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| SCIENCE TRIBUNE | Thursday, November 30, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
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Goodbye
PC, hello info appliances
Passive solar housing technology
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Goodbye PC, hello info appliances WHETHER you believe in the death of the PC or not, the IA era has arrived. Over the next five to six years, the information appliances, or IA, will have a profound if not revolutionary impact on the electronics industries in the world. The reasons are not hard to see. First, there is the Internet explosion. IAs are primarily access devices, and Internet access tends to be their main function. Second, there is the factor of cost. IAs do not require high-cost items such as a powerful CPU and a high capacity hard disk drive. Webpads, set-top boxes and thin — client computing stations are designed for low power consumption and low cost and therefore, for a consumer market. Third, there is ease of use. IAs eschew the relative complexity of the PC for simplicity as well as affordability. The days of PC domination will be over soon. Access to the Internet will be outpaced by other devices. There is a much larger market available than that of PC to date, which so far has been limited to business people and students. The IA is not a pure replacement of the PC, rather it is a complement. To date, what market research there has been on IAs has tended to give differing results. Nevertheless, the consensus is that by 2004, shipments of IAs will overtake PCs in all categories. Information to Go Information appliances are all about four things: ease of use, ease of access, mobility and affordability. It’s the ease of use angle, above all, that should attract consumers and make the IA the Christmas gift of choice. Companies such as Taiwan’s FIC (First International Computer Inc) and Acer Inc, are among the many companies hoping that IAs will prove to be the “next big thing” in consumer electronics, as technologies converge and profit margins on the “classic” PC continue to erode. Ease of access means, specifically, easy access to the Internet. Manufacturers are looking to email as the “killer app” and a host of IAs are now hitting the market promising Internet connectivity while “on the go”. The I-palm from Acer, for example, isn’t simply another palm format PDA. It integrates wireless communication capability for a full range of internet-based services such as email, web surfing, and on-line transactions. At the same time, all the usual PIM functions like address book and calendar are also available. Acer’s I-station is a webpad, an IA category designed to offer all the usual features of “web surfing” but not the hassles of a PC, which many consumers still see as difficult to use. The I-station has a 10” LCD display, and an instant on-off feature that does away with the long boot-up procedure of the typical PC. The I-station is the essence of the webpad concept: all the benefits of the Internet come packaged as a consumer appliance. FIC’s Aqua Webpad again enables wireless access to the Internet. Information appliances threaten to undermine the “wintel” of the desktop PC in favour of low-power, low-cost alternatives. In case of FIC’s Aqua, the OS is an embedded version of Linux, while the processor is the new low-power consumption Crusoe. FIC’s Genesis 2000 device is a dedicated terminal that can function either as an internet access device or as a “thing client” for SOHO networked environment. Powered by National Semiconductors Geode processor, the Genesis 2000 can support a variety of operating systems, including Linux, WinCE. The potential market for IAs will be defined by the provision of content. Consumer IAs are not driven purely by distribution or demand but also by content. That marketing truth has certainly been taken to heart at Taiwan’s Acer Inc, where the focus is exclusively on Asian content provision. Says David Tsai, marketing manager of Acer: “IAs require a different business model from that of the PC. At Acer we have developed a strategy of localisation. We work with telephone companies and ISPs because all local situations are different. Technology convergence IA markets will also be defined by mobility. If IAs are to emulate the success of the mobile phone, and be used “on the go”, RF componentry will always be a key feature. All the major features of SOC architecture are there in information appliances: analog, mixed, a central processor and RF. If you want to succeed in these markets it’s about integration and analog expertise. He says there will be a lot more analog content in IA devices — that is why you need analog-mixed signal integration as compared to a PC. This convergence of technologies will require a creative leap as well as rationale in thinking. Ultimately, it’s the ability to negotiate and provision convergence that will determine who will succeed in this market. Opportunity is certainly there. There will be great diversity in the IA market, and much more room for profitable business. The IA business will not be dominated by one OS or CPU, leaving room for much more creativity and diversity. That creative convergence is certainly exemplified at Infomate IAS where a potentially revolutionary advance in software design means that full-version applications, of the type normally run on desktop PCs, are now available to thin client IAs. These are stripped down, server-fed stations that could well replace PCs in many SOHO and corporate environments. Tough market It’s tough market to please. You cannot give one week’s training to a consumer. For the focus groups as IA must work like a normal phone — instantly on an intuitive. The good news: the simplicity of the IA architecture means you can achieve this while dispensing with