Electrifying Infrastructure: Conductive Concrete Brings Smart Cities Closer

Electrified concrete roadways could be used for deicing or to
sense when infrastructure is cracking or in need of repairs.

As reported by Txchnologist: Decking out infrastructure with wires and sensors is the goal of many future-leaning urban planners and architects who are working to realize the dream of a true smart city. Now, the interconnected hyper-reality of interactive skins on buildings and bridges that signal when they need fixing is moving one step closer to fruition.

Several research groups have developed and patented unique formulas for electrically conductive concrete, which could deice roadways, sense when infrastructure needs repairs or even create cyber-secure buildings.

Just add water
Concrete typically has three main ingredients: cement, water and an aggregate, which is usually stone. But start playing around with that recipe, and the final product will have interesting properties. Add in a conductive aggregate - like materials science wunderkind graphene - and you’ve got electrically conductive concrete. The formula can be tweaked depending on the material’s intended use.

Here are a few applications for conductive concrete that researchers are investigating:

Hold the ice
One Canadian research group envisions the new concrete being employed in roads, sidewalks and bridges to melt dangerous ice, and to heat the floors of homes.

The invention is being developed around the world - and has been for several years. But it’s been the subject of intensive investigation at the Building Envelope and Structure research group at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), a country with particularly harsh winters. The NRC has already patented and proven the technology in small-scale applications.

According to NRC’s Rick Zaporzan, their material’s applications go beyond deicing and heating. “With a few tweaks, it can be used for developing a crack-detection system if it’s hooked up to proper sensors that can monitor and interpret that data,” he says.

That’s a useful application, considering that in the United States alone, one in nine bridges is structurally deficient, according to Transportation for America.

Cyber-secure buildings
Electrified concrete can block electromagnetic signals, which means that if it is used to insulate a building, no information could get in or out.

But what about catching an Internet signal? “A building could be electronically secured and still have Wi-Fi,” says Zaporzan. “This is already done in, for example, military shelters. But the concrete is quicker, more effective and less costly than other ways of shielding a building.”

Blocking unwanted electromagnetic signals is useful beyond creating cyber-secure buildings, explains Zaporzan. It can also shield individual objects within buildings. “The concrete can also be used to protect extremely sensitive medical equipment, and that’s a huge application,” he says.

Laying the foundation
How long until electric concrete is available on the market? “It could be commercialized within one to two years, but we need industry partners,” Zaporzan says. “These partners could be anybody who wants to take their product further, from building or bridge owners, medical equipment manufacturers, or architects and urban designers.”

There are a few limitations to the technology, such as its power source. Hardwiring the concrete to the power grid is, to date, the best option. That means that heating up an entire highway isn't practical, but heating up particularly vulnerable stretches or parts of a bridge is.

But as Zaporzan says, “Anything is possible if you can create enough power. There are so many energy options available, from wind power to hydrogen fuel cells, solar and regenerative power. Down the road, heating up an entire highway is in the realm of the possible.”

Remote texter can be held liable for distracted driver’s crash, appeals court rules

The NJ appeals court ruled that a remote 'texter' can be held liable
to third parties for injuries if they knowingly sent texts to someone
driving a vehicle - with the expectation that they would read them
while driving.

As reported by ABA Journal: In a case of first impression, a New Jersey appeals court has held that a remote texter can be held liable to third parties for injuries caused when the distracted driver has an accident.

However, that is only true if the individual sending the texts from another location knew they were being viewed by the recipient as he or she was driving. And, in the case at bar, the trial court correctly held that insufficient knowledge was shown to defeat a motion for summary judgment by the defendant texter, 17-year-old Shannon Colonna, the Appellate Division of New Jersey Superior Court ruled. An accident that caused serious injury to two motorcyclists occurred within less than 30 seconds of when phone records show the driver, 18-year-old Kyle Best, last received a text from her.

