Google Axion Processors

Google is pushing the computing boundaries constantly, while trying to explore the possibilities for grand challenges, which include global video distribution, information retrieval, and generative AI. In order to do so, it is required to rethink the system design by collaborating deeply with service developers. This rethinking resulted in their significant investment in custom silicon. Google Axion Processors is the first custom Arm®-based CPU of Google designed for data centers. Axion can offer excellent performance and energy efficiency and is going to be available to Google Cloud customers in the later phase of 2024. 

Things You Need To Know About Google Axion Processors:

It is the most recent launch in the line of custom Google silicon. Since 2015, Google has launched five generations of TPUs or Tensor Processing Units. After three years, Google launched the first VCU or Video Coding Unit. This unit was up to 33 times more efficient in video transcoding. Google invested in "system on a chip" (SoC) designs in 2021 and doubled down on custom computing. For mobile devices, Google launched the first of three generations of Tensor chips.

Remember that general-purpose computing is vital for the workloads of customers. Excessive computing power is necessary for information retrieval, analytics, ML training, and serving. Several customers want to reduce infrastructure costs and want to fulfil sustainability goals and boost performance. According to them, the rate of CPU improvements has slowed recently. As per Amdahl's Law, accelerators are improving continuously. Therefore, general-purpose computing could dominate the cost price, while limiting the capability of their infrastructure unless they make commensurate investments for keeping up.

More Information About Google Axion Processors:

Axion processors are capable of combining Google's silicon expertise and Arm's excellent CPU cores. The purpose of it is to offer instances with up to 30% better performance than the quickest general-purpose Arm-based examples. Also, it aims to provide up to 50% enhanced performance and up to 60% more energy efficiency compared to current-generation x86-based instances. This is the reason the company has already begun to deploy different Google services, which include BigTable, Spanner, BigQuery, Blobstore, Pub/Sub, Google Earth Engine, and the YouTube Ads platform. Google also aims to scale and deploy these services and more on Axion soon.

The company's tensor processing units are some viable alternatives to Nvidia's advanced artificial intelligence chips. It helps to open a new tab. However, developers are able to access them only via Google's Cloud Platform. They cannot purchase them directly. The company is planning to provide the Arm-based CPU, which is known as Axion via Google Cloud. As per Google, it can offer superior performance to x86 chips and general-purpose Arm chips in the cloud.

Unrivalled Performance And Efficiency, Underpinned By Titanium:

Axion processors are made using the Arm Neoverse™ V2 CPU. These are useful for usual workloads and can deliver a significant performance. Such workloads include open-source databases, web and app servers, containerized microservices, in-memory caches, data analytics engines, media processing, CPU-based AI training and inferencing, etc.

Titanium underpins Axion. It is a system of custom silicon microcontrollers. Networking and security are some platform operations which remain under the care of Titanium. As a result, the Axion processors come with enhanced capacity and deliver better performance for customer workloads. Hyperdisk is the new block storage service which is capable of decoupling performance from instance size. Titanium can offload storage I/O processing to this service.

What Did Rene Haas, CEO Of Arm Say About Axion Processors?

Rene Haas said that the announcement of Google regarding Axion has marked a significant milestone in offering custom silicon, which is optimized for the company's infrastructure as well as made on the top-quality Arm Neoverse V2 platform. Decades of ecosystem investment, company's ongoing innovation and open-source software contributions confirm the best experience for the workloads which will matter most for those customers who run on Arm everywhere.

While customers are willing to have better performance, they want to fulfil their sustainability goals. Google Cloud data centers come with 1.5 times more efficiency compared to the industry average. Besides, these can offer computing power three times more with the same amount of electric power than the last five years ago.

Google has already planned to operate its campuses, offices, and data centers on carbon-free energy. The company is willing to help people in reporting on carbon emissions by providing tools. With the new Axion processors, customers will be able to optimize for more energy efficiency.

Axion - Out-of-the-box Application Compatibility And Interoperability:

Google also brings a significant history of multiple contributions to the Arm ecosystem. Kubernetes, Tensorflow, and the Go language are working closely with Arm and the industry partners. Thus, they can optimize these for the Arm architecture.

You need to know that Axion is made on the standard instruction set and Armv9 architecture. The most contribution from this company was made to SystemReady Virtual Environment (VE). This one is the hardware and firmware interoperability standard of Arm. It can ensure that the basic software packages and OSs are capable of running VMs and Arm-based servers. It becomes simpler for the customers who want to deploy Arm workloads on Google Cloud. This collaboration helps to create an ecosystem of multiple cloud customers who are deploying workloads already. These customers can leverage Arm-native software from several open-source projects and ISVs.

As a customer, you will be capable of using this processor in multiple Google Cloud services, which include Google Kubernetes Engine, Google Compute Engine, Dataproc, Dataflow, Cloud Batch, etc. You can get the Arm-compatible software and solutions on the Google Cloud Marketplace. Google has recently launched the preview support in the Migrate to Virtual Machines service for Arm-based instances migration.

The Bottom Line:

The vice president and general manager of the compute and machine learning infrastructure of Google Cloud is Mark Lohmeyer. He said that their purpose is to make everything simple for the customers who are willing to bring their existing workloads to Arm. Although Axion is produced on open foundations, customers using Arm anywhere are able to adopt Axion. And the interesting thing is that there is no need to rewrite or re-architect their apps. The company is aiming to use the processor in order to power services like YouTube Ads in Google Cloud very soon.

Google I/O 2024

Google is going to unveil new improvements to the gen AI (Generative Artificial Intelligence) Bot Gemini, new generation Pixel A series mobile and more at the Google I/O 2024 event. These features are related to Search, Maps, Android, Lens, etc.

The Google I/O event is not so far. In the previous year, most of the updates released on the Google I/O event were related to artificial intelligence. People have already seen the introduction of the new Bing search and Gemini. In this year also, artificial intelligence may play the main role. Moreover, it is expected to get a peak at the Google Pixel 8a. This event is not going to be the one that will mainly focus on hardware products. It is the reason you should not expect to see the release of any gadget except the Google Pixel 8A.

When Is Google I/O 2024?

The Google I/O 2024 event is going to be broadcast live in front of a small live audience. All people can access it online on May 14, 2024.

How Will Google I/O 2024 Work For Attendees Outside Of The US?

The most interesting thing regarding a digital experience is the chance of reaching a global audience. In this event, content will be available in various languages in order to deliver access to all people. Captioned videos are one of the translated content which you can expect to be available shortly after the event.

How Can You Stay Informed On The Latest From Google I/O?

In this case, you have to register yourself in order to receive vital information through email about the digital event. If you want to know all the most updated information regarding sessions, speakers, and other activities, you first need to visit the official website of Google I/O 2024. Then, you need to go to the Google Developers blog to get information.

