Blog

Future Computer Memory – Replacing RAM and ROM

Everything in a computer’s memory takes the form of binary digits (BITS). Each one is stored in a memory cell that can have two values, zero and one. Files and programs are comprised of these bits and are processed in the central processing unit, CPU, which is the computer’s ‘brain.’ Like a human’s, it has both long-term, to store things permanently, and short-term memory, for immediate tasks. These two types of computer memory are:

Random Access Memory (RAM) – This acts as a system’s short-term memory, from which it can quickly access data. This data is lost when the device shuts down, however. RAM is also responsible for our ability to run programs, through which data can be retrieved and modified, or new data made. The length of time it takes for the system to do this is called the memory’s ‘latency.’ To process and access data quickly, the information can be retrieved in any order. The data only remains in the RAM while the device is on.

Dynamic RAM (D-RAM) is the most common type of RAM, in which each memory cell consists of a transmitter and a capacitor to store electrical charges. The memory is referred to as dynamic because it is only held briefly before it leaks away and needs to be charged periodically to retain data.

Another type of RAM is Static RAM (S-RAM), which is made up of 6 interlocking transistors that don’t need to be refreshed. S-RAM is the fastest memory in a computer system.

Read Only Memory (ROM) – This is a system’s long-term memory and is responsible for the booting up of devices. Data must be stored in a device’s ROM to be kept long-term. There are currently three types of ROM, which all have less than a ten-year storage guarantee because of the breakdown of the materials used.

The cheapest and most common is magnetic storage, which imprints data on a disc coated with magnetic film.

Optic storage, such as DVDs, is a second option and encodes BITS as light and dark spots, which are read by a laser.

Solid state drives, such as USB drives, are the newest and fastest long-term storage option. These use floating gate transistors to store BITS, by trapping or removing electrical charges within their internal structures.

The number of BITS that need to be stored is growing continuously, and scientists are trying to develop other cost-effective ways to store them. This includes making memory devices at the quantum level to ensure that they are faster, smaller and more durable. Scientists from Fudan University, in Shanghai, have published a study in Nature Nanotechnology detailing a type of computer memory that can perform both long and short-term memory functions. The technology would also let the user decide how long the data should be stored for, creating enhanced features and bespoke devices. Researchers are currently unsure when the product will be debuted, but anticipate it becoming a serious competitor against RAM and ROM.

Electric Charging Roads – Recharging during your Journey

The number of electric vehicles on the road has increased exponentially over the last few years. This is mainly a result of environmental concerns and governments becoming more focused on finding sustainable energy sources. Sweden has recently become the first country to install a section of the road that can recharge the batteries of vehicles as they drive along it. The project consisted of embedding 2 km of electric rail, in a location near Stockholm, and is in accordance with the country’s plans to stop using vehicles that run on fossil fuels by 2030. The government has already drafted a map to install more electric charging roads to keep the batteries of electric vehicles affordable, as well as to prevent them from losing their charge during a journey.

The length of the road extends from Stockholm Arlanda Airport to a logistics site outside the capital city. Vehicles can be charged by energy being transferred from two tracks of rail in the road, using a movable arm attached to their undercarriage. This would be automatically disconnected if a vehicle stops or is overtaking another one. The electric charging road is currently divided into sections of 50m, each of which is only powered on when a vehicle is directly overhead. Citizens that take advantage of the service will be billed based on the energy consumption of their vehicle. The first vehicle to use Sweden’s ‘dynamic charging’ facilities was a truck owned by logistics firm, PostNord, which previously ran on diesel.

eRoadArlanda oversaw the project’s completion and has ensured the public that the country’s roads, as well as the vehicles currently being driven on them, could be adapted to take advantage of the technology. Sweden plans to install the technology in the 20,000km of highways that the country has. This would provide enough power to recharge any vehicle traveling in the country, as the longest distance between highways is 45km and all electric vehicles can travel that far without the need to recharge. Each km of the electric road cost U$1.2 million to install, but the government has estimated this to be 50 times less than the installation of a tram line. They also guarantee the roads’ safety, as the electricity is located five or six centimeters below the surface.

