Electricity from Air

Entrepreneur and former UK Science Minister Lord Drayson has unveiled a technology call Freevolt that can be a power source for Internet of Things (IoT), powering such devices as wearables and sensors, without the need for a connection to a wall socket.

Lord Drayson, demonstrated electricity from Air - Freevolt

Freevolt harvests energy from radio frequencies from existing wireless and broadcast networks.

Demonstrating the technology at  the Royal Institution, Lord Drayson used the radio frequency energy within the presentation room to power a loudspeaker!

The technology has already been harnessed into a product. The CleanSpace is a personal air pollution monitor created by Drayson Technologies. The aim of the product is to improve air quality and to highlight the extent of pollution. Freevolt technology harvests power for the built in battery.

“It doesn’t require any extra infrastructure, it doesn’t require us to transmit any extra energy, it’s recycling the energy which isn’t being used at the moment.”

— Lord Drayson

The technology, which has been patented, could now be used by organisations such as supermarkets which are preparing for the next phase of the internet, where billions of small cheap sensors are online providing data about their operations.

Drayson Technologies - http://www.draysontechnologies.com/

FCC Considering Proposal to End Modification of IT devices

The FCC is considering a proposal to require manufacturers to lock down computing devices (routers, PCs, phones) to prevent modification if they have a "modular wireless radio"[1][2] or a device with an "electronic label"[3]. 

The proposed rules would likely:

• Restrict installation of alternative operating systems on your PC, like GNU/Linux, OpenBSD, FreeBSD, etc.
• Prevent research into advanced wireless technologies, like mesh networking and bufferbloat fixes
• Ban installation of custom firmware on your Android phone Discourage the development of alternative free and open source WiFi firmware, like OpenWrt Infringe upon the ability of amateur radio operators to create high powered mesh networks to assist emergency personnel in a disaster.
• Prevent resellers from installing firmware on routers, such as for retail WiFi hotspots or VPNs, without agreeing to any condition a manufacturer so chooses.

The FCC is asking for comments on this proposal, hence any interested parties should contact the FCC to advise if the issues with this proposal and either stop or shape the changes.

Comment deadline extended to October 9.

More information - https://libreplanet.org/

£6bn Radio Replacement Emergency Staff May Put Lives at Risk

A £6 billion project to replace radios used by the 999 services with a system that uses the 4G mobile phone network has been condemned as ‘reckless’ and ‘short-sighted’ amid fears it could put lives at risk.

The UK Home Office is planning to overhaul communications for emergency teams within two years. But police chiefs, crime tsars and industry experts say that the project is being rushed through to save money. 

A report by UK Newspaper - The Mail on Sunday can reveal that:

• Civil servants are insisting that police forces start moving to the new system by next year – even before there is full coverage across the country, despite warnings by Chief Constables.
• The public will be left struggling to call 999 in a disaster, as they will be using the same 4G networks as emergency services, who will take priority.
• Police insiders are concerned that the new system may not work on the London Underground, as was required after 7/7.

Full Story - 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3199561/6-billion-plan-new-999-radios-puts-lives-risk.html#ixzz3ixk4fmyM