Healthis

This chip makes any product smart

Thinker is designed to understand, support neural networks and consume little energy

    China has set a goal and is to make any device smart. The project is from Tsinghua University in Beijing that has developed a chip to support neural networks, according to MIT Technology Review.

Thinker, as its name is, is able to satisfy the needs of the software to which it is coupled and stands out for its low energy expenditure . With this tiny device you can get recognition of objects in images or understanding of human speech.

This is one of the projects in which the Asian giant has gone to work to lead a technology called, according to experts, to lead the development in the coming years.

     Big brands such as Samsung or China Huawei have already allocated resources to the development of artificial intelligence chips . Although, the real research is taking place in the laboratories of the universities of the Asian giant.

A research team from the Institute of Information Technology (ICT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced that by the beginning of this month it will start working with a local semiconductor manufacturer to produce a small batch of chips that can be used in robots.

The device, called Dadu, will have two cores: one to execute neural networks and another to control movement. The neuronal core executes the vision algorithms, but it also allows the movement core to plan the optimal path to reach a destination or the best movement to grab an object.

What does an electronic nose smell?

These innovative systems serve both to detect diseases through olfactory patterns and to find and deactivate explosive devices

  When it comes to competing in the animal kingdom, the human nose loses the battle at the first moment of change. According to a study by Japanese researchers, elephants have a smell five times more developed than that of humans and more than dogs. They have 811 olfactory receptors. Humans only 386, although for some scientists there is no problem.

"We can detect and discriminate an extraordinary range of smells, we are more sensitive than rodents and dogs to some of them, we are able to track odor traces and our behavioral and affective states are influenced by our sense of smell," says John McGann , associate professor at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.

    Although the best friends of the human being, dogs, are still the preferred ones to detect explosives and prohibited substances, the advance of technology has introduced a new protagonist in this sector: the electronic naris. "A person or an animal is able to distinguish according to what smell due to sensors that connect with the neurons of the brain." An "eNose", in a certain way, does the same, "says Juan Bautista Talens, a professor at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV).

Bautista is part of the group of researchers at the Gandía campus of the UPV and the La Fe Sanitary Research Institute (IIS La Fe) that has developed a prototype electronic nose that can distinguish patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. More than 400 tests conducted since 2014, all based on a simple 'software' and 32 sensors. "Through the use of 'software' for data mining, we can test with different algorithms and / or neural networks reserving samples to test them and samples to train," says Bautista. This system is able to recognize olfactory patterns, so they are trying to test those substances that may have differences in their aroma. "Stools in the case of digestive diseases and urine in other pathologies",

     The device - called Moosy 32 eNose - also detects if the disease is active with an accuracy close to 90%. The nose devised by the Valencian researchers can detect volatile organic compounds that act as diagnostic markers or of intensity of the activity of the disease. "Although it may seem simple, it requires a lot of analysis, repetitions, adjustments and simulations." 

Pilar Nos, Head of Digestive Medicine at Hospital La Fe, explains that "volatile organic compounds are originated by physiological processes of metabolism in the human body, and are expelled as waste through faeces. being a differential marker in certain intestinal diseases and its precise detection, through non-invasive devices such as the electronic nose, would be a great advance for the diagnosis and monitoring of the evolution of these diseases. "

The development of this prototype has been funded by the Generalitat Valenciana. In addition, the initial part of the project - the feasibility study that served to establish the foundations of the system - was paid for by Inbio, a scientific collaboration structure between the UPV and La Fe. Although "funding has been terminated", denounce Baptist.

'ENose' cops
The technological advance in this sector is not only focused on medicine. Two researchers from the Group of Perception and Intelligent Systems (PSI) of the University of Extremadura together with the chief inspector of the TEDAX-NRBQ Group of Badajoz have developed the research work "Artificial Olfactory Systems for the Detection of Hazardous Agents".

