China Science & Technology Forum

[bobsm]

Handheld camera eliminates the shakes
2015-10-14 16:38chinadaily.com.cn
Editor: Wang Fan

China's largest commercial drone manufacturer DJI, announced the launch of Osmo, the world's first fully integrated and stabilized handheld 4K camera. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)

China's largest commercial drone manufacturer DJI, announced the launch of Osmo, the world's first fully integrated and stabilized handheld 4K camera, on Wednesday.

Using the company's signature three-axis gimbal stabilization technology, Osmo eliminates the shake of traditional handheld devices, creating stable photos and videos.

"With Osmo, we have created a camera specifically designed to capture a smooth moving image regardless of filming conditions." said Frank Wang, DJI CEO and founder.

Users can view live images of what the camera sees, adjust settings and control smart filming functions including panorama, long exposure and slow motion.

"Traditional handheld cameras are either shaky or require bulky stabilizers that are difficult to set up," said Paul Pan, DJI's senior product manager. "The Osmo moves the experience of handheld filmmaking from capturing what happened, to sharing expressive, smooth video that shows what an experience was like".

Shenzhen-based DJI's global operation spans North America, Europe and Asia and its products have been chosen by customers in more than 100 countries and applied in film, advertising, construction, firefighting, farming and many other industries.

The Osmo is available for pre-order online priced 3,999 yuan on the Chinese mainland and will begin shipping October 15.

Handheld camera eliminates the shakes

 

[JSCh]

Can the World’s Smallest Nano-thermometer be Used to Diagnose Cancer Early? Chinese Team Sees Ray of Hope in New Breakthrough---Chinese Academy of Sciences
Oct 16, 2015

Small semiconducting nanocrystals called ‘quantum dots’ can produce a spectrum of colours depending on their size to read the temperature of individual cells. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Chinese scientists claim to have developed the world’s smallest thermometer, which is capable of measuring the temperature of individual cells and gauging their health.

Some believe the technological breakthrough will later find important applications in cancer therapy.

Each instrument is made of tiny particles only a few nanometers in diameter. The minuscule particles contain light-emitting materials that makes it easy for them to enter a living cell.

As the cell’s temperature rises, the particles produce increasingly stronger light - producing a visual effect akin to glowing fish swimming in a lake at night, but on a dramatically smaller scale.

"This will help our fight against cancer," said Dr Han Rongcheng, a lead scientist of the research project. Han works with the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology in Beijing.

Scientists have long been aware that tumour cells can be killed by very high temperatures, but the clinical use of thermal therapy has been extremely limited due to the collateral damage on healthy cells.

In order to perform such treatments safely, doctors must be incredibly careful so that they apply the right dosage to kill the cancerous cells without harming the healthy ones.

This means they would need to know the precise change in temperature of each targeted cell, as well as those around it.

But such technology has not been at their disposal, which makes the latest breakthrough so full of promise.

"With the help of nano-thermometers, physicians may one day give patients the perfect dose that can wipe out all the bad cells without hurting the healthy tissue," Han said.

A nanothermometer takes a temperature reading inside a cell. Photo: SCMP Pictures​

Many tumour cells have unusually high internal temperatures, so the new technology might also help with their early diagnosis, he added.

If you place a thermometer containing mercury inside a patient’s armpit, its colour will not change. But if the device is shrunk to a billionth of the size and viewed through an infrared laser microscope, quantum physics kick in and convert the electric or thermal energy into light.

Moreover, the smaller the particle, the brighter the glare due to the stronger effect of the quantum mechanics at work.

These particles are usually made of semiconductors like selenium. In the 1980s, American physicist Mark Reed coined the term “quantum dots” to describe them.

The advantages of these quantum dots have attracted much research interest and spurred a race to exploit their use in many sectors in recent years, from medical science to television screens.

But Han’s team say they have now moved one step ahead of their competition.

The Chinese team was not the first to check the temperatures of cells using such “quantum dot thermometers”. Similar prototypes have been developed by other teams. But previous experiments and devices have been hindered by serious roadblocks.

The biggest problem was distortion caused by the cell itself. For example, biochemical elements in the cell, such as its pH level or ionic strength, could affect the level of brightness, making the temperature readings unreliable.

