Imagine that you can recharge your smart phones, electronic tablets and laptops without relying on electrical outlets, solar energy or external battery, without which no amount where you are.

Two mechanical engineers are at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, UW-M, Wisconsin (EE. UU.) Just make it possible to develop an innovative system that will recharge the battery by connecting a cable to the shoes.

Professor Tom Krupenkin and scientist J. Ashley Taylor have gotten recharging devices also be mobile, to harness the energy generated by their users as they walk. This system is able to capture 10 watts (W) per shoe.

Krupenkin and Taylor have developed this technology to capture the energy of human movement that can be integrated into the sole of conventional footwear and allowing “harvest” the mechanical energy produced by the person wearing it when walking, convert it into electricity and store it for later use, according to this university.

This “shoe power generator” which has been successfully tested in sneakers, could be very useful for the military because the soldiers carry heavy batteries to power their radios, GPS and night vision goggles units, and for people they are living in remote areas or developing countries that lack adequate electricity grids.

Looking for synergies

This researcher is looking for along with Taylor partner with industry and market their system through their emerging company InStep Nanopower and is already working in collaboration with Vibram shoe manufacturer.”The human journey involves a lot of energy,” says Krupenkin.

Generate a total of 20 watts when walking is no small thing when compared with the power needs of most modern mobile devices,” and notes that “a typical smart phone requires less than two watts”.

Krupenkin and Taylor have developed an innovative energy harvesting technology that is based on the “reverse electro-wetting”.

This phenomenon is that “when a conductive liquid interacts with a very thin film coated or nano-film surface, the mechanical energy applied in the contact between both elements, is converted directly into electrical energy,” says the expert.

“This method can be used to generate electricity, but it requires a primary source of mechanical energy, which is vibrating or spinning rapidly,” are according to Krupenkin.

The bubbler method

To exploit this phenomenon the researchers developed the “bubbler method” which combines reverse electro wetting with the growth and collapse of bubbles conductive liquid used in this system.

The bubbler of researchers has no moving mechanical parts consisting of two flat plates separated by a small liquid-filled hollow conductor.

“The bottom plate is covered by a series of tiny holes through which bubbles under the influence of a pressurized gas are formed. These bubbles grow until they are large enough to touch the top plate, which causes collapse, “say the mechanical engineers.

“The rapid repetitive growth and collapse of the bubbles, the conductive fluid pushes back and forth between you loved plates, thus generating electrical charge” according to  Krupenkin and Taylor.

Its technically called ‘energy collector built into the shoes’ could directly feed the different mobile devices through a charging cable, or could be coupled to a Wi-Fi access, built inside a shoe and would act as ” intermediary between mobile devices and a wireless network, as indicated by EFE scientists UWM.

The World Bank warn in its latest report on the risks of automation and the opportunities and challenges of the disruption of technologies such as robots or even applications like Uber.

A world like something out of science fiction movies, where machines and artificial intelligence will have replaced man, seems increasingly remote from film and literature and closer to reality. Proof of this is the concern that the World Bank warns in its latest report, entitled “Digital Dividends”. The speed with technology advances threatening those who have not yet adopted, as the widening of the digital divide increasingly accelerates.

As explained Indhira Santos, senior economist at the bank, there is a group of people in the world has been climbing in and to the middle class at the point of effort into jobs as operators call center, organizers files, among others, which the Bank calls “routine” work performance of which can make a list of instructions to follow and that could eventually play a machine. That group, according to the economist, has a particular involvement in the digital revolution.

Those in the highest, researchers or prepared managers, who usually move easily in digital environments, are almost guaranteed to continue to increase their productivity if you keep pace with technology. On the other hand, the group below, “the less qualified,” which works in trades such as personal services, is not yet threatened by automation, because their functions are still performing better human beings. But those in the middle “have to prepare to board level or may fall back towards the lower,” Santos said. For countries like Colombia, whose middle class is barely growing, that may be something to consider.

Currently, about 40% of the world population has access to internet and seven out of ten households in the poorest 20% there are cellular. In Colombia, the Government has set the goal of reaching 27 million network connections to 2018 and today there are over 50 million mobile phone lines. But despite the situation, the World Bank warns in its report that the participation of industry Information Technology and Communications (ICT) in GDP remains generally very low. In the country, according to the National Planning Department (DNP) the figure is around 3%. That adds up to the proportion of national income that goes into the pockets of workers decreases or very little, as in Colombia, with just 2% growth between 1975 and 2013.

So where are the benefits of the digital revolution? The World Bank says there are still about 4,000 million people in the world do not have internet and the digital divide, if nothing is done quickly, it will become increasingly large and difficult to close. But in addition, the bank, that inequality is not eliminated only with the provision of technology and connectivity, but with the development of skills to know how to use.

Therefore, among the main recommendations of the report is that countries adopt an agenda for digital development with a component of skills development, something that for example the poor results of the PISA in Colombia, according Indhira Santos, confirm that there to work. “Technology alone will not solve the problems,” said Issam Abousleiman, director of the World Bank in the country.

To take full advantage of the digital revolution, countries must also address strengthening regulations that guarantee competition between companies, adapting the skills of workers to the demands of the new economy and ensure that the institutions are responsible recommends the organization. The Santos economist added that, according to the studied cases like Mexico, has been competition, especially from abroad, which has prompted companies to adopt technologies (such as online sales channels) and be more productive.