A laborious project whose authors, Jesús Lozano Rogado and José Luis Herrero and policeman José Miguel Sánchez, have been awarded the Spanish Police Foundation Research Prize for 2016-2017. Its proposal of artificial olfactory system allows to detect chemical and explosive atmospheres remotely by means of gas sensors, combined with artificial intelligence techniques . The device, which is easy to use through a mobile phone or tablet, has as its main advantage the security it offers TEDAX specialists to be able to work remotely.

"It is an electronic system that incorporates several sensors of gases, temperature and humidity that are connected wirelessly to a device that performs data processing and indicates what type of environment the device is in," Jesús Lozano explains in an interview. release.

Current threats require a very wide field in the search for new detection technologies that are translated at the field level in equipment with high response speed, sensitivity, small size, low cost, low frequency of false alarms, etc., for improve the response to these NRBC-E attacks, in which the price does not represent a stumbling block to guarantee security.

'Low cost' system
"This electronic system, compared to other technologies on the market, has the added value of its low cost, since with only 700 euros you have similar benefits than other much more expensive detectors," says the University of Extremadura on its website.

In addition, the main advantage offered by this device is the possibility of working remotely. For the TEDAX work of the Police , one of the key requirements is security, so this point becomes vital. The electronic nose can be adapted to a drone or mobile robot avoiding personal travel to the dangerous area. In addition, you can consult the data in real time.

Laboratory tests support this system for the detection of explosives, dynamite, gunpowder, pentrite and chemical substances such as chlorine, ammonia, acetone and hydrogen peroxide. It can also detect the precursors of the TATP explosive, commonly used by jihadist terrorism. Until now, there was no detector that contemplated such a diverse range of explosives and narcotics.

Your payroll in bitcoins

Spanish companies begin to get on the cryptocurrency cart and some already think of bitcoins to pay their employees and receive payments

    A large part of the population is not clear about what bitcoins are, although it is a term that has become very popular in the last two years, but on the other hand there are those who already receive part of their salary in this virtual currency and even have the possibility of buying houses and trips with her. As in all technological advances, "it will take a few years" for the population to adapt to change and "cryptocurrencies become a day-to-day thing".

Curro Quevedo works from Zooo, a mobile repair shop in the ABC Serrano shopping center in Madrid, where one of the first cryptocurrencies ATMs in the Bitnovo company has been installed. The responsible says that although it has been installed for a year and a half, at first it was not very used. However now "every day people come to buy bitcoins"


    How does it work? It is not a cashier to use, but rather it is a vending machine in which you enter the amount in euros that you want to exchange for bitcoins (from 10 to 500 euros) and generate a coupon that the customer You can change on your website for the virtual currency within three months. "There are people who although they bought it today, do not exchange it for another week because they are waiting for the change, this currency fluctuates a lot," explains Quevedo.

Are there already salaries in bitcoins?
"Some companies already pay in bitcoins in Spain," says Pablo F. Burgueño, founder of NevTrace and an expert in crypto-dumbs. In his case explains that they raised in the company but decided it was better to continue charging in euros and then each "bought the bitcoins you want" because by law "you can only receive 30% of salary in this currency" because it is recognized as a payment in kind to be a digital asset.

It is, therefore, a payment in kind of very high risk. "If this large amount is given to the worker, he runs the risk of losing everything, so it can not be imposed that the collection is like that and at most 30% of the total salary," explains Burgueño.


Different is the case of the company ReparaTuDeuda , where they have decided that their employees can collect the part of the salary that they decide in bitcoins although they make it clear that "not as a tax benefit because everything will pay the same, but to encourage the use of new technologies" , says Enrique Espinosa, CTO of the company.

At the moment they are in the phase of training courses so that workers learn more about this cryptocurrency and make their decision. In addition, the CTO announces that ATMs will be installed in its headquarters so that people with their "virtual wallet can change bitcoins for euros".