"We conclude that a person sending text messages has a duty not to text someone who is driving if the texter knows, or has special reason to know, the recipient will view the text while driving," explains the court in a Tuesday opinion. (PDF). "But we also conclude that plaintiffs have not presented sufficient evidence to prove that Colonna had such knowledge when she texted Best immediately before the accident."

There was no evidence that Colonna "actively encouraged" Best to text her while he was driving, the court said, and "Colonna did not have a special relationship with Best by which she could control his conduct," the appellate panel said.

Colonna had sent two texts to Best on the September 2009 afternoon when the accident occurred, and the other one was sent about two hours before the accident. The content of the messages isn't known, the court noted.

"Even if a reasonable inference can be drawn that she sent messages requiring responses, the act of sending such messages, by itself, is not active encouragement that the recipient read the text and respond immediately, that is, while driving and in violation of the law."

The claims of the plaintiffs, David and Linda Kubert, against the driver were previously settled.

“Kill Switch” for Stolen Smartphones and Tablets Planned for 2014

'Kill switches' include a feature that would allow users
to permanently disable their phone if lost or stolen in order
to protect access to their data, as well as phone usage.

As reported by Android Community: This isn't the first time we've heard the term “kill switch” when talking about smartphones. Samsung has talked about it in the past, and now some new reports from the Wall Street Journal is stirring things up again. This new anti-theft system looks to finally curb a massive and growing problem, and it’s already in some devices already.

Stolen phones are a huge problem, and has only increased severely with iPhone and Android phones in nearly every persons hand. The “kill switch” would reportedly make the device completely unusable, which would make stealing ones device rather useless. I like this idea already.

It's estimated that 113 cell phones are lost or
stolen every minute in the U.S. alone.

Smartphone theft has reportedly jumped nearly 500% from 2009, and isn't showing any signs of slowing down, so something surely needs to be done. Swapping the SIM card, wiping the phone, or even flashing new firmware wouldn't get around this “kill switch” and the point of stealing a device would be gone. It’s a big move, and something we've seen and heard before.

The folks from Apple have Find my iPhone, and Google’s recently launched a similar service for Android, although it only finds it. Not to mention Pantech started offering this kill switch on all their devices earlier this year. For now we don’t have exact details, but the WSJ reports that both Samsung and LG could introduce this with all their phones moving forward starting in early 2014.

It's estimated that 113 cell phones are lost or stolen every minute in the U.S. and that $7 million worth of smartphones are lost daily.

Keeping the 'kill' process speedy but secure will be the biggest issue, so that hackers or other entities are not able to kill your phone without your permission - while limiting access to the phone till you are sure you want to permanently disable the device.

How to turn Construction Equipment Telematics Data into Actionable Information

With cloud-computing, data collected in the field
can be automatically imported into other software
applications using API's and web services.

As reported by Equipment World: Technology continues to evolve and the latest innovations are changing the way construction and equipment managers work. Job sites are more connected than ever, and advances in telematics provide real-time data on equipment usage and location.

While telematics technology is not new to the industry, its adoption (or, current lack thereof) is one that some are calling vital to successful construction companies.

But how successful a company, and more specifically an equipment manager, is with using telematics is a matter of doing something with all the data.

Information Overload 
Possibly the biggest benefit of telematics is that you do get a lot of data. However, this data is not necessarily translated into information that can easily help you make decisions.

While real-time statistics on equipment usage and location monitoring is vital to an equipment manager’s job, the sheer volume of data can be overwhelming. Without a software system for equipment management that provides filtering, organization, and analysis, data is just data and fails to provide the information needed to make important fleet decisions.

Incomplete data 
Consistent data tells a complete story, such as which pieces of equipment were used where, and for how long. But when there are inconsistencies or missing data, you get holes in your fleet’s story. It is the rare contractor that has the same brand of vehicles with the exact same telematics device.

