Microsoft patent reveals whole-room immersion ambitions

A recent Microsoft patent has revealed its ambitions to bring the gaming environment out of the TV and onto the walls of your living room. Patently Apple, which analyses the patent applications of Apple and other technology competitors found the filing from August and has published a detailed overview of the document. Microsoft apparently plans to use a future version of its Kinect sensor to accurately plot the position of a gamer within a game’s virtual environment and then to allow a games console to project that environment onto the walls of the room. The patent further speculates that both the main display and projected environment could be based on 3D technology to provide an even more immersive experience. Now, whilst this is simply a patent application, not a product plan, the possibilities are pretty exciting. As we’ve already seen its perfectly possible to couple gaming technologies with high resolution imaging systems for some impressive results. It would be perfectly possible to hook a Kinect sensor with a high performance graphics rig to drive a fully immersive cave-style environment. All we need now is solid projected images, and we’ve finally got the holodeck! Source: InAVat...

Read More........→October 02, 2012

Indian researchers show how COVID-19 PPE can be converted to biofuel

Plastic from used personal protective equipment (PPE) can and should be transformed into renewable liquid fuels, according to Indian researchers. The study, published in the journal Biofuels, suggested a strategy that could help to mitigate the problem of dumped PPE - currently being disposed of at unprecedented levels due to the current COVID-19 pandemic - becoming a significant threat to the environment. The research from the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES) in Uttarakhand shows how billions of items of disposable PPE can be converted from its polypropylene (plastic) state into biofuels - which is known to be at par with standard fossil fuels. "The transformation into biocrude, a type of synthetic fuel, will not just prevent the severe aftereffects to humankind and the environment but also produce a source of energy," said study lead author Dr Sapna Jain from UPES. There is high production and utilisation of PPE to protect the community of health workers and other frontline workers of COVID-19. The disposal of PPE is a concern owing to its material i.e. non-woven polypropylene. "The proposed strategy is a suggestive measure addressing the anticipated problem of disposal of PPE," Jain said. During the current COVID-19 pandemic specifically, PPE is being designed for single-use followed by disposal....

Read More........→August 09, 2020