How to Watch:

Like the schedule of the previous year, you are capable of watching the keynote and the subsequent on demand content from the official website directly as well as from the official YouTube channel of Google.

What to Expect At Google's Developer:

Although the 2024 event of Google I/O is going to happen soon, people are still unaware of what Google will bring with it. As this one is a developer conference, there will always be information available for those who develop websites and apps.

Android 15:

If you are a registered developer, you have already got the Android 15 preview version from Google. But as a developer, you did not get enough information about the new features that will be available with the new major OS update. According to the latest reports, Android 15 will bring a new feature to Find My Device. It lets you detect your mobile, which is lost or misplaced, though it remains switched off.

• How Will Find My Device On Android 15 Work?

If you are using iPhone 11 and newer models, you will find this feature quite similar to the Find My feature. Active iPhones can pick low signals from inactive devices around them. When the latter is thought lost through the Find My app, the lost iPhone's fully encrypted location details will be sent by the active iPhone network to the Find My app of the owner. According to Apple, it is encrypted in order to protect the privacy of everyone.

The upcoming feature of Google will work on similar technology. In order to locate the lost Android mobiles, the company is going to bank on the network of 3 billion-plus active devices worldwide. You can also expect to see 'Notification Cooldown' from Android 15. When you turn on this, you will see your device lowering the volume. It happens only when there are successive notifications from the same app.

• 'Sensitive notification' Feature On Android 15:

There will also exist a 'Sensitive notification' feature. Your device prevents malicious apps from reading OTP on messages using the feature. You can also expect to see the satellite connectivity feature that will be available with Android 15 that lets you select Android mobiles. If you lose your way in the wilderness during trekking and don't have any access to a cellular signal, it will become advantageous. The feature allows you to send messages with location details to your friends. Or you can send messages to any authorized rescue agency so that you can quickly get help.

Pixel 8A:

You can see Google launching the successor of Pixel 7a. It will be available with large upgrades regarding build quality and processor. You can see a premium metal-based frame around the display. This frame comes with a glass back. In addition, you can expect this to be available with an IP67 rating. It indicates that Pixel 8a is able to survive in water for up to 1 metre depth, which is around 3.2 feet for around 30 minutes.

 Pixel 8a will come with a 6.1" screen. It will offer a 90Hz refresh rate and will be equipped with 8GB RAM, an in-screen fingerprint sensor, etc. Also, it will feature a dual-camera module. It will come with a 13MP ultrawide angle sensor and a 64 MP main sensor. You can see an LED flash on the back of this model. Besides, it will be equipped with a 13MP front camera and a 5,000mAh mAh battery. The device will be available in two storage variants, including 128GB and 256 GB.

 Pixel Fold 2:

Pixel Fold, launched last year, was the first foldable phone. At the Google I/O 2024 event, you can expect Google to launch its successor. Details are now not available at this point for the Pixel Fold 2, but it is expected that the Pixel Fold 2 will be a more refined foldable model.

The earlier model came with a gap-less design. However, it was criticized due to the large bezels that are around the main display. It is expected that this upcoming model will come in a more sleek and polished design. People are waiting to see how much experience can be boosted in the model. Because of the presence of multitasking features, the model can enable you to run apps side-by-side.

• Features That Can Be Seen In Pixel Fold 2:
  

According to a report, the model will come with a fully 360-degree video render. Also, it will include more details on the potential dimensions. As per the leak, the device could be the thinnest foldable phone. This device is going to be thinner even than the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the OnePlus Open.

• Bard Integration:

Additionally, you will get to learn about the new Google Assistant with Bard integration. Although the feature will come in March, as reported, it might launch at a Google I/O event this year. Google is going to roll out a premium version of Bard Advanced which will be powered by the Gemini Ultra model.

The Bottom Line:

You should know that Google I/O 2024 may not be as exciting as Google I/O 2014 was. Back then, Google came with a redesigned Android Lollipop along with a coherent Material design language, Android TV, WearOS predecessor, Android Wear, and Android Auto. However, in the upcoming Google I/O event, you will get to know what the company has planned for the future while indicating more generative artificial intelligence in more places.

VoxLens

In recent times, interactive visualizations have changed the way of our lifestyle. For instance, we can know the number of coronavirus infections in every state. But sometimes, people using screen readers can't access graphics.

Besides, people who use software programs even can not access them. The software program scans the contents of a PC display. Thus, the program makes it available through a synthesized voice.

There are plenty of Americans who use screen readers. You can find them used for different purposes. For instance, they use it to complete or partial blindness. Besides, they use it to learn about disabilities or motion sensitivity. 

VoxLens:

VoxLens is a JavaScript plugin that has one additional line of code. It enables you to interact with visualizations. Do you use the plugin? If yes, you can gain a high-level summary of the information described in a graph.

Besides, you can hear a graph translated into sound. In addition, you can use voice-activated commands if required. It enables you to ask particular questions regarding data.

You can find data visualizations available on the Web. Experts and non-experts can use it to explore and analyze simple and complex data. In addition, they help people to extract details effectively.

They use the human mind to detect and interpret visual patterns in this case. But the visual nature of data visualizations may disenfranchise screen-reader users, and these users might not see or recognize visual patterns. Screen-reader users use a screen reader to read the contents of a PC display.

VoxLens is an open-source JavaScript plugin that can offer screen-reader users a multi-modal solution. We have given three modes. You can use this solution with three interactive modes.

(1) Question-and-Answer mode: In this case, the mode allows you to interact with the visualizations yourself.

(2) Summary mode: Hence, the plugin describes the summary of details contained in the visualization.

(3) Sonification mode: It helps to map the data in the visualization to a musical scale. Thus, you can interpret the data trend if you're a listener.

The sonification feature of this plugin is open-source. In addition, it supports other libraries and allows you to customize them. Moreover, it decreases the burden on visualization creators.

You can apply accessibility features to the data visualizations. Furthermore, it lets you insert a single line of JavaScript code during visualization creation.

Even screen-reader users can explore information using the plugin as they want. In these cases, they don't have to depend on visualization creators. Besides, they also do not need to process data in their minds.

In recent times, the plugin is suitable for visualizations that need JavaScript libraries. D3, chart.js, or Google Sheets are a few examples of it. The team wants to expand other famous visualization platforms. According to the researchers, people may find the voice-recognition system frustrating to use.

Screen-reader users usually can't access the data visualizations. However, the data visualization comes with a few normal accessibility functions like alternative text or a data table. In addition, they need to remember and process more details mentally. Seeking the maximum or minimum value in a chart is one example.

What did Katharina Reinecke say?

He was the co-senior author and UW associate professor in the Allen School. According to him, it is a very big agenda for them. He also added that they thought of people first while creating technology. It is for those who come with similar abilities as we do and who are like us. D3 helps to understand the information in an improved way. It is essential for us to start thinking more about technology like how to make, etc.