With varying devices and reporting capabilities, equipment managers only have some of the data some of the time, not all of the data, all of the time for every piece of equipment.

Utilizing limited data is sustainable for the management of individual pieces on a short-term basis, but not the long term management of entire fleets of equipment. Standardized data across all pieces of equipment can be turned into useful information that lets you know your fleet’s average utility, size, and make up, and that helps you make decisions such as whether to adjust your fleet’s average age or if you should be buying or leasing equipment.

With potential holes in the data, equipment managers can’t make good decisions, begging the need for a complement to telematics.

The rest of the story 
Even when data is distilled into useful information, equipment managers may not have a full understanding of their fleet’s performance. Telematics gives you data points that tell you the operating statistics of a piece of equipment. Where was it? How long did it run? How much fuel did it consume?

But this doesn't tell you why your equipment is operating in its current state. Maybe a component is broken because regular maintenance hasn't been performed or more fuel is being consumed than previous reports.

Outside influences, such as weather conditions, job site terrain and preventive maintenance activities aren't recorded with telematics. Equipment managers end up investigating on their own the answers to these why questions.

By having additional systems in the field for contextual data entry, there isn't a need to play detective—you get the why not just the what.

Complementary Equipment Software 
Even though telematics provide significant amounts of data, having a way to turn that data into information is necessary for obtaining all of the benefits of telematics. This is where complementary equipment software becomes vital to making equipment decisions.

Whether you have separate equipment management software or it is tied into a larger ERP system, the latest in construction software technology allows for the easy import and export of all of your data.

With cloud-computing, data collected in the field can be automatically imported into another software application using web services. And true cloud-based software is usable on any device, which means that your field employees can enter supporting information to tell the complete story of your fleet’s usage.

America's biggest rocket launches spy satellite

A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 Heavy rocket lifts off from
Vandenberge Air Force Base in California on Wednesday,
carrying the NROL-65 spy satellie into space.

As reported by NBC News: The United States' largest rocket launched a spy satellite on a hush-hush mission Wednesday.

An unmanned Delta 4-Heavy rocket lifted off the pad at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base at 2:03 p.m. ET (11:03 p.m. PT) Wednesday, carrying a classified payload into a polar orbit for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.

"Today's launch is dedicated to the men and women who serve for our nation's freedom," a commentator said a few minutes into the liftoff.

It's unclear what intelligence the spacecraft, which is known as NROL-65, (now known as USA-245) will collect as it zips around our planet. Because of the clandestine nature of the mission, it entered a planned media blackout about seven minutes after liftoff.

While details of the mission are classified, numerous independent analysts identified it as a KH-11 reconnaissance satellite.  KH-11 satellites are typically used to provide high-resolution optical and infrared imagery for US intelligence agencies.

'Truly honored'
"We are truly honored to deliver this critical asset to orbit," said Jim Sponnick, United Launch Alliance vice president for the Atlas and Delta programs. "The ULA Delta 4 Heavy is currently the world's largest rocket, providing the nation with reliable, proven heavy-lift capability for our country’s national security payloads from both the east and west coasts."

The Delta 4 Heavy, built by ULA and first flown in 2004, is the biggest and most powerful American rocket in operation today. The 235-foot-tall (72-meter) launcher generates about 2 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, according to ULA officials.  This is still less than 1/2 of the payload mass that was capable of being launched by the Space Shuttle (2,040,000 kg).

Wednesday's launch managed to stay on schedule despite the difficulties imposed by the automatic federal budget cuts known as sequestration, which went into effect March 1. The liftoff marked the 364th flight of a Delta rocket overall, and the 24th for the Delta 4 family. Delta 4 rockets have now lifted eight payloads into space for the NRO, which builds and operates the nation's spy satellites.

Bigger rockets on the way
While the Delta 4 Heavy is the current American heavyweight rocket champ, several other vehicles on the horizon will be even more powerful. For example, NASA is building a giant rocket called the Space Launch System to send astronauts toward asteroids, Mars and other destinations in deep space.