There are more cases outside our borders. The Japanese Internet services giant GMO announced last December that it will pay in bitcoin part of the salaries to those of its 4,700 employees who wish to do so starting in February, which is the first initiative of its kind among large companies in the world. country. The company offers to receive a fraction of its salary between 10,000 yen (74 euros) and 100,000 yen (748 euros) in the virtual currency. Its objective is to "promote the active use of virtual currency" among its employees and "increase its knowledge about this type of currency," according to a statement from the Japanese company.

Houses in bitcoins
Despite the distrust it generates in the market, the recent restrictions against it and the increase of its control by the Treasury, the bitcoin is also getting stronger in the real estate market, where experts believe that the consolidation of this Currency is just a matter of time. In fact, there are already houses that are for sale only in bitcoins in the photo portal Fotocasa.

It is a house in El Sauzal, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife of 200 m2 with sea views. It can be purchased only through the cryptocurrency for a price of 45 bitcoins (about 450,000 euros). From Fotocasa assure this newspaper that this is a trend "totally new and not yet has many followers." Currently in the portal have nine homes that accept payment in bitcoins. They emphasize the fact that of these houses, four are in Catalonia. "Being intermediaries are not present at any time of the exchange, so while the type of payment is legal and regulated, we will let them announce the type of payment that owners want to make", explain the same sources.

Can you (and should) be anonymous on the Internet?

The proposal of the PP to end anonymity in social networks will be difficult to get ahead

    Both on social networks and on forums and websites, many users prefer not to give their real name and show their opinion under a pseudonym. A strategy almost as old as literature. But is this anonymity on the Internet legal?

For now, yes. Anyone can use many of the services and tools of the Internet without having to show their true identity. In fact, some of the accounts that more followers drag on many of these social networks respond to the profile of an anonymous.

"People have the right to surf anonymously on the Internet if they do not commit a crime and do so in a positive way," says the president of the Association of Internet Users, Víctor Domingo, who, therefore, considers that "it does not make sense" to legislate the anonymity so that it is illegal.

    However, on December 26, the Popular Party presented in the Congress of Deputies a proposal not of law with which it aims to end the "impunity of anonymity on the Internet."

Legal sources consulted by this newspaper consider that it is very difficult to end anonymity on the Internet. They also explain that freedom of information is a fundamental right that one can exercise freely, anonymously or not. "Anonymity gives you a shell to say things that if you did not have it, you would not say," they maintain.

«You have to make a positive education about the use of the internet and its tools»

And in this context, Victor Domingo advocates improving the electronic DNI. "If the PP or the PSOE wanted us all to be identified, it would be better to have an electronic ID that worked. That would facilitate the work so that everyone was identified, "he says.

A few days ago the controversy arose because the alleged real identity of one of those anonymous accounts on Twitter had been revealed. Is it permissible to remove a user from this anonymity?

Here two assumptions must be distinguished: one in which yes and another in which no. In this case, as explained by these legal sources, it is a mere game of masks. Although intellectual property does protect authors who publish under a pseudonym, in this case there would be no crime in revealing the true identity of a user.

However, and as Domingo says, doing it "is a lack of decorum and education." Something that would also be incurred by those people who retweet and make known that leak. "The yardstick has to be the same for everyone. There is a paradox that other anonymous accounts have spread this forced 'exit from the closet', he says.

The proposal of the PP went more directed to avoid that some people shield themselves behind an avatar to insult and even to harass other Internet users. In any case, it should be noted that nobody is truly 100% anonymous on the Internet.

ID
Both Víctor Domingo and the legal sources consulted agree that the State Security Forces have adequate tools to identify any Internet user, if necessary, under judicial protection.

"If at any given time you need to know who is behind an account, I can require the social network to give me information under a court order," explain legal experts, who stress that "anonymity is not synonymous with impunity."

In addition, Domingo warns that it is easier to locate a crime on the Internet than in a physical world. "You are always associated with an IP number, which is a personal data and that is why you can not legislate."