Major contribution:

These are a few of the major contributions:

●  The plugin helps to improve online data visualizations' accessibility. It means that screen-reader users can access online data visualization.

●  Using the javascript plugin, you can explore these both holistically and in a drilled-down manner. If you want, find design and architecture, functionality, commands, and operations.

●  In addition, the plugin boosted the accuracy of extracting details by 122%. Moreover, it reduced interaction time by 36% compared to not using VoxLens.

What is Voxlens?

VoxLens is an open-source JavaScript plugin that needs only a single line of code. Besides, it also uses voice-activated commands for screen-reader users.

Design:

We present the design and implementation of the Javascript plugin. Thus, it helps to improve the accessibility of online data visualizations.

You can find it made with the help of a user-centered iterative design process.

Holistic exploration comes with overall trend, extremum, labels, and ranges for each axis. On the flip side, drilled-down interaction offers to examine individual data points. It combines "vox" ("voice" in Latin) and "lens."

In addition, the plugin lets you explore, examine, and extract information from online data visualizations. But recently, it has been compatible with two-dimensional single-series data.

Limitations & Future Work:

●      The plugin is now limited to two-dimensional data visualizations with a single data series.

●      Future work uses n-dimensional data visualizations to study the experiences of screen-reader users. In addition, it can extend the functionality based on the findings.

●      Moreover, the javascript plugin is only fully functional on Google Chrome. The reason is that the browser doesn't allow it to use the Web Speech API's speech recognition feature.

●      We hope to use alternatives in the future of the Web Speech API. As a result, it can provide cross-browser support for speech recognition.

Conclusion:

If you are willing to assess the performance of VoxLens, look at the task-based experiments that we conduct. Besides, you should see the interviews with screen-reader users. According to the results, we also have proof that screen-reader users considered it a "game-changer." Thus, it can offer new ways to interact with online data visualizations. As a result, you can save both time and effort.

If you want, take the help of open-sourcing code for it and sonication solution. The reason is that they can improve the accessibility of online data visualizations continuously. They also help to research by guiding in the future to make data visualizations accessible.

How to Make an Operating System from Scratch?

Do you want to make your OS from scratch? It is not mandatory to have knowledge of coding for all. You can create an operating system even though you don't know C or C++ coding. The operating system has the responsibility for adjusting the PC hardware. When you write an OS from scratch, you have to have a strong command of computer science. It should be of a programming language such as C or C++. 

Guide to Build an Operating System From Scratch

Learning the Basics:

• There should have a little common knowledge of computer science. So, in this case, you can learn introductory Computer Science courses. You should know that to make an operating system. Besides, it needs a strong understanding of algorithms, data structures, computer hardware, and resource management. In this case, many people have degrees, but you do not have to do so. Learn s course for free to know the process of writing this.

• If possible, try to learn Python, which is a high-level programming language. However, after getting a solid foundational understanding of computer science, you need to learn C and/or C++. You have to master any specific language when you know about computer science. Otherwise, it is impossible to code an operating system without writing solid applications. Beginners are requested to complete their course to C from any site. After completing the course, take the next one available in the list of courses: C Programming: Language Foundations. You should learn Modular Programming and Memory Management and Pointers and Memory Management.

• If you want, you may try to know about an assembly language. These low-level languages come with a design for communicating with various processors. But different processors use different assemblies like x86 assembly Language for Intel, AMD, VIA, and others. That's why it is essential to know about the version of the processor you are coding. You can get knowledge from the Art of Assembly Language if you want. The book can be got both online and offline. If necessary, then research on the web. You can find the manuals for processor architecture with the help of a Google search ("Intel Manuals," "ARM manuals," etc.).

• By going through our tutorial, you can understand how to create the operating system. You can take the help of Bare Bones, using which you can write your first simple 32-bit kernel. When this process is finished, you must use Meaty Skeleton to build the structure of the operating system. If you think, take the help of Linux from Scratch. Using the online book, you can make your Linux operating system. You should know that the operating systems which are from 0 to 1 are free books.

• You need to decide first the purpose for which you want to make the OS. It is essential to know the design that you prefer. Sometimes, you may want to make your PC offer only a specific look. It would be best to consider multiple things before the beginning of the code. The first thing you need to consider is creating the OS with a team of other programmers. If you have a team of developers, you can make the OS quickly. You are merely required to include the project's target, plan, and questions in your public repository.

Building Your Operating System:

• In this part, your first task should be to select a development environment. It is the place where you have to code the new OS. Usually, people like to use Windows or a flavor of UNIX. However, you can use anything according to your preferences. If necessary, then try to install a UNIX environment. Cygwin or MinGW is an example of this. Ensure that the environment you use comes with a GCC (the Gnu compiler). People who use windows need to install this in Cygwin or MinGW.

Whether you are willing to manipulate object files, you can use Binutils, a collection of tools. If you use Windows, then install this in Cygwin.

However, people use Vim and emacs in UNIX environments. If you are using Windows, you can use Notepad also. If you prefer, then check the Notepad++ out. People can use Perl and/or Python for string manipulation.

• In this case, you should set a version control system. When you are going to make an OS, you have to write plenty of lines of code.

• Sometimes, you might not be capable of creating the operating system yourself. Hence, you are required to take the help of a bootloader like Grand Unified Bootloader (GRUB). However, if you have the skill, try to code for a bootloader.

• You have to select a kernel design that is the core of OS. It is the one that offers an interface between the hardware of the PC and you. Two different types of kernels are available— monolithic kernels and microkernels. In the Monolithic kernel, you can see all the services, whereas, in microkernels, you can see a small kernel with user daemons implementing services. Usually, monolithic ones work quickly, whereas microkernels come with improved fault isolation and reliability.

• Try to learn small things first, like how to show text, etc. Then, you should move on to the big stuff like memory management and multitasking. If you are willing, try to create a simple 16-bit Operating System rather than taking a big leap. It may not be done entirely if you want a complete system. You should try to build operating systems that are bootable. After that, you can go to the stuff.

• Use a virtual machine in this case for testing the new operating system. As a result, you are not required to reboot the PC every time, or you don't need to share files from your development computer to the test machine. Take the help of VMWare that is suitable for both Windows and Linux. Take a look at the potential deadlocks and other bugs.

• Now, your task is to release the option "release candidate." Just upload the code you have tested to the public repository. Users can test the code at any time and report this back if they find any issue on their devices.

• Finally, your job is to connect with the other OS developers. You can find an entire community of OS developers on the web.

Some Great Ideas to Have Fun on Your Computer

With the ongoing pandemic, more and more people are looking for ways to kill some time on their computers. Thanks to the internet and hours of available entertainment, it becomes quite difficult to choose what you can actually do while on a computer.

