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How The US Military Invented The iPhone

Steve Jobs didn’t create that — US Military did.


Just about all of the underlying technology in the iPhone can be traced back to military research projects.

For those anxiously awaiting the release of Apple’s iPhone 7, they might be interested to know that the software company isn’t entirely responsible for the underlying technology behind their newest smartphone. Or for that matter, the technology behind many of their products, from iPhones, to iPads, and iPods.

Many of the breakthroughs behind Apple’s iconic suite of handheld smart devices are actually due to Department of Defense research, according to an article by Rana Foroohar in Time Magazine on the findings of economist Mariana Mazzucato.

New Quantum Chip Could Bring Highest Level of Encryption to Any Mobile Device

Nice.


“We’ve managed to put quantum-based technology that has been used in high profile science experiments into a package that might allow it to be used commercially.”

Random number generators are crucial to the encryption that protects our privacy and security when engaging in digital transactions such as buying products online or withdrawing cash from an ATM. For the first time, engineers have developed a fast random number generator based on a quantum mechanical process that could deliver the world’s most secure encryption keys in a package tiny enough to use in a mobile device.

In The Optical Society’s journal for high impact research, Optica, the researchers report on their fully integrated device for random number generation. The new work represents a key advancement on the path to incorporating quantum-based random number generators — delivering the highest quality numbers and thus the highest level of security — into computers, tablets and mobile phones.

Your Next Phone Could Have Quantum Security

As I mentioned 4 months ago when an article came out stating that this type of concept of a scalable quantum chip was at least 15 years away was bunk; this is again one more example where contributors really need to do their homework and make sure they are speaking to the real folks on the frontlines of QC.


Quantum-based random number generators are now small enough that they could fit in mobile devices.

How It Works – DARPA’s Amazing LiquidPiston X Engine!

A LiquidPiston X engine.


DARPA made this dream a reality, as they have succeeded in manufacturing an engine of just 1.8 kilograms with dimensions of a 5-inch smartphone, but the most attractive of all is the fact that you do not need pistons or oil for operation.

The creators of this engine Nikolai Shkolnik, a Russian mechanical engineer, and his son Alexander Shkolnik, a computer engineer, promised a 50% thermal efficiency.

Check it out!

Russia, China Collaborate On New eCommerce Site

This one makes me to want to dig more into the reason especially since just last week Russia announced its distrust of Chinese tech being used to hack into Russia’s governmental systems, etc. And, one thing about Russia and China is their protection and involvement in commerce and financials.


New trade routes are expanding between Russia and China. That’s according to Russia’s Far East Development Fund, which said an agreement has been made with Chinese technology company LeEco to develop an eCommerce platform focused on increasing food exportation to China.

LeLive, the name of the new platform, will broaden and increase sales of Russian agricultural items and products in the Chinese market. Facilitated by LeEco’s online platform — called “Le Ecosystem,” which has a monthly connection with more than 800 million users — the goal of the platform is to meet Chinese customers’ needs. Russian goods that will be available through the platform range from basics, like flour, butter and honey, to assorted beverages, sweets, canned meats and nuts.

China’s LeEco originally began as a digital content provider and recently acquired Vizio. Some have nicknamed LeEco the “Netflix of China.” Over time, LeEco expanded further into digital offerings, from music streaming, to mobile phones, to cloud storage, to film distribution.

Technology Looks to Stop a Dirty Bomb Before It Happens

Using tech to stop terrorists dirty bombs.


DARPA’s SIGMA program undergoes real-world testing with state, federal and international partners to defend against radiological threats.

A DARPA program aimed at preventing attacks involving radiological “dirty bombs” and other nuclear threats has successfully developed and demonstrated a network of smartphone-sized mobile devices that can detect the tiniest traces of radioactive materials. Combined with larger detectors along major roadways, bridges, other fixed infrastructure, and in vehicles, the new networked devices promise significantly enhanced awareness of radiation sources and greater advance warning of possible threats.

The demonstration of efficacy earlier this year was part of DARPA’s SIGMA program, launched in 2014 with the goal of creating a cost-effective, continuous radiation-monitoring network able to cover a large city or region. Although radiation detectors have in recent years been installed in a number of key locations in the United States and around the world, the SIGMA program has sought to increase capabilities while lowering their costs, in order to network an unprecedented number of advanced detectors and provide a comprehensive, dynamic, and automated overview of the radiological environment.

Stretchy supercapacitors power wearable electronics

A future of soft robots that wash your dishes or smart T-shirts that power your cell phone may depend on the development of stretchy power sources. But traditional batteries are thick and rigid—not ideal properties for materials that would be used in tiny malleable devices. In a step toward wearable electronics, a team of researchers has produced a stretchy micro-supercapacitor using ribbons of graphene.

The researchers will present their work today at the 252nd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

“Most power sources, such as phone batteries, are not stretchable. They are very rigid,” says Xiaodong Chen, Ph.D. “My team has made stretchable electrodes, and we have integrated them into a supercapacitor, which is an energy storage device that powers electronic gadgets.”

Cheap and Useful 3D Printed Electronics

Nice.


Shopping trends change from time to time while consumers continue to search for more affordable products with better functionality and specs. Researchers and developers around the world continue to improve company products while lessening the cost of producing these materials.

Gadgets like smartphones, LED lights, tablets and solar cells are already part of the mainstream, and it is not going to change anytime soon. Companies that are involved in this industry must always keep a competitive edge against other manufacturers.

Cheap and Useful 3D Printed Electronics

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