E-Spark Magazine v1.0

IEEE SIESGST Council 2015IEEE SIESGST Branch Counsellor: Pushkar M. Sathe, Asst. Prof., EXTCChairperson: Arnab KunduIEEE Representative: Sameer DhuriMarketing manager: Rachita NairDesign head: Sibin SamuelCo-secretary: Jagruti ShenoyWIE Chairperson: Karuna RamkumarVice chairperson: Chaitanya RamjiTreasurer: Sonal KattigeSecretary: Kavya KumarMDO: Lince MathewWeb developer: EmmanuelSponsorship head: Kavya MenonPublicity head: Mandar PatilDesign Coordinator: Chaitanya RamjiTechnical head: Deepali Prasad

From the branch counsellor’s deskRight from its inception in 2002, IEEE Student chapter of SIESGST has been analogous withgrowth and has never needed to look back. With a vision to take this dream of igniting a sparkof technology and innovation in people’s minds even further, I , along with the entire team ofIEEE SIESGST , have been considering

A word from the chairman

From the editorsTwo years back, around this time, IEEE Student Chapter of SIESGST set out on a literaryendeavour with the launch of its technical magazine E-Spark. With the first edition of thismagazine, we have managed to keep our readers updated with the student chapter’s activities,collaterally giving them a medium for sharing their wealth of knowledge and ideas.Now that the magazine is more than a year old, the editorial team is back with its secondinstalment.Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company, had once said, “Coming together is abeginning, keeping together is progress; working together is success”. The quote aptly portraysthe way the second edition of the magazine has taken shape.Going by our resolve to deliver something new with each edition, the magazine is all set to godigital this time. The primary reason for this is to enable our readers to read on-the-go and toincrease the magazine’s reach. Secondly, the thought of saving a few trees and doing our bitfor the environment is an inspiration to go for web publication instead of the conventional printmedium.When we started off with this edition, everything seemed hunky-dory. However, things didn’twork out the way we had imagined them to, for we failed to receive targeted number of articlesinitially. Eventually, we realised that the magazine should be able to cater to the needs of pupilfrom any and every branch of engineering. Promoting it equally across all streams seemed tohave paid off when overwhelmingly huge number of articles started pouring in.In the process of shortlisting articles, the team came across some very intriguing articles; while,on the flip-side, there were some which didn’t seem very original to us. Since the magazinestaunchly criticises any kind of plagiarism in its articles, we have picked the most appealing andnovel ones to present to you through this publication.

We are indeed very grateful to all the authors who have contributed towards the magazinewith their astounding and informative-to-the-core articles.Huge thanks goes to our readers for accepting, praising and criticising our efforts. Yourresponse has helped the magazine grow manifold and assured us that we are on the right track.Readers, there’s more than enough to satiate your appetite for technology, so dig in!Also, we need you to tell us how we are doing so that we can come up with another mind-blowing edition next year. Let us know your response at [email protected] .Editorial Team IEEE SIESGST ANNUAL REPORT 2014-2015IEEE is the oldest student body of SIES GST. It is an active body in organising all extra-curricularactivities in the college. This academic year, IEEE SIES GST saw a growth like never before withinparticipation for most of its events having increased by leaps and bounds. With Cognition goingNational this year, IEEE Student Chapter and SIES GST experienced renewed vigour and zealwhich got reflected in the efforts put in by the core team with all its volunteers. Cognition ’14became a grand success with IEEE’s events conducted on the 16th and 17th of September,2014receiving enthusiastic participants from the whole state. This time, IEEE SIES GST’s technicalextravaganza offered IQ-an interactive quiz event, SQUABBLE- an event wherein participantsmooted over myriad political, global, technical issues of the world, HACK IN THE BOX- an ethicalhacking event for both, amateurs as well as experts in the domain. Apart from this grandeurevent, the IEEE Student Chapter also organised various workshops such as Home Automation,Line Follower Robot, Level One Robots, Arduino Workshop, etc. which were largelyappreciated. SIES GST’s annual fest, Tatva Moksh Lakshya proved to be another platform for theIEEE students to showcase their competency by displaying many Arduino based projects. TheWomen in Engineering-WIE section of IEEE SIES GST also conducted informative seminars for anebullient female audience. IEEE SIES GST also conducted an Industrial visit to get youngengineers acquainted with the happenings in PCB making company, Copper Track Industries,Nashik.On the whole, 2014-2015 was a year of success and achievement in all its endeavours. Underthe promising guidance of our Branch Counsellor, Mr. Pushkar Sathe Sir and the leadership ofour Chairperson, Mr. Arnab Kundu and the Student Chapter Head, Mr. Sameer Dhuri , backedby the entire IEEE team, we believe in continuing our perseverance to accomplish greaterchallenges in the forthcoming years.

Techopedia 2014Unlike previous years when Techopedia was an individual event held every September, IEEESIESGST’s very own festival Techopedia 2014 was a part of Cognition, which went nationalthis year. Having said that, Techopedia 2014 left no stone unturned to leave its mark in thisCognition with its innovative events; namely IQ, Squabble and Hack-in-the-box.IQThis quiz event was held on 17th September 2014 and hosted by Pramit Kumar and VivekVenkatram for IEEE- SIESGST. About 25 teams participated in the level 1 of this quiz whichwas an online round that opened on 13th September 2014. Level 1 consisted of 3 rounds whilelevel 2 comprised of 5 rounds; namely Achilles heels, CGPA rules, U miss I hit, Audio-visualrounds. Level 2 was held in SIESCOMS Auditorium on 17th September 2014 that begin with apen and paper round followed by other interesting rounds that gave 6 finalist teams; TeamAndroid, Team Windows, Team Chrome, Team Macintosh, Team Unix and Team Linux. Thequiz had questions that ranged from the clichéd technology trivia to the popular TV seriesBreaking Bad. The best three teams were awarded prize money of Rs. 20,000, Rs. 15,000 andRs. 5,000 respectively where Team Android from Mithibai College stood victorious at firstposition.SquabbleThis event, nicknamed the ‘Battle of words’, was held on 16th and 17th September 2014. Itcomprised of 3 rounds in all. About 40 teams participated and showcased their debating skills.The contestants were judged by Mrs. Seema Khan, TPO and faculty of Communication skills atSIESGST, along with her co-judge Ms. Anita Nair. At the end of this competition, the team

comprising of Raj Khot emerged as winner while Kashish and Malcolm bagged the runner-upposition.Hack-in-the-boxWith hack-in-the-box, IEEE-SIESGST set a benchmark for all amateur-level hacking events,opening an arena for all those who have a penchant for ethically hacking into the world of web.This first-time-in-GST event saw tremendous footfall with hacking enthusiasts pouring in fromall places. On the whole, the event seemed to be a great success. Pending reports