Let's take a look at some of the best and fun ways to enjoy those few hours you have in your day. And remember that you do not have to limit yourself to just one of these ideas. Try as many as you like.

Listen to Some Music

Music has the power to harness our souls. There is a tune for happiness, sadness, and every little jittery emotion that a human being has ever experienced. Online tools like YouTube have served the masses for a long, long time, but there is no need to rely on a video platform for your music needs.

According to https://setapp.com/how-to/best-alternatives-to-youtube, some of the best YouTube alternatives include the likes of Vimeo and Dailymotion as far as video content goes.

For music, you have Vevo and Spotify, with the latter being particularly great thanks to its plethora of features and available music collection.

Spotify has an inbuilt AI that recognizes a pattern in your streaming and accordingly creates a playlist that you might like. The best part about Spotify is that you do not even need to stick to the screen or watch the videos when you don't want to. Just turn off the screen light, sit back, relax and enjoy.

Watch Movies or Shows

There was a time when families would sit together for dinner and watch something nice on the television. But that has changed tremendously, especially with nuclear families and the availability of the internet and computers; people prefer sitting alone with their tv shows on and running.

Feel like watching a documentary or a rom-com? Well, the internet has got you for everything that you like. You might have even come across kids who are fussy while eating, but if you let them watch a show, you'd see how easy and smooth the entire process turns out to be. But, at the same time, this can turn out to be an addiction, and the screen time can be bad for the eyesight.

Play Games

At times, it seems like the sole purpose behind the invention of computers was to play games. The sudden adrenaline rush, a slight feeling of competitiveness, and the sense of victory - all combined and fitting in your 14-inch screen. Gaming can be very addictive, but everything boils down to just one aspect, and that is: to have fun.

The internet opens up a lot of options for you if you are trying to look for video games. The best part about online gaming is that it keeps on upgrading every second day, and there is always something new that is there for you to discover. You can just browse the internet for a while for some free games, and you will always find something for sure that will keep you hooked.

Learn Graphic Designing

If you look in any direction, you are bound to find something which has to do with designs, colors, and effects. There is no reason you will not be hooked to them as there is always so much more to discover. At the same time, the demand for graphic designers who can bring in new ideas and a fresh perspective is in need.

So, if you have been inclined towards drawing, designing, and structuring for a purpose, then maybe you can try your hands on graphic designing. You would be amazed by the amounts of brushes, tools, colors, and strokes you can use, often free of additional costs.

Start Vlogging

If you think that making videos about your daily life cannot be a profession, then you live in the past. Over the years, with the boom of internet software, people now know more about other people's lives. Eventually, the terms' Influencers' and 'Content Creators' came into existence.

People on the internet are looking for ways to invest quality time or often to kill time. Your content can be based on anything like - makeup, art, traveling, or food. There are so many possibilities that are waiting for you in the virtual world. You just need to record, edit and be interactive as much as you can on camera.

Final Words

We live in a time when people don't need to look for reasons to browse a few pages or scroll through their Instagram feeds. You can simply choose to do absolutely nothing but everything at the same time when you are using your computer or the internet. So, what are your plans for the next time when you have nothing else to do?

Terahertz Laser for Sensing and Imaging Outperforms Its Predecessors

Terahertz Laser is a high powered laser developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology for chemical sensing and imaging. The Terahertz laser designed by the researchers of MIT, has three goals which includes high constant power, tight beam pattern and broad electric frequency tuning.

Terahertz Laser to be used by NASA on its 2021 mission to study our Galaxy’s origin

NASA has chosen the Terahertz laser for its 2021 mission to study more about our galaxy’s origin. With the help of a high altitude, balloon based telescope carrying photonic wire lasers, they will detect emission of gases like oxygen, nitrogen and carbon from the interstellar medium, which is the material between the galaxy’s star systems.

The Terahertz laser could also be used for skin and breast cancer imaging, detection of drugs and explosives and many other applications.

The design of the Terahertz Laser

The design of the Terahertz laser is unique which uses pairs of efficient wire lasers and sync their oscillations. On combining the output of the pairs there will be a single, high power beam with minimum beam divergence, which is the angle the beam moves away from its focus over distance. The individual paired lasers can be fine-tuned to obtain improvements in resolution and fidelity in measurements. All these give rise to less noise and higher resolution in order to achieve more cost effective and reliable chemical detection and medical imaging.

In the past, people have made a laser with high beam quality or with high continuous wave power or have done frequency tuning in lasers. But all the designs have one of the factors lacking. Ali Khalatpour, a graduate student in electrical engineering and computer science, who is also the author on the paper describing the Terahertz laser in Nature Photonics says that this is the first time where all three metrics are present in the chip-based Terahertz laser.

NASA has chosen the Terahertz laser for its 2021 mission

NASA will be using the Terahertz laser for its 2021 mission to detect gas emissions from the interstellar medium. By procuring data over a few months, they will get insight into the birth of the star and evolution. They will get more knowledge of the Milky Way and the Large Magellanic Cloud Galaxies which are close by.

NASA selected a new semiconductor based terahertz laser which is suitable for spectroscopic measurement of oxygen concentrations in terahertz radiation. It is a band of electromagnetic spectrum between microwaves and visible light.

Achieving three metrics in chip-based terahertz lasers

Researchers had developed new types of quantum cascade lasers known as photonic wire lasers. These were bidirectional and hence less powerful. This issue was sorted out by placing mirrors within the laser’s body. Since the terahertz radiation is too long, and the terahertz laser is small, it was difficult to fix it within the laser so much so most of the light travels outside the laser’s body. In the laser that NASA selected they developed a design to control how the electromagnetic wave travels along the laser and emit in one direction. They were able to obtain high efficiency and beam quality, but it did not allow for frequency tuning.

To overcome this, the researchers applied the concept of pi-bonding to the lasers, enabling close connections between the wire lasers. This coupling allowed phase locking of two or more wire lasers.
To obtain frequency tuning, they used tiny knobs to alter the current of each wire laser, which changes the refractive index. This change in refractive index together with coupled lasers, gives rise to a continuous frequency shift to the pair’s center frequency.

The researchers are building a system with a high dynamic range of more than 110 decibels which can be used for many applications including skin cancer imaging. Since skin cancer cells absorb terahertz waves more strongly than healthy cells, the terahertz lasers will be able to detect them.



With terahertz lasers having the three performance metrics, they can improve imaging capabilities and can be used in other applications.

Google has Unveiled Flutter 1.0

Google unveiled the Flutter 1.0 at an event at the Science Museum in London, UK. The Product Manager Tim Sneath introduced Flutter 1.0 to the enthusiastic developers.

What is Flutter? 

Flutter 1.0 is a cross-platform portable UI toolkit. It is an app engine that brings software development kit (SDK) out of beta.

Since 2015, it was undergoing various stages of development. Several of the beta versions were out last year and a preview of Flutter saw the release this summer.