In their paper, which was published in the journal Scientific Reports last week, Han and his colleagues said they had solved the problem of environmental distortion for the first time by blanketing the quantum dots in a thin protective membrane.

"This is like the layer of glass that covers a mercury metre," Han said in a telephone interview with the South China Morning Post.

"The layer separates the light-emitting materials from external elements, while also allowing light to pass through."

The researchers encountered many challenges along the way, one of which was finding the most suitable materials to use in their experiments. It took them over five years to fabricate the nano particles in the way they wanted, they said.

However, some problems still need to be solved before the technology can be used on patients, Han said.

The team is still in the process of calibrating the device’s readings so it can be converted into traditional forms of measurement, a job somewhat akin to converting degrees Celsius into Fahrenheit, they said. (South China Morning Post)

 

[cirr]

Xiaomi brings Segway to the masses with $315 Ninebot mini

By Steve Dent | @stevetdent | 14 hours ago



We'd be throwing money at our screen right now, if we could. Chinese company Xiaomi has launched a small Segway device, the Ninebot mini, for a mere $315 (£203), on the same day it revealed a $790, 60-inch 4K TV. If you'll recall, Xiaomi is a major investor in Ninebot, the China-based company that recently purchased Segway. This is the first device the companies have launched since the acquisition, and while the self-balancing scooter looks a bit like the original, it costs less than a twentieth the price.

The performance is nothing to sneeze at, though -- it can move at up to 16km/h (10 mph), tackle 15 degree hills and run up to 22 km on a single charge. It's portable at 12.8 kilograms (28 pounds) and "fits easily in the trunk of your car," according to Xiaomi. You can also upgrade the firmware and monitor your speed, traffic data and systems via a smartphone.

Sure, Xiaomi's marketing the Ninebot mini as a "cool youth toy," according to the rough translation -- but it looks like it could get you around nicely, too. You'll have to put your checkbook away for now, though. The self-balancing device is coming to China on November 3rd, but there's no word on Xiaomi's plan for a wider launch. That said, Ninebot has updated its French website with an offer to be "informed of the availability." That means it'll likely be sold in Europe, so it may come to the US after all. We've reached out to Xiaomi for more information.

Xiaomi brings Segway to the masses with $315 Ninebot mini

 

[cirr]

Oct 19, 2015

Here’s the Xiaomi Phone-Controlled Scooter You’ve Been Waiting For

Xiaomi founder Lei Jun demonstrates the new smartphone-controlled scooter.----Xiaomi

When it comes to weird futuristic things, Silicon Valley leads in smart cars, and Japan in creepy robots, but China is now at the forefront in… smartphone-controlled scooters.

Lei Jun riding a Ninebot Mini scooter.---Xiaomi

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi and its scooter-making startup Ninebot unveiled a bargain Segway-like scooter Monday. The Ninebot Mini can be controlled by the smartphone and costs only 1,999 yuan ($316), a fraction of the price of a Segway.

Chinese startup Ninebot scooted from obscurity to the top of the global self-balancing scooter sector in April when it acquired Segway with Xiaomi’s backing. Analysts were skeptical at whether Segway would be a good investment, but Xiaomi said it was part of its plan to build out an ecosystem of Xiaomi-connected devices.

The low price of the Ninebot Mini could give Segways one more shot at becoming the vehicle of the future. While Segways were originally launched to great hype in 2001, they failed to go mainstream due to their high price tag. Segway’s most affordable model, the i2 SE, starts at $6,499. Ninebot’s Segway-like vehicle costs 14,900 yuan ($2,342), significantly cheaper but still pricey.

Xiaomi is now betting on the popularity of the Ninebot Mini in the land where police, at least, have long favored scooting for transportation.

The Ninebot Mini will be available only in China for now.

Here’s the Xiaomi Phone-Controlled Scooter You’ve Been Waiting For - China Real Time Report - WSJ

 

[cirr]

Xiaomi reveals 60-inch 4K TV for US$800

3 hours ago

BEIJING, CHINA- Xiaomi Inc. The Chinese tech giant has launched its own 60-inch TV with 4K resolution whose display is made by LG, priced at US$800.

Xiaomi has a strict pricing policy that follows up to the letter and luckily for the company it seems to be working out pretty well so far. The Chinese tech giant has already shaken to the core the smartphone industry, by releasing to the markets high-quality smartphones at midrange prices.

