 No, it is definitely not a Rube Goldberg attempt at a coffee machine. The Roasting Plant Javabot™ is "a blend of deft mechanics and computer technology that orchestrates your coffee from raw bean to custom cup." Look for them in the finer cafes and executive break rooms.
5-19-2008
 A Petri dish of intestinal worms? Nope, it's a set of Ka-band coaxial transmission lines. Micromachining has opened a whole new realm of possibilities - from surgery to electronics to mechanics. Microfabrica has built a business around it. A 6-port 60 GHz coupler for an RN2 beam former, a 55 GHz bandpass filter, wafer probes, and inertial sensors are among their accomplishments.
4-15-2008
 Smart Goggles, invented by University of Tokyo professor Kuniyoshi, uses a microprocessor controlled learning process that will snap a photo of anything in its field of view and then prompt the user to speak the name of it. Later, if a similar object is spied by Smart Goggles, it displays the name of the object on a small LCD.
3-20-2008 |  Dutch researchers at the Technical University of Delft have developed what they say is the world's first solar-powered speedboat. With a hull made from black carbon fiber, it sports 150 square feet of solar cells to power it at up to 35 mph.
5-29-2008
 A while back, I posted an RF Cafe Intro video on YouTube. The folks at video production company SavvyPaper picked it up and really put a professional shine on it, then sent it to me for an opinion. I was amazed. View it and judge for yourself. SavvyPaper's main focus is professionally produced Video Resumes, something I have been trying to promote. They handle company promotions and other unique subjects as well. This is a totally new paradigm for job hunting.
4-24-2008
 Need a 20 GHz oscilloscope probe? Tektronix will sell you their P7520 TriMode™ Measurement Switching Probe - the world's fastest o-scope probe - for a mere $16,900. To measure 20 GHz, you need to solder the tip to the PCB.
3-28-2008 |  Introducing the Vilcus Plug Dactyloadapter! According to its maker, Art Lebedev, "Dactyloadapter was developed specially for people who enjoy closing electrical circuits with their own fingers." This device could be a huge tool for getting common-sense-challenged types out of the gene poll.
Disclaimer: RF Cafe does not endorse this product.
6-6-2008
 Here is a unique way to promote your company at events - Flogos! That stands for "floating logos." Flogos are synthesized from proprietary surfactant (soap) based foam formulations and lighter than air gases such as helium.
5-1-2008
 The Modu cell phone module gives any device designed to accept it the capability of being a full-fledged phone. The host "jacket" can be a PDA, a notebook computer, a gaming device, a calculator, a car stereo, an alarm clock, or even - go figure - a phone.
4-4-2008 |  Here is a bona fide working radar speed gun for less than $30. Toy company Mattel makes this for their Hot Wheels cars, but it works for a lot of other objects. It operates at 10.525 GHz and has a digital LED screen that shows speed in miles per hour or kilometers per hour.
6-13-2008
 Kikusui does not provide an estimate of how long it will take their PLZ6000R 6kW Regenerative DC Electronic Load to pay for itself, but the concept uniqueness alone makes worthy of further investigation. Regular electronic loads consume load power by having semiconductor devices convert it into heat. By contrast, PLZ6000R converts load power into reusable electric power, rather than converting it into heat as is typically done, and feeds this power to the AC line.
5-9-2008
 Check this out. RFMD has just announced their RF2051/2/3 line of ICs that integrates a low noise LO signal of between 300 MHz to 2400 MHz with built-in wideband RF mixers that operate from 100 MHz up to 2500 MHz. The fractional-N synthesizer sports a 1.5 Hz frequency step size. I can remember 15 years ago using a synthesizer with similar specs that were in metal cases the size of my hand - not including the mixer!
4-10-2008 |