In addition to expanding within their own country, the Swedish government is making plans to provide Berlin with a similar network in the future. Other countries have already made the investment for public vehicles, including Israel which has installed roads to power their electric buses. The technology would currently not be applicable to most countries, due to the condition that many of the roads are in and the unlikely need for most vehicles to recharge during their journey. The inflated cost of installing these roads is also a deterrent. For Sweden and heavy-duty vehicles, such as the PostNord truck, EV charging roads are an ideal, convenient solution, however.

Cyber Attacks – A Growing Threat to Technology

In a society where technology dominates, cybercrime is already a big problem, and growing continuously. Cyber-attacks are particularly dangerous because they can be done from anywhere in the world, and the perpetrators are rarely caught. Many of these take place against large companies, or financial institutions, that have detailed information about their clients. Once their data is accessed, individuals may have difficulty getting their lives back on track. Organizations are becoming aware of the need to keep their customers’ information as safe as possible, by putting as much cyber security in place as they can.

Cyber-attacks require extensive knowledge of an organization’s systems, and between 50 and 80% of them have access to insider information. A significant percentage of cybercrime is accomplished by phishing emails, of which the most successful are Spear Phishing. These emails are careful crafted to appear like they are coming from a legitimate source, such as known company executives, and may include detailed information about the person and their job. These sophisticated attacks often require multi-pronged responses. After a cyber-attack, major companies have suffered reputational damage which can be just as devastating. Companies are finding that as their technology increases, they also have to employee increasing cyber security measures which may offset profits.

Cyber-attacks may also extend further than personal information, compromising the national security of the country. Governments have also begun taking extensive measures to ensure that attacks do not get passed their security. Methods that were previously reserved for authoritarian regimes, such as a ‘national firewall,’ are being employed. Governments, large corporations and advanced academics are also combining forces to increase cyber security. In addition to businesses and governments, there are other potential cyberthreats, including evidence of hackers aiming attacks directly at the companies that provide critical internet infrastructure, putting the entire internet at risk if they are successful.

Most cybercrime takes place using malicious software that attacks computers, through various methods, which includes:

Viruses – This software is found in file downloads or email attachments and attaches itself to another file or program and reproduces. When the attachment is clicked, or the download started the file duplicates itself and is sent to all contacts.

Worms – This type of software is capable of being spread without the help of another file or program. It can also collect and send data to a specified location using information about the network it’s on. Worms are often the cause of cyber attacks on a large scale as they spread through the entire network.

Trojan Horses – An attack that normally looks perfectly legitimate, so many aren’t aware of the breach, until it goes into action.

Enchroma Glasses – Seeing Color through a Different Lens

Color blindness, which is also called color vision deficiency, affects approximately 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women, worldwide. Although most cases are genetic, there are other reasons people may lose their color vision, such as diabetes, aging or medication. Most people suffering from color blindness can see objects clearly, but are unable to see red, green or blue light distinctly. Extreme cases, in which the person cannot see any color at all, are possible but extremely rare. Likewise, there are very mild cases, where the affected individual may be unaware that they are color blind. The majority of those affected can see certain colors but are often unable to tell similar colors apart.

In 2010, Andrew Schmeder and Don McPherson founded Enchroma Inc., to perfect technology which could be used to enhance color, for those previously unable to see it. They created lenses by combining optic technology with the latest discoveries in color perception neuroscience. Humans see when our eyes project light onto our retina, which use six million cone cells to transfer the image into neural signals. These signals are transmitted to the visual cortex, where we interpret them as images. Each cell is color specific and responds to light of a different frequency, which corresponds to the primary colors of light: red, green and blue.

Color blindness is caused when an individual’s retinal cone cells respond to light in an abnormal manner. There are three types of color blindness, which are determined by the cones that are affected: for red-light cells, it is protan-type; green-light cells, deutan-type and blue-light cells tritan-type. Most color blindness is caused by red and green sensitive retinal cones having an overlapping response to light. Enchroma lenses are designed to remove wavelengths of light, exactly where the overlap occurs, and are expected to be able to help 80% of people with color vision deficiencies. This can be determined by getting a personal assessment done, by a qualified Enchroma specialist.

The glasses are also available in chic, consumer grade designs, which reveal vibrant, true-to-life colors to many who have never had this experience. Not only is the world a brighter, more beautiful place when seeing in color, but in many ways this has become a necessity in modern society. The ability to read and interpret signs and colored lights can be the difference between life and death. As research continues, the company hopes to find a way to bring color vision to all those affected without it and bring the true range of color to the entire world.