Artificial 'Yarn Muscles' - Parag LadWhat do you get when you take fishing line or sewing thread, and coil it up in just the rightway? No, not a tangle of twine to keep your pet cat entertained. Instead scientist haveturned this into amazingly strong and cheap, artificial muscles that could be used in robots,prosthetic limbs or woven into “smart” fabrics whose pores expand in warm whether tokeep a person cool and contract in chilly weather to block out the cold. Using just coiledfishing line and sewing thread, a team of scientists has developed a way to create super-strong artificial muscles.The fiber muscles can lift 100 times as much as human musclesof the same length andweight, generating the same power per unit weight as a jet engine, researchers say. Theartificial muscles could be used to power the limbs of humanoid robots, to open or close

windows in a building to maintain the temperature, or even to make clothing with fibersthat expand or contract to keep the wearer cool or warm.Making the muscles is as simple as twisting and coiling high-strength polymer fishing lineand sewing thread (usually twisting with the aid of a power drill). The twisted fiber createsan artificial muscle that can drive a heavy rotor at a speed of more than 10,000 revolutionsper minute. The polymer-muscles generate about 3 horsepower per lb. (7.1 hp/kilogram),or the equivalent of a jet engine.The scientists found that when they twisted the fiber even more, it produced coiling, ashappens when you over-twist a rubber band. Coiling in the same direction as the twistcreates muscles that contract when heated and expand again when cooled. By contrast,coiling in the opposite direction makes muscles that expand when heated.The fiber muscles could be used to power the muscles in androids or exoskeletons. In thecase of robotic muscles, electrical energy, not temperature change, would drive thecontraction of fibers. \"Present humanoid robots or exoskeletons or prosthetic limbs areprimitive, mechanically,\" thus they run on motors or hydraulics. The new artificial musclescould also be used to open and close heavy windows in a building in response to the airtemperature, without motors or electricity — which the researchers demonstrated.Similarly, clothing designers might use the coiled muscles to create fashions that adapt tokeep the wearer warm or cool, the scientists said. The coiled fibers would simply expandwhen the air temperature warms to let the clothing breathe.The new muscles contract to about 50 percent of their length, compared with carbonnanotubes, which contract to only about 10 percent their initial length. In the past, artificialmuscles have been crafted out of materials including metal wires and carbon nanotubes,but they have proven to be costly to make and tricked to control.Since their design is so incredibly simple, the new synthetic muscles are a hugebreakthrough. The muscles are more energy-dense than commercial electric motors oreven jet engines. But even more astonishing is that they're exponentially cheaperthan high-tech solutions like \"shape-memory alloy or carbon nanotube yarn.\"

BIOTECHNOLOGY USED IN REDUCING CARBON FOOTPRINTNG - Vallari ChourasiaA carbon footprint has historically been defined by Championne as \"the total sets ofgreenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person.” A carbonfootprint is a measure of the effect you have on the climate in terms of the amount ofgreenhouse gases you produce (measured in units of carbon dioxide). Many of your daily

activities generate carbon emissions, which have an impact on the health of theenvironment.By measuring our carbon footprint with tools like a carbon calculator, you can get an ideaof what level of emissions your lifestyle generates and where you can take action to reduceyour individual impact on the environment. Results from a new university study suggestthat some of the largely petroleum-based plastic may soon be replaced by a nonpolluting,renewable plastic made from plants. Reducing the carbon footprint and the dependence onforeign oil, this new 'green' alternative may also provide an additional cash crop forfarmers.By employing a number of modern molecular techniques, scientists are able to introducethree bacterial enzymes into the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. When combined withtwo enzymes from the plant, an organic polymer is produced. The polymer, known aspolyhdroxybutyrate-co-polyhydroxyvalerate, or PHBV, is a flexible and moldable plasticthat can be used to produce a wide range of products, such as grocery bags, soda bottles,disposable razors and flatware. When discarded, the plastic is naturally degraded intowater and carbon dioxide by bacteria in the soil.These recent advances potentially remove two of the remaining technological hurdleslimiting the ability of companies from turning acres of weeds into plastic factories. The nextstep is to see if the technique works in 'real' plants, such as switchgrass. It can be reviewedthat the production of biodegradable plastics as \"The second green revolution?The complexity of microbial communities living belowground and the various ways theyassociate with their surroundings make it difficult to pinpoint the various feedbackresponses that soil microbes may have to global warming. Whether a positive feedbackresponse results, in which microbial processes further contribute to climate change, orwhether a negative feedback response slows its effects, it is clear that microbes can have ahuge impact on future climate scenarios and ecosystem-level responses to climate change.Soil respiration plays a pivotal role in these effects due to the large amount of CO2 and CH4emissions produced during respiration, the reliance of carbon stocks in soils on rates of

respiration, and the initial sensitivity of soil respiration to increased atmospherictemperatures. Further studies in long-term feedback effects of soil respiration on climatechange can contribute to our understanding of the overall impacts of climate change,including the ability of terrestrial forests to uptake excess CO2 from the atmosphere. As weattempt to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to predicted climate changeeffects, turning towards microscopic life that lies below the surface can perhaps help us tobecome better equipped for future changes at the macroscopic and even global scale.Microorganisms found in the soil are vital to many of the ecological processes that sustainlife such as nutrient cycling, decay of plant matter, consumption and production of tracegases, and transformation of metals. Although climate change studies often focus on life atthe macroscopic scale, microbial processes can significantly shape the effects that globalclimate change has on terrestrial ecosystems. As concentrations of these gases continue torise, soil microbes may have various feedback responses that accelerate or slow downglobal warming, but the extent of these effects are unknown. Therefore understanding therole of different microbes that act as both contributors to and reactive components ofclimate change can help us to use them to curb emissions and push us away from globalwarming. Bladeless Wind Turbines - Anushree Gupta & Indu VenkatakrishnanA wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into electrical power.Arrays of large turbines, known as wind farms, are becoming an increasingly important

source of renewable energy and are used by many countries as part of a strategy to reducetheir reliance on fossil fuels.Disadvantages of conventional wind turbines: Noise Disturbances: Though wind energy is non-polluting, the turbines may create a lot of noise. Threat to Wildlife: Almost 600,000 birds are killed every year. Also, wind turbines require them to be dug deep into the earth which could have negative effect on the underground habitats. Visual Impact: Though many people believe that wind turbines actually look nice but majority of them disagree. People consider wind turbines to have an undesirable experience.In order to overcome these disadvantages, the concept of a bladeless wind turbine isdeveloped. These are those turbines that have very few or absolutely no moving parts.They work on electro-kinetic phenomena (interaction between electrostatic and chargedmedium in liquid phase). EWICON, Saphonian and Windstalk are the 3 prototypes ofbladeless wind turbines.EWICON:Ewicon stands for Electrostatic WInd Energy CONverter. The device comprises a steelframe holding around 40 horizontal rows of insulated tubes giving it the appearance of alarge tennis racket. Each tube features several electrodes and nozzles which releasepositively-charge water into the air, through a process that's been dubbed electrospraying. Positively charged particles naturally move towards the negative electrode, butwhen the wind is allowed to push the particle away from the negative electrode, itincreases its potential electrical energy. This increased energy can then be collected. TheEwicon's advantages include the fact that it can come in many different shapes and sizesand it has no moving parts, meaning much less mechanical wear and tear and therebylesser maintenance costs.Saphonian Wind Turbines:

