According to some estimates by scientists, more than 95 per cent of the earth’s ocean has never been observed, meaning we have seen less of our planet’s ocean than the far side of the moon or Martian surface. One major challenge which prevents widespread undersea exploration is the high expense of powering a wireless underwater camera for a long time. If we do that now, it will require tethering it to a research vessel or regularly sending a ship to repower the batteries.
Image Source: techeblog.com
Some engineers from MIT have taken a giant step to deal with this problem by creating an ultra-efficient battery-free and wireless underwater camera. It is approximately 1,00,000 times more energy-efficient than the other undersea cameras. This device can take colour photos and transmit image data even in the dark underwater environment wirelessly through the water.
The
feature that makes this autonomous camera extraordinary from the
other underwater cameras is that it is powered by sound meaning it
converts mechanical energy into electrical energy from sound waves
travelling through water which powers its communications and imaging
equipment. The camera also utilizes sound waves to transmit data to a
receiver that can rebuild the image after capturing and encoding the
image data.
Since
it does not need a power source, the camera could operate for weeks
on end before retrieval this would allow scientists to explore remote
parts of the ocean pollution or supervise the growth and health of
fish raised in the aquaculture farms.
“One of the most exciting applications of this camera for me personally is in the context of climate monitoring. We are building climate models, but we are missing data from over 95 per cent of the ocean. This technology could help us build more accurate climate models and better understand how climate change impacts the underwater world,” says Fadel Adib, senior author of a new paper on the system. He is an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and director of the Signal Kinetics group in the MIT Media Lab.
Source: scitechdaily.com
Other co-lead authors and signal kinetics group research assistants joining Adib on the paper are Sayed Saad Afzal, Osvy Rodriguez, Waleed Akbar, research scientist Unsoo Haa and former group researchers Mario Doumet and Reza Ghaffarivardavagh. The paper is published in the ‘Nature Communications journal on 26th September 2022.
Going Battery Free
Scientists needed a camera that could run autonomously for long periods and could harvest energy underwater while draining very little power. Piezoelectric material-made transducers are used in the camera’s exterior to acquire energy.
They
create an electric signal when a mechanical force is applied to them,
they vibrate and convert the mechanical energy to electrical energy
when a sound wave travelling through the water hits the transducers.
“We were trying to minimize the hardware as much as possible, and that creates new constraints on how to build the system, send information, and perform image reconstruction. It took a fair amount of creativity to figure out how to do this,” Adib says.
Source: scitechdaily.com
Sending Data with Sound
When the image data is captured then they are encoded as bits and sent to a receiver one bit at a time through a process called underwater backscatter. The receiver acts as a mirror to reflect the waves and transmits sound waves through the water to the camera.
“This whole process, since it just requires a single switch to convert the device from a non-reflective state to a reflective state, consumes five orders of magnitude less power than typical underwater communications systems,” Afzal says.
I am a student pursuing my bachelor’s in information technology. I have a interest in writing so, I am working a freelance content writer because I enjoy writing. I also write poetries. I believe in the quote by anne frank “paper has more patience than person
There were four new iPhone 13 models announced by Apple CEO Tim Cook on Tuesday at the much-anticipated “California streaming” product launch. In addition, Apple unveiled a new entry-level iPad as well as the all-new iPad mini. The Cupertino-based tech giant also spent some time showing off the new Apple Watch Series 7, its most powerful wearable to date, but one that won’t be available immediately.
iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro Series
Specifications And Features of iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max
A15 Bionic SoC, which has a six-core CPU with two high-performance and four efficient cores, as well as a 16-core Neural Engine is at the heart of all four new iPhone models. There’s a claim that the performance is up to 50% better than the leading competition. A15 Bionic with a four-core GPU powers the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini, while the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max have a five-core GPU.
The iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 Pro have a 1.5-hour battery life improvement over their predecessors, while the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro Max have a 2.5-hour battery life improvement. the first non-Pro models to ship with more than 256GB of storage, while the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max have up to 1TB of storage for the first time ever.
A 20 percent narrower notch allows for a larger screen on all four devices; however, the screen sizes remain the same. Only the Pro models get Apple’s 120Hz ProMotion 120Hz refresh rate feature, which is also available on Apple’s iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini. To improve responsiveness and power efficiency, the Pro models can scale refresh rates from 10Hz to 120Hz and dynamically adjust their refresh rates in response to user input, such as swipe speed. All four models have a maximum HDR brightness of 1200nits, with the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro having daytime brightness of 800nits each. In addition, they support HDR10 and HLG.
Earlier, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini have the same flat-edged aluminum frames with Ceramic Shield material on the front and IP68 dust and water resistance ratings. Pink, Blue, Midnight, Starlight and (Product) Red are the five new colors available. The antenna lines are made from recycled plastic water bottles.
Apple’s iPhone Pro models feature surgical-grade stainless steel with a custom finish that’s said to be resistant to abrasion and corrosion. New colors include Graphite, Gold, Silver, and Sierra Blue, which are all new. As for the latter, it has a matte-textured rear for better grip and is made from multiple layers of nanometer-scale ceramic.
With a wide-angle camera that captures 47% more light, the new iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini have brighter results. Pixels are smaller than the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s at 1.7um, and it has an f/1.6 aperture, as well as sensor-shift optical stabilization. Even in the dark, the camera’s Night Mode captures sharper images. An aperture of f/2.4 is used on the 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera. When using the new Cinematic video mode, you can use rack focus, which allows you to change the focus between subjects even when you’re moving. When a subject enters the frame or looks away, a transition occurs automatically in real time from one subject to the next, without the need for a manual transition. Users’ attention is guided by the creative choices made by photographers, Apple claims.
