IEEE 802.11n / The new wireless technology
802.11n. builds upon previous standards by adding MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output). MIMO uses multiple transmitter and receiver antennas to allow for increased data throughput through spatial multiplexing and increased range by exploiting the spatial diversity, through coding. On January 19, 2007, the IEEE 802.11 Working Group unanimously approved 802.11n to issue a new Draft 2.0 of the proposed standard.
Release Date: October 2008 (est.)
Op. Frequency: 5 GHz and/or 2.4 GHz
Data Rate (Typ): 74 Mbit/s
Data Rate (Max): 248 Mbit/s (2 streams)
Range (Indoor): ~70 meters
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/802.11n#802.11n
http://www.apple.com/wireless/80211/
Is the Wii Really Good for Your Health?
A week after Nintendo's Wii debuted in November, the Wall Street Journal reported that the gaming console was leaving some users as sore as the gym often does. Unlike traditional hand-held video games, where users sit on the couch exercising little more than their thumbs, the Wii (pronounced "we" not "why") features digital sensors that let users virtually play the game. In Wii Sports, a game that comes with the console, users mimic the motions used in sports like bowling, tennis and baseball. In other words, the game may be virtual, but the physical exertion is very real.
So much so that, according to the Journal, gamers complained of "aching backs, sore shoulders — even something some have dubbed "Wii elbow." Nintendo spokeswoman Perrin Kaplan downplayed the report, saying the company hadn't received any complaints from users about soreness. "If people are finding themselves sore, they may need to exercise more," she said. "It was not meant to be a Jenny Craig supplement."
But that's where she may be wrong. Not only have some gamers started turning the Wii and other similar active gaming consoles into a new form of exercise, but medical researchers are touting their health potential for more than just weight loss. A research team at the University of Toronto is developing a "therapeutic video game" to treat children who suffer from hemiplegic cerebral palsy, a condition that can partially paralyze one side of the body. If the children regularly use their weaker side, their motor function can improve. The problem is getting the children to do so outside of therapy sessions. Active video games might do the trick, thought William Li, an undergraduate engineering student at the University of Toronto who is conducting research at the university's Bloorview Kids Rehab teaching hospital.
Ref and full story: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1584697,00.html
RuBee (IEEE 1902.1)
RuBee (IEEE 1902.1) is a protocol that uses Long Wave (LW) magnetic signals to transfer information. The technology is in its final stages of development by the IEEE.[1]. The protocol is similar to WiFi (IEEE 802.11), Zigbee (IEEE 802.15.4) and Bluetooth (IEEE 802.15) which are all radiating transceivers. The new specification, which builds upon the technological breakthroughs realized in HF and UHF RFID technology, will improve on the visibility network protocol known as RuBee.kHz. Visibility networks, such as depicted in Figure 1, are employed to provide the status and location of people or other high-value assets in a user-configured region.
How RuBee works
IEEE P1902.1 RuBee employs inductive communication which means it relies upon magnetic energy — rather than electric energy. This stems from the fact that it operates below 450 kHz which is below the AM radio band. Thus virtually all of the energy radiated by a RuBee base station or a RuBee tag is magnetic (H), rather than electric (E), as is depicted in Figure 2. RFID uses both forms depending on the frequency. Low frequency (LF - usually around 125KHz) and high frequency (HF - usually around 13.56MHz) radio tags use magnetic coupling, whereas UHF and microwave tags use radio in which the electric field is more important. In retail applications in the USA, 900MHz UHF tags predominate, as shown in the figure in which almost all the energy is electric — or as it is commonly termed 'RF'. If strong enough, magnetic waves can pass through almost anything, even rock. That same rock blocks RF after only a few feet. Another important distinction between magnetic E waves and RF is that the strength of an RF signal falls off from a linear wire or a sphere as 1/r whereas the strength of a magnetic wave falls off far faster at the rate of 1/r3. This means that assuming the same input power is applied to a magnetic source and a RF source, the magnetic signal will not travel nearly as far as the RF signal. At first glance this difference in fall-off rate may appear as a negative for a magnetic signal, but as we explain below it turns out to be quite a plus for a RuBee local visibility network. Secondly, magnetic signals are generated far more efficiently at low frequencies than electric fields.