Instead of spinning blades, the wind is being harnessed by a curved sail-shaped body whichfollows a back and forth 3D knot motion. This motion allows the conversion of the majorityof the wind kinetic energy into mechanical energy, either directly (mechanicaltransmission) or through the use of pistons (hydraulic transmission). The pistons areconnected to a hydraulic system which enables the conversion of the mechanical energyinto hydraulic pressure and then, to electricity. Due to its different technical approach andspecific design, the Saphonian offers an efficiency level about 3 times as high as currenttechnology. The latest tests have shown a 2.3 range of efficiency enhancement.Windstalk:Devised as a potential clean energy generation project/tourist attraction for Abu Dhabi’sMasdar City, the Windstalk concept consists of 1,203 carbon fiber reinforced resin poles,which stand 55 meters high and are anchored to the ground in concrete bases. The poles,which measure 30 cm in diameter at the base, tapering up to a diameter of 5cm at the top,are packed with a stack of piezoelectric ceramic discs. Between the discs are electrodesthat are connected by cables that run the length of each pole. When the stalk sways, thestack of piezoelectric discs are forced into compression thus generating current throughthe electrodes. Below the field of poles would be two large chambers for storing ofelectricity located on top of each other. When the wind is blowing, part of the electricitygenerated is used to power a set of pumps that moves water from the lower chamber to theupper one. Then, when the wind dies down, the water flows from the upper chamber downto the lower chamber, turning the pumps into generators. With the help of bladeless windturbines, the disadvantages of conventional wind turbines can be removed and windenergy can be harnessed in a more efficient manner.

The Effective Tool for First Responders: Bounce Imaging Explorer-Ujwal. Umesh. ShenoyIn the event of an emergency, first responders like firefighters, search and disaster rescueworkers, soldiers/military troops and police need to think and act fast. Search and rescue aftera disaster is often a slow and difficult process. They are often faced with a difficult situation –they need to get into a building, hazardous or unseen spaces as fast as possible. Firstresponders must enter burning buildings searching for victims without being able to get an ideaon whether the structural integrity of the building still holds. It is unsafe for them to just blindlyrun in without knowing what hazards await them thus putting their own lives in danger everyday so that we do not have to. While some larger departments have access to thermal imagers,such technologies are beyond the reach of most units. Life-saving imaging technology or thesurveillance devices that exists, could make their jobs safer, yet current applications are tooexpensive, classified and impractical for wide-scale use. For e.g. fiber-optic camera can be usedto search through rubble for survivors, but the equipment is expensive and requires a skilledoperator. Some groups also attempted to address the problem of first responders by designingreconnaissance robots, although such devices were expensive and/or complex, or the iRobotCorp., which makes surveillance robots that roll through buildings on caterpillar treads, costingthousands of dollars.Boston-based Bounce Imaging, have developed something a little simpler to use – a throwablesmart ball named ‘Bounce Imaging Explorer’ or ‘Explorer’ or ‘Surveillance sphere’ or‘reconnaissance ball’ as shown in Fig. 1. This new, ball-shaped camera is able to help outemergency/first responders when needing to enter an area they are not sure is safe and ishelpful to the military in getting an instant, up-to-the minute detailed panoramic view of theenvironment.

 Fig.1 Bounce Imaging Explorer. U.S. graduate Francisco Aguilar partnered with David Young, an entrepreneur who spent fourand a half years as a US Army infantry officer met as graduate students at MassachusettsInstitute of Technology (MIT’s) Sloan School of Management(Fig.2) and developed a spherical/ball-shaped, camera laden throwable device known as Bounce Imaging Explorer, the kind oftechnology elite SEAL teams have.  Fig.2 David Young and Francisco AguilarIt can be thrown/tossed into dangerous/potentially hazardous spaces/situations or hostilesituations, such as a hostage taking or a chemical leak, building fire/collapse, disaster searchand rescue after an earthquake, rubble of a building levelled by an earthquake, bomb site or avulnerable building after a weather disaster. It then wirelessly relays panoramic images of theinaccessible area in the disaster location/situation to a smartphone or tablet and gathers andtransmits the relevant data like temperature and oxygen levels to the smartphone or tablet,allowing first responders to view hazardous environments remotely, assess the situation andmake an initial assessment before getting in harm’s way thereby reducing the risk and savingmore lives. A former analyst with the Bridgespan Group, a non-profit consulting firm, Aguilarcame up with the idea for Bounce Imaging’s ball-shaped form after Haiti’s devastatingearthquake in 2010. Bounce Imaging showed off nonworking prototypes of the device, calledthe Explorer, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 2010. The Bounce Imaging

Explorer was built for a “fire and forget” principal, allowing for an easier use than the moreexpensive products out on the market.Bounce Imaging’s device, Bounce Imaging Explorer weighs half a pound to a pound with abattery inside. The prototype Explorer Ball includes a Wi-Fi transmitter; six wide-angle videocameras that are each surrounded by an infrared LED flash/lights. The base version of the palmsized rubber-shelled ball also incorporates an array of sensors, a gyroscope, accelerometer andmicroprocessor. An external casing protects the components from being crushed on impact andallows the device to bounce making it a shock absorbent baseball-sized tool/ball. The impactresistant shell can also house heat sensors, Geiger counters, vibration antennae or smokedetectors to provide different information in different kinds of emergencies such as naturaldisasters or SWAT team/emergency hostage rescues. The cameras can snap stillimages/pictures at a rate of two shots per second or after every second or half-second while itssensors detect air quality, temperature, radiation and other hazards as the ball rolls across thefloor after being thrown into an inaccessible space. Depending on the device’s settings; siximages/pictures will give a full 360-degree panoramic photo of the interior and the radio is usedto transmit pictures and sensor readings as well as audio, wirelessly to the officers’/firstresponder’s laptop, smartphone or tablet outside the building.,as shown in Fig.3,4. Anaccelerometer and gyroscope help the microprocessor make sense of the jumble of images,allowing it to know which way is up in each shot and help orient images, which are sentwirelessly to an Android-running smartphone or tablet where software stitches the capturedimages together in a full 360-degree panoramic image to see exactly what lies ahead orwhether there are hazards (or indeed survivors) around a corner, or buried beneath fallendebris and with the implementation of infrared LED’s, this device is also full capable of shootingimages in poorly lit rooms. Fig.3 Readings that are wirelessly transmitted to thesmart phone.The low-cost sensor units not only provide an image of a space, but also are capable oftransmitting relevant data like smoke, temperature and oxygen levels through the smoke,temperature, and oxygen sensors respectively. For firefighters, they added smoke, alcohol andoxygen sensors and sensors to detect and warn firefighters of deadly hydrogen cyanide gas andcarbon monoxide, as shown in Fig.4.

