Latest Invention: Smart Blocks That Interact with Touch Screen

The combination of the surface interactive table-top computer developed by Microsoft and several smart building blocks could help engineers create various designs much easier. The smart blocks represent the latest invention from German scientists at the Hasso Plattner Institute at the University of Potsdam. It is worth mentioning that in 2008 the software giant introduced Surface, which represents a touch-screen table computer. But the company's gadget could function only if users got in direct contact with it.
Patrick Baudisch, Torsten Becker and Frederik Rudeck are the three German engineers, who managed to interact with the Surface without touching the screen with their fingers. They created smart building blocks, dubbed Luminos. When the Luminos are used to create complex structures on the touch-screen, the computer identifies their position and virtually recreates the physical construction.
The secret of the engineers' latest invention lies in the pattern installed on the base of each block - the pattern identifies the 3D shape of each Lumino. With the help of its 4 built-in cameras the Surface screen is able to read them, which helps the computer make a 3D image of the objects that lie on the top of the screen.
Besides, the computer can also identify blocks when they are stacked up. This is possible thanks to fiber optic threads included in each block, reports New Scientist. Thus, the blocks that are put on top of other blocks are still identified, though they do not come in direct contact with the screen. Currently the screen can recognize up to 10 blocks that are put one on top of another.
Despite the fact that the invention is currently in the prototype stage, the engineers believe that in the near future they would be able to come up with a technology that would be of great help to architects

Latest Invention: Small OLED Squares for Infinite TVs

Mitsubishi has recently presented at CEATEC its huge 155-inch TV composed of tiny OLED squares. The latest invention used by the company allows creating TVs of unlimited sizes. The video shows what the new TV technology is made of and how it functions.
Using the new technology it would be possible to create huge digital displays that would wrap curved buildings. The invention is expected to be a hit in case the company decides to market it.
It is worth mentioning that the new technology is energy efficient and it might also be used to create digital billboards. Another advantage is that in case of certain defects, there would be no need to replace the entire billboard - the technology allows replacing just one square that runs out of order. You can find information on various inventions here at www.InfoNIAC.com - please check the links at the bottom of the story.
There is one drawback (stated in the video), i.e. the lifespan of Mitsubishi's latest invention is just over two-and-a-half years. Replacing the squares so often would lead to a lot of e-waste, which is not good, considering that the world is more aware today about the environmental issues. Currently there is no information on the price of Mitsubishi's latest invention.

Latest Invention: Car that Offers Flying-like Experience

A pretty concept car has been recently presented by the third largest Japanese carmaker Nissan. The vehicle tips to the side when it goes around bends, which brings the sensation of gliding through the air.
The new electric car is dubbed Land Glider and it offers space for two people. Land Glider is only 1.1 meters (3.6 feet) wide, which allows it to easily park into tight parking spaces as well as travel through narrow streets.
According to Nissan's Ryusuke Hayashi, the manager of the project, Nissan's latest invention can move in a three dimensional way, unlike traditional vehicles that move only forward and backward. He added that when you drive the car you get the sensation of flying.
The design of the vehicle was inspired from the designs of motorbikes and glider aircraft. Land Glider features four wheels and moving fenders that allow the car to lean by 17 degrees. With the help of special built-in sensors, the car can calculate the appropriate tilt for a corner. You can read more stories on latest invention and different car concepts here at www.InfoNIAC.com - please cheack the links at the bottom of the story.
One more uncommon feature is the car's airplane-style controls that replace the conventional wheel. The company's latest invention will be show this month at the Tokyo Motor Show that will take place in the period between October 24 and November 4.

Latest Invention: Touchscreen Software that Allows Surfing Through Time and Space

Recently engineers from the Tokyo Polytechnic University presented their new invention - c-loc touchscreen enabled software that allows surfing through time and space. The technology was revealed at the 2009 Digital Content Expo.
The new invention allows users to play around with geographical and chronological information, including text, images, sounds and videos, through 3-dimensional graphics, reports CrunchGear.
The software was developed for archeologists, historians and scientists from other fields that need information on historical events and geographical regions. It makes it possible to see the evolution of a certain geographical area or even building throughout a certain period of time.

