Jing Li, a scientist at NASA Ames, has been working for years on what will be the greatest phone accessory of all time. It’s a small chip (about the size of a postage stamp) that houses 32 nanosensor bars. Each bar is composed of a different nano-structure material. Because each sensor bar is unique it can respond to different chemicals in different ways, enabling it to not only differentiate between them, but also to monitor their relative levels, in real time.

In its current state (which is looking mighty close to production-ready), it’s housed in a small case that attaches to a smartphone. For legal reasons they wouldn’t say which smartphone it’s built to attach to, but you can probably guess. Eventually, it will be built to attach to many other popular models. The idea is to develop a low-cost version so that consumers can afford to have them for health and safety applications. But let’s back up a second.

This nanosensor technology was originally developed by NASA Ames for space applications. This is NASA, after all. The first usage was monitoring for fuel leaks around launch vehicles. They’ve been on the International Space Station since 2008, monitoring air-quality and checking for formaldehyde in the air. Future applications could include taking samples on asteroids and Mars missions. So that’s where it started, but the Department of Homeland Security is now funding this project in order to bring it back down to earth—and to consumers.

There are certainly military applications (the Department of Defense is funding an implementation where soldiers could wear these to alert them of chemical threats), but the cellphone implementation is aimed squarely at consumers. The chip only draws 5 milliwatts, which means very little battery-drain (the smartphone they tested it with can use the sensor for 8 continuous hours on a single charge). It’s primarily being developed to monitor carbon monoxide as well as chlorine, ammonia, and methane in your home.But these things could really be used anywhere because they’re so small. An app could automatically send data back to the Department of Homeland Security or other emergency services agencies, which would give them a big-picture look at a larger area—and let them know if a mass evacuation is needed.

More info here.

Thanks to current advances in electroencephalographic (EEG) brain-wave detection technology, military commanders may not have to guess the answers to these questions much longer. They could soon be monitoring her mental state via helmet sensors, looking for signs she is concentrating on her flying and reacting to the warning light.

This is possible because of two key advances made EEG technology wireless and mobile, says Scott Makeig, director of the University of California, San Diego’s Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience(SCCN) in La Jolla, Calif. EEG used to require users to sit motionless, weighted down by heavy wires. Movement interfered with the signals, so that even an eyebrow twitch could garble the brain impulses.

Modern technology lightened the load and wirelessly linked the sensors and the computers that collect the data. In addition, Makeig and others developed better algorithms—in particular, independent component analysis. By reading signals from several electrodes, they can infer where, within the skull, a particular impulse originated. This is akin to listening to a single speaker’s voice in a crowded room. In so doing, they are also able to filter out movements—not just eyebrow twitches, but also the muscle flexing needed to walk, talk or fly a plane.

More info here.

With Flyport, Internet of Things is more closer to you! Why?! Well, because, with Flyport, the wifi programmable module, you can now interface to the cloud services – ThingSpeak.

ThiDIY gives access to the ThingSpeak Services. ThingSpeak allows to draw online charts, to store and recall values and to use specific APIs to work with Twitter, or to send HTTP requests directly from the ThingSpeak servers.You can create private or public channels. Every channel can store up to 8 fields (the values) and creates charts with those fields. Every channel has a Channel ID, a Name, a Write API Key and a Description. The Write API Key is the most important information of the channel, since it allows to upload or download the field data.We created a public channel to share with you the results of this Application. You can also use the private channels to respect the user privacy.

You can download for free the Application Note to interface by yourself Flyport to cloud services!

More info here.

However, in China, costs, technical prowess, planning and government support would not appear to be a problem. The country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology implied last month, in its 12th Five-year Development Plan of the Internet of Things, that it will actually be bringing forwards development goals and roadmaps for IoT, together with further measures to support and promote the development of the industry.

This month Beijing invested in a laser writing scheme for pork products. The capital city consumes 30,000 pigs a day over the New Year period and it’s the national favourite meat. However, eating pork can be dangerous: 4 million pounds of it had to be recalled by the government last year after pigs from central provinces were found to have been injected with a fat-reducing drug. Even if the meat is safe, many Chinese complain of water being injected into the meat to increase its weight.