Fig.4 Composite Panoramic image.After winning $60,000 in entrepreneurship competitions, Francisco Aguilar and David Youngwere able to improve their prototype, adding a microphone for transmitting audio and forlistening to hostage-takers and designing features for a variety of first responders.The device is easier to operate and cheaper than other imaging tools. It is an ultra-low-cost,easy-to-use imaging system that is easier to lug around than some of the unwieldy equipmentthat had to be carried while on duty or it can be abandoned, if necessary. It can potentiallyreduce the risks of possible death and injury to first responders in dangerous situations as thedevice is even capable of taking infrared images so it could be used in dark locations. BounceImaging, the company that built the ball, suggested it could sell the device for as little as $500-$1000, about a tenth of the cost of the cheapest rival devices, hence can be issued to allemergency workers.The bounce imaging explorer doesn’t currently include a mechanism to bounce or roll itselfback to whoever threw it, so the rescuers either need to go in and get it or leave it behind.What it can’t do quite yet is survive a hard fall.The company plans to add a tether to allow the user to pull it back or a sensor that allows thedevice to be found later. Aguilar suggests that at some point, the company could even addmotion capabilities like that offered by a robotic ball maker Sphero. The Homeland Securityversion will incorporate CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear) detector; and thesearch and rescue model will have vibration detectors and digital microphones. Bounce Imagingis developing sensors that will not only reduce the technical difficult of searching collapsedbuildings, but will also help map the unfamiliar terrain of a post-disaster landscape. There arehopes to incorporate different sensors into the device for different applications.The Bounce Imaging Explorer was named one of TIME Magazine's Best Inventions of the year2010. The Bounce Imaging Company won a gold award and $50,000 in prize money from acontest organized by startup accelerator, MassChallenge in 2012. Bounce Imaging won $10,000in another contest, the VenCorps NYC Impact Challenge. Bounce imaging was awarded byPopular Science for the Invention of 2013 award and was felicitated by TIME Magazine.“It’s just basically a way to get rid of the dark, scary spaces of the world” as quoted by FranciscoAguilar. Technological advancements have made it possible to save more lives in situations

where the rescuers cannot reach the affected. The Bounce Imaging Technology is one of themand it is still possible to improvise upon this technology.CONTAGIOUS YAWN - Vallari ChourasiaYou're in a conversation with another person and he casually yawns. As you wonderwhether he's bored with the discussion, you find that you're yawning, too. A man walkingby, sees you yawn, and pretty soon he yawns. It's carried on and on, passing from oneperson to another in a domino effect. Science is still investigating exactly what makes usyawn. But it's a well-known and little-studied fact: Yawing is contagious. Yawns becomecontagious around age four. Fetuses begin yawning in the womb as early as 11 weeks afterconception, said Robert Provine, a developmental neuroscientist at the University ofMaryland, Baltimore.We know that much of yawning is due to suggestibility -- it's infectious. You don't need toactually see a person yawn to involuntarily yawn yourself; hearing someone yawn or evenreading about yawning can cause the same reaction. Watch someone yawn, and try not to

yawn yourself. It can be impossible to resist. Even reading about yawning can make you doit. Chances are you'll yawn at least once while reading this article.But contagious yawning goes beyond mere suggestibility. Recent studies show that thephenomenon is also related to our predisposition towards empathy -- the ability tounderstand and connect with others' emotional states. It sounds strange, but whether ornot you're susceptible to contagious yawning may actually be related to how muchempathy you feel for others.Let us see how could it possibly be related to contagious yawning? Leave it up topsychologists at Leeds University in England to answer that. In their study,researchers selected 40 psychology students and 40 engineering students. Each studentwas made to wait individually in a waiting room, along with an undercover assistant whoyawned 10 times in as many minutes. The students were then administered an emotionalquotient test: Students were shown 40 images of eyes and asked what emotion each onedisplayed.The results of the test support the idea that contagious yawning is linked to empathy. Thepsychology students -- whose future profession requires them to focus on others -- yawnedcontagiously an average of 5.5 times in the waiting room and scored 28 out of 40 on theemotional test.. The engineering students -- who tend to focus on things like numbers andsystems -- yawned an average of 1.5 times and scored 25.5 out of 40 on the following test.The difference doesn't sound like much, but researchers consider it significant.Strangely, women, who are generally considered more emotionally attuned, didn't scoreany higher than men.These findings support what neurologists found through brain imaging: Contagiousyawning is associated with the same parts of the brain that deal with empathy. Yawningmight eventually help doctors diagnose developmental disorders. The work could also leadto a better understanding of the subtle ways that people communicate and connect. Likecontagious laughter and contagious crying, scientists have theorized that contagious

yawning is a shared experience that promotes social bonding. So next time when you yawn,you can test who exhibits greater emotional and social bondings. Electromechanical Arm - Kartik Panicker, Deepak Padhi, Vaibhav MurkuteThe authors have literally tried 'to lend a helping hand' with their project onelectromechanical arm. Read along to understand how this could be a ray of hope for thosewith handicap…Electromechanical arm can be classified into two types: Direct controlled and Indirectcontrolled. Indirect controlled ones are called robotic arms. These are controlled by the

gestures of human hands rather than by the direct commands of our brain. Hence we use atransducer to map the position of human hands and then direct the mechanical counterpartin the same way. Direct controlled are the one called Bionic arms. They are controlled bythe electric signals generated from our brain and are attached to the human body andlinked to our brain.Indirect-controlled Arms (ROBOTIC ARMS):In the indirect controlled arms, we are using an input transducer called accelerometer. It isused to sense the motion of the arm and make the robotic ARM move in the same manner.We are using two accelerometer chips one for the upper arm and one for lower arm. Themotion of that part of the limb on which accelerometer is connected creates an analogvoltage at output of the accelerometer chip. This voltage is fed to the ARDUINO board. Thecontroller gives control signals accordingly to drive the servos at the ARM joints. Moreoverfor the fingers we use IR SENSORS that are again fed to Arduino to move finger joints of thearm.Direct mode of controlling:A bionic arm is an advanced version of the modern day prosthetics. Earlier days, for theamputees and paralysis patients in order to regenerate the limb using mechanical parts,doctors surgically grafted the sensor electrodes into the skull to receive the informationdirectly from the brain .As the technology is advanced we are using a non-invasive methodsin which we use EEG sensor electrodes that are placed at different locations on our scalp.The collected electrical signal from the sensors consists of noise levels that will bringambiguity in our design. Hence we are using signal conditioning circuit to condition thesignal to increase its SNR. Now our job is to segregate our signals from the collected ones.Hence for initial calibration purposes we are doing frequency domain analysis to study thesignals. This is done to calibrate the arm. Now once we are done with the calibration westart taking signals from the signal conditioning circuit. And then filtering the requiredsignals we pass on to the next stage. From here the signals are digitized and given to aprocessing unit. Now the processing unit will compare the received signal for any match in

memory. If it finds the match commands are given that are responsible for motion of thearm.Advantages: One huge advantage in having a bionic limb is that amputees and paralysis patients no longer need to rely on the dummy limbs that have restricted movements. With bionic limbs they have freedom of utilizing their mechanical limb the way they need to and to come out of the trauma of losing the limb. A robotic arm on the other hand finds its place in the industries in those areas where the working condition is hazardous for worker’s health. A worker who works in a burning furnace related job can now sit at a distant area and control the operation of the furnace safely. Moreover in case of bionic limbs, their progress is a major revolution in history to interface electronics with human brains. This will lead to the creation of an efficient, tireless, robust, sturdy, precise working force called CYBORGS in automation industries that shall replace the manpower required to do the same task.Flexible Paper Computer - Sweta Rajagiri

“This is the future. Everything is going to look and feel like this within five years,” sayscreator Roel Vertegaal, the director of Queen’s University Human Media Lab. “Thiscomputer looks, feels and operates like a small sheet of interactive paper. You interact withit by bending it into a cell phone, flipping the corner to turn pages, or writing on it with apen.”The idea behind PaperTab isn't to make your iPad flexible, but to rethink the way we usetable computers--and to make them more like the actual pieces of paper we shuffle aroundour desks. Designed to work in clusters of up to ten tablets, the user can control variousscreens at once, with one or more PaperTabs for each app in use. So you can have severaldocuments or apps running at once and work across several PaperTabs to execute taskswhile moving things around between them. You can use several together to make a largerPaperTab display, or shuffle them around like you would actual paper documents.Touch two PaperTabs together and you can swap data between them. Rather than relyingon buttons or swipe gestures, PaperTabs respond to the flexing of the actual screen incertain ways--bend the right side of the display to page forward and the left side to pagebackward, for instance. But the point is, PaperTabs create a really interesting workflow--something like taking the various windows on your PC desktop and breaking them out onyour physical desktop while retaining the ability to quickly move data and programsaround from page to page. Figure out how to untether these things from those unsightlycords (they'll need a paper-thin, flexible battery) and the Queen's U. team might be ontosomething here--if not a consumer product just yet, at least a very cool interface idea. Beingable to store and interact with documents on larger versions of these light, flexiblecomputers means offices will no longer require paper or printer.