New to the line-up are the iPhone 13 Pro models, which feature an ultra-wide camera that can now take macro shots at up to 2cm away from a subject, as well as a wide-angle camera with an f/1.5 aperture and 1.9um pixels. When using a tripod, it’s said to capture more light, produce less noise, have faster shutter speeds, and have longer brackets. Because of computational photography, all cameras, including the telephoto, now have Night Mode.
Now, users can use presets and adjust Tone and Warmth sliders to alter the on-device image rendering pipeline based on their own preferences in real time. Because it’s universal, it doesn’t have to be set every time.
Image source: i.gadgets360cdn.com
Price And Availability Of iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini, And iPhone 13 Pro Series
Two different storage options will be available for each model of the upcoming iPhone 13 and mini 13. It costs Rs. 69,900 for the iPhone 13 mini with 128 GB of storage, Rs. 79,900 for the 256 GB model, and Rs. 99,900 for the 512 GB model in India. Prices for the iPhone 13 will range from Rs. 79.900 to Rs. 89.900, and the iPhone 13 will cost a total of Rs.99.900.
There will be a 1TB version of the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. A 128GB model of the iPhone 13 Pro costs Rs. 1,19,900. A 256GB model costs Rs. 1,29,000. A 512GB model costs Rs. 1,49,000. A 1TB model costs Rs. 1,69,900.
There are pre-orders starting on September 17 in India, and retail availability begins on September 24 in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as Japan, China, Australia, and Canada.
Apple Watch Series 7
Specifications And Features
The Apple Watch Series 7 is an upgrade to the Apple Watch Series 6 which comes in 40mm and 44mm sizes. The retina display on the new Apple Watch is the same as it was on the older models. It is claimed that the Apple Watch Series 7’s display is 70% brighter indoors than the Apple Watch Series 6.
Apple Watch Series 7 has a display with a 20% larger screen area and 1.7 mm thinner borders. Those on the Apple Watch Series 7 are 40% smaller than those on the Series 6.
The health and fitness features of the Apple Watch product line are its main selling point. While Apple hasn’t made any significant changes in this area, you’ll still be able to track your health and wellness on the go thanks to the majority of the commonly available features. Using a built-in Blood Oxygen sensor, the Apple Watch Series 7 tracks blood oxygen saturation (SpO2). An electrical heart rate sensor, which was first introduced on the Apple Watch Series 4 and is also available on the last-generation model, can also be used to track heart rate. If you have atrial fibrillation (AFib), the smartwatch can also detect it and provide you with an electrocardiogram (ECG).
Apple Watch Series 7 comes with watchOS 8 pre-installed. After WWDC 2021 in June, Apple unveiled its new operating system which includes an upgraded Breathe app called Mindfulness to help you improve your physical and mental well-being.
The sleep tracking feature on the Apple Watch Series 7 includes sleeping respiration rate and sleep patterns. Contour and Modular Duo watch faces on the new Apple Watch move dynamically when the wrist is raised.
Additionally, the Apple Watch Series 7 comes with a new QWERTY keyboard that can be swiped or tapped with QuickPath to allow users to slide their fingers as they type.
According to the company, this new Apple Watch Series 7 is said to have a battery life of 18 hours on a single charge. Apple claims that the new Apple Watch has a 33% faster charging time than the previous model of the Apple Watch.
Designed for dust resistance, the Apple Watch Series 7 has an IP6X-certified design. For water resistance, there’s also the WR50 designation. As an added bonus, the new Apple Watch comes with a Magnetic Fast Charger USB-C Cable and is compatible with all Apple Watch wristbands designed for earlier models of the device.
Price And Availability Details
If you’re looking for a new Apple Watch Series 7, the GPS-only model costs $399 (roughly Rs. 29,400) in the United States, while the GPS + Cellular model costs $499. (roughly Rs. 36,800). The colors include Midnight, Starlight, and Green as well as a New Blue option.
Pricing and availability of the Apple watch series 7 in India have yet to be announced, but Apple has said that it will be available in the United States later this fall, according to the company.
With a starting price of Rs. 40,900 for the GPS version and Rs. 49,900 for the GPS + Cellular version of the Apple Watch Series 6, the device is now available in India.
iPad Mini
Specifications and Features
Unlike the new iPad that has the same display size, the all-new iPad mini comes with an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display that is larger than the 7.9-inch screen available on the earlier iPad mini. The restructure is likewise powered via way of means of the novel A15 Bionic chip that’s rated to produce the maximum amount as 80 percent quicker overall performance than the preceding generation. iPad mini comes up with a 12-megapixel Ultra Wide selfie camera with a 122-degree field of view. It additionally consists of support for Center Stage from the iPad Pro. At the rear, there is a 12-megapixel camera sensor that’s paired with a Real Tone flash and supports Smart HDR in addition to 4K recording.
The new iPad mini consists of stereo speakers. On the connectivity front, it comes with Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, and a USB-C port. there’s likewise elective eSIM support to enable Gigabit LTE and 5G connectivity on the go.
Apple has enabled the latest iPad mini with assistance for add-ons inclusive of the second-generation Apple Pencil and Smart Folio case. The iPad mini runs on iPadOS 15 and is touted to provide an all-day battery lifestyle on one charge. Besides, it will come up with a 20W USB-C adapter.
Price And Availability
New iPad mini prices start at Rs. 46,900 in India for the Wi-Fi model and go up from there for the Wi-Fi+ Cellular model. It comes in Black, White, Dark Cherry, English Lavender, and Electric Orange colors, with 64GB and 256GB storage options. The new iPad mini starts at Rs. $499 (roughly Rs. 36,700). (roughly Rs. 36,700). iPad mini will be available for orders in the US and will go on sale from Friday, September 24.
