under 730 dollars a year does not even begin to break the surface of describing what 1 billion people wake up to every day. On my journeys I have spoken to many trapped in a spectrum of dearth. I asked them to tell me their experiences:

‘I can’t voice my opinion. And when I do speak, they talk over me. I ask for little. I feel demoralised, anxious and a feeling of second citizen to people I know I should be equal.’

Well, that is real poverty; and a prospective that few people living in advanced nation economies get to understand; even when, in fact, it can be knocking the door. Because the surprise here, is that the person I spoke to just above lives at the YMCA in Brighton, my home town in the UK. Not Somalia or Ethiopia. But in one of the highest living standard cities in the world!

My message is that hopeless poverty is just that - if it is left at that. Because by viewing hardship and living deficiencies as a way to target technologies that relieve such deprivation, then that is a systemic ‘Positive-Sum’ strategy for ending poverty! And this is something we must take exceedingly serious, because in terms of population growth, by 2030, Asia and Africa will account for ~87 percent, where the majority of world poverty resides.

Below are a number of my blog posts (some new) that outline herculean strides and ventures in science, technology and real-world projects that really do begin to tackle poverty, disease and gross inequality.Be Sociable, Share!








Metatags: radical innovation, revolutionary innovation breakthrough innovation, disruptive innovation, Hyperinnovation, strategic innovation, future studies, new industrial revolution, Chris Harris, Building Innovative Teams, ecology, bioecology, business ecology, Giga Markets, Market Leadership, big data, GDP, The World Bank, World Health Organization, International Monetary Fund, Barns & Noble, Bank of America, Exponential Technological Evolution, Poverty, Frugal Innovation and Engineering, PeePoo, Sling Shoot, Lifesaver Bottle,
ChotuKool (little cool),
The Lifesaver Bottle 

A portable water filtration system that only needs a puddle to give you clean water. It filters out any contaminates down to 15nm which essentially gets rid of anything that could harm you (the smallest virus is 25nm). Lifesaver Systems is the company that distributes the product and is run by the Lifesaver Bottle inventor, Michael Pritchard. 



This product has a number of applications and could be used all over the world since all it needs to work is some water. Let’s take a look at how the Lifesaver Bottle works. Another great feature is that once the filter has lived its life (approx. 4000 or 6000 liters depending on what version you get) it will no longer let water push through, and so there is no chance that you will end up drinking contaminated water. 

This is great because you don’t need to keep track of how much the filter has been used, but also don’t have to worry about drinking contaminated water. It’s a full proof system. This bottle is designed so that it is very simple for its user to get clean water. You find a water source such as a stream, a lake, or a puddle you unscrew the bottom of the bottle, and fill it up. The bottom of the bottle has a pump, so after it is full you screw the bottom back on and then pump up the bottle. The pressure that builds up pushes the water through the filter and then you get a bottle of clean water. The Lifesaver website says that the bottle cleans the water of 99.99999% of bacteria, parasites and fungi, and 99.999% of viruses. It also reduces the number of chemicals in the water due to its carbon filter. Because of this the Lifesaver Bottle meets or exceeds the water quality guidelines of the EPA, the UK, the European Union, and the World Health Organization.Be Sociable, Share!








Metatags: radical innovation, revolutionary innovation breakthrough innovation, disruptive innovation, Hyperinnovation, strategic innovation, future studies, new industrial revolution, Chris Harris, Building Innovative Teams, ecology, bioecology, business ecology, Giga Markets, Market Leadership, big data, GDP, The World Bank, World Health Organization, International Monetary Fund, Barns & Noble, Bank of America, Exponential Technological Evolution, Poverty, Frugal Innovation and Engineering, PeePoo, Sling Shoot, Lifesaver Bottle, 
ChotuKool (little cool),

ChotuKool (little cool)

Try Southern India or Southern China or indeed Sub-Saharan Africa in the mid-summer! It’s a reliable 100+ degrees hot. You have slight resources, but you do have personal muster. So you manager to by a new gadget called ChotuKool (little cool). The idea to address the basic refrigeration needs of rural families in India more than 80 percent of Indian households that lacked basic appliances such as refrigerators. 


Godrej & Boyce is an Indian manufacturer decided to reinvigorate growth in its venerable household appliance markets. Then they found a way to attract non-consumers—the team began its work by imagining living in a home without a refrigerator. Electricity is unavailable or unreliable in many rural parts of India, where families earning under $5 per day can't afford major appliances. trips around rural India, observing the daily routines of villagers. 

Using our "jobs-to-be-done" approach, he and the Innosight team witnessed how rural consumers purchased, prepared and stored food and drinks. Priced at $70, about half of an entry level refrigerator, Chotukool creates a new product category, with a targeted value proposition that serves a new segment of customers. People needed an affordable way to keep milk, vegetables and leftovers cool for a day or two—both at home or away. This job is urgent in a country where a third of all food is lost to spoilage, according to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development Instead of traditional compressors, ChotuKool is based on a thermoelectric chip that maintains a cool temperature on a 12-volt DC current or an external battery. 