Now, during an effort to expand even further, and shake the smart TV industry, Xiaomi will circulate a 60-inch 4K smart TV that does not exceed the price of $800.

In more details, the goal is to bring out a large-screen TV with ultra-high-definition 4K resolution at 4,999 yuan (roughly $785, AU$1,075 or ‎£510). “The average price for a 60-inch 4K display is often more than double that in China,” Lei added.

So far so good. Just the price next to the specs could get anyone’s attention. But some are still skeptic concerning the quality of the product. To those, Xiaomi answers with an innovative approach to upgrades.

Here’s where the good stuff begins: Almost all smart TVs have embodied their electronics and speakers into the frame, whereas Xiaomi’s new MiTV has its motherboard and processor fitted into a detachable speaker. This means that the TV’s connection ports are located on a separate speaker instead of the display.

Simply put, thanks to the detachable speaker, owners will one day be able to upgrade their smart-TVs without having to buy a whole new TV in their place; much like Samsung’s Evolution Kit. You can also purchase the detachable speaker as a standalone device to attach to an existing TV for 999 yuan (around $155, AU$215 or ‎£100).

According to research firm Canalys, Xiaomi has been China’s top smartphone vendor since the second quarter of 2015, while based on further info from TrendForce, in the third quarter, it has been ranked fourth in the world for smartphone shipments.

That’s an extraordinary achievement, though, as the company’s smartphones are not available yet in the States, Europe or Australia, while other products, such as the Mi Band and the Mi Headphones, are.

In the same way, the MiTV is Xiaomi’s third TV but its first 60-inch one. The display comes from LG and is fitted in a metal frame, a mere 36.7mm at its thickest point. For those of you who would like to try out the MiTV, there’s a dead end. You probably need to wait until the product reaches your country or find another way around it. Regardless, it’s a wise choice and a great product to have.

Xiaomi reveals 60-inch 4K TV for US$800

 

[cirr]

Xiaomi's new 60-inch 4K TV is upgradable and under $800

The rapidly growing Chinese company unveils its third-generation MiTV, an affordable smart TV that offers ultra HD resolution and can be easily upgraded.

October 19, 20155:09 AM PDT

By Michael Kan

Xiaomi

A 60-inch 4K TV for less than $800? Xiaomi's new product is an effort to shake up the smart TV industry in the same way it has smartphones.

The Chinese company, which made its name selling quality phones at reasonable prices with oodles of online hype, wants to challenge just how low a high quality TV can cost, CEO Lei Jun said at a Beijing event Monday.

The goal is to bring out a large-screen TV with ultra high-definition 4K resolution at 4,999 yuan (roughly $785, AU$1,075 or ‎£510). The average price for a 60-inch 4K display is often more than double that in China, Lei added.

While the price alone makes it noteworthy, Xiaomi's 60-inch MiTV also has an innovative approach to upgrades. Most smart TVs come with their speakers and electronics built into the frame, but the new MiTV has its motherboard and processor fitted into a detachable speaker.

This means that all the TV's ports are found on the separate speaker, instead of the display. The device's screen then connects to the speaker through a single cord that combines the signal and power lines. The detachable speaker means that you can one day upgrade your MiTV's smart capabilities without having to buy a whole new TV, in a similar manner to Samsung's Evolution Kit. You can also purchase the detachable speaker as a standalone device to attach to an existing TV for 999 yuan (around $155, AU$215 or ‎£100).

The MiTV offers ultra HD 4K resolution.

Xiaomi is one of China's hottest tech companies. In the second quarter, it beat Apple and Huawei to become the country's top smartphone vendor, according to research firm Canalys, and in the third quarter it ranked fourth in the world for smartphone shipments, according to TrendForce.

The new MiTV is the first 60-inch display from the company, and its third smart TV. Over the last three years it's worked with suppliers to lower manufacturing costs, Xiaomi's CEO said. The display comes from LG and is fitted in a metal frame, a mere 36.7mm at its thickest point.

Xiaomi's phones and TV range aren't yet available in the US, Europe or Australia, though many of its other products, such as the Mi Band and Mi Headphones, are. In September, the company said it would be bringing out a line of laptops, though it hasn't yet said when.