Finally, this expert points out that we must make positive use of the law and the internet. «We must do a positive education on the use of the internet and its tools. All governments should have an impact on this type of education. The underlying problem is that we have found ourselves with a very powerful communication tool that is not always well used. We are learning almost self-taught. The administration should make this educational effort, and not laws that are useless, "he concludes.

TIAGo, the robot assistant made in Spain

The semihumanoid device is programmed to help the elderly at home

     About five million Spaniards live alone and the vast majority are people over 65, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE). By Autonomous Communities, those with the highest percentage of single-person households are Asturias, Castilla y León and La Rioja.

Technology has become an ally to help older people to carry out their daily tasks and monitor the day to day of the elderly. This is the summary of the Catalan project of the company PAL Robotics, which has developed a semihumanoid robot capable of giving the pills at the time it touches, monitoring vital signs and physical state, and locating the keys or the mobile.

     TIAGo, which is the name of the device, is able to accompany sick or dependent people who are notified about the time to eat. In addition, the robot is also prepared to recommend healthy dishes, carry objects and monitor the vital signs of the elderly

"The robot allows the elderly to stay longer at home" instead of having to go to a center or residence as it lengthens, on average, between 2 and 3 years the time of their autonomy, says Francesco Ferro to the EFE Agency

TIAGo is also able to detect objects previously marked with a special label, such as keys or mobile phone, and assist the person at bedtime, such as tucking her up or helping her get into bed, all of this "to preserve the dignity of the person ", explains the director of communication of PAL Robotics, Judith Viladomat.

The user can also teach the robot to develop new functions because it is "very easy to program since one of the objectives is for everyone to be able to use it", according to its creators.

The price of the robot varies between 20,000 and 60,000 euros depending on its components, but Ferro stresses that "you have to lower the price of robots so that everyone can have one at home."

Puigdemont clears his mansion in Google Maps Waterloo

Users who want to locate the home in the search engine will find a blurred spot that prevents them from seeing the house

    A few weeks ago, it was announced that the former president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, had rented a luxurious mansion in the Belgian town of Waterloo, south of Brussels. Within a few hours, the area around the residence was filled with media and curious people who wanted to see what the new home of the escaped politician could be.

However, faced with the expectation that caused the news, the former president of Catalonia has decided to delete it from Google Maps . That is, now, if you look for the 40 Avenue de l'Avocat , in Waterloo, what appears is a blur that prevents you from seeing the house. This decision may have taken also by the little grace that made the owner of the mansion see his property protagonist of all the news.

     The residence is an area of ​​550 square meters, six rooms, three bathrooms and a sauna, for which Puigdemont pays 4,400 euros per month.

The deletion of this type of images in Google Maps is relatively common among public figures, who ask the company that their homes not appear clear in the searches, but that, as in this case, there is a blur that prevents them from seeing clarity the residence.

Smart skin to know the inside of the body

Is able to measure heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure and perform an electromyography

     A team of Japanese researchers have created an ultra-thin and elastic LED screen that can adhere to the skin and display dynamic graphics in order to monitor the health status of patients, especially the elderly.

The device can help these groups, "who often have difficulties to use and obtain data from existing (intelligent) devices" to access information, and facilitate nurses and people who care for patients in their home to monitor their status .

Takao Someya, a professor at the University of Tokyo, is responsible for leading the development of the screen, a sheet of a millimeter thick made of rubber, which he believes will "improve the quality of life" by allowing, for example, to remember a sick person taking his medication.

      By adhering to the skin, "it's like a part of the body that transmits not only information, but the feelings of the people that contact you," and by receiving the messages in that way, "you can feel that (those whom you appreciate ) are closer to you, "Someya said in an interview collected by EFE.

Although at first this smart skin is designed for patient monitoring, its use of the screen could be extended to other areas such as construction or maintenance, allowing operators to consult manuals during work, or for athletes to control their vital signs during the exercise.