The Smartphone prototype, called PaperPhone, is best described as a flexible iPhone – itdoes everything a smartphone does, like store books, play music or make phone calls. Butits display consists of a 9.5 cm diagonal thin film flexible E Ink display. The flexible form ofthe display makes it much more portable that any current mobile computer: it will shapewith your pocket.

HICCUPS - Karan Kapoor, Divyashree Salian, Ashok KrishnanYou must be quite perplexed why an article titled 'Hiccups' would feature in a tech magazineand you must have already started wondering if you are reading a health magazine instead.Read along to find what Hiccups means in the world of networks…Steganography is the communication of secret messages inside a perfectly innocent carrier.Think of Steganography as meta-encryption: While encryption protects messages frombeing read by unauthorized parties, Steganography lets the sender conceal the fact that hehas even sent a message.HICCUPS (HIdden Communication system for CorrUPted networkS) is a steganographicsystem dedicated to shared medium networks including wireless local area networks. Thenovelty of HICCUPS is: usage of secure telecommunications network armed withcryptographic mechanisms to provide steganographic system and proposal of new protocolwith bandwidth allocation based on corrupted frames. The HICCUPS was recognized as thefirst steganographic system for WLANs.Network Environment for Hiccups:Shared medium networks, especially local area networks with bus topology, use variousmedium access mechanisms i.e. CSMA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access), CSMA/CD (CSMAwith Collision Detection), CSMA/CA (CSMA with Collision Avoidance), Token Bus etc. Acommon feature of aforementioned mechanisms is the possibility of “hearing” all frameswith data transmitted in medium. Essential condition for frame interception is physicalmedium access – in wired network made by cable connections. In wireless networkphysical proximity is realized by working with appropriate distance and frequency. The“hearing” of all frames with data transmitted in medium and the possibility of sending

corrupted frames with improper correction codes values are two important networkfeatures for HICCUPS. In particular, wireless area networks use air connection withvariable bit error rate (BER) that creates opportunity to inject “synthetic” corruptedframes. In general the novelty of HICCUPS includes:1. Usage of secure telecommunications network armed with cryptographic mechanisms to provide steganographic system and2. Proposal of new protocol with bandwidth allocation for steganographic purposes based on corrupted frames.Crucial information from a hidden communication system’s perspective is exchanged inhidden channels. Proposed system is destined to be implemented in a networkenvironment with the following three properties:P1: shared medium network with possibility of frame’s interception,P2: publicly known method of cipher initiation for instance by initialization vectors,P3: integrity mechanisms for encrypted frames for instance one-way hash function, CyclicRedundancy Code – CRCThe essential condition for HICCUPS is only P1 property – others are optional. There is nodifference between the integrity mechanism for encrypted frames and integrity for otherones in some networks with P3 property.It is possible to create three hidden data channels in MAC frame in networks that meets P1-P3 properties:HDC1: channel based on cipher’s initialization vectors,HDC2: channel based on MAC network addresses (for example destination and source),HDC3: channel based on integrity mechanism values (for example frame checksums).

In system initialization – all stations included in hidden group establish secret key forciphers embedded in steganographic system. The proposed system is universal frameworknot limited to unicast (1:1 – one sender to one receiver), multicast (1:N – one to many, M:N– many to many) or broadcast communication.Solution is open for any group recruitment procedures, key agreement or key distributionprotocols. It is possible to use Diffie-Hellman algorithm for key agreement with optionalDigital Signature System (note: key exchange is very difficult to hide from the observers soif there is no any other additional covert channel to perform that operation system shouldbe initialized manually). Also specification of ciphers used for protecting data exchanged inhidden group is out of this proposal’s scope – for example symmetric block cipher AES(Advanced Encryption Standard) is acceptable. In some cases HICCUPS is able to workwithout support from cryptography – with no cipher embedded in steganographic system.But it is recommended to use network protocol Steganography in conjunction with strongcryptography. HICCUPS is more difficult to pull off. That's because this method requires awireless card that can control frame checksums. 200 kilobits per data can be transmitted ata time.

HOME AUTOMATION FOR PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED - Rishipal BhatiaElectricity has become one of the most important needs of mankind in the 21st century. Weuse several electrical appliances every day which greatly simplify our lives and improveproductivity. However, a section of the society even today, finds itself completely incapableof exercising any control over the devices that surround them, because of their biologicaldisabilities. As a result of this, the physically challenged people genuinely have a tough live,which can certainly be improved with the use of technology.Most of the patients who suffer from paralysis or that are bed-ridden because of othermedical conditions possess a good degree of control over their eye movements. Hence,several companies and research organizations have collectively begun working towardsusing this fact for providing automation solutions for the physically challenged. In thisregard, we have developed a project titled “Home Automation for Physically Challenged”with the goal of utilizing the patients’ eye movements for providing home automationsolutions.In this project, patients’ eye movementsare captured by the camera and the patterngenerated by the camera is fed to an image processing algorithm. A knowledge base of eye

movement patterns and associated control action is maintained. The image processingalgorithm, on pattern matching, generates appropriate signals which are wirelesslytransmitted. At the receiver end, a microcontroller unit is used to control a variety of enddevices with the help of relays.The project can be described as a combination of several sections – camera, imageprocessing unit (image processing algorithm on a microprocessor), wireless transmittingModule, Receiver Control unit and peripheral devices.In the first section, the eye movements of the patient are recorded using a camera as asensor. The relevant motions for this project are the movement of the iris in the up, down,left and right directions. The different parts of the exterior of the human eye would beexposed to the camera. Hence, there arises a need to distinguish those biological parts so asto ascertain the pattern of motion of the iris, later in the microcontroller section. For thatpurpose, a number of sample template images of the eye in different positions of the eye-ball will be used by the image processing program.The camera inputs are given to the image processing unit. We have created an imageprocessing algorithm using Labview for identification of the user pattern. Depending on theeye pattern that is obtained, the Labview program takes decisive action of sendingappropriate signals to the receiver section. For this purpose of communication between thetransmitter and receiver, we have made use of a suitable wireless communicationtechnology called Zigbee.In the receiver section, the corresponding signals are received and provided to the controlunit. The control unit, which is basically a Firebird V micro-controller, decodes the receivedsignal. The microcontroller is so programmed that on the basis of the signal which isdecoded, a specific port of the microcontroller can be activated. In order to interface theperipheral devices to the microcontroller, we make use of relays. A relay isan electrically operated switch. It is used to connect or disconnect the peripheral devicesfrom power supply.By connecting relays to appropriate port of the microcontroller, theperipheral devices connected to the relays can be activated or deactivated.