many of the expensive components of the PC. There are no moving disks and what have you. You are simply online. It’s convergence in action. The assumption about bottlenecks due to bandwidth constraints has been forgotten. There are many ways to reach the user, including by cable and satellite as well as PSTN (telephone). Bandwidth costs will be absorbed by the development of e-commerce and this will speed up subsidies for the consumer in terms of both the pipe and the actual device. For a microprocessor maker, what remains is a time-to-market issue. Investments is semiconductor fabs are very high and if time to market can be shorten, it becomes good investment. At the end of the day, IA will only succeed in unseating the PC from its market domination if “the price is right”. Cost performance-price equations that look simple on paper do not always work out in the real world. Take thin-client computing, where the cost of the hardware is less than that of a PC. This is just as well. Since thin-client computing requires a networked server-based infrastructure, it has always been subjected to total cost of ownership (TCO) critiques. With webpads and similar devices, the user can once more be tried to web-based advertising. As a consequence, the “Free Internet Appliance” is becoming a popular concept in marketing department meeting rooms. With the IA, there is no hard drive to reformat, and there is no way the end user can change the content. Whenever the machine is turned on, the IA will go to the advertiser’s web site immediately. It is going to be a big advantage for internet advertising. Soon we will be witnessing another battle
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Passive solar housing technology Among several lofty pursuits of the human race, a small but not so insignificant one is to make their dwellings as cosy, as comfortable and as charming as possible. This desire can be discerned from the dweller of the caves to the builder of the tree house to the architect of the igloo. In the recent centuries man has left his ancestors far behind in developing luxuries for a cosy living. He has been using fossil fuels and other resources of energy and several power gadgets to cool down or heat up his place according to the climate. But it also led to depletion of resources, heavy expenditure, indoor pollution, health hazards and also total dependence on power. Answer to these problems was sought in solar architecture. Energy from the sun in the form of light and radiation falls on to the surface of the earth at a rate of 4,70,000 h.p. per sq.m. Very little of this is utilised. Solar architecture is the manipulation of the sun’s immense energy to make our houses comfortable. It can be of two types-active and passive. Active architecture consists of solar collector panels plus a storage medium to hold the heat collected during the day. It uses either a liquid or air as heat transfer medium. Passive solar architecture is the technology by which it is inherent in the design, situation and orientation of the house so as to receive maximum solar heat during winters and to keep sunlight out and interiors cool during the summer. Passive system has few or no moving parts. Constructing a solar passive house or building, first of all, involves proper orientation of the house in relation to the sun’s movement and depending on the geographical situation. Proper architecture planning of different rooms is then done keeping in view the requirements of heating and cooling in that zone. The process involves different construction strategies along with the fitting of some solar gadgets to achieve the objectives. Not only this, landscapes, wind and breeze patterns, vegetation and other natural elements of the site are also used to the utmost advantage. Building material and proper insulation are important factors too. Usually the south side of the building has extensive areas of windows, sunspace or a greenhouse. Eastern and western sides have less glass and the northern side which receives no sun but is exposed to winter winds, little or no glass. This orientation is reversed in the southern hemisphere. To minimise the amount of heat gained in summer, provisions for cross-ventilation, cavity wall, courtyard and reflective surfaces are used. Plantation of trees which shed their leaves in winter but give a cool shade in summers are preferred. On the other hand to maximise the heat gained in winters, trombe walls, thermo air syphoning panels and window box heaters are employed. Passive solar architecture also suggests certain energy conservation measures for an energy efficient house. These include water conservation by rain/waste water harvesting, photo voltaic lighting, built-in solar cooker or food warmer and roof cooling etc. It is estimated that a maximum saving of 60-70% on conventional fuels required for space heating/cooling in winters/summers can be achieved through this technology. Besides it is environment friendly, has reduced operational and maintenance cost, provides comfortable living conditions even during power failure, has no harmful effect on health, causes no operating noise and produces least amount of waste materials. While new buildings can be constructed using this
technology, already built old houses can also be retrofitted with solar passive systems. Though this technology is not a new one as Dr Charles Greely Abbot is considered to be the father of modern solar energy use, who worked on it in the 19th century. Yet public and private interest in this system is still low probably because of ignorance about the technology. The government has responded by providing necessary funding to different organisations for this. A whole campaign needs to be launched leading to mass awareness and passing of legislation so that every house or building is a perfectly energy efficient place.
