Star-Trek Style – Capt. Kirk
A team of physicists at the Australian National University have successfully disembodied a laser beam at one location and rebuilt it at another spot about a meter away in blink of an eye. The team teleported the beam star trek style, but it got destroyed in the recreation process. They claim that day is not too far when solid matter could be teleported from one location to another. This breakthrough opens up enormous possibilities for superfast and supersecure communications systems and quantum computing over the next decade.

(Source: Digit August 2002)

Use and throw Mobile Phones
Disposable phones could soon be joining throwaway cameras in shops across the US. A small US firm, Hop-On, has won regulatory approval to sell the first throwaway prepaid mobile phone. The phone is the size of a deck of playing cards and will offer 60 minutes of service for a $40 flat fee. Top-up cards of additional talk time can be bought in increments of 60, 90 and 120 minutes. Users talk and listen via a microphone or earpiece connected by a thin wire. To cut down on costs, there will be no data features and the LCD display has been replaced by an audio playback for any number dialled. A $5 rebate is available to customers who want to dispose of their phones. Hop-On will recycle used devices to new customers. An even cheaper model priced at $29 is awaiting regulatory approval.

(Source: B.B.C. News - July 2002)

Small Wonder
Cynthia Breazeal, an MIT professor has built the sociable robot  called ‘Kismet’ with a cute face capable of smiling, frowning, looking surprised and mimicking a few other basic emotions. Kismet resonds to the tone of voice, facial expressions and physical behaviour and comes up with an appropriate response. Kismet is much like a child, and is being developed using theories of developmental psychology. The goal is to create a self-learning robot that can pick up emotions just like a growing child and learn from its surroundings.

(Source: Digit August 2002)

Your fingerprint can be stored on your face
There could be more to your passport photo than meets the eye as Israeli researchers find a way to embed signatures and fingerprints in images. This technique could prove an invaluable addition to passport security. The system works by converting fingerprints or signatures into numbers that in turn slightly alter the position of the millions of different coloured dots that make up a normal colour photo. The documents can be faxed, scanned and reprinted without the hidden data disappearing. To reveal the hidden identification, the picture has to be scanned and then run through special computer software which will reconstruct the fingerprint or signature.

(Source: B.B.C. News - August 2002)

Baby-sitting via satellite
Satellite technology is being used in the US to keep track of children and offer peace of mind to parents. A wristwatch containing miniature Global Positioning System (GPS) technology has just gone on sale. The GPS Personal Locator developed by Silicon Valley company uses advances in satellite tracking and wireless technologies to allow parents to find their child within a minute. The hope is that a device like this one could act as either a deterrent to potential kidnappers, or at least aid police investigating a missing child case.Let's say you have a seven-year-old who walks to school alone and they felt in danger. They could push one button on the watch and lock the device. Parents can use the internet or phone to quickly identify their children's location within feet in about a minute. GPS Personal Locator for Children has just gone on sale at a price of US$399.99, plus a monthly service charge of $25.

(Source: B.B.C. News August 2002)