The first incarnation of SLS will stand 321 feet (98 meters) tall and carry up to 70 metric tons of payload. But NASA plans to develop a 384-foot-tall (117-meter-tall) "evolved" version that would be capable of blasting 130 metric tons into space, making it the most powerful rocket ever built.

The SLS is designed to launch a crew capsule called Orion, which is also in development. The rocket and capsule are slated to fly together for the first time during an unmanned test run in 2017, with the first crewed mission expected to come in 2021.

Orion will be ready to fly before the SLS is up and running. Orion's first test flight is scheduled to take place in 2014, when NASA will use a Delta 4 Heavy to send an uncrewed Orion out to a distance of 3,700 miles (6,000 kilometers) from Earth — farther than any spacecraft built for humans has traveled since the Apollo program ended in 1972.

The private spaceflight company SpaceX is also working on a big rocket, which it calls the Falcon Heavy. That launcher, which is expected to fly for the first time in 2014, will produce nearly 4 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, SpaceX officials say.

Electronic Privacy Smartphone Product Comes To Market

As reported by NPR: Whenever your cell phone is on, 'They' know where you are — and I mean all the Theys, the spooks, the merchants, the drone pilots, the private detectives, probably even the Chinese. If you want your privacy, says artist/designer Adam Harvey, you can go to the back of your phone, pry out the battery and break the connection, but that takes time (and long fingernails). Why should it be so hard to disappear when you want to? It shouldn't, he says. So he's been designing privacy accessories — spaces to hide in.

With his pal, the fabricator Johanna Bloomfield, this summer Adam went on Kickstarter to raise money for the newest design, the "OFF Pocket." It's a privacy product, a little cloak of invisibility in this case, a purse made of "specialized metal fabric" that he says will block all incoming phone signals (CDMA/GSM), Wi-Fi, GPS and Internet connections. Just slip your phone in this little bag, adjust the straps, and advertisers, your government, or, if you're a Pakistani, that drone in the sky can't track you to your hip pocket. This was their video pitch

This appeal worked, more than worked. Adam and Johanna were looking for $35,000, and Tuesday, when the money-raising period ended, they had $56,447 from 668 people — which I don't think they could have done a year ago.

A year ago, we hadn't seen Edward Snowden's NSA leaks that showed how our government collects this stuff wholesale from all of us, no warrants necessary. We didn't know the FBI may be asking phone companies to track our calls, or that camera-bearing drones are becoming more and more popular, not just with law enforcement agencies, but with private businesses and teenagers who use them to peer through each other's windows, or that people now walk around with "Google Glass" glasses that shoot photos and videos of friends without much evidence that there's a camera on. At some point, all these devices, multiplying and multiplying, make us wonder, even if we'd never wondered this before, "Who's watching me? "

And once we start wondering, it's only natural to think about protecting ourselves — and that's the change, I suspect, that has just begun. How else to explain Adam and Johanna's success this month on Kickstarter?

Beats The Refrigerator
After all, I don't think any independent appraiser has measured the effectiveness of the OFF Pocket. In their video, Adam says their signal-proof purse works better than hiding your phone in a refrigerator (which is where Edward Snowden asked visitors to put their phones when they visited), or than dropping your phone into a cocktail shaker (something James Bond might have done).

That's nice, but a sensible customer might want to know more, like has Consumer Reports taken one of these things to a test lab and zapped it? Or shouldn't we worry that if we put a live phone in an out-of-the-way place, it will frantically try to find a tower to connect to, exhausting its battery? What if using an OFF Pocket drastically shortens the utility of your phone?

What's in the "specialized metal fabric" that's worth $85 a pop? If you wrapped your phone in tinfoil (3 cents a pop) would this work just as well?

Normally, I'd be a suspicious buyer, but the times are not normal. Adam and Johanna's first edition of the OFF Pocket sold out. The second edition, I'm guessing, will go fast. People now want these things.

