Smart Li-Ion Batteries the Size of a Credit Card

Accutronics has launched two new lithium-ion batteries in its Intellion series of credit card sized batteries. Designed to provide a high level of functionality and safety the CC2300 and CC3800 batteries allow integration of smart lithium ion battery into handheld portable products with minimal effort and cost.

The batteries feature an active electronic protection system that prevents them from being overcharged, over discharged or short circuited and to ensure that the battery will remain safe if externally abused. In addition, they have an impedance tracking fuel gauge that constantly tracks battery status, providing information such as remaining battery capacity, state of charge, run time to empty, battery voltage and temperature.

The new batteries fulfill the requirements of IEC 62133 and UN 38.3 to ensure compliance with international safety and transportation standards and they are excepted from Dangerous Goods regulations.

Comprehensive technical back-up and accessories are available to help OEM designers integrate the batteries into their systems.

Miracle Material Doubles Speaker Volume For Better Bass Response

Knowles Sound Solutions has launched a specially developed material called N’Bass Virtual Back Volume, designed to improve the acoustic performance of speakers in devices with small form factors. N’Bass stands for ‘enhanced bass’ and it increases the apparent back volume seen by the loudspeaker driver by up to 100%.

It can provide better acoustic performance – specifically more bass – or enable smaller loudspeaker box designs while maintaining the same performance. It also facilitates the use of bigger drivers to provide better sound performance in the same total volume.

Similar to a sponge, the new material adsorbs air in the sealed loudspeaker box when the speaker membrane moves inward and releases the air again when the membrane moves outward, making it easier for the membrane to vibrate at full amplitude – especially at low bass frequencies. In this way, it virtually increases the available back volume for the loudspeaker that is typically very limited in mobile devices due to space constraints.

In speakers using the new material, the manufacturer has measured a difference in the resonance frequency of about 150 Hz, with a sound pressure level boost below the resonance frequency of approximately 3 dB compared to a standard loudspeaker enclosure.

The material is non-conductive and has no negative effect on antenna performance.

New Memory Cell Has Four States

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics have created a memory element with four states.


The element consists of a sandwich of ferromagnetic and ferroelectric materials. Using a short electric pulse it is possible to change the electrical and magnetic properties of the element.


The new technique allows placing information in four instead of just two states of a memory element, increasing storage density.


The multiferroic sandwich was created by steaming an extremely accurately structured ferromagnetic lanthan strontium manganate (LSMO) layer on a base.


The thickness of this layer is just under 30 nm. On top of that, a layer of ferroelectric lead zirconate titanite (PZT) only three nanometres thick and with a very regular structure was deposited; a top layer of ferromagnetic cobalt finished the sandwich.

The Most Bizarre Means of Transportation

Fly like a dolphin, swim like an eagle

Mankind is unrivalled when it comes to devising means of transportation. Where other living creatures rely on their legs, wings or tails to travel from A to B, humans prefer to use their heads first. This has already led to great inventions like f.i. the boat, the car and the plane to name a few, but for some people this is not enough. Franky Zapata is such a person and his latest invention is the Flyboard.

The Flyboard is a sort of remote controlled modified jetski. Instead of sitting on it, the jetski pilot either flies a few meters above it or glides through the water in front of it. Water is pumped up by the jetski to create a water jet that is used to propel the pilot up in the air or under water. Two other water jets, one attached to each hand, help stabilizing the pilot and allow changing direction.

The Flyboard clearly takes its inspiration from the Jetlev flyer, a water jet pack commercialized by Jetlev Sports since 2009 and available for a mere €100,000. Instead of a jetski, this system uses a special sort of speed boat to pump the water. The Flyboard kit is 25x cheaper, but does not include the jetski.

Computer Scores 150 on IQ Test

Intelligence – what does it really mean? In the 1800s, it meant that you were good at memorizing things, today intelligence is measured through (disputed) IQ tests where the average score for humans is 100. Researchers at the Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science at the University of Gothenburg have now created a computer program that can score 150.

IQ tests are based on two types of problems: progressive matrices, which test the ability to see patterns in pictures, and number sequences, which test the ability to see patterns in numbers. The most common math computer programs score below 100 on IQ tests with number sequences. According to the researchers number sequence problems are only partly a matter of mathematics – psychology is important too. When equipped with a psychological model of human patterns their computer program specialized in number sequences managed to obtain an IQ of 150.

The technique of combining mathematics and psychology can potentially be used to identify patterns in data with a psychological component, such as financial data, but it is not as good at finding patterns in more objective data, such as weather data, where the human psyche is not involved.

Turn Your Mobile Phone into a Microscope

Finland’s VTT Technical Research Centre has developed an optical accessory that transforms the camera of a normal mobile phone into a microimaging system that can be used to examine objects and structures in microscopic detail and transmit high-resolution images as MMS messages. Featuring next-generation lens technology and a resolution of 10 microns, the accessory could benefit the printing industry, consumers, security applications and health care professionals. The first industrial applications and consumer models will be available in early 2012.

The accessory contains a lens with LEDs to illuminate the object being examined.  It fits in front of the regular camera lens using magnetic attachment. Unlike conventional tubular microscopes, the accessory easily fits in the user’s pocket. The microscope accessory has a moulded plastic macro lens that gives the camera a 2x3-mm field of view. Several LEDs are recessed in the perimeter of the lens to allow objects to be illuminated from different angles, which could potentially be used in combination with a software app to produce 3D topographic images.

Motor Control Kit Features Customizable System-on-Chip Technology

Microsemi and Trinamic have put together a motor control kit featuring Microsemi's SmartFusion evaluation kit and Trinamic's motor control daughterboard. The customizable system-on-chip (cSoC) technology offers three useful features for implementing complex motor control algorithms: an embedded ARM Cortex-M3 microcontroller, programmable analogue fabric, and programmable digital fabric (FPGA). The microcontroller handles task management, algorithm execution and system connectivity; the analogue fabric supports sensing and control for voltage, current and temperature monitoring; and the flash FPGA logic enables hardware acceleration and math co-processing. 

The evaluation kit features an FPGA with 200,000 gates, 256 KB flash memory, 64 KB SRAM, additional distributed SRAM in the FPGA fabric and an external memory controller, along with a host of connectivity peripherals, timers, ADCs, DACs and other analogue resources. The motor control daughterboard supports parallel operation of BLDC and stepper motors (with separate power supplies) with Hall sensors or ABN encoders and is tightly coupled to the analogue I/O and analogue computing engine on the main board. The kit also includes a stepper motor, a brushless DC motor, and a power supply with international plugs.