The unconventional opening ensures cold air settles down in the cabinet to minimize heat loss and power consumption. The unit is highly portable, with 45=liters of volume inside a fully plastic body weighing less than 10 pounds. ChotuKool was also awarded the 2012 Edison Award Gold prize for the Social Impact category.' The fridge does away with conventional compressor technology replaced with nonlinear microchips and a turbine comparable to PC control system in place of more costly.Be Sociable, Share!








Metatags: radical innovation, revolutionary innovation breakthrough innovation, disruptive innovation, Hyperinnovation, strategic innovation, future studies, new industrial revolution, Chris Harris, Building Innovative Teams, ecology, bioecology, business ecology, Giga Markets, Market Leadership, big data, GDP, The World Bank, World Health Organization, International Monetary Fund, Barns & Noble, Bank of America, Exponential Technological Evolution, Poverty, Frugal Innovation, Gandhian Innovation and Engineering,  Nanotechnology, PeePoo, 
PeePoo

Although global sanitary conditions have improved considerably over the past several decades, 2.6 billion people still have no access to toilets and 70% live in cities without proper sanitation facilities. Lack of sanitation causes environmental pollution, social problems, unsafe surroundings and substantially more potential for epidemics. Indeed, one child dies every 15 seconds as a result of consuming water polluted with human excreta. Diarrheal diseases cause up to 50% of all deaths in emergency, refugee and IDP camp situations – more than 80% of them children under two years of age. for epidemics. Indeed, one child dies every 15 seconds as a result of consuming water polluted with human excreta. Diarrheal diseases cause up to 50% of all deaths in emergency, refugee and IDP camp situations – more than 80% of them children under twoyears of age. PeePoo Bags Sterilize and Compost Human Waste Where Toilets Are a Luxury. Sometimes we don't know how fortunate we are! From PeePoo's site: 'The mismanagement of human waste is a serious health problem for the 2.6 billion people who don't have regular access to toilets.  In fact, in the slums of Kenya, waste management is so haphazard that residents dispose of feces-filled plastic bags by simply flinging the bags away without concern about where they land.  And it was discovering those flying sacks of waste that inspired Anders Wilhelmson to invent the PeePoo, a chemically treated toilet bag that sterilizes human waste and converts it to fertilizer, all for only two or three pence. 

Peepoo is a personal, single-use, self-sanitising, fully biodegradable toilet that prevents faeces from contaminating the immediate area as well as the surrounding ecosystem. After use, Peepoo turns into valuable fertiliser that can improve livelihoods and increase food security. The secret of the PeePoo lies with the urea coating on the inside of the bag. Once its filled and buried, enzymes in feces naturally breakdown the urea into ammonia and carbonate. This raises the pH in the bag, killing any pathogens. Once the urea decontaminates the waste, the bag biodegrades, and the remaining ammonia fertilizes the soil. Most importantly, because these problems affect the poorest 40 percent of the world population, the bag is cheap. By producing the bags so inexpensively, Wilhelmson hopes to both help the world and turn a profit. And considering the market for low cost toilets runs into the trillions of dollars, there is certainly profit to be made. The lack of sanitation creates tremendous problems worldwide including environmental pollution, great social problems and unsafe surroundings, as well as greatly increasing the outbreak of lethal epidemic diseases such as cholera Without toilets, individuals and their environment are at risk from contamination of fresh water and ground water. That’s because human faeces contain infectious and often deadly pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, worms and parasites. 

Every year, 1.5 million children die from diarrhea caused by poor sanitation. Through amazingly cheap production and simple design, Wilhemson hopes that the PeePoo won't just save lives, but allow the people suffering through the problem of waste mismanagement to save those lives themselves. Women, adolescent girls and children are the most vulnerable group suffering from lack of basic sanitation in several ways. One child dies every 15 seconds due to contaminated water from human excreta.  Up to 50% of all deaths in emergency, refugee and IDP camp situations are caused by diarrhoeal diseases. More than 80 percent of these deaths are children under two years of age.'Be Sociable, Share!








Metatags: radical innovation, revolutionary innovation breakthrough innovation, disruptive innovation, Hyperinnovation, strategic innovation, future studies, new industrial revolution, Chris Harris, Building Innovative Teams, ecology, bioecology, business ecology, Giga Markets, Market Leadership, big data, GDP, The World Bank, World Health Organization, International Monetary Fund, Barns & Noble, Bank of America, Exponential Technological Evolution, Poverty, Frugal Innovation and Engineering, PeePoo, Sling Shoot, Lifesaver Bottle, 
ChotuKool (little cool),