Water Flute Gives a Glimpse of Future Interfaces
A fish-shape musical instrument that spouts water jets into which users dip their fingers is being hailed as an example of a new user interface. The instrument, called a hydraulophone, involves putting your fingers on tiny water jets and producing a soothing, organ-like music. “What we really do with these kind of interfaces is make […]
New Inexpensive Solar Cell Design is Pioneered
One of the most promising technologies for making inexpensive but reasonably efficient solar photovoltaic cells just got much cheaper. Scientists at the University of Toronto have shown that inexpensive nickel can work just as well as gold for one of the critical electrical contacts that gather the electrical current produced by their colloidal quantum dot […]
Thought-Control Technology Can Make Toast
Using your brain waves to control the environment around you, like the lights in your home or even your toaster, is already a reality. One Toronto-based company has developed a system called thought-control computing, and it is exploring a range of commercial opportunities that include screens on airplanes and video games. Its philosophy is simple: […]
Quantum Cryptography is Made Safer Through Hacking
One of the fundamental tenets of quantum mechanics is that measuring a physical system always disturbs it. If the system in question is a message in a series of digital bits encoded in the polarisation of light, this means that intercepting and reading the message can no longer be done surreptitiously. The receiver should be […]
ACM Computer Architecture Group Honours Andreas Moshovos for Improving Memory Performance of Processors
The ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Architecture (SIGARCH) has presented its 2010 Maurice Wilkes Award to Professor Andreas Moshovos (ECE) for his contributions to the development of memory-dependence prediction. This technique, used by high-performance microprocessors that execute memory-access operations, provides many applications in boosting memory-system performance and reducing processor-design complexity. The award, which carries a prize […]
Ontario’s Aging Grid Puts Province at Risk of More Blackouts
Ontarians can expect more days like Monday, July 5, when a Hydro One breaker burst into flames, leaving 240,000 sweltering Toronto residents without power during a heat wave. Much of the Crown-owned utility’s equipment is nearing the end of its design life, and as the provincial government reins in spending, it is neglecting the aging infrastructure that […]
ECE Professor’s “Circuit Simulation” Released
Professor Farid N. Najm, Chair of The Edward S. Rogers Sr Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, has authored a newly released book, Circuit Simulation (John Wiley and Sons Ltd). Circuit simulators are used throughout the electronics industry to verify the performance of electronic components and systems prior to manufacturing, and are indispensable tools employed by thousands […]
World Cup Security Using Physics to Outwit Hackers
South African physicists are using quantum cryptography to encrypt messages and data networks between Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium and police headquarters during the World Cup. The system, which uses particles of light, or photons, instead of math functions, is an emerging technology in the effort to thwart hackers, thought to already be in place for […]
PhD candidates receive recognition for their contributions to engineering
PhD candidates Lana Olague of the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) and Michelle Ye-Chen Xu (ECE) from The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering received international recognition from two organizations for their contributions to the field of engineering. Zonta International awarded Lana Olague with the prestigious Amelia Earhart Fellowship. Lana conducts research in the […]
