Gene Discovery could boost yield of malaria curing drug

The News – Researchers have now identified genetic markers to help produce higher yielding Artemisia annua plant which has been recognised as the most effective treatment for malaria.
The benefits – Since the gene patterns has been identified, it will help people in the community to use this data in their breeding programmes to generate better varieties tailored for the different growing regions all over the world.
The trend – Scientists and researchers are trying to provide all the relevant information to the communities and enable them to make informed decisions.
Challenges – We need to find alternative medicines as well since this will boost the demand of this medicine and supply may struggle to keep up.
Read more at - http://www.scidev.net/en/news/gene-discovery-could-boost-yield-of-key-malaria-drug-1.html
Image: Francesco Marino / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Is the forthcoming Apple tablet going to use eye movements to browse?

The News – Apple is said to be seriously exploring the option of using “gaze vectors” – in short identifying where your eyes are looking at and using that information to letting users to navigate websites. Apple is hoping to launch this with the forthcoming tablet.

The Trend – The mouse has been used for browsing for a long time now. Wouldn’t it be cool if you can do away with the mouse and do our work without the need for scrolling using the mouse? Any innovation in this area is welcome.

The benefits – Arranging the web page based on the user eye movements is very natural and the way we normally scan newspapers today. So it is something everybody is used to and will therefore have a mass appeal.

The challenges – We are prone to distractions and so it may happen that sometimes our eyes are concentrating on other things which is not part of the web page. The software needs to be smart enough to identify this and not get distracted. Also the movements need to be smooth or else it could turn out to be a huge distraction.

Read more at – http://recombu.com/news/is-apple-about-to-open-a-can-of-eye-tracking_M11321.html

Image: djcodrin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

New method of diagnosing tuberculosis

The News – An institute in South Africa has developed a new system of diagnosing tuberculosis by looking at digital photos of a patient’s sputum and searching for the tuberculosis structural fingerprint. This system can diagnose in 24 hours and from tests performed seems to 10% better than conventional methods.
The Benefits – An early diagnosis will help in starting the treatment earlier which can help reducing the impact. This is also cheaper compared to traditional systems for diagnosing tuberculosis since it uses low cost microscopy.
The Challenges – Since it works by analysing the structural fingerprint, it may not work with all types of tuberculosis. Also this system needs to be learning on a continuous basis to ensure that the accuracy of the analysis method is improved. It will be more beneficial if the analysis can help in the study of a better cure for tuberculosis.
Read more at - http://web.scidev.net/en/news/tb-diagnosis-boosted-by-faster-cheaper-test.html
Picture Courtesy -
Image: Suat Eman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Next Generation Cars – Social Media enabled

The News – Ford announced its next generation car which includes a touch screen interface and ability to listen to Twitter tweets through its voice translation interface and also listen to streaming music, podcast or news direct from the internet. These are expected to roll out by the spring of 2011.

The Trend – Social Media is becoming an integral part of our lives and companies are coming up with inventions to fuel this trend.

The benefits – Consumers are going to be spoilt for choice and it will now be easily possible for them to take their preferences anywhere they go with minimal of efforts – either with news or music or their favourite shows.

The challenge – This could lead to more distracted drivers and the number of road accidents due to negligence could actually increase due to these tools. Car makers need to balance such inventions with anti-collision inventions for this to be adopted whole-heartedly by the masses. Expect more activity in this space.

Read More at - http://www.gearlog.com/2010/01/revamped_sync_new_myford_touch.php

Picture Courtesy – Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/thulung/3630506997/

Motion Controlled TV Remote

The News – A motion sensitive TV remote control has been manufactured by LG which it plans to offer along with regular remote on new TVs sold during this year.
The Opportunity – Any innovation in the TV remote area is welcome especially with all the buzz about 3D TVs and HDTV. Also most of today’s remotes are clunky and pretty overwhelming especially for old people or for doing infrequent tasks.
The Challenge – The solution proposed is similar to joysticks used for gaming or using simple motion to achieve common tasks but even this could be a challenge to achieve infrequent tasks. Also it is still not very intuitive to use and people may need to unlearn their earlier habits which could be a big stumbling block to adopt this innovation.
The trend – Manufacturers are looking at successes in other areas and trying to replicate that across domains.
Read more at - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/ces/6944050/CES-2010-Magic-wand-remote-controls-for-TVs.html
Picture Courtesy -
Image: Suat Eman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

2D to 3D conversion

The news - Smart TV by Toshiba can convert 2D content to 3D

Market - Is hotting up with 3D buzz

Toshiba differentiation - is that this technology allows you to apply 3D to even your offline content (like pictures and videos).

Question mark - 3D could be really annoying if not done right, what needs to be seen is how effective is this technology to digest the previously present background and then try convert it into 3D. Sounds tricky to me, would love to see the results.

Read more at - http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/01/06/toshiba.3d.tv/index.html

(Picture Courtesy – http://www.freedigitalphotos.net)

Scientists get inspiration from cockroaches for designing robots

The News – Researchers at Oregon State University are studying cockroaches and how they move quickly and effortlessly over rough terrain. They are specifically looking at how cockroaches or guinea hen use their legs to manage energy storage and expenditure. They are hoping to apply this information to their research on robots.

The Challenge – Scientists have been trying to build robots which can run efficiently over rough terrain without using significant computing power.

The Trend – Researchers are looking at different sources for their ideas and inspiration

Read more at - http://www.pddnet.com/news-cockroaches-offer-inspiration-for-running-robots-010410/

Picture Courtesy – Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisanne001/4185210077/

Bare foot running better than with shoes

The news - In the study published in PM&R, lead author D. Casey Kerrigan says "An avg 54 pct increase in the hip internal rotation torque, a 36 pct increase in knee flexion torque, and a 38 pct increase in knee Vs. torque were measured when running in running shoes compared with barefoot."

Is it because - When you run bare foot, torque gets distributed around and up the legs, body manages it naturally, and when you wear the shoes, the cushion effect does not pass on the same to more wider area, creating more concentrated torque?

Read more at - http://blogs.usatoday.com/sciencefair/2010/01/study-high-heels-better-than-running-shoes.html

(Image downloaded free from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net)

Co-creation the Pepsi way

The news - PepsiCo is asking consumers to design future mountain Dew product including the taste, packaging, and go to market ads.

The trend – Companies are increasingly harnessing the power of consumers.

The benefits – Get what customers would like to buy, get it at a very very low cost.

Sample ads from the consumers – are not bad at all, check out - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Yhx3cFn0_M

Read more at - http://www.dewmocracymediahub.com/