electromagnetic

Electromagnetism can deter algae pests, firm says

OriginOil has developed a new method for targeting invading microbes that can kill or damage algae ponds, the algae research company said today.

The method, which the Australia-based company plans to offer as a product called Algae Screen, uses low-power electromagnetic pulses to target rotifers, ciliates, and bacteria harmful to algae growth. And the pulses do not harm the algae themselves, according to OriginOil.

The electromagnetic pulses can be tailored to take into account issues such as the type of algae being grown, as well as the salinity and water hardness of an algae pond.

Algae Screen can be used … Read more

EV charging station recharges without wires

A "hands free" electric-vehicle charging station from Evatran powers nearby vehicles wirelessly, eliminating the need to remember to recharge at the end of the day--or dirty your hands.

The Plugless Power charging station, introduced this week at the Plug-In 2010 conference in San Jose, Calif., uses electromagnetic induction to deliver power to an electric vehicle's battery within its proximity. The station consists of a model-specific vehicle adapter that's mounted onto the car and a charging station with a floor-mounted magnetic charging block close to where the driver parks.

The wireless charging station is about 10 percent … Read more

Apple has an ally; Electromagnetic engineer says Consumer Reports iPhone 4 study flawed

As iPhone 4 hits seem to keep piling up, Apple finds a friend in an electromagnetic engineer and self-described 'mobile topic expert' who claims that Consumer Reports failed to provide a truly scientific test of the antenna issues facing Apple's iPhone 4.… Read more

Apple's ally: Engineer says Consumer Reports study flawed

As iPhone 4 hits seem to keep piling up, Apple finds a friend in an electromagnetic engineer and self-described "mobile topic expert" who claims that Consumer Reports failed to provide a truly scientific test of the antenna issues facing Apple's iPhone 4.

Bob Egan, now a technology blogger and global head of research & chief analyst at the TowerGroup, claims that the Consumer Reports study, which had the popular independent customer advocacy group unable to recommend purchasing the iPhone 4, has many inherent flaws and can barely be counted as scientific.

Egan writes, "Bottom line. From … Read more

HFI-2400: Ultrasone's new flagship headphone

Germany has the high-end headphone market covered, as Beyer Dynamic, Sennheiser, and Ultrasone are all headquartered there.

Ultrasone is the newcomer of the group, but it's hardly new. It was founded in 1991 in Tutzing, close to the Alps in southern Germany. The headphones are manufactured in the U.S., Germany, Austria, and Taiwan.

Ultrasone has just announced a new flagship model, the HFI-2400 ($329). It features Ultrasone's S-Logic technology that promises to create "natural surround sound" by reducing pressure on the eardrum up to 40 percent. The new headphone also features ULE-technology that reduces electro-magnetic … Read more

Once again: Do cell phones cause brain tumors?

A collaborative of international electromagnetic radiation (EMR) watchdogs, including Powerwatch and the EMR Policy Institute, sent a paper to government leaders and media Tuesday detailing several design flaws in a major but oft-delayed telecom-funded Interphone study.

Now consumers get to wonder yet again whether the message behind the paper, "Cellphones and Brain Tumors: 15 Reasons for Concern, Science, Spin and the Truth Behind Interphone," is legitimate or the result of overzealous conspiracy theorists.

The paper's main conclusions are: There is a "significant" risk of brain tumors from cell phone use; EMR exposure limits that have … Read more

Nokia powering up self-charging cell phone

No more telling Mom you can't talk because your cell phone is "about to die"--it soon could be charging itself as you speak.

The Nokia Research Centre in Cambridge, England, is working on a prototype system that would eliminate the traditional cell phone charger.

The system collects energy from ambient radio waves emitted by antennas, TV masts, Wi-Fi transmitters, and the like. This might all sound uber-scientific, but we've been using this technology for years. Have you ever exited a store, only to hear the beep, beep, beep of an accusing alarm system? Many retailers … Read more

DIY 'e-bombs' a threat to airliners

Box cutters, high flying geese and now this: a DIY electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapon that can bring down a plane with a single microwave radio pulse blasted from the ground or even from the next seat over, according to experts.

The world's major military powers have tinkered with EMP warheads that broadcast radio-frequency shockwaves of hundreds of thousands of volts per meter. But now, any crackpot can build one of these "e-bombs" with low-cost equipment purchased online.

In analyzing electromagnetic weapons currently in development, the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya, Israel, discovered that there is plenty … Read more

"Novel" receiver to protect electronics against electromagnetic pulse attack

A Malibu, CA company is developing a new system to protect military communication gear from high-power microwave weapons, nuclear blast generated electromagnetic pulse (EMP) and the mythic, directed-energy "e-bomb".

One nuclear airburst can unleash the EMP equivalent to 100,000 volts per square centimeter, frying computer, radar and communication equipment within hundreds of miles. It's possible to protect electronic circuitry from EMP with something called a Faraday cage, or covering it up with 1 inch mesh, grounded, copper chicken wire as they've done with FEMA headquarters; problem is-nothing gets out either, which defeats the purpose when … Read more