The researchers are working on how to miniaturize the rigid box containing the batteries, memories and handling circuits, and hope to have a prototype ready for commercialization worldwide in the next three years, according to the researcher.

Someya's team is the same one that in 2017 announced the development of an electronic sensor made of water-soluble and breathable nano-meshes that can adhere to the skin to control a person's long-term health.

Flowkey, the method to learn to play the piano online

The application created by German entrepreneurs facilitates the learning of this instrument with simple tutorials based on the favorite songs of each user

     Playing the piano is a complicated task, but technology can help. That is the idea of Flowkey, a new app that facilitates the user learning and is suitable for people who have never been in front of a roof as for intermediate and advanced musicians.

The biggest advantage is that it allows you to learn to play piano directly through songs. In its platform it has a wide repertoire so the user can start from the beginning to play the piano with their favorite songs. From flowkey they assure that each tutorial has been realized by "professional pianists of first level".

     Also, the platform has interactive lessons on notes, chords, technique, improvisation and many more aspects related to the piano and music in general. The app is available for iPhone mobile phones, Android tablets, iPad and web version.

How to start
The user only has to register on the website to have access to a free first trial lessons. It is he who chooses if he starts with more advanced songs and classes or by the most basic theory for those who do not have previous knowledge of piano.

The app helps the user to repeat in a practical way with his own keyboard the technique or part of the melody that he has previously listened to. When the correct note is played, the score moves on to the next one through an audio recognition with the microphone of the device.

The platform is compatible with any type of keyboard because it does not need cables and recognizes the notes that are played on the piano through the microphone of the device or MIDI connection. This allows the software to provide instant feedback as the user touches.

Other important features are the 'Wait Mode', the song advances as you play the correct note; Loop or Loop, you can select a fragment of the song to repeat it and exercise it; as well as various speed exercises or the possibility of practicing focusing on each hand separately.

The free version includes access to eight catalog songs and several courses. In order to have access to all the lessons and songs, a Premium subscription is needed from 10 euros per month.

The Civil Guard blocks 23 websites for downloading movies and games

Divxtotal, Gamestorrents and Estrenosdtl, among others, gave access to P2P links for direct download of all kinds of protected audiovisual material, in some cases without having been released in Spain yet

    The Civil Guard has announced on Tuesday that it has launched a campaign to block websites downloading content protected by copyright with the blocking of 23 web pages that link free of charge to sites where movies, series, music and video games were downloaded. .

In this first phase of the 'Cascada' operation, which is led by the Central Operational Unit (UCO), a total of 23 web domains have been blocked from which P2P links were directly downloaded from all types of protected audiovisual material. in some cases without having been released in Spain yet.

    According to the Guardia Civil, the blocked websites, including www.divxtotal.com, www.estrenosdtl.com or www.gamestorrents.com, offered high quality versions of films available on the cinema billboards of our country, without even having They were put on sale in physical or digital format and dubbed with audio in several languages.

Most of the web pages investigated had very high rates of daily visits, some of them being the best known and used in our country to download illegally and free of charge, all kinds of protected audiovisual material. These domains were created in the beginning by a person of Spanish origin, who then sold them to a company based in Argentina, current owner and administrator thereof.

     According to the researchers, those responsible for these pages used various methods to avoid closing or blocking such as hiding the actual location of their servers and the registration data of the contracted domains, even to the constant change of the location of their servers in several countries .

The Department of Telematic Crimes of the UCO has detected cases in which domains previously blocked judicially, were reactivated in a matter of hours, with virtually identical domain names or even changing only the extension of the same.

Patents a drone that is controlled with the look

The sensors track the movement, position and position of the user

    The market for unmanned aircraft or drones continues to arouse interest among the general public and, particularly, in companies. Amazon, Vodafone or Correos are some of the companies interested in these small aircraft.

The automation of drone movements is one of the objectives of many companies. Samsung has registered a patent to control these devices with just the look.