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A giant telescope THE construction of the largest optical-infrared telescope in the world called Subaru on the 4,200 metre summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii, one of the best observatory sights on Earth, is nearing completion. Subaru is an 8-metre diameter new generation telescope, which will supersede all existing telescopes in all aspects of performance: diameter, resolution, accuracy and efficiency. The Subaru contains all the latest in high technology: optics, electronics, precision mechanics and control engineering. The application of precise computer control techniques to all major parts of the telescope, including the primary mirror itself and the telescope environment, enables the introduction of many new concepts. The most important feature of the Subaru is its extremely thin, lightweight primary mirror. The mirror is so flexible, that it maintains its high surface accuracy by using 264 computer controlled supporting structures. Another important feature is its high accuracy in tracking and driving, which enables it to pinpoint celestial objects, to identify them smoothly, and carry out flexible observations. The Subaru will be able to help answer some of the mysteries of the universe, such as the Big Bang theory and the search for other planets, capable of supporting life. Fingerprint scanner Password security in the use of computers may become a thing of the past with a new fingerprint scanner that allows access to personal computer without a password. Market research has shown that more than 30 per cent of all telephone calls to organisations’ information technology (IT) help-desks are password related. For large organisations that change their system passwords on a monthly basis, that is a massive cost overhead. The new pioneering fingerprint scanner which allows access into a personal computer without the need for passwords is predicted to become the choice of security conscious organisations and businesses as well as individuals who often forget their passwords. The MT Digit fingerprint reader developed by British firm Impleo, based in Workingham in southern England, solves password problems with just a click on the computer’s mouse. A sensor with genuine feel A new tactile pressure sensor, being developed by researchers in Germany, will help surgeons, involved in endoscopic surgeries, feel different kinds of tissues which is not possible in minimally invasive surgeries. Surgeons need very sure hands and a fine sense of touch in the operating theatre in order to distinguish between different forms of tissue and to manipulate the scalpel with precision. Keyhole surgery, however, does not allow doctors to use their sense of touch to any great extent. Being developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Technology IBMT in St. Ingbert, the new type of tactile pressure sensor is just as soft and flexible as human skin. The new sensor, if incorporated in an endoscopic instrument, can help to restore the surgeon’s sense of touch. |
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Science Quiz 1. Based on his observations of the rapid development of electronic technology, a US technologist enunciated a law in 1965 which states that “the number of components on a chip will double every 18-24 months”. Name this technologist, whose prediction has come out to be quite accurate until recently, but is now being challenged by some. 2. A Switzerland company has recently developed a capsule by administering which the state of health of a person can be investigated. This capsule contains a tiny video camera, a suitable source of light and an instrument, the pictures sent by which can be seen on a computer screen and then analysed. Can you think which type of instrument should this be? 3. In order to preserve endangered animals and other ecological species for the future, scientists are now creating different kinds of zoos, which they have named as “frozen zoos”. What, in your opinion, would be stored in such zoos? 4. To investigate the condition of the arteries supplying blood to the heart, an X-ray of the arteries is often taken after injecting a substance which is opaque to X-rays. What is this technique called? 5. What is common between adenium, caudiciforms, pachypodium and gasteria? 6.
While performing surgery of bone joints, “bone cement” is filled into drilled holes, gaps between bones, machine-crafted implants, etc. What is bone cement chemically? 7.
This ice is used as a coolant in stores, as a refrigent, in transport of food stuffs, etc. It is made by solidifying a gas. What is the popular name of this ice and of which gas is it made? 8.
El Nino is a well-known phenomenon that brings about drastic changes in weather due to rise in temperature of sea surface in the Pacific Ocean. A similar phenomenon called PDO, which is larger and much longer than El Nino, can provide clues with the help of which scientists can predict the earth’s climate much better. What is the full name of PDO? 9. With which two main contributions do you associate the Scottish engineer and physicist William J.M. Rankine? 10. Astronomers have recently discovered that an asteroid — like object is likely to strike the earth on September 21, 2030, with a thrust about 100 times that of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. What has this object been named? Answers 1. Gordon Moore. 2. A microtransmitter. 3. DNA and cells of endangered animals and other species. 4. Angiography. 5. These are varieties of succelent plants.
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