It allows developers to build apps that can work on Android and iOS from a single codebase.

Flutter was designed by Google so that there could be a better collaboration and rapid development between the developers and coders. It is powered by Skia 2D graphics engine.

Material Design widgets which would look nice on both, Android and iPhone devices, will be powered by Google’s Dart platform. It will enable compilation to native 32-bit and 64-bit ARM code for Android and iOS. With the ‘stateful hot reload’ feature, you get quick visual results without any need to restart, thus saving time and increasing productivity. According to Google, the development cycles are three times more productive.

Flutter, being an open source, with a BSD-style licence, allows contributions from developers all over, since there are plenty of third-party plug-ins and widgets ready to be tried out.

Ashley Narayanen told Computer Business Review that even though it has the ability to target more than one platform which is not a new concept, the others being Xamarin, Cordova and React Native, it is a product of Google and not a third party component.

The other point to be noted is that Flutter is slated to be the main framework for the next-Gen operating system, Fuschia.

Though the Xamarin framework offers a native experience, there are still problems in cross-platform targeting since a complete 100 percent of the components cannot be used across both the Android and iOS platforms.

It has been designed to support Google’s ‘Material’ design language as well. Since there is heavy use of shadows and other effects, one can use the native hardware graphics acceleration on both the Android and iOS platforms. With the result it is capable of handling such workloads.

Many Big Companies are using Flutter

Big companies like Alibaba, Groupon, Tencent and others are developing and shipping apps with Flutter.

The mobile payment service Square announced two new Flutter SDKs whereby accepting payments for goods and services would become easier with Flutter. It could be done by using a Square payment reader or payments within the mobile app developed on the platform.

Animators 2Dimensions announced the use of ‘Flare’, a tool that enables designers to create animations which could be embedded into a Flutter app and manipulated with code. With Flare, there is no need to design in one app, animate in another and convert everything to a device-specific assets and code.

With Flutter, app design is radically simplified. Google made an announcement that they would be experimenting with running Flutter on the web under the codename, Hummingbird.

Google Introducing Call Screen

Call Screen May Require A Save Option!

Google’s Pixel 3 and 3XL’s feature is heaven send when you don’t want to answer those annoying spam calls that come multiple times in a day. If you don’t want to answer any of those calls, and who does anyway? then send the caller directly to call screen. This new software feature initiated by Google to the Pixel 3and 3XL phones has been one of the most innovative and best feature to come to a phone as yet, not to mention it saves you the immense hassle of getting rid of the robot troll caller.

But is it all great? On the surface yeah! We all know how annoying robot troll callers can be but what happens when you want to save a call or need important information right away?

What is Call Screen? 

A feature that can be found on Google Pixel 3 and 3XL allows the user an option of putting a call through call screen whereby Google Assistant picks up the call and you can monitor the call proceedings in chat form while the call is ongoing.

The moment a person calls and you want to press the call screen option, Google assistant immediately picks up and lets the caller know that they are speaking to an assistant. The caller then has to explain who they are and what they want. While all this is going on you can view the chat form of the dialogue taking place between the caller and Google assistant.

So what’s the Problem with Call Screen then? 

While everything seems to be picture perfect with call screen, it’s just that it does not store the transcript of the message or have an option to send the caller to voicemail.

This can be bad in instances, where you need some important information that the caller has. You can always screenshot the chat screen while the call is taking place, that is if you remember to do so. But if you forget, there is no way to get that specific information back, unless you go to the call log and call the person back.

While none of the chats are stored after the call in call screen, some may actually appreciate the fact their privacy has not been affected.

What Should Google do to improve Call Screen?

To improve the call screen feature which is pretty great now but can be made better, Google can do three things- save the transcripts of the chats to the Pixel 3 or 3XL, give a “send to voicemail” option and lastly have the option to save particular calls. Google says that the first option of saving transcripts of the chats onto phones may be coming soon.

During call screen when the caller knows they are talking to Google assistant, they automatically give their name and certain other details. Many a time, this information comes in handy and you don’t want to necessarily miss out on that info. Hence the need to save transcripts or chat history in call screen.

Discovery of a new Printing Technology Making use of Sound Waves

Engineers from the University of Harvard have come out with a new printing technology that makes use of sound waves. This is a great revolution in printing where the sound waves control the droplet flow of highly viscous liquids. In other words, the new printing Technology involves a printer which uses sound to print with the help of tiny droplets of highly viscous liquids.

The new printing technology will help in the manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals and bioprinting. Here they use biopolymer and cell-laden solutions which are 100 times denser than water.

According to Jennifer Lewis, a senior author and professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, the new printing technology that they have created helps printing in a drop-on-demand manner.

In the new Printing Technology, how the liquid can be manipulated with the help of sound waves: 

We see in Inkjet printing which patterns liquid droplets, the liquids are about 10 times more viscous than water. The researchers are far more interested in liquids that are more viscous. In the case of biopharmaceuticals and bioprinting, biopolymer and cell-laden solutions are about 100 times more viscous than water. There are some sugar-based biopolymers which have the same viscosity as honey which is about 25,000 times more viscous than water. Viscosity of fluids is influenced by temperature and composition changes. With the result, controlling the droplet size becomes difficult and hence it is not possible to optimize the printing parameters.

The researchers therefore wanted to develop a new printing technology independent of the viscosity of the fluid. They thus turned their attention to using sound waves. When we consider a liquid under gravitational force, the droplet size is large and the flow of the droplet is difficult to control.

The researchers have thus turned to generating sound waves in order to enhance drop formation. Pressure waves have been used to defy the earth’s gravitational force, as is seen in Acoustic Levitation. These same sound waves are being used by the researchers to assist gravity and the new technology adopted is known as acoustophoretic printing.

The researchers have built a sub-wavelength acoustic resonator that can generate a highly confined acoustic field that can pull a force that is 100 times more than the gravitational force at the tip of the printer nozzle. In this new printing technology, the controlled force then pulls each droplet from the nozzle on attaining a specific size. It is then ejected on the area for printing. If the amplitude of the sound waves is high then the droplet size is small, irrespective of the fluid’s viscosity.

The new Printing Technology can have a wider scope: 

The new printing Technology was carried out on different materials like honey, stem-cell inks, biopolymers, optical resins and liquid metals. It was seen that the sound waves do not travel through the droplet and hence the method was safe to use even in the case of sensitive living cells or proteins. They hope that the new printing technology can help in the manufacture of new biopharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food.

New Molecular Wires to help Shrink Your Devices

Since gadgets and the like first came out, scientists all over the world are in a race to shrink their sizes. It is not enough that you hold the device in your hand or fit it into your bag, they just have to get smaller. But smaller is not the only criterian, theses gadgets or gizmos have to perform better and with better battery life. To achieve this aim, scientists have tried making each and every component in the gizmo smaller and one such part is molecular wires.