The patient will be able to control the devices around him; as long as they are linked withthe microcontroller board with the help of relays. The operations that the patient canperform on the devices are basic, like- switching on and switching off. For example, fans,light, emergency alarm, television, etc. can be either switched ON or OFF depending on thepattern of eye movements generated by the patient. For care at emergency situations, aGSM module may be incorporated by which the patient can contact and seek immediateattention from the doctor. In this proposition, a unique movement of patient’s eye will actas a trigger on this GSM module, which can be programmed to send an SMS to anyindividual, pre-decided by the patient.Thus, by accurately identifying the eye patterns fed by the user, the project provides theuser with complete control of all the household electrical appliances that are connected tothe switchboard. The project provides flexibility to add or remove the devices to becontrolled by connecting or disconnecting them from the switchboard itself, withoutrequiring any programming changes to be made in the project. Also, keeping in mind theuser’s biological needs and preferences, a specific eye pattern for automatic shutdown ofthe system can also be incorporated. This would make the project extremely customizableand user-friendly. Hence this project is a complete solution for home automation needs ofthe physically challenged and can be implemented in hospitals, nursing homes and evenprivate residences in the near future.

License Plate Detection System - Vivek Supe, Sreekar Sure & Abhishek EaswaranIn the last couple of decades, the number of vehicles has increased drastically. With thisincrease, it is becoming difficult to keep track of each vehicle for the purpose of lawenforcement and traffic management. Licence Plate Detection System is being usedincreasingly nowadays for automatic toll collection, maintaining traffic activities and lawenforcement.Phases:Our system is divided into the following four phases:1. Location Phase: This is the phase where we try to identify the location of the license plate in an image.2. Cleaning Phase: Once the number plate has been located, it is cleaned, that is its unwanted elements which are nothing but noise is removed.3. Optical Character Recognition Phase: This is the third phase where we use the Tesseract OCR engine to properly identify the characters of the number plate.

4. Database Extraction Phase: Once the characters of the number plate are identified, details of the vehicle owner are extracted from the database using MySQL. Implementation:1. Location Phase: This is the phase where we first remove the noise in the entire image. This is done by dilation and erosion. Horizontal processing is done where the positive difference between adjacent pixels is taken along the rows. What follows is the smoothening of the histogram by applying a low pass filter. The same procedure is repeated for vertical processing of the image. Thus we get two histograms, vertical and horizontal and using these two histograms, we try to find the probable location of the license plate in the image.2. Cleaning Phase: This phase is a crucial phase because before the image goes to the OCR engine for identification, it is vital for the image to have only the characters that are meant to be optically recognized. To do this, we use HSV model manipulations to obtain the clean image.

3. Optical Character Recognition Phase: We use the Tesseract OCR engine which was developed by HP to properly identify the individual characters in the cleaned image. What happens is that the input image undergoes adaptive thresholding which generates a binary image which goes through connected component analysis which helps in generating the character outlines present in the image. Once the character outlines are obtained, the text lines and words are identified which are recognized when they undergo multiple passes.4. Database Extraction Phase: As we are using MATLAB, we are using the database explorer application to connect our MySQL database with the help of JDBC drivers. This has all the required information about a vehicle owner acquired from various Government sources and is connected to the GUI.Applications:Automatic Toll Collection, Car Parking, Surveillance Systems etc.

The Moon Worm - Saman KhanIf you think that your antivirus is more than enough for keeping your data secure, it’s timefor you to give it another thought! According to the recent news, there exists a self-replicating worm which imposes a major threat to your data in spite of the antivirusrunning in your device. This worm has been dubbed “The Moon” because of lunarreferences in its code. It does not attack your computer. Your anti-virus continues to run assmoothly as before but still this worm has the capability to lead to vulnerabilityirrespective of the use of Windows, Mac OS X or any flavour of Unix. It does not reach anydevice with anti- virus running in it, then how is our data vulnerable to attack by thisworm? Our data is still insecure because this worm attacks the Linksys router. Linksysrouter is very commonly used for connecting to computers and internet. The LinksysE1200 connects computers, wireless printers and other Wi-Fi devices at wireless transferrates up to 300 Mbps. The worm collects all the information received by the router andsends it to the hacker.

Linksys RouterIt mostly attacks older Linksys home routers or the E-Series router. The worm does notneed password of the router. According to the SANS Institute's Internet Storm Center blogthis worm can not only attack and infect a router but also scan for other vulnerable routers.It makes copies of itself therefore including self replicating function.Johannes Ullrich, the Chief technology officer at SANS, recently posted in a blog, \"We do nothave a definite list of routers that are vulnerable, but the following routers may bevulnerable depending on the firmware version: E4200, E3200, E3000, E2500, E2100L,E2000, E1550, E1500, E1200, E1000, E900.\" There are reports that E300, WAG320N,WAP300N, WES610N, WAP610N, WRT610N, WRT400N, WRT600N, WRT320N, WRT160N,and WRT150N routers are also vulnerable.WORKINGOnce a vulnerable router has been attacked, The Moon worm connects to port 8080. Itidentifies the make and firmware of the compromised router by using Home NetworkAdministration Protocol (HNAP). It exploits a CGI script in order to gain access to therouter without authentication and scans for other routers that are vulnerable. CGI scriptcan present security holes by leaking information about the host system or the CGI scriptsdealing with inputs of the forms may be vulnerable.

According to SANS over 1,000 Linksys routers have already been infected. The wormdubbed “The Moon” leads to network trafficking. Hackers have intercepted informationsent to online banking sites. This worm also redirects to the victim for login credentials.STEPS TO PROTECT YOUR ROUTER1. Navigate to router’s web based setup.2. Check if the Linksys router is of latest version otherwise update it.3. Click administration and in the remote Management Access option, disable RemoteManagement .4. Under security tab, check filter anonymous internet requests and save settings.

5. To clear the cache and remove the malware unplug the router and plug it again to thepower source. Performance Evaluation of MANET With Black Hole Attack - Rajashri DholeEver wondered how secure it is to send any data over a network? Dig in and find how data cansafely travel over a network!

MANET (Mobile Ad-hoc NETwork) is considered a collection of wireless mobile nodes thatcommunicate with each other without the use of a network infrastructure or central basestation. Mobile nodes dynamically create routes among themselves to form own wirelessnetwork on the fly and organize themselves into a network. In such a network, each mobilenode operates not only as a host but also as a router, forwarding packets for other mobilenodes in the network that may not be within direct wireless transmission range of eachother. These infrastructure-less mobile nodes in ad hoc networks dynamically createroutes among themselves to form own wireless network on the fly. Different applications ofMANET are sensor networks, vehicle to vehicle communication, military battlefields andemergency services. These wireless links makes the MANETs more susceptible to attacks,which make it easier for the attacker to go inside the network and get access to the ongoingcommunication. Black hole attack is one kind of attack that a MANET suffers from. In blackhole attack, a malicious node uses its routing protocol in order to advertise itself for havingthe shortest path to the destination node or to the packet it wants to intercept.Black hole attack:Black hole attack is an attack in which malicious node uses its routing protocol to advertiseitself for having the shortest path with minimum hops to the destination node whose datapacket it wants to take away. In this way attacker node is always available to the nodeswhose packets it wants to retain. B AD

CF EIn figure, Node A want to send data packets to node D and initiate the route discoverymechanism by sending a Route request message to all the nodes in the network. Node C is amalicious node it presents itself for having a shortest route to the destination node as soonas it receives route request (RREQ) message. It will then respond to node A before anyother node responds. In this way node A will think that this is the only shortest route andthus will complete its route discovery mechanism. Node A will ignore all other replies andwill start sending data packets to node C. In this way all the data packet will be interceptedby node C.Due to these attacks, transmission of the data between the source and destination hasbecome insecure. These attacker nodes exploit the network by becoming the part of thenetwork. One of the reasons that make the network more susceptible to these attacks is itswireless links due to which attacker nodes go inside the network and starts interceptingthe packets being transmitted which leads to data loss.Routing protocols:The primary goal of routing protocols is to securely deliver the data packets by finding ashortest path between source and destination with minimum hops. A MANET protocolwork for small sized network to large sized network. Routing protocols can be divided intoproactive, reactive and hybrid protocols, depending on the routing topology. Proactive

protocols are typically table driven. Examples of this type include Optimized link staterouting (OLSR), Destination Sequence Distance Vector (DSDV) protocols. Reactive orsource-initiated on demand protocols, do not periodically update the routing information.It is propagated to the nodes only when necessary. Example of this type includes DynamicSource Routing (DSR) and Ad Hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV). Hybrid protocolsmake use of both reactive and proactive approaches. Example of this type includes ZoneRouting Protocol (ZRP).

PERSISTENCE OF VISION (POV) DISPLAY - Nagesh Kudva, Mahendra Arutla, Vasantha Jutla, Melissa MohanAbstract:The purpose of this project is to design and to create a persistence of vision (POV) display. Thisdisplay will allow users to upload an image to be displayed through wireless communication. APOV display displays messages by spinning a one dimensional column of LED's through a twodimensional space at such a high frequency that a two dimensional display is visible. In ourcase, we will be creating a cylindrical display by spinning a column of LED's around a centralmotor shaft. The rotational speed of the LED's is fast enough such that the human eyeperceives a two dimensional image. This project can be used for displaying any type ofattractive messages and also can be used in many forms in any place and it is eco-friendly too.Introduction:The discovery of persistence of vision is attributed to the Roman poet Lucretius. Persistence ofvision is the phenomenon of the eye by which an afterimage is thought to persist forapproximately one twenty-fifth of a second on the retina and believed to be the explanation formotion perception.A two-dimensional POV display is often accomplished by means of rapidly moving a single rowof LEDs along a linear or circular path. The effect is that the image is perceived as a whole bythe viewer as long as the entire path is completed during the visual persistence time of thehuman eye. A further effect is often to give the illusion of the image floating in mid-air. A three-dimensional POV display is often constructed using a 2D grid of LEDs which is swept or rotatedthrough a volume. POV display devices can be used in combination with long camera exposuresto produce light writing. In order to get the effect of persistence of vision, an LED should blinkat fractions of a second.Structure of POV display and working:

Here message will be sent through Bluetooth of computer and a Bluetooth module is mounted on the circuit of display. Thus the message transmitted through computer will be displayed on POV display. When interrupt is provided to the circuit LED glows. The technique behind this is an interrupter circuit which is made up of two components: 1. Opto-Coupler 2. Magnetic Reed Switch When the motor is rotating the reed switch will come under the influence of magnetic field and because of this field the opto-coupler interrupts the microcontroller and the display glows. Ni- MH Battery is used to provide supply to the circuit. This project will be a special kind of LED display. The motor will be the main hardware part of the project and this will be the only component whose cost will be high compared to the other components but very much affordable, hence the overall cost of the project is very less. Also, maintenance and repairing of the display is so easy, that anyone having little knowledge of electronics can take care of this. All the synchronizing can be implemented through software.Need and scope of POV display:

1) The similar principle is been used with the LCD and used for the display purpose in public places at US and UK & has a large market scope in India.2) By increasing the size & the number of LED’s we can get better & bigger display.3) Display unit can be controlled using Smart Phone.4) Besides using wireless RF communication we can also use Wifi or Bluetooth technology for transmitting data wirelessly.5) By using memory chips we can increase the length of message displayed one after other.Applications:1) It can be used to display information at public places. (eg. Stock Market)2) Different types of pattern can be displayed.3) It can display humidity, temperature etc. with the help of appropriate sensors.4) College notice boards.5) It can be mounted on a bicycle or car wheel and can be used to display any message or design or pattern.6) It can be used as a fan display.References:1. Applications and Future scope referencing - http://www.monkeylectric.com/2. Hardware model referencing[online] -http://people.ece.cornell.edu/land/courses/ece4760/FinalProjects/s2012/jm787_dab355/jm787_dab355/3. Algorithm referencing[online] - http://edf.bu.edu/pov/4. Stages of implementation referencing[online]http://www.eee.manchester.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/choosing-course/electronics-club/povdisplaydesignandimplementationblog/5. ATmega328 interfacing TL5940 referencinghttp://playground.arduino.cc/learning/TLC59406. Datasheet of:- Atmega328, TLC5940

Piezoelectric Shoes - Indu VenkatakrishnanWouldn't it be great if you could charge your phone by doing nothing but walking? Yeah,nothing like it! Then find out what the author has to say on this...Energy generation from the surroundings is referred to as energy harvesting. Theenergy harvesting devices generate electric energy using some energy conversionmethod. Vibration energy produces greater electrical energy density than any otherform of energy. Some techniques that can be used for the conversion of Vibrationalenergy into electrical energy are electrostatic, electromagnetic and piezoelectric.Piezoelectric materials have a high priority because of its stable energy density and itdoes not require outside powers. In addition to it, they have the ability to convertmechanical stress into electrical energy. The piezoelectric effect is the linearelectromechanical interaction between the mechanical and the electrical state incrystalline materials with no inversion symmetry. The piezoelectric effect is a reversibleprocess in the materials exhibiting the direct piezoelectric effect (the internalgeneration of electrical charge resulting from an applied mechanical force) such thatthey also exhibit the reverse piezoelectric effect (the internal generation of a mechanicalstrain resulting from an applied electric field).Piezoelectric materials are the materials that have the ability to generate an electricpotential in response to mechanical stress. Piezoelectric effect is found in usefulapplications such as the production and detection of sound, generation of high voltages,electronic frequency generation, microbalances and ultrafine focusing of opticalassemblies.

One of the recent inventions in this domain is piezoelectric shoe which works on thepiezoelectric principle that when there is pressure on a piezoelectric material, it causesdeformation. A piezoelectric material is placed in the sole of a shoe. When the personstarts walking/running wearing the shoe, the pressure that is exerted by him on it isused as a trigger to produce energy. The shoe uses a piezoelectric transducer withmetalized surfaces for electrical contact. A voltage regulation circuit can be used toconvert the piezoelectric charge into usable voltage power of about 2mW that is enoughto power running sensors, RF transponders and GPS receivers. The research is on in fullswing to increase the obtained power levels so that portable devices like a mobilephone can be charged while walking/running.

MOBILE VIRTUALIZATION - Supriya PatilImagine one phone with two personalities – one to fit your personal life, the other forbusiness. Instead of carrying around two or more devices, you’d be able to accessmultiple virtual phones on a single handset.This article introduces mobile virtualization and the range of its use cases, withimplications that span from silicon to Smartphones to shrink-wrapped software tooperator services. It also expands upon two key applications: building mass-marketSmartphones, and enabling secure mobile services.Secure ServicesMobile virtualization also facilitates a range secure services, enabling enterprise-gradesecurity on standard handsets. Virtualization can help secure mobile platforms,applications, and services by keeping trusted software to a bare minimum – thehypervisor itself and carefully chosen additional components – and then isolating themfrom threats arising from vulnerabilities and faults existing in today’s complex softwarestacks.Virtual machines, containing a bare minimum of essential software, can be dedicated tosecure services. A single phone could contain a virtual machine optimized for executionof secure services, deployed side-by-side with other mobile software, with practicallyno incrementalBOM costs.Secure service examples include:- Isolating software for mobile payments and banking- Hosting secure access to private medical records- Providing a platform for secure access to business-critical corporate data (as in BYODand M2E above)- Enabling secure voice calling by isolating VoIP stacks from open OSesBuilding mass-market smartphones and deploying secure services with virtualizationare complementary use cases and emphasize doing more with less: virtualization

enables deployment of Smartphones capabilities on lower-cost hardware; it also makespossible the introduction of new secure services on currently-available mobile devices.Overcoming Challenges to AdoptionMobile virtualization offers a flexible solution to many design and deployment issues fordevices and services on them. Despite its many use cases and successful deployment inproducts shipping in volume, mobile virtualization faces systemic challenges to evenbroader use:- Perception of the technology as a viable alternative to legacy solutions, e.g,. a softwaresolution to delivering lower BOM costs or to providing security- Concerns about performance overhead- The need to integrate mobile hypervisor as pre-load software, on a per-device basis(as opposed to post-load, application-style deployment)These challenges are gradually being overcome; mobile OEMs and operators/carriersare increasingly attracted to the use of virtualization to bring down the cost of Androiddevices, while recent performance benchmarks at key OEMs have tempered concernsabout the performance overheads.In 2008, the mobile industry became interested in using the benefits of virtualizationtechnology for cell phones and other devices like tablets, netbooks and machine tomachine (M2M) modules. With mobile virtualization, mobile devices can bemanufactured more cheaply through the re-use of software and hardware, whichshortens development time. One such example is using mobile virtualization to createlow-cost Android smartphones. Semiconductor vendors such as ST-Ericsson haveadopted mobile virtualization as part of their low-cost Android platform strategy.Mobile virtualization has been shipping in mobile phones since 2009. Despitechallenges to adoption, the mobile/wireless ecosystem is turning its attention to thisflexible technology, especially to bring down the cost of building and buyingsmartphones. Coupled with emerging needs to provide secure services on mobiledevices, mobile virtualization should play a key role in the deployment of the next 500million phones.

WORD FROM UR SENIORS A Sail Through.... - Bhumika BhavsarWe all have a common tendency to constantly question ourselves and doubt our own decisionsand one thought that must have crossed all our minds during the four years of Engineering iswhy are we where we are and what have we achieved by doing what we are doing?!! And inanswering this over the years, I have realized that it is of great importance to not let anynegative thoughts or temporary failures ever discourage anybody from completing the study.Also, the reasoning should not begin and end with the job aspect because there are manydifferent viewpoints like gaining an opportunity to expertise in one's field of interest,encouraging the mind to think in a broad perspective, exploring new ideas which allows foradditional growth and development. It is rather better to consider it to be a progress and ajourney.... one that becomes adventurous as the level rises but at the same time throwschallenges of multitude of risk levels which we happily want to accept and still reach the top.For me, it has been a long journey indeed and I remember the day when I embarked on this newexploration, I had a group of friends with whom I had made big travel plans of always heading inthe same direction, irrespective of the bends in the path; of finding happiness in the small thingsin college and outside; of taking pleasure in undertaking all kinds of tasks; of always holding asmile irrespective of the pain; and most importantly to always carry the ‘Never Give Up'attitude!! A few months after the first year and these thoughts just seemed vague and gaining noenthusiasm from any of us. The reason being - average marks, some unusual written papers inthe semester exams, some strange oral examinations and the consequences. Life suddenlychanged with engineering; nothing here was certain and it called for a lot of stability along withpreparedness- mental, physical and emotional. We get introduced to a whole new perspective oflooking at things positively up to a degree that we had never experienced before and this doescall for real strength!!!Yes, I have been able to handle a lot of these things and it is only because of what I haveachieved that I make a statement like this! Marks, ranks and profiles though a subjective matter,plays its role at the correct time in the life of every engineering student!! You can lose out on a

placement opportunity, you can miss on an important university, you may just be an inch awayfrom being considered for scholarships and this is the time we cry foul over what has justhappened. The uncertainty that this University and the pattern of its studies brings with it hasto be taken in the right spirits in order to succeed in every endeavour. Success is onlyguaranteed when the student shows the determination and the willingness to take up thischallenge rather than study more compared to others. I am sure all of us have gone through thebest papers and seen some bad results or gone through some extremely bad papers but seen anunexpectedly decent result and it all happens here...!!!!With extreme pride and happiness I say that I have secured the highest marks for threeconsecutive years in my department; but it is important to understand - whether this has beenpossible because I performed exceedingly well as compared to others or whether the otherswere just not fortunate enough at all times. Without being modest, I want to just highlight thefact that all six semesters haven’t been good; there were ups and downs. A single year with twosemesters also did produce extreme results in which case some just got lucky and I was oneamongst the many whose luck did favour. This doesn’t mean that securing the first position isonly in the hands of fortune! No, definitely not!! You simply need the right amount of everythingto balance the year- the right guidance from teachers, the right infrastructure from the college,the right choice of subjects, the right selection of books, the right amount of study hours andmost significantly the right amount of friends, games and fun. This signifies the fact thatadopting a balanced style in engineering is of primordial importance because it has animmediate as also a long term effect on the growth graph during these four years. Thus thefailure we cry about may be preventable and even reversible by just learning from our mistakesand adopting a change for the good. This way we are only increasing our chances of maintaininga good level of energy and vitality, the ability to express our creativity, enjoying emotional andpsychological stability, entertaining harmonious relationships, acquiring effective stressmanagement strategies and coping skills, achieving an overall stability as well as developing asense of purpose and meaning in the four rigorous years of Engineering.I am not here to give you a list of Do’s and Don’ts because I believe it does not exist. If things fallin place in one semester you must have the strength to not get carried away and perform poorlythe next semester. Also, if things do not fall into place, you must be brave enough to bring asmile on your face and try harder the next time. I only wish to bring to light that in order to beable to take meaningful actions, make effective changes in the study pattern and improve yourability to take decisions at the right time so that it does not affect you later. Just drop thoughtslike 'procrastination', 'lack of concentration', 'disinterest', 'distractions', 'boredom' for the four