Chilled PC is worlds fastest (Source :B.B.C. News Apr.2002) Another Indian breaks new ground (Source: The Economic Times - Apr. 2002) Hands-free Mouse (Source: Digit Mar. 2002) Locking out the hackers (Source: B.B.C. News Mar. 2002) Monkey thoughts control computer (Source:B.B.C. News Apr. 2002) | ||||||
A
PC with its own refrigerator unit is fastest in the world. The makers of the
Vapochill PC, with an Intel processor clocked at 3 GHz, say their machine is the
first cooling unit. The cooling unit keeps the processor chip at 18 degrees
below zero Celsius, far below the temperature of a conventional fan-cooled PC. 
Track
IR hands-free mouse helps the physically challenged use the computer with
relative ease. This device is suitable for people suffering from carpel tunnel
syndrome. The mouse kit ships with a silver dot and a sensor-the sensor is an IR
device that connects to your USB port and the silver dot is the medium through
which the sensor picks up the reflection in order to move the cursor on the
screen. The silver dot could be struck on to your forehead. As you move your
head, the silver dot moves along, and the IR sensor picks up the reflection from
the sticker. The sensor then sends the data to move the cursor accordingly on
the screen.
Broadband
users worried that their PC is vulnerable will soon be able to buy a black
box that watches over their net link to stop viruses and hack attacks. The
Gatelock device is hoped to prove popular with worried surfers. To help these
users, Gatelock sits between a PC and the broadband box that connects it to the
net. It regularly updates itself with the latest information about viruses and
hack attacks and spots when someone is trying to subvert the PC. Gatelock owners
will get a warning when they are being sent a virus or someone is trying to scan
their machine for vulnerabilities. The Gatelock also acts as a basic network hub
and allows more than one PC to share a broadband net link. Gatelock would
probably cost between $100 and $200 (70 - 140). The gadget works with
Windows, Linux and Apple Computers.
Scientists
in the US have developed a device which allows monkeys to control a video game
by thought alone. This device could be of tremendous value to paraplegics
allowing them, for example, to control replacement artificial limbs simply by
thinking. The machine the scientists used was akin to a computer game, in which
the monkeys chased a red dot around a screen with a purple one. At first, the
monkeys used a joystick to move the dots around. But after a while the joystick
was disconnected, and the animals who had not realized this continued
moving the dots around by thought alone. The scientists said this was possible
because an electrode about the size of a small pea had been implanted
into the monkeys brains. This recorded signals from their motor cortex an
area of the brain that controls movement as they move the joystick. The
scientists then analysed the signals with a mathematical formula,
translated them and fed the signals directly into the computer, where they
were reconstructed into directions. Using thought alone to control a cursor
could allow a paralysed individual, for example, to read e-mail or surf the
internet.