Imagine a projection TV you can put in your pocket or a small
display unit that will project diagnostic information on a curved wall
during surgeries. Some pico-projector devices have come to market and
users report results that vary from good to poor, based on power
consumption, resolution, color, and similar factors. Many of these
projection-display devices exhibit a "flashlight effect"--bright at the
center and dimmer at the outside edges. As far as I can tell,
pico-projection technologies haven't yet penetrated deeply into
consumer and industrial products.
Many parents face ordeals related to their children wandering around
the house at night. A young mother in Tennessee recently experienced a
harrowing night when she woke up to find her 4-year-old son missing
only to learn that the boy had stolen a beer, gotten drunk, ransacked a
neighbor’s Christmas presents (donning one which was a little brown
dress), and was brought home by police. Luckily, most parents don’t
have to worry about more than a living room covered in soap after their
child’s wanderings, but it’s still a scary issue nonetheless.
Electrical noise from all types of sources can cause severe problems in
electronic circuits, so designers spend much time wrestling with ways
to reduce or eliminate it. In audio equipment, low-frequency noise can
easily couple with sensitive circuits to distort signals. In many
measurement systems, ground-loop noise causes problems that sometimes
prove almost impossible to overcome.
Proximity sensors come in many shaper and forms. HoloTouch has technology for a hands-free holographic switch and Silicon Labs just introduced two infrared proximity sensors.
Many semiconductor companies tout their smart battery-charger ICs
that adjust charging levels, monitor cut-off points, charge different types of
cell chemistries, and so on. Those
capabilities help charge batteries efficiently, but often the
"smarts" don't visibly help the user.