The MiTV 3 will go on sale in China early in November.

Xiaomi's new 60-inch 4K TV is upgradable and under $800 - CNET

 

[+4vsgorillas-Apebane]

They should charge more and get a better margin to pay the workers more.

From what I have gathered, Xiaomi makes decent quality products. Why charge so little?

 

[Genesis]

They should charge more and get a better margin to pay the workers more.

From what I have gathered, Xiaomi makes decent quality products. Why charge so little?

I don't personally use Xiaomi, from what I heard, micro transactions.

China is the number 1 gaming revenue country, mostly, it's from that. The outright sale of games revenue s abysmal.

China to Earn an Estimated $22 Billion in 2015 Video Game Revenue - IGN

 

[TaiShang]

China Is Building The Great Green Wall To Hold Back The Desert
October 19th, 2015 |

In 1978, China began planting The Great Green Wall to create a 2,800-mile long green belt in an effort to tame the expanding Gobi Desert. Over the last few decades, more than 66 billion trees have been planted in northern China. The Wall is planned to be completed by 2050 and is expected to increase forest cover across China from 5% to 15%. By 2050, more than 100 billion trees will occupy a 2,800-mile belt, 1.6 million square miles – covering about a tenth of the country in greenery. Chinese officials claim that by 2050 much of the arid land can be restored to a productive and sustainable state.

China has seen 1,400 square miles of grassland overtaken every year by the Gobi Desert. The encroaching Gobi, about half a million square miles in area, has swallowed up entire villages and small cities and continues to cause air pollution problems in Beijing and elsewhere while racking up some $50 billion a year in economic losses. The Wall will have a belt with sand-tolerant vegetation arranged in checkerboard patterns in order to stabilize the sand dunes. A 6-foot-wide gravel platform will hold sand down and encourage a soil crust to form. The trees will serve as a windbreak from dust storms.

According to a study published recently in the journal Nature Climate Change, the total amount of carbon stored in all living biomass above the soil has increased globally by almost 4 billion tons since 2003, with China contributing in a notable way to the increase.



“The increase in vegetation primarily came from a lucky combination of environmental and economic factors and massive tree-planting projects in China,” said Liu Yi, the study’s lead author and a remote sensing scientist from the Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science at the University of New South Wales in Australia.

A 2014 study, led by Dr Minghong Tan from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, found that Chinese government’s ambitious plan is working. “The results show that in The Great Green Wall region, vegetation has greatly improved, while it varied dramatically outside The Great Green Wall region. In most places in the study area, greenness continued to increase between 2000 and 2010. In North China as a whole, we think the environment is getting well. From the results, we infer that the implementation of The Great Green Wall programme has effectively decreased dust storm intensity by improving the vegetation conditions,” the researchers wrote.



Tree cover in the North, the Northeast and the Northwest area has increased from 5% to 12% since 1977. That’s a commendable feat. But still more than one quarter of China is either covered by desert or is land that is suffering desertification adversely affecting the lives of over 400 million people. Since 2003, 450,000 people in Inner Mongolia have been moved off land to prevent it degrading further. Is this a sign that The Great Green Wall is failing to beat the sand?

A senior Chinese official, Liu Tuo, who leads China’s efforts to tackle the problem, said in 2011 that it will take 300 years to turn back China’s advancing deserts at the current rate of progress.



@AndrewJin

 

[TaiShang]

Xiaomi plans to introduce Ninebot

Today the Chinese smartphone vendor Xiaomi announced it would begin selling what it calls a “self-balancing scooter” to customers on its domestic website. Dubbed the Ninebot mini, the two-wheeled, battery-powered vehicle can travel up to 22 kilometers per charge, at a maximum speed of 16 kilometers per hour. The price? 1999 yuan, about $316.

The term “self-balancing scooter” these days might draw comparisons to the current craze for so-called “hoverboards”—two-wheeled platforms (which don’t actually float or “hover”) made by companies such as Swagway and Likary. But for those with slightly longer memories, if the above image makes you think “Segway,” you’re onto something: Xiaomi helped Ninebot, a Beijing-based robotics startup,acquire the makers of that doomed invention of the early 2000s in April of this year.