The South Korean works in a drone that would monitor the movement and position of the user and allow the user to control it with his eyes without needing any other action.

    The drone would be composed of a central module, with an LCD screen, and a flying unit, as well as a series of sensors that would track the movement, position and position of the user, but also facial and pupil reading systems.

According to the text of the patent collected by Let's Go Digital, this device would follow the movement of the user automatically, and change course when detecting a movement in the look, that is, if the user looks up, the drone would go up, or if you look to the right, it would change direction to that side.

In addition to the mentioned sensors, this flying device would have voice recognition system, WiFi connectivity, and obstacle detection system

Chinese mobiles colonize the Spanish market

Samsung keeps its crown, but Huawei cuts distances | One in three smartphones sold is from a Chinese firm

     In 2014, the percentage of Chinese mobile phones in Spain was only 21%, now the percentage has increased 14 percentage points to 35%. This figure means that one out of every three phones sold in national stores are 'made in China' , according to a study by idealo.es.

In 2016, Huawei positioned itself as the undisputed leader, covering more than half of the demand for Chinese mobile phones (53%), followed by Xiaomi (10%), Motorola (9%) and ZTE (7%).

Last year, Huawei continued to be the company preferred by the Spanish, although its weight has fallen slightly (48%), while the demand for Xiaomi mobile phones has shot up to cover 27%, growing by 17 percentage points. In addition, Honor, the Huawei brand of mid-range, entered stomping in the ranking of the most desired Chinese manufacturers in Spain, with 6% searches in 2017.

     Chinese smartphones continue to gain strength in the Spanish market, thanks to the good value for money offered by them," says Adrián Amorín, Country Manager of idealo.

Regarding the total mobile market in Spain, Samsung is proclaimed the undisputed leader in searches for smartphones in Spain, with a demand of 34%, followed by Huawei, with 17%, Apple with 11%, Xiaomi with 10% and the Spanish bq with 5%, which remains in the top 5.

Create a system that saves 40% of the usual water consumption in a home 

Its creators estimate that the device allows reducing CO2 emissions by 35%

     Spain is currently suffering from a severe drought. In spite of the last rains, the data are very alarming and it is not only a problem of this last year, but it comes from a long time ago. Climate change and the increase in population have aggravated this scenario.

This problem has been a business opportunity for two Valencian plumbers who fight against the waste of water. An idea that was born "on a daily basis when they observed the daily waste of water that was done in all homes and businesses," says the company.

     The bet of Smartwater , that is the name of the Valencian company, allows to develop a system that saves up to 40% . Rafael Rodrigo and Francisco Pelegero decided to create a system that avoids that waste that occurs at the moment when the tap or shower is opened and waits for it to come out hot.

In 2011 they patented the invention and it is now when it is marketed under the umbrella of the IDI company, created especially for this purpose. "In that minute, approximately, in which we wait for hot water, they waste between 8 and 15 liters. It is something that does not catch our attention, because we have been doing it all our lives and we see it as normal, "says Rafael Rodrigo.

With the push of a button, "it is possible to have hot water at any point without wasting a single drop," they say . The product saves around 40.6% of total water consumption. Additionally, there is a saving in energy consumption. The total energy saving can reach a value of around 33.8%.

"At the same time, it reduces CO2 emissions by up to 34.8%, " the statement said. All the savings data have been endorsed in a technical evaluation report carried out by the Physical Technologies Center of the Universitat Politècnica de València-Campus de Gandía.

The device designed by these two plumbers is prepared to store water and be able to dispose of it at a certain temperature to "avoid losing all the cold water that exists in the installation until the hot water arrives".

Thanks to a control system, SmartWater controls the temperature of the water and if it is not at the required temperature it is accumulated in a tank. Once the desired temperature has been reached, the system warns the user that the hot water is ready. "The cold water accumulated in the reservoir is provided when there is a demand for cold water," say the creators of Smartwater.