Electronic eye

Two researchers at the Kyoto Institute of Technology in Japan have developed an electronic ?artificial eye? for people with impaired vision. It can reliably identify pedestrian crossings and determine when it is safe to walk across. The system consists of a single miniature camera clipped onto a pair of glasses, a small wearable computer that analyses video images and a voice system that gives vocal commands through a small speaker. It can identify traffic signals and crossings by recognising the white stripes painted across the centre of a road. The system can measure the width of a crossing to with a very good accuracy.

Nano cable

Tiny nanocables, 1,000 times thinner than a human hair, can become key parts of toxin detectors, miniaturised solar cells and powerful computer chips. Earlier, nano-devices could only detect whether a toxin was pre-sent in something. Now, they have acquired the ability to conduct electricity when they are exposed to different chemicals or toxins. The technique, invented by chemical engineers in the US, will also measure the quantity of toxins. The cables are manufactured in the nano-sized pores of a template.