intel Light Peak Technology

Light Peak Overview

Light Peak is the code-name for a new high-speed optical cable technology designed to connect your electronic devices to each other. Light Peak delivers high bandwidth starting at 10Gb/s with the potential ability to scale to 100Gb/s over the next decade. At 10Gb/s, you could transfer a full-length Blu-Ray movie in less than 30 seconds. Optical technology also allows for smaller connectors and longer, thinner, and more flexible cables than currently possible. Light Peak also has the ability to run multiple protocols simultaneously over a single cable, enabling the technology to connect devices such as peripherals, displays, disk drives, docking stations, and more.

Existing electrical cable technology in mainstream computing devices is approaching practical limits for speed and length, due to electro-magnetic interference (EMI) and other issues. However, optical technology, used extensively in data centers and telecom communications, does not have these limitations since it transmits data using light instead of electricity. Light Peak brings this optical technology to mainstream computing and consumer electronic devices in a cost-effective manner.

How the Technology Works

Light Peak consists of a controller chip and an optical module that would be included in platforms supporting this technology. The optical module performs the conversion from electricity to light and vice versa, using miniature lasers and photo detectors. Intel is planning to supply the controller chip, and is working with other component manufacturers to deliver all the Light Peak components. We expect that the components will be ready to ship in 2010. Over time, the optical components, designed to be small, easy to manufacture and affordable, are expected to enjoy the economies of scale that other components have in the computing and consumer electronics industries.

A Collaborative Effort

Intel is working with the optical component manufacturers to make Light Peak components ready to ship in 2010, and will work with the industry to determine the best way to make this new technology a standard to accelerate its adoption on a plethora of devices including PCs, handheld devices, workstations, consumer electronic devices and more. Light Peak is complementary to existing I/O technologies, as it enables them to run together on a single cable at higher speeds. The Light Peak initiative builds on Intel’s commitment in working with the industry on existing I/O standards, and provides a path to continued progress into the future.

Sony Nextep PC Concept – A Wearable Computer

The nice thing about conceptual products such as the Sony Nextep PC is that developers can let their imagination run wild in thinking up new features that can be included in futuristic gadgets and the thing is that if something sounds far-fetched today, it may not be ten years from now.

Such is the case with the Nextep PC which as been suggested by designer Hiromi Kiriki. The pc has been earmarked for the year 2020, 10 years from now. The computer will be worn like an everyday wrist bracelet and will be constructed out of aflexible OLEDtouchscreen. It will also utilize a holographic projector for the display screen and will feature a slide out keyboard and network connectivity for access to the social networking sites.

USB 3.0

Before you leave work, you need to back up your computer. You push a button, and 5 minutes later, while you're still packing up, your system has dumped 150GB of data onto an encrypted 512GB superfast solid-state drive, which you eject to take with you for offsite backup.

Any task that involves transferring data between your PC and a peripheral device--scanning, printing, or transferring files, among others--will be far faster with USB 3.0. In many cases, the transfer will be complete before you realize it has started.

The 3.0 revision of USB, dubbed SuperSpeed by the folks who control testing and licensing at the USB Implementors Forum (USB-IF), is on track to deliver more than 3.2 gigabits per second (gbps) of actual throughput. That transfer rate will make USB 3.0 five to ten times faster than other standard desktop peripheral standards, except some flavors of DisplayPort and the increasingly out-of-favor eSATA.

In addition, USB 3.0 can shoot full-speed data in both directions at the same time, an upgrade from 2.0's "half duplex" (one direction at a time) rates. USB 3.0 jacks will accept 1.0 and 2.0 plug ends for backward compatibility, but 3.0 cables will work only with 3.0 jacks.

The new USB flavor could also turn computers into real charging stations. Whereas USB 2.0 can produce 100 milliamperes (mA) of trickle charge for each port, USB 3.0 ups that quantity to 150mA per device. USB 2.0 tops out at 500mA for a hub; the maximum for USB 3.0 is 900mA.

The iWEB fold-out netbook keyboard concept

Designer Yang Yongchang is proposing a fold-away solution to the keyboard envy sometimes exhibited by netbook users. For the iWEB design, a full-size QWERTY keyboard is jointed in two places and folded inwards so that when not in use it sits within the frame of a 6.5in display portable device. Open up the netbook, fold out the side flaps and enjoy the ease of use and comfort of those nice big keys.

Mobility and portability have certainly taken their toll on keying comfort. As laptops shrunk into netbooks, keyboard size took a seriously big hit. But perhaps Yang Yongchang's vision for a netbook of the future holds some hope for those who tire of the numerous errors resulting from fingers that are chunkier than the keys they attempt to press down or those who just crave for something bigger.

The designer reckons that a hinged, full-size chiclet keyboard could be squeezed into netbook dimensions of just 6.3 x 4.1 0.7in. Hot-keys grace the bottom of the side panels for increased productivity and LED status indicators sit at the edges. Also included in the design is a capacitive multi-touch display.

Of course, being a concept, there are no more technical details available (such as processor, memory and storage) but as folding keyboard solutions already exist in various shapes and sizes then is it such a flight of fancy to incorporate one into a netbook?

OO HD Wireless Projector Concept

Who said video projectors all have to look the same? Designer David Riesenberg doesn’t think so with his stunning OO HD Wireless Projector Concept.

The OO HD Wireless Projector is designed to display Full HD video in 1080p over WiFi or from the built on solid state drive (SSD), and it is designed to playback videos for up to three hours without the needs for any wires.

The OO HD Wireless Projector features a rechargeable Li-Ion battery that can be recharged by just plugging in a simple AC cord. Very cool I love the design, definitely one of the best looking projectors we have seen, although it is just a concept at the moment.

Lets hope David finds a manufacturer to make his OO HD Wireless Projector Concept a reality it would be cool to have a projector that looks this good and doesn’t need any wires to work.

Toshiba’s Wheelie Robot

Toshiba has unveiled it latest robot, the Toshiba Wheelie which is an autonomous two wheeled robot that was shown off at the Toshiba Science Museum on March 10th 2010.

The Toshiba Wheelie is designed to help out around the house, and is small enough to fit into tight spaces and can also handle small changes in floor height, check out the video of him in action below.

He certainly looks like he could be useful around the house, sort of like a robot butler, I wonder if he could be programmed to being me snacks and beers from the fridge to my desk.

Intendix Brain-Computer Interface

The Intendix Brain-Computer Interface works on a thought to computer system. The user wears the EEG cap and can control the attached PC using their brain waves. The EEG head gear allows you to write texts, let the computer speak the written text, print out or copy the text into an e-mail or to send commands to external devices via brain control.

The system originally designed to assist patients with locked-in syndrome or other disabilities and can be used to trigger alarms if needed.

The system is very easy to learn say the manufactures and within only 10-15 mins you can be controlling your PC. Unforutunately theres no launch date as yet but the system will be available to buy for around $12,250 shortly.