Byte size news: Tiny fibres could bring in big bucks

There's nothing fishy in a cutting-edge development from a New Zealand company.
Innovative Auckland firm Revolution Fibres is close to commercialising an air filter made of nano particle-sized fibres that are "spun" from collagen extracted from discarded hoki fish skins.
This cunning use of a fisheries by-product will be used to create 100 per cent biodegradable antibacterial air filters.
"We could also use this technology for industries as diverse as medical, textiles and even electronics," Revolution Fibres technical director Iain Hosie says.
To make the fibres, the company is building a commercial-scale version of a laboratory-scale electro-spinning machine with a $456,000 TechNZ investment.
While the fibres might be microscopic, the economic potential certainly isn't, with the global nano-fibre market estimated at US$102 million ($143.1 million) and expected to grow to US$2.2 billion by 2020.
Wine info a squiggle away
Central Otago's Drumsara Wines is packing more than grapes in its latest bottles.
The Central Otago winemaker is adopting quick response (QR) codes to help increase the profile and available information of its wines to the public.
The two-dimensional bar codes are slapped on wine labels that can then be captured on a mobile phone linking directly to the winemakers' website.
This will allow wine buyers access to a plethora of information, such as tasting notes for a particular wine and vintage, a grape locator map identifying exactly where the grapes for a wine and vintage are grown, as well as the vineyard information for that wine.
"All people need to do is download the free QR code application and they are in business," says Drumsara marketing manager Wayne Matheson.
"The code itself looks like a black and white squiggly pattern but, once people log on to it with their iPhones or other smart-phone brands, they are immediately connected in to a whole range of information about Drumsara wines.
"It's quite revolutionary, really, and what it means is that wine buffs can be in a retail store, read our codes and immediately source all the information they want before deciding to buy."

Deer scared from danger
D'oh a deer. A stricken deer.
But, hopefully, not for much longer if the Utah Department of Transportation's newest aid works out.
The "DeerDeter" unit is a high-tech sign which combines emitting a sound simulating that of a predator or a cry of fear with strobe lights that represent the flashing eyes of a predator.
Active only at night, the solar and battery-powered signs only fire up when headlights approach the unit, which means animals can safely cross the road when no danger exists.
While only in the testing stage in Utah, units deployed in Europe indicate that vehicle/deer collisions have been reduced by as much as 90 per cent, the sign's maker says.
With these impacts creating roughly 150 lives lost, many more injuries, and US$1.1 billion per year in vehicle damages in the US alone, this is a serious safety issue.
Got any news, gadgets or queries? Contact Lindsay.harvey@apn.co.nz