New and Emerging Technology News part 256 ~ NEW GEN TECH LIFE : new generation technology news

Monday 31 March 2014

New and Emerging Technology News part 256

Test firing of the BE-3 hydrogen/oxygen rocket engine that took place on Nov. 20, 2013 (Ph...
NASA announced on Tuesday that Blue Origin had successfully test fired its new BE-3 hydrogen/oxygen rocket engine at the company’s West Texas facility in Van Horn. The test, which took place on November 20, was a series of static firings to simulate the engine sequence of an actual suborbital flight from lift off to landing and is part of the development of Blue Origin’s manned Orbital Launch Vehicle for carrying passengers and cargo into low Earth orbit.  Read More
A view of the BikeConsole Smart Mount for iPhone 5S in use in landscape mode A product we see very often is the smartphone bike mount. A company called Bike2Power isn't revolutionizing the design of such mounts, but what it is bringing to the table is full iPhone 5s support, including access to the Touch ID fingerprint scanner.  Read More
The umidi custom MIDI controller
If you're the kind of DJ who is dissatisfied with having to use faders or knobs placed in a certain position on a ready-made, bog standard MIDI controller, the folks over at umidi have something that's sure to both delight and amaze. Each umidi DJ controller starts life as a blank template and, using an online creation tool, artists can select interface components and place them anywhere, in any order, and in whatever configuration that suits. The company will then build your dream umidi controller and ship it out. If this sounds a little too good to be true, then you'd be right ... for the moment. The designers behind umidi have just launched on Kickstarter to bring working concept to reality.  Read More
The more-affordable 2014 Mitsubishi i-MiEV
If you almost bought an electric car this year but held off, you may now be glad that you did – yesterday, Mitsubishi Motors North America announced that the 2014 edition of its i-MiEV will be selling for US$6,130 less than the current model.  Read More
The pomelo can take a pummeling (Photo: Shutterstