The Fourier transform for images

Thanks to the researchers MIT the field of video and images could soon receive a major technological innovation: the new discovery would speed up the compression of images by applying an algorithm based on Fourier transform. The technique has been developed by researchers Dina Kataba and Piotr Indyki with students Eric Price and Haitham Hassanieh.

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The Fourier transform is one of the most important functions of mathematics, and has found great application in computer science: for example, are used to represent the fluctuations of voltage in the wire that connects an MP3 player to a speaker, not to mention the wide use in electronic music and study of audio frequencies. But the two researchers have found a way to apply this function to the images. The technique consists of dividing the signs and trying frequencies scattered but present in each section of the signal: for there is no need to sample the whole image, but only part This technique allows to speed up the processing time up to ten times. Continue reading

Biomaterials capable of generating electricity using paper as an energy source

In the Eco Products Fair 2011 in Tokyo, Sony engineers have demonstrated their latest innovation in biomaterials, a type of battery that can generate electricity from the paper. Engineers have shown how, using paper as an element to draw power could generate enough energy to power a small fan.

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Every year in Europe devoted about 660 million euros to buy Christmas cards, which helps to generate some 58 million tons of garbage in paper form. This innovation has the potential to release a new world of possibilities for how that role could be reused to generate positive benefits. Something as simple as using the Christmas cards we received this past Christmas feedstock can generate enough energy to power a small fan. Of course, this technology is still in an early development phase, but imagines the possibilities it could offer an option becomes really interesting. Continue reading