In an interview with Chinese domestic media, Ninebot founder Wang Ye admitted that he bought Segway primarily for the patents and brand name. But there are other reasons that the two-wheeled vehicle deserves a second chance in the coming years.

Technology has evolved dramatically since the original Segway’s release in 2001. Early models weighed a minimum of 30 kilograms. The Ninebot mini, meanwhile, weighs 12.8 kilograms—light enough for the physically fit to carry up a set of stairs. A quick glance through Amazon’s sales listings for “scooters” reveals a number of gadgets with similar price points, weights, and charging cycles.


Whereas early Segways were steered using a shoulder-level handlebar, newer scooters like the Ninebot mini track one’s knee movement to drive direction. That could potentially free one’s hands to do something else during a short trip.

“An overwhelming majority of the trips we take are within the range of one to five kilometers,” Ninebot founder told Chinese media in April. “You can think of the self-balancing scooter as a mode of transportation that you can carry, one that you can keep closer to you than your car.”


In China, Xiaomi and Ninebot’s true competition is the standard moped-like scooter, of which there are an estimated 200 million on the road in China (link in Chinese) in 2013.

But China’s cities might make good testing grounds for a Segway revival. Westerners often think of bike lanes as skinny veins squeezed towards the edges of a busy road. But in China, main roads oftenaccommodate one or several types of bike lanes, many of them quite wide, and some physically gated apart from roads and sidewalks. These spacious stretches of pavement could potentially accommodate a handful of Ninebot vehicles during commutes—particularly among tech-savvy professionals who can’t afford a car and view bicycles as old-fashioned.




It’s not clear whether the Segway will ever become more than a toy for gadget lovers or vehicle for park rangers and mall cops. But Xiaomi has created winners out of thin air in the past. In addition to its robust smartphone business—it sold 61 million handsets last year—the company sells the world’s third-most-popular wearable fitness tracker. With the help of a Chinese owner, the Segway’s wheels might spin again.

 

[Martian2]

China's third Yangjiang nuclear reactor connected to grid | World Nuclear News

At China's Yangjiang nuclear complex, there are six nuclear reactors in operation or under construction.

Yangjiang 1 & 2 nuclear reactors are domestic CPR-1000 (or Chinese Pressurized Water Reactor). Yangjiang 1 & 2 are currently operational. A picture of both nuclear reactors can be seen in the second citation (dated June 11, 2015) below.

Yangjiang 3 & 4 nuclear reactors are domestic CPR-1000+ improved designs. Yangjiang 3 was connected to the electric grid today. A picture of Yangjiang 3 can be seen in the first citation (dated October 20, 2015) below. Yangjiang 4 will become operational in 2017.

Yangjiang 5 & 6 nuclear reactors are domestic ACPR-1000, which means "Advanced" CPR-1000 design. Yangjiang 5 & 6 started construction in 2013. Both Yangjiang 5 & 6 are expected to be operational by 2019.

Each Yangjiang nuclear reactor produces 1 Gigawatt of power. Altogether, the six Yangjiang nuclear reactors will produce 6.1 Gigawatts of power annually.

Third Yangjiang unit connected to grid | World Nuclear News

----------

Second Yangjiang unit enters commercial operation | World Nuclear News

 

[JSCh]

Chinese scientists make new breakthrough in quantum storage technology
Xinhua Finance 2015-10-21 11:20 BEIJING

A scientist team with the University of Science and Technology of China has successively achieved storage of multiple single-photon pulses emitted from a quantum dot in a solid-state quantum memory, the Xinhua-run cnstock.com reported on Wednesday.

The achievement is expected be helpful in the development of quantum repeaters and the construction of efficient quantum repeaters based on all-solid-state devices, according to an article published by the Nature Communications on Oct. 15.

Quantum communication will play a significant role in information security areas, and its market size will reach 100 billion yuan in the future. Quantum storage is a key to building long-distance quantum communication system.

China has begun the construction of the world's first quantum communication confidential trunk line connecting Beijing and Shanghai.

