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WHATS NEW IN TECH?

STRETCHABLE DISPLAY

LG has announced the world's first high-resolution stretchable display. It is made using a new technology that allows you to stretch, fold and twist the display without any distortion or damage.

By contrast with Samsung and Intel working on "retractable" displays, LG believes in stretchable technology, and has already shown the industry's its first display with 100 ppi resolution and a full color RGB backlighting.

The novelty can stretch and increase the area of the monitor from 12 to 14 inches. It uses a micro-LED light source with a pixel pitch of less than 40 micrometers, providing a high level of ruggedness to withstand heavy external impacts, and a resolution competing with most current monitors.



Unlike conventional linear wire system, stretchable display's flexible S-spring wire system can withstand more than 10,000 repetitive shape changes, ensuring durability and reliability. Such monitors are easy to attach to curved surfaces such as skin, clothes, furniture, cars and airplanes. They can be used in many industries, including fashion, wearables, mobile devices, and gaming.



A NEW ZOOM

Zoom is going to be more than just video chats. Users will now be able to connect third-party email and calendar services to Zoom and use them through the desktop app. This will spare users switching between applications and looking for the right tab in the browser.

Paid subscribers will be able to set up email accounts right at the platform, while privileged users will be able to use custom domains. Messages sent between all Zoom users will be end-to-end encrypted. Also, you will be able to send letters with a limited reading time.



A Zoom Spots feature will appear in 2023. The company describes it as a virtual coworking space where team members can stay connected throughout the day via video chats. While the company hasn't revealed too many details about Zoom Spots, there are rumors that this feature could allow bosses to keep a closer eye on what their employees are doing.



Zoom Virtual Agent, a conversational artificial intelligence for a chatbot, is being developed for the company support service. It is intended for “solving problems and customers assistance”. Zoom’s AI will be available in early 2023.



THROUGH-THE-WALLS VISION

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Minnesota and Samsung have developed a new kind of camera that can detect terahertz radiation under room conditions. In the future, this will lead to the emergence of hand-held scanning devices, for which there will be literally no walls. This will bring security systems, product control, and many other industries to a completely new level.

Modern equipment for terahertz radiation recording is bulky and expensive. The energy of terahertz photons is weak. There are special conditions required to isolate it from noise, like cooling sensors to cryogenic temperatures. It’s an expensive tech.



A prototype of a cheap terahertz camera, created by engineers in the laboratory, operates at room temperature and normal pressure. Moreover, it converts terahertz radiation into visible light in a simple way. The secret of the innovation lies in quantum dots, which Samsung and other display manufacturers are widely using in the TVs and monitors production. Terahertz photons excite quantum dots, and they, in turn, are easily detected by a conventional image sensor in the visible range.



For now, it looks like a pixelized moving spot on a display but soon this tech might be widely used by police, rescue and special forces.



FLYING TAXI

Japan announces launch of flying taxis in 2023. German startup Volocopter, specializing on urban air transport and related infrastructure, is about to launch a flying taxi in Japan. According to the company's plan, in 2023 the first tests of the eVTOL VoloCity, a commercial air taxi with vertical takeoff and landing, will start in the country. In addition to Japan, in the next three years, Volocopter vehicles will fly over Singapore, and then other countries in Asia, Europe and possibly USA. By 2030, cargo taxis will join passenger ones.



The VoloCity air taxi is a two-seat composite hull with 18 small rotors instead of one large propeller, a scheme that has significantly reduced the noise level. The flight range of the taxi reaches 35 kilometers, and the maximum speed is 110 kilometers per hour.

Financially backed by Daimler and Japan Airlines (JAL), Volocopter currently has 400 employees. In addition to the VoloCity taxi, they are working on the VoloDrone, cargo-carrying drone, and the VoloConnect, long-distance flight vehicle. In addition, Volocopter is developing special airports required for a new type of transport.



After the test flights in Japan, Volocopter is going to deliver 150 vehicles to the Chinese Geely, who invested 50 million euros in its development two years ago. Volocopter is already working with Japanese regulators on commercialization of new urban transport.