Word: sensor
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Digital single-lens-reflex (SLR) cameras are vulnerable to dust settling on the imaging sensor when you change the lens. Result: black dots on your pictures. The Olympus Evolt E-300 digital SLR ($1,000; with starter lens) solves the problem by covering the imaging sensor with a transparent ultrasonic panel that shakes off offending particles at 35,000 vibrations per second...
Poor reception is the curse of all cell phones. While there is little you can do about your carrier's spotty coverage in any given location, you can make it easier for others to hear you by investing in a better headset. The Jawbone has a sensor that rests on your cheekbone and picks up vibrations emanating from your head as you speak. It then uses those data to filter out background noise. You may not notice the difference, but the person on the other end will hear you much better...
...The Caring Cot, created by an English industrial designer, is a motorized crib that rocks for about a minute if the baby in it cries for 30 sec. If the baby doesn't stop after about 5 min., a signal is sent to the parents via remote. A sensor goes off if the room gets too hot or cold. And for parents fearful of studden infant death syndrome, a motion detector indicates if the baby has stopped moving for too long...
Judging the ripeness of fruit has always seemed more art than science. Now a firm in New Zealand has developed a sensor that detects when pears are ripe by analyzing the aromas emitted by the fruit. Attached to the inside of the fruit's plastic wrapping, the sensor goes from red to orange to yellow as the fruit ripens. Sensors for avocados, kiwis, melons and mangoes are in the works...
Computers in your shoes? Believe it. A sensor in the new adidas 1 sneakers measures with each step how much compression you put on the heels of the shoes. Microprocessor-controlled cushioning then adjusts the heels' stiffness so they become more rigid on dirt trails, for example, and softer on pavement or when you're walking. In addition, you can set comfort levels with buttons on the shoes. The lithium-ion battery that fuels the system lasts about 100 hours...