Drone Tracking – Increasing Safety by Regulating Airways

The number of drones being used worldwide is increasing rapidly, both for commercial and personal reasons. Businesses are making long-term investments, and the small aircrafts are quickly becoming the chosen method of delivery. With this increase in the number of drones, comes the need to develop a way of regulating the area that they will operate in. In 2017, SESAR Joint Undertaking, drafted a blueprint for a project, known as U-Space, which will regulate and monitor the airspace for drone operation. The blueprint outlines the stages in which the services will be implemented, to support the EU aviation strategy, while creating a regulatory framework for the drones. These sections will be put into effect between 2018 and 2022, and are:

U1 – Foundation services which would cover registration and identification of the drones. In addition, implementing spaces which will be inaccessible to the drones, geofencing, will also take place.

U2 – Initial services for the drone operation, which includes flight planning and approval, tracking and interfacing with air traffic control. This management system will be essential for U-Space to accomplish another one of their goals, which is introducing more drones to businesses.

U3 – Advanced services designed to support more complex operations in dense areas. This would include assistance for conflict detection and automated detect and avoid.

U4 – This final stage would include full services such as high levels of automation, connectivity and digitalization.

The benefits of the U-Space project, which is designed to increase the safety of European airspace for drones and their operators, would include:

  • Fair, flexible and open access to airspace, which will allow for the expansion of the drone market.
  • Noise and visual pollution can be monitored and limited, as well as offering new services to citizens.
  • Regulatory authorities would be able to maintain control over the airspace, and ensure that the privacy, safety and security of citizens, and drone users, is maintained. Registration and identification of drones will be enforced.
  • The project will also facilitate the development of new models, opening up the use of drones for business purposes. This will help to increase the growth of the business sector, and support the movement towards automation and digitalization.

Switzerland has recently begun implementing their U-Space strategies, via a joint effort with Skyguide, a Swiss air traffic control operator, and Airmap, the organization responsible for management platforms for drones. After the first phase (U1) has been implemented, there is the expectation that more drones will enter the Swiss airspace and market. The system is currently being used for ‘automated flight authorization and cataloging for drones,’ until further expansion can take place. The project will continue to grow, and Switzerland deserves congratulations for being one of the first countries to take the initiative to make their airspace safer for all.

Fusion Power – Possible Success in Harnessing the Energy of the Sun

The ability to successfully harness fusion power, the energy source of the stars, would change the future of the entire world. Tremendous amounts of energy are formed when lighter atoms, such as hydrogen, smash together to form heavier ones. This energy release takes place at temperatures of hundreds of millions of degrees, which would cause it to melt every material we currently have available to us on earth. In an effort to harness fusion power, researchers use magnetic fields to keep it away from the walls of any chamber in which it is being produced. These efforts have all resulted in more energy being expended, than being harvested, for our use.

MIT has collaborated with a new company, Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), in the hopes of bringing the world’s first successful fusion power plant to working order within the next 15 years. The collaboration is using a unique form of production, called SPARC, which will build smaller, more powerful field magnets using new high-temperature superconductors. The material that will be used in their creation has recently been introduced to the market, and will result in the magnets being four times stronger than any previously used in fusion experiments. Development time for these has been estimated to be within the next three years.

These superconducting electromagnets are the key component towards creating a more compact version of a fusion device, known as a tokamak. This will result in more than tenfold the amount of power the tokamak will produce. The magnets would also make it possible to build smaller plants to achieve the required amount of energy. SPARC is expected to produce, in 10 second pulses, as much power as is used by a small city. The success of the magnets would result in fusion power being used as an alternative energy source, helping to decrease climate change due to its lack of emissions.

MIT and CFS plan to carry out rapid research, which would lead to the formation of these new plants. CFS has already attracted a $50 million investment from Italian energy company, Eni, and  continues to seek further investments. The collaboration’s ultimate goal is to establish a new industry by commercializing fusion power. Eni CEO, Claudio Descalzi, pointed out that fusion is the energy source of the future as it is completely sustainable, does not release emissions or long term waste, and is potentially inexhaustible. After SPARC has proven successful, the collaboration will begin its final construction of a new power plant approximately twice the size of SPARC’s diameter. The plant would be the first true fusion power plant in the world, and would have the ability to produce a capacity of 200 MW of electricity.