Scientists at Tokyo institute have developed a new form of wire that not is smaller than their predecessor but is also better at conducting electricity. These new form of molecular wires are filled with organometallic ruthenium which gives it better conducting. The current forms of molecular wires are much different to the ones invented by the scientists up at Tokyo. In the sense, that these new molecular wires get their high conducting power from a different source.

Molecular Wires in Tiny Devices: 

As devices get smaller, their component parts also get smaller, that’s a no brainer. But molecular wires are just the building blocks in such devices and maybe one of the most important yet fundamental of all parts.

By carefully designing these molecules, scientists have tried to make beeter contraptions for us to use.

The New form of Molecular Wires: 

These new form of molecular wires are in the form of a metal- electrode- molecular- metal- electrode junction. This includes a polyene molecule which is an organic chain like molecule.
These new form of molecular wires are based on the engineering of the energy levels of the conducting orbitals in the wire.

Is the new form of Molecular Wires better? 

 

Scientists used scanning tunneling microscopy to understand the level of conductance in these new form of molecular wires. What they found was that these new molecular wires are better than the standard or other fully organic molecular wires.

This brought scientists to explore the origins of the superior conductivity in molecular wires. They found that the properties that gave these molecular wires their high conducting properties came from orbital splitting in the molecular wires.

This orbital splitting brings about changes in original electron orbitals in the atoms of the molecular wires to make a new hybrid orbital. This new form of orbital facilitates electron transfer between mental electrodes and molecular wires.

This finding is rare to see in current MMM junctions.

What gives these Molecular wires their Higher conductance: 

The most important factor that gives these molecular wires their higher conductivity is the narrow gap between the highest and lowest molecular orbitals. The new technique formulated by scientists in making these molecular wires exploits this knowledge in enhancing the molecular wires conductivity.

Using the same MMM junction in these molecular wires along with the extremely narrow gap between the highest and lowest orbitals, scientist have come up with a new form of molecular wires that has unprecedented levels of conductance.

Tips for Keeping Your Business and Your Customers Safe Online

The internet is a place of adventure and excitement! It allows us to connect with anyone, anywhere in the world, at any time.

It has also made doing business a lot more exciting. Just a few decades ago, businesses were relegated to serving customers in their immediate area. Today, businesses can sell their goods across the globe, making more money than they ever thought possible!

However, for as exciting as the internet is, it also comes with loads of responsibility. That’s especially the case if you’re a business that wants to stay safe online and keep its customers safe online as well.
With these tips, you can confidently build your presence online without worrying about the security of your company or the safety of your clients and customers.

Create a Comprehensive Privacy Policy

In a world of hackers and businesses that sell your information for money, a privacy policy has become a must. A few questions Reciprocity recommends asking yourself include, "Do you even have a written policy for handling, tracking, storing, and sharing the data you collect? Do you have clear steps defined in the process, including how to tag data, so you can easily retrieve it no matter where it goes?"

Based on those answers, you can, "determine which of them your enterprise is in compliance with and where it falls short, and what you must do to reach compliance."

Digging into your privacy policy will help you uncover compliance issues, and at the same time, it will boost user confidence in your brand.

Get Smart About Logins

The wrong logins can make your business susceptible to hackers. That means sensitive company information could be stolen, but it also means your customers’ information can be stolen too.

It’s time to get serious about logins. That means choosing logins that:

•   Don’t contain recognizable words
•  Contain numbers
•  Contain symbols
•  Have at least 12 characters

It also means being careful about who in the company has access to what information. Only provide access to essential information and lock down the rest so you don’t have to worry about a leak from the inside either.

Be Careful with Ecommerce

There are a lot of great tips out there about how to create a fantastic ecommerce website. By following those tips, you can literally build a customer base that spans the entire globe.

However, it’s ecommerce that can cause the most security problems. After all, people are giving you their personal information for your product or service! That’s why you have to be careful about establishing and maintaining an ecommerce site.

Only ask for information from customers that is absolutely necessary to complete a transaction. Follow ecommerce best practices and consider not storing any payment information to protect yourself and your customers from fraud.

Keep Security Software Current

Malware and viruses are a real threat to your business too. It isn’t just hackers! That’s why it’s important to keep your security software current.

Downloadable programs make this easier than ever, but there are some other things you should do to protect your computer and your database.

Update everything in a timely manner. That includes security software, but it also includes browser and operating system updates. You may also want to consider additional programs, like ad blockers, that can keep you safe from a wide variety of threats.

The best approach to security is definitely one that includes many different techniques and methods to keep both your business and your customers safe.

Educate Yourself on Scammer Techniques

Sometimes, you’re at fault when it comes to compromising the safety of your business or your customers. Don’t be too hard on yourself though. Scammers can be tricky!

It pays to educate yourself on the best ways to protect yourself from online fraud. That includes:

•  Never clicking on a link from an untrustworthy sender
•  Double checking email addresses to make sure the sender is who they say they are
•  Keeping tabs on your social media followers and deleting fake or hacked accounts

When in doubt, it’s always a good policy to throw it out. Falling for a scam could mean losing control of important company information, and it can also mean your customers have to deal with drained bank accounts.

Online safety is about more than just keeping your business safe—it means keeping your customers safe too! With these tips, you can confidently do both so your company remains successful for many years to come.

Atomically Thin Magnetic Device Could Lead to New Memory Technologies

Atomically Thin Magnet Device Could Revolutionize Modern Technologies

Atomically thin magnetic devices could pave the way for new technologies in the field of cloud computing and consumer electronics. The modern digital technologies are made of magnetic materials. There has been a breakthrough by a team from the University of Washington in encoding data using magnets which are a few layers of atoms in thickness. This will be a leap forward in cloud computing technology and consumer electronics whereby data storage can be increased and there will be great improvements in energy efficiency.

According to reports that appeared in the ‘Science’ journal, there was a study conducted by researchers wherein they used very thin materials to control the electron flow based on the direction of their spins. The electronic spins are comparable with tiny subatomic magnets. Sheets of chromium tri-iodide (CrI3), a material considered as a 2-D magnetic insulator were used in the materials.

They used four sheets and each sheet was only atoms thick. It created an atomically thin magnetic system that could block electrons based on their spins and at the same time exerted 10 times stronger control than the other methods. This created a possibility of storing data on atomically thin magnets. The team was able to electrically control the magnetic properties of the atomically thin magnet.

The main challenge is to increase data storage and at the same time reduce the operation energy. The team is finding out how the atomically thin magnet could increase memory storage by taking advantage of the electron spins in each individual sheet. The researchers are looking at the possibility of achieving an increase in memory storage and reduction in operation energy. They are looking at ways of engineering atomically thin magnetic memory devices with lesser amount of energy consumption than what is presently achievable.