******

Storage of multiple single-photon pulses emitted from a quantum dot in a solid-state quantum memory

• Jian-Shun Tang1, 2, n1
• Zong-Quan Zhou1, 2, n1
• Yi-Tao Wang1, 2,
• Yu-Long Li1, 2,
• Xiao Liu1, 2,
• Yi-Lin Hua1, 2,
• Yang Zou1, 2,
• Shuang Wang1, 2,
• De-Yong He1, 2,
• Geng Chen1, 2,
• Yong-Nan Sun1, 2,
• Ying Yu2, 3,
• Mi-Feng Li2, 3,
• Guo-Wei Zha2, 3,
• Hai-Qiao Ni2, 3,
• Zhi-Chuan Niu2, 3,
• Chuan-Feng Li1, 2,
• Guang-Can Guo1, 2,

Nature Communications 6, Article number:8652, doi:10.1038/ncomms9652
Received 25 October 2014 Accepted16 September 2015 Published15 October 2015

Abstract

Quantum repeaters are critical components for distributing entanglement over long distances in presence of unavoidable optical losses during transmission. Stimulated by the Duan–Lukin–Cirac–Zoller protocol, many improved quantum repeater protocols based on quantum memories have been proposed, which commonly focus on the entanglement-distribution rate. Among these protocols, the elimination of multiple photons (or multiple photon-pairs) and the use of multimode quantum memory are demonstrated to have the ability to greatly improve the entanglement-distribution rate. Here, we demonstrate the storage of deterministic single photons emitted from a quantum dot in a polarization-maintaining solid-state quantum memory; in addition, multi-temporal-mode memory with 1, 20 and 100 narrow single-photon pulses is also demonstrated. Multi-photons are eliminated, and only one photon at most is contained in each pulse. Moreover, the solid-state properties of both sub-systems make this configuration more stable and easier to be scalable. Our work will be helpful in the construction of efficient quantum repeaters based on all-solid-state devices.

Storage of multiple single-photon pulses emitted from a quantum dot in a solid-state quantum memory : Nature Communications : Nature Publishing Group

 

[Saifullah Sani]

Google has taken a stake in a Chinese artificial intelligence startup which is aiming to develop smart wearable technologies, the companies said Tuesday.
The amount on investment in Mobvoi was not disclosed. But the companies said that the firm, created by a former Google researcher, has now raised $75 million in equity financing.
Google will lead the latest round and hold a minority stake, according to the statement.
The move comes five years after Google's highly contentious exit from its Chinese operations over censorship.
"Mobvoi is very excited to welcome Google as an investor as both companies share a long-term view on technologies and are dedicated to deliver an uncompromising user experience through emerging technologies," said Mobvoi founder Zhifei Li.
The new funding is aimed at helping develop “a new generation of wearable experiences and explore consumer-oriented products for the in-vehicle environment” as well as exploring robotics technologies.
"Mobvoi has developed some very unique speech and natural language processing technologies," said Don Harrison, vice president of corporate development at Google Inc.
"We were impressed by their innovative approach and the early traction that they've seen, which is why we're pleased to support them with this investment."
The two firms announced an agreement earlier this year to bring the Google Android Wear operating system to China.
Google invests in Chinese artificial intelligence firm - Business - DAWN.COM

 

[Jlaw]

google in China is bad.

 

[Shotgunner51]

8 examples of Chinese-British co-operation Xi Jinping mentioned in his speech to MPs | Bailiwick Express

Wartime co-operation, a sponsored walk, and the treatment of a nurse with Ebola were among an eclectic set of examples of Chinese-British co-operation cited by President Xi Jinping in his address to MPs and peers.

Perhaps conscious of the way British politicians like illustrating speeches with ancient nuggets of Chinese wisdom, he also made sure to litter his own with a smattering of quotations from notable Britons.

Xi Jinping had much to say to the assembled MPs and peers (Dan Kitwood/PA)
But he was also quick to remind the assembled legislators that while they may sit in the world’s oldest parliament, his country had been developing political thought for at least three millennia before it was even contemplated.

Here are some of the references in the speech which he said highlighted the “mutual understanding, support and friendship” behind co-operation between the two nations:

.
.
.


3. Saving the life of Corporal Anna Cross

Cpl Cross was volunteering with Ebola patients in Sierra Leone (Philip Toscano/PA)
China helped save the Army reservist and NHS worker by “promptly responding” to the UK’s request to deliver a newly-developed drug to the UK, he noted.

She was the first person in the world to be treated with experimental MIL 77.