In Colombia, only 20% of SMEs use ICT to sell or buy. For others, national productivity is currently in negative territory (- 0.5%), which in fact was one of the arguments for the minimum wage does not grow more than it grew in 2016 (7%). Faced with such situations, the World Bank is emphatic that we must ensure competition -accompanied strengthening enterprise level capabilities-so that there are incentives to innovate. Of course examples like Uber not left out of the discussion.

Alibaba is an example of how the Internet is changing the way of trade, while Uber does the same in the transport sector. “You have to wonder about the advantages of Uber. Are there barriers to entry to traditional business? Should we improve it? Surely adjustments on both sides are needed: regulation for passenger safety in Uber, and smarter in the taxi sector regulation, “said World Bank economist. In this, for her, the Mintic should be a coordinating body between different government ministries to attend each disruptions in its sector.

In any case, the Colombian ICT sector remains relatively small, not only for its contribution to GDP, but because it represents only 1.5% of employment in the country. Bruce Mac Master, president of ANDI, it is inevitable that companies have to adapt to what has been called “the fourth industrial revolution” digital. “We work to change the mindset of companies that believe digital, but digital-90s,” he said. Unionization, according to Mac Master, through the vice president of digital transformation, for example promotes the adoption of digital solutions and best practices in these ecosystems.

During the presentation of the report,David Luna,  minister of information did not fail to refer to the challenges of internet penetration and technological appropriation that would be the next tax reform. “It was National Planning who said a few months we exclude VAT smartphones ago. We understand that we have an economic situation and tax reform to do, but it is also important to understand where we come from. The Congress a few years ago VAT excluded computers and tablets, and also internet in strata 1,2 and 3. So we spent 7% (penetration) in 2010 to 50% in 2015, “he said.

The National Planning Department referred to the challenge of measuring the contribution of the ICT sector to the economy for precisely to new platforms. “When they were fashioned text messages a charge for each generated and could measure the contribution to GDP. Now with technologies such as Whatsapp does not happen, said Simon Gaviria, director of the DNP. It is a dialogue with the Dane to obtain statistics on the matter, which would be implemented in 2017. That, coupled with the creation of 1,400 companies in the IT industry in 2018, for a total of 3,200, is among the goals of the current administration.

Huawei introduced its first hybrid tablets

This year at MWC in Barcelona, ​​ Huawei has released their first hybrid tablets – to compete with the iPad Pro and Microsoft Surface. Huawei MateBook is 12-inch full HD touch screen  two-in-one device,  is a powerful gadget weighing 635 grams on Intel Core M 3,1GGts with 8GB of RAM and SSD 512 GB.

The two-in-one device, called the MateBook, functions as a laptop, but the screen can be detached to operate as a tablet, which will run Microsoft’s Windows 10.

MateBook additionally can be used with a stylus – the MatePen – which doubles as a laser pointer for presentations.

The device weight only 635 grams- this is one of the lightest tablet with a diagonal. Thickness is 6.9mm.Screen resolution – 2160h1440. For comparison: surface pro has a resolution 2736h1824 and ipad pro – 2732h2048. The manufacturer promise that the battery will last 10 hours. The gadget is based on the intel core M processors – are available option with the M3 M5 and M7. Customers will be able to choose the version with a 4 GB or 8 GB ram, SSD will be from 128GB up to 512 GB capacity.

“With this landmark device, Huawei is demonstrating our industry-leading design and manufacturing expertise by bringing a beautifully crafted flagship product to market that is redefining the new style of business – connected computing across all devices in almost every scenario,” said Richard Yu, CEO, Huawei Consumer Business Group. “Huawei has successfully channeled its comprehensive experience and excellence in building premium mobile products into the needs of the modern business environment by introducing a highly efficient device, seamlessly capable of integrating work and entertainment functions.”

The MateBook provides security while maintaining quick access through the fingerprint recognition feature that supports 360-degree sensitive identification for fewer authentication failures. It takes only one touch to unlock the MateBook’s screen – the fastest fingerprint recognition in the industry.

The case MateBook keyboard is soft and ecological PU leather, the perfect choice to combine style with functionality. The durability of the keyboard case also provides an ideal level of protection. The keyboard has a key pressed 1.5 mm and a design of key chiclet: the surface of the keys is bigger to reduce typing errors. The built-in touchpad that supports multi-touch technology uses smooth and precise finger movements and combines comfort and utility.

With a base price of USD 699 / € 799, MateBook responds to the demand for portable and elegant smart devices that enable users to stay connected in any environment. Mate Book is a first class product which is Design as a total solution for consumers who enjoy the flexibility of a convertible that perfectly balances mobility, productivity and design.

MateBook has a wireless access point wi-fi so users stay connected when they have no traditional Internet connection. Other functions ensuring efficient mobile experience are an integrated transfer capability allows data transfer mode documents with drag and drop to and from Android smartphones.

The device also features Huawei’s power-saving technology and the MateBook’s battery can be fully charged in just two-and-a-half hours.

When there is not enough time for a full charge, the device can power up to 60 per cent battery strength in just one hour.

MateBook be available in Asia, Europe and North America in the coming months, in two stylish colors: gray and gold.

Acquire a headset is not always a simple task. If price is, no obvious problem is that everything is simplified, since few headphones more than 250 or 300 dollars leave us dissatisfied. The problem is when we have to further adjust the budget. That is where problems arise.

For a few weeks, I used one of the latest handsets from Panasonic, the RP-HD5. A model that is below the HD10 and arrives with the intention of offering a high quality sound for about 100 dollars. If it succeeds or not, what you offer, what fails and succeeds is what we will see. Analysis headphone Panasonic RP-HD5.Continue reading →