The working principle behind the atomically thin magnetic device

Two layers of CrI3 were sandwiched between the conducting sheets of graphene. Based on the spin alignment between the CrI3 sheets, there are two possibilities. One is the electrons can flow unimpeded between the graphene sheets or they can be blocked from flowing. These two possibilities could act as bits of the binary code for encoding data. They could act as the bits – zeroes and ones.

The operational units of this type of memory are magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ) or magnetic gates that can either impede or allow the flow of electrical current depending on the spin alignment in the junction. This magnetic gate helps to figure out the data storage on a small scale.

With four layers of CrI3 in the atomically thin magnet, the researchers discovered the possibility for multi-bit information storage. If we consider two CrI3 layers the spins are either in the same direction or in the opposite direction. This gives rise to two different rates for the electrons to flow through the magnetic gate.

When there are three or four CrI3 layers, there is a possibility of different combinations for the spin alignment between each layer giving rise to multiple, distinct rates for the electrons to flow through the atomically thin magnetic material from from graphene sheet to the next.

This enables the storage devices to have not only two choices but many more choices to store data. Thus the atomically thin magnetic devices that use the CrI3 junctions will be more efficient and will be able to store more data.

Using Evolutionary AutoML to Discover Neural Network Architectures

Human Brain – Wide Range of Activities

The human brain has the potential of performing a wide range of activities most of which does not need much effort, for instance in conveying if a visual extract comprises of buildings, or animals. In order to perform this activity the artificial neural networks needs vigilant strategy from professions with several years of complex research, addressing each particular task in discovering what lies in an image, to name it a genetic variant or to assist in diagnosing a disease. One would prefer having an automated system of generating the precise architecture for any particular task. One of the methods of generating the architectures is by way of utilising evolutionary processes.

Old research for neuro-evolution of topologies had laid the foundation which enabled the application of these processes at scale, presently. Several of the groups have been operating on the subject inclusive of OpenAI, Uber Labs, and Sentient Labs together with DeepMind. Google Brain team certainly had been discerning about AutoML too.

Evolution - Scale Function on Construction – Architecture

Besides utilising learning based approaches it was also speculated on the use of computational resources to programmatically evolve image classifiers at exceptional scale.Queries addressed were: `Could we accomplish solutions with minimal expert participation? How good can artificially-evolved neural networks be at present?

The purpose was to enable evolution at scale function on constructing the architecture. The procedure found classifiers similar to hand made models at that point of time, beginning from the simple networks. This was inspiring since several applications needed minimum participation. For instance some would require improved model though could not have the time in being a machine learning professionals.

The next query that came up was,would a combination of hand-made and evolution perform better than any of these approaches. In a recent paper `Regularized Evolution for Image Classifier Architecture Search (2018) participation took place with the provision of sophisticated building blocks together with good initial conditions.

Scaling of Computation – New TPUv2chips – Google

Scaling of computation had been done utilising the new TPUv2chips of Google. With the combination of up-to-date hardware, skilful knowledge together with evolution the result produced state-of-the-art models on well-known benchmarks for classification of images namely CIFAR-10 and ImageNet. In the paper besides evolving the architecture, at the time of exploring the search space of early condition as well as the learning rate schedules, the population trains its networks.

 This consequence is that the development with enhanced hyper parameters producedentirely skilled models. When the experiments tend to begin, no professional input is essential. The second paper `Regularized Evolution for Image Classifier Architecture Search offered effects of applying evolutionary systems to search space. Mutations tend to adapt the cell by erratically reconnecting the inputs or switching the operations.

Though the mutation tends to be simple, the initial conditions are not. The population tends to get modified with models which tend to adapt to the outer stack of cells.However if the cells in such seed model tend to be unsystematic, there will be no beginning from simple model that eventually would make it simpler to obtain excellent models.

The paper has portrayed that evolution can locate state-of-the-art models which could compete or outdo hand-designs.

Researchers Develop Nanoparticle Films for High-Density Data Storage

High density data storage gets a boost with the development of nanoparticle films

Data generation in this age is quadrupling with each passing day and we are unable to store or manage the mammoth amount of data at our disposal. Therefore finding an alternative which enables us to store data at longer period of time with great stability has become a critical necessity. Now researchers from Northeast Normal University in China has developed new nanoparticle films which are 80 times thinner than the human hair but can easily help in high density data storage. Researchers have asserted that these nanoparticle films can easily archive more than 1000 times worth of data than the traditional DVD on just a 10 by 10 centimeter large piece of film.

Promises usage from wearable device to deep space

It is a remarkable technology and we are likely to see it being used in the wearable devices in the short time. These nanoparticle films can also store the 3D images of the objects or people which can viewed as a 3D hologram with natural realistic and in-depth details later on. These nanoparticle films can be used in the regular devices and the storage medium developed by its usage is also environmentally stable which means used in the outside condition or can even be utilized in the space conditions where harmful radiations are the way of life.

Storing more and more data by taking less and less space

This new kind of nanoparticle films has been designed specifically for the new age holographic data storage. This data storage hasn't found much support or recognition so of today as it makes use of the laser to create as well as read the 3-D holographic recreation of the data present on the nanoparticle films. It is blazing fast with the ability to write as well as read millions of bits at once which makes the holographic data storage way ahead of its traditional counterparts.

The traditional counterpart are namely the optic and magnetic data storage system which happens to record and read just individual bits at a time with is both time consuming and extremely slow when it comes to huge amount of data.

Holographic approach in the high density data storage allows researchers to record information throughout the 3D volume of the entire naoparticle materials. Herein data is not just recorded on the surface but it also researchers to record multiple data or images in the same given area by simply using the light at varied angles and using different colours. Researchers are also working on recoding holographic images on the titania silver films in order to get the similar performance with lesser effort and higher stability.

At the moment researchers are aggressively planning to test the environmental stability of these nanoparticle films in order to ensure quick and safe real life application of the same in the upcoming days. It will certainly help in removing the data storage woes of millions of users worldwide with simple and easier application.

Researchers Demonstrate Existence of New Form of Electronic Matter

According to the news that has been published in the journal ‘Nature’, engineers based at the University of Illinois have shown that a new form of electronic matter exists. It is called quadrupole topological insulators (QTI).

The properties exhibited by this electronic matter, QTI could bring about a wide range of possibilities in the computer field. It holds great promise in the manufacturing of low-power, robust computers and various devices, that are all defined at the atomic scale.

The topological insulators (TI) are basically electrical insulators on the inside but are conductors along the boundaries. This unique property exhibited by the topological insulators makes them a special type of electronic matter.

A group of electrons form their own phases within the materials. This can be either in the solid, liquid and gas phase, as is seen in water. They can also form an uncommon phase like a topological insulator.

What is this new phase of Electronic Matter? 

The new form of electronic matter is the Quadrupole Topological Insulator. According to theoretical physics, some of the topological insulators have an electrical property known as quadrupole moment.

As we see in a material, the electrons carry a charge. In the process, the material becomes bipolar, that is it contains the positive as well as the negative charge.

Now, in a higher order class of material, we get a quadrupole which is a coupling of two positive and two negative charges. In crystals, the electrons can arrange themselves in such a way that they can give rise to high-order multipoles besides the usual dipole units. In the case of multipoles, four or eight charges are collectively arranged in a unit. The basic forms of multipoles are the quadrupoles wherein two positive and two negative charges are coupled together in a unit.

An analog of a QTI was shown by the researchers of the University of Illinois. They demonstrated it by using a special material from printed circuit boards.

Each circuit has a square of four identical resonators or devices that can absorb electromagnetic radiation at a particular frequency. The boards were positioned in a grid to form the crystal analog.
Each of these resonators behaves like an atom and the connections between the resonators act as bonds between these atoms.

The system is then subjected to microwave radiation to measure the amount that has been absorbed by each of the resonators. This in turn will indicate the behavior of the electrons in an analogous crystal. If the microwave radiation absorbed by a resonator is more, then there are higher chances of finding an electron on the corresponding atom.

In the above experiment it was inferred that the corners of the connected resonators absorbed the microwave radiation at a specific frequency whereas the rest of the units did not do so. The researchers then separated the bottom row from the grid and on subjecting it to the microwave radiation, it was noticed that the next highest rows showed the topological effects on absorbing the radiation.

They concluded that the edges of a QTI are not conductive unlike that seen in a TI. It was only the corners which are active and they correspond to the four localized point charges that form the quadrupole moment.

On measuring the amount of microwave radiation each of the resonators absorbed in the QTI, it was confirmed that the resonant states was in a particular frequency range and localized in the four corners. This shows the existence of predicted protected states that would be filled up by electrons that would in turn form four corner charges.

With the experiment conducted, scientists are beginning to understand the possibilities of the new electronic matter and its application. As of now, the physicists can predict that the new form of electronic matter exists, but no material has been found to have these properties.

IBM CIMON: IBM Ships Robotic Head to the International Space Station

IBM gets into the delivery of equipment to International Space station

International Space Station needs a consistent of supply of essential equipment and food supplies from the earth. Earlier Elon Musk’s SpaceX played a vital role in delivering supplies to the ISS but now even IBM is in the same fray. IBM is aiming towards delivering a very unusual eleven pound robot head to the International Space Station using a device called IBM Cimon or the Crew Interactive Mobile Companion.

All you need to know about IBM Cimon

 

IBM Cimon is powered by company's popular supercomputer Watson. But IBM is utilizing it in a different manner which enables to embark on a unique mission to the International Space Station. Earlier IBM has used the Watson technology to run a number of crystal experiments as well as solving the Rubik's Cube. IBM is working closely with a German Astronaut named Alexander Gerst in order to use the IBM Cimon to perform variety of tasks like conducting complex medical experiment just using the on-board camera.

IBM Cimon isn't just every tech piece rather the company wishes to establish it as a reliable companion for the astronaut in the space which can do a number of tasks on its own or with little guidance from the astronauts. With IBM Cimon astronauts will be able to get a number of prescribed tasks done with effortless co-ordination on the space station. Secondly IBM Cimon will also act as a safetyimprovement device by giving out timely warning of any impending failure. It will be smart and intuitive enough to find the failure even before it is shown on the astronauts control boards.

IBM Cimon learns and improves on its own

As IBM Cimon is backed with the AI technology this device can literally act as the first space assistant which will be beneficial for the astronauts working on the International Space Station.The use of technology in IBM Cimon allows it to possess speech, text and other image processing capabilities. Secondly it will be smart enough to retrieve certain specific information and finding when needed to offer valuable insight in time of need. Thirdly astronauts will be able to teach a number of skills to the IBM Cimon individually thereby enhancing it application.

IBM is essentially making use of the Watson speech and vision technologies in order to make CIMON recognize and understand the different voice sample with perfection. Visual Recognition of Watson is employed to understand as well as learn the construction of plans of the Columbus module of the International Space Station.

As IBM Cimon will be deployed at the International Space Station it is necessary that it understand its layout so it can move around with ease and simplicity. Astronauts have even taught him a number of procedures which is ought tobe carried out by him in connection with the on-board experiments. IBM Cimon shows that the science fiction wouldn't be a fiction anymore as we move towards creating intelligent robots to assist astronauts in space.

Metalens: Breakthrough Seen in Artificial Eye and Muscle Technology

Metalens the new human eye?

Researchers may have just found a new version of electronic eye that behaves much like a human eye. This flat electronically controlled artificial eye known as a metalens can autocorrect for blurry vision, giving it a host of uses in various industries be it Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, in optical microscopes and so on.

By taking a cue from the human eye and its functioning, researchers have made an adaptive metalens that can control the main reasons for blurry vision, which are astigmatism, image shift and focus. While the former two is well out of control of the human eye in correcting on its own, the latter can be taken care of by the functioning of the human eye. Therefore metalens even goes beyond what a normal human eye can do.

What is a Metalens? 

Inspired by a human eye, researchers came up with a flat electronic artificial eye come to be known as a metalens. The Metalens can autocorrect for blurry images caused by focus, image shift and astigmatism.

Combining breakthrough tech in artificial muscle technology and meta lens technology, researchers have devised an artificial electronic eye that is a meta lens that can focus on images in real time much like the human eye does. Going even further than the human eye, a metalens can even correct for astigmatism and image shift that the normal human eye cannot do on its own.
Applicability of Metalens Technology:

Because of the feasibility of the project, metalens can be used in a host of applications such as Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Optical Microscopes that can work electronically without the need to refocus or adjust, mobile cellphones, cameras and a host of other applications as well.

While being used in these fields, ametalens is capable of auto correcting blurry vision caused by a number of factors simultaneously.

How is a Metalens made?

A metalens focuses light and gets rid of spherical aberrations by using a dense layer of nanostructures which are smaller than a wavelength of light.

Researchers first developed a metalens which was the size of a single piece of glitter. In order to be used for commercial applications the size of a metalens had to be scaled up. Since each metalens has a lot of information pertaining to it, increasing the size of the metalens from 100 microns to a centimeter sized lens, increases the information relating to it by more than 10,000 times the original metalens. This leads to a file size of gigabytes or even tetrabytes of information pertaining to the design of a metalens.

In order to reduce the size of the file, researchers came up with an algorithm that is commonly used in fabricating integrated circuits. In making a metalens for commercial purposes would require the use of two industries, the semi-conductor industry that makes computer chips and the lens manufacturing industry.

Right now researchers have no plans in selling the intellectual rights of the metalens tech and are exploring avenues to bring the metalens to the manufacturing belt.