More info here.

Whenever I pick up a package of frozen raw meat from the grocery store, I wonder, “Has this been frozen the whole time? How many times did it thaw and re-freeze?” It’s a disquieting thought, especially because there’s currently no easy way to tell.

But it looks like the ambiguity is about to end. In partnership with PST Sensor, Thinfilm, which produces printed re-writable memory, will begin making the first fully printed temperature sensor systems to monitor perishable items like food and pharmaceuticals.

“It’s a smart object that’s entirely self-contained,” Jennifer Ernst, Thinfilm’s North American VP told Wired.

That may sound familiar. It’s a key element of a concept called “The Internet of Things,” which basically refers to an imagined future where nearly every object will include embedded chips that can store data and interact with networks.

Thinfilm’s first-gen sensors will be able to cache data about the object itself, on the item itself. In this case, the sensors will record data concerning the object’s temperature history, tracking precise time, temperature and exposure information, and also displaying it in a low-power readout. The data within can be accessed as needed, insomuch it doesn’t need to be retrieved from the cloud, or require a constant wireless connection.

In the past, we’ve seen thin food sensors that change color as food begins to spoil. But this type of technology doesn’t retain data, and thus doesn’t provide information about the history of a product as it shipped.

More info here.

“We’ve released a series of tremendously popular smart lighting and smart home control videos on YouTube featuring JenNet-IP, and are often asked, ‘Where can I get the router?’” said Sean McGrath, general manager, smart home and energy product line, NXP Semiconductors. “At CES, you’ll see a number of solutions, including an easy-to-use WeMo device from Belkin you can attach to your home router, enabling it to serve as a secure gateway between your smartphone and the Internet-enabled appliances in your network using JenNet-IP. We’re very excited that Belkin, a world-class provider of connectivity solutions, is bringing JenNet-IP into its new WeMo Home Automation ecosystem.”

“Our WeMo Home Automation platform makes it easy for Belkin partners to develop appliances for the Intelligent Home. Wi-Fi is everywhere and will play an important role, but at the same time, we need low-power networking options to connect smart appliances and smart meters monitoring energy usage. Using only one-tenth of the power required by Wi-Fi, JenNet-IP offers robust, ultra-low-power connectivity which can support dozens or even hundreds of devices in a smart home network,” said Kevin Ashton, general manager of Belkin’s Conserve Business Unit.

More info here.

The candidates should have a PhD in Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering or related fields. Particular expertise in Cyber-Physical Systems is a plus. She/he should also have an international publication record and ability to do independent research. Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

Detailed info about the respective calls can be found here and here.

Because deep down, all you’ve ever really wanted are smartphone adjustable WiFi-LED light tubes controlled by a remote server out in the ether. Snarkiness aside, that’s exactly what Japan’s Net LED Technology Corporation has done with a lighting system it lovingly calls NetLED. The setup isn’t for frugal types as, before even purchasing lights, you’ll need to plunk down 60,000 yen (around $780) for a netLED router that serves as an intermediary between those fixtures and the company’s remote server. The addition of that hardware enables the 19,800 yen (around $260) WiFi-equipped 40W LED arrays to be monitored and adjusted remotely via a web browser or an iPhone app. And, if WiFi tubes are too rich for your blood, each WiFi-toting fixture can be paired with up to three cheaper WiFi-less slaves that cost 14,000 yen (around $182). It’s complex and pricey stuff, yet the company estimates you’ll cut energy consumption by half after you amass 200 units. Those brave enough to find out, can take the plunge February 20th when it all goes on sale — just let us know how you fare, cool? In the meantime, get up close and personal with a shot of the light emitters themselves after the break.

More info here.

As compete prevention of wildfire is not possible, the best way to protect forests from such fire is early detection and response. Currently the country relies on manned lookout towers and reports from forest visitors to detect fire. Satellite imagery system was also deployed but they are only able to detect large scale fire, rather than occurrences in their early stages; in addition, analysing infrared images is a difficult task, sometimes taking the operators more than one hour to locate the exact fire scene.

More info here.