Tech Universe: Friday 21 January

Poo-Gloo biodomes. Photo / Supplied

HOME HOME IN THE DOME: Upgrading older wastewater treatment plants to meet newer standards can be very costly. One shortcut may be to install Poo-Gloo biodomes. Each 2 metre by 1 metre device nests 7 domes inside it. Each dome is lined with biofilm to host bacteria that process carbon-based, ammonia and nitrogen compounds. The devices save energy and boost sewage treatment. Poo-Gloo sounds so much better than effluent disposal unit. More at DiscoveryNews and video on YouTube.

SEND UP THE DRONE: The Miami-Dade Police Department in Florida, USA, has a new drone they want to use during SWAT and search and rescue operations so they can see what's going on from above. The Honeywell RQ-16 T-Hawk can fly as high as 3,000 metres for up to 40 minutes at a time. Fair enough. It's much smaller and less intrusive than a helicopter. More at IEEE and Wikipedia.

CHARGE YOUR GLASSES: emPower! bifocals include an LCD overlay whose focal length is changed by an electric current. When you touch the frame the LCD layer turns on, the lower part of the lens alters its
index of refraction, and close objects are magnified. Charge up the battery every 30 hours or so with an inductive charger. And hope you don't need to actually see anything while the specs are charging. More at SingularityHub.

REAR WINDOW: The Hindsight 30 Digital is a different kind of bike mirror. Attach a small micro-camera lens with integrated LED tail-light to the seat post of a bike. Mount the 3.5" Transflective LCD screen on the handlebars and start watching what's behind you. A Lithium-ion battery provides hours of power. It looks as though it's a live stream and doesn't mention recording. Imagine having a video record of all the drivers who came way too close on a ride. All it would need then is a name and shame website. Details at Cerevellum.

SMELLY MOVIES: Ahhh, that remembered smell from childhood or a holiday in Venice! It's often smells that really bring back memories. Now you can add smell to your home movies with ScentScape. The device plugs into your Windows PC and includes cartridges of scents such as
birthday cake, flowers, fresh mowed grass, or ocean. An Editor allows
you to match scents to moments in a video. Do you need good taste to
use this well? Details at ScentSciences.

- Miraz Jordan knowit.co.nz