Ford studying space communications for use in telematics

Ford's connected cars will one day resemble extra-planetary
robots in having multiple redundant network connections,
ensuring they never lose contact with the vehicles and highway
infrastructure around them.

As reported by GigaOM: In its efforts to build a better connected car, Ford is doing research in a rather odd place: the International Space Station. Ford is entering into a three-year project with St. Petersburg Polytechnic University to study how space-based research and exploration robots communicate through telematics networks.

What do robots have to do with cars? Well, the next-generation of space-based robots will be some of the most hyper-connected machines in the universe, relying on multiple radio technologies to communicate with the space station, the astronauts they’re meant to assist, and human controllers back on Earth. Though robots will be able to function with some autonomy, they’ll constantly be coordinating with computers and maybe even other robots.

Ford believes that the future connected car will function much the same way, acting semi-autonomously while coordinating its activities with cloud traffic management systems as well as the highway infrastructure and vehicles around them. Just as robots use multiple radio technologies to maintain those different “tethers” to mission control, future cars will come outfitted with multiple network links, from LTE to dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) to Wi-Fi mesh.

What Ford is particularly interested in are the redundancies that St. Petersburg Polytechnic is developing for its robot telematics networks. As you can imagine, having your control link to a robot cut isn’t something any astronaut wants to deal with — in the hazardous environment of space or in the limited confines of a space station, retrieving your suddenly unresponsive robot is a lot harder than it sounds.

But that broken control link could then be routed over different networks, say a wireless local area networks used for internet access or a direct radio link to another robot. The guy with the joystick in his hand may have to take a more circuitous route to communicate with his metallic friend, but he’ll still be able to communicate.


That same principle applies to the connected car. As cars become more intelligent and autonomous, they’ll depend on an array of sensors and network connections to feed them information. Cars will form vast constantly shifting ad hoc networks, transmitting information to one another about their acceleration, braking, lane changes and even eventual destinations, which in turn will allow them to coordinate their driving. Vehicles will also communicate with highway infrastructure around them and connect to the internet through cellular connections. According to Ford technical leader in systems analytics Oleg Gusikhin:

“We are analyzing the data to research which networks are the most robust and reliable for certain types of messages, as well as fallback options if networks were to fail in a particular scenario. In a crash, for example, a vehicle could have the option to communicate an emergency though a DSRC, LTE or a mesh network based on the type of signal, speed and robustness required to reach emergency responders as quickly as possible.”

Though Ford’s initial focus is on using telematics redundancy to route emergency communications, it’s easy to see how these multinode networks could be used in other scenarios.

If the vehicle-to-vehicle radios in your car were to suddenly go down, chances are you’d want to take direct control of the wheel, but that doesn’t mean your car has to go off grid. Other radios could communicate with the vehicle-to-infrastructure network or even the cloud through a cellular connection, which could then pass on your car’s sensor data to other vehicles around you. Those other vehicles could in turn use the same channels to pass key information back to your car, for instance warning you of accidents or traffic jams ahead.

Many of these ad hoc-networking concepts relate to the shared bandwidth principles we plan to discuss October 16-17 at Mobilize 2013 in San Francisco. If vehicles were able to securely share their connections, we could always communicate with the internet and critical transportation systems by the most efficient – and often cheapest — means possible. So say instead of streaming high-quality audio over an expensive LTE connection, cars could use their vehicular mesh to pass the stream along from a highway access point car to car until it reached your dashboard.

Ford’s project with St. Petersburg Polytechnic will focus on multiple robots, including the NASA-designed Robonaut 2, which is already aboard the ISS; the European Space Agency’s Eurobot Ground Prototype, a robotic assistant designed to aid astronauts on a planet’s surface, and Justin, a humanoid robot designed by Germany’s DLR for fine-grained manipulation of objects