Samy Kamkar recently published the blueprints and software code for a 3D-printable Arduinio-powered combination lock-opening robot. Dubbed “Combo Breaker,” the ‘bot is capable of opening combination locks in under five minutes, although the cracking process can be reduced to just 30 seconds by determining the first number that offers resistance.
Navigating Big Data analytics
Intel VP and General Manager Ron Kasabian recently described the extraction of meaningful information from raw data as a “key enabler” of the new digital service economy. “In this new era, an organization’s competitive edge increasingly hinges on its ability to turn an avalanche of data into actionable insights that improve operations and guide the creation of essential new products and services,” he wrote in an official Intel blog post.
PayPal deploys ARM-based X-Gene servers
Applied Micro CEO and president Paramesh Gopi recently confirmed that PayPal has “deployed and validated” the ARM-powered X-Gene server-on-a-chip. According to Gopi, Paypal represents one of the many hyperscale data center customers the company is currently engaged with to drive X-Gene adoption.
The IoT is all about sensors
Steve Taylor, a senior consultant at The Technology Partnership (TTP), has recommended that semiconductor companies turn their attention to the Internet of Sensors (IoS). According to Taylor, it’s actually the Internet of Sensors and resulting data that matters most. “The Internet of Things (IoT) is, to a large extent, a solution looking for a problem, rather than the other way round,” he explained. “There’s simply no point in objects talking to each other just for the sake of it and the IoT only provides the communications backbone.”
$9 single-board computer hits over $1 million on Kickstarter
Designed by the Next Thing Co. crew, the $9 Chip single-board computer (SBC) has raised over a million dollars on Kickstarter. Key hardware specs include a 1GHz ARM-based processor and Mali GPU, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, as well as support for VGA or HDMI displays. Meanwhile, an optional PocketChip shield makes the board portable with a 4.3” touchscreen, QWERTY keyboard and 5-hour battery.
Smartwatch teardowns reveal 512MB of memory
Recent teardowns of two popular smartwatches – the Apple Watch Sport and LG Urbane – have confirmed that each device packs 512MB of memory. More specifically, the Apple Watch Sport is equipped with 512MB of Micron’s SDRAM, while the Urbane features 512 MB of Hynix mobile DDR2.