Latest Invention: Software That Automatically Repairs the System Affected by Malware

Together with his colleagues, Martin Rinar, who is currently a professor of computer science at MIT, managed to create new software called ClearView that is able to identify the intrusion of alien software and generate a set of patches meant to repair the operating system. The new invention detects the rule that was compromised and then generates patches that make the software to pursue the compromised rules.
Afterwards the software analyses all options in order to decide which of the chosen rules represents the most suitable patch. The team's new invention searches for particular types of errors, which are often caused by a malicious code introduced into the operating software.
A great advantage of the new invention is that it can be installed on several computers that run the same software. When it selects the most effective patch, the latter can be installed on all the other computers.
The team of researchers carried out a test of the software on a group of machines that run Firefox. A team of independent programmers launched an attack on Firefox, each using a different type of attack. ClearView managed to block the malicious codes of all attacks. It also shut down the program prior to the attack.
The new invention discarded the wrong corrections and generated patches that corrected all errors caused by malware. Just after 5 minutes of the first attack ClearView managed to create a working patch.

A great idea was proposed by architects Goryainov A. and Krymov M. from the Arch Group. They thought about designing a rental booth that would allow t

Australia registered the world's first worm that infects the Apple iPhone. The worm changes the wallpaper of the iPhone to an image of Rick Astley, a pop singer of the 1980s. In addition, it generates a message that reads: "ikee is never going to give you up." The worm has been dubbed ikee and it can only influence "jail-broken" devices, meaning iPhones that had their protection mechanisms removed by the user to be able to run various programs that have not been approved by Apple.
Although the current iPhone worm is not harmful, experts believe that it could bring a new wave of malware that might have a more serious impact on the device. Mikko Hypponen, a representative of F-secure, a security firm, wrote that the developer of the iPhone worm managed to liberate a full source code of the 4 existing types of the worm. "This means that there will quickly be more variants, and they might have nastier payload than just changing your wallpaper," he wrote.
Up till now only Australia registered the circulation of the iPhone worm. This can be easily explained - the developer of the worm, known as Ashley Towns, lives in Australia. According to the 21-year-old Towns, he developed the worm to make people aware of the security issues.
The worm only affects devices that have SSH installed, which is a program that allows other phones to connect to the device and alter the system and files. The iPhone is infected in case the user did not consider changing the default password after installing SSH, reports BBC News.
As soon as the device is infected with the worm, the SSH service is disabled, which prevents re-infection. There are several comments included in the code. These messages were written by Mr. Towns to explain his motivation. One of the messages reads: "People are stupid and this is to prove it. It's not that hard guys. But hey who cares its only your bank details at stake."
To get rid of the worm the user has to change the device's password and delete a number of files. According to some estimates, today up to 10 percent of all iPhones and iPod Touches are jail-broken.

SleepBox Might Be the Most Useful Invention for Urban Commuters

A great idea was proposed by architects Goryainov A. and Krymov M. from the Arch Group. They thought about designing a rental booth that would allow travelers rest during their busy schedules.
The two architects named their booth SleepBox. The SleepBox can truly deserve the title of one of the most useful inventions for urban travelers. These boxes could be installed at decking railroad stations, airports, public and shopping centers, as well as accommodation facilities and even on streets.
One booth is quite spacious, having an area of 3.75 square meters. It includes a bed measuring 2x0.6 meters and featuring an automatic system for changing the bed linen.
The occupier can stay in the boot for several hours. The SleepBox includes a ventilation system, sound alerts in case of emergency, built-in LCD TV, WiFi and sockets that could be used to charge a mobile phone or a laptop. This can indeed be one of the most useful inventions for contemporary urban areas.