15-year-old develops body heat powered flashlight

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A 15-year-old Canadian girl used her knowledge of electronics to develop an innovative flashlight

Ann Makosinski realized that Peltier tiles, which produce electricity when one side of the tile is heated and the other is cooled, could use body-heat to create energy for a flashlight.

The voltage created by the tiles was not enough to power an LED light so she developed an electrical circuit to increase the voltage.

In September she will be one of fifteen finalists presenting their project at the Google Science Fair in Mountain View, California. The winner gets a prize of $50,000 and a trip to the Galapagos Islands.

Full story - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2351791/15-year-old-Canadian-girl-invents-flashlight-powered-body-heat-earns-spot-Google-Science-Fair-finals.html

5 GHz Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications

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Car-to-car communications protocols have passed field testing trials  The frequency range 5.875 to 5.925 GHz is being used for Cooperative Transport Systems using modified WiFi technology.

The evaluation of a large Car2x communications field test proves that the technology is now ready for mass deployment, say its promoters. The simTD (Safe Intelligent Mobility - Test Field Deutschland) test involved 123 vehicles - including cars and motorbikes - in real-world traffic. Results indicate that the number of accidents could be significantly reduced if the technology were widely deployed.

Read the EE Times story - http://www.electronics-eetimes.com/en/car-to-car-communications-protocols-pass-field-testing-trials.html?cmp_id=7&news_id=222917326

Siemens - Cooperativity in Motion -http://www.mobility.siemens.com/mobility/global/SiteCollectionDocuments/en/road-solutions/urban/cooperativity-in-motion.pdf

The Vehicular Radio Channel in the 5 GHz Band -http://publik.tuwien.ac.at/files/PubDat_188736.pdf

Raspberry Eye In The Sky

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Dave Ackerman reports on his latest 434 MHz High Altitude Balloon PIE6 which carried the new Raspberry Pi camera

The balloon launched on Sunday, May 26 from Brightwalton and transmitted on 434.075 MHz and 434.650 MHz 600Hz shift, 600 Baud, 8 bits, no parity, 2 stop bits. The images were sent using Slow Scan Digital Video (SSDV).

Read Dave's blog - http://www.daveakerman.com/?p=1154

Slow Scan Digital Video (SSDV) Guide - http://ukhas.org.uk/guides:ssdv

Tracking Guide - http://ukhas.org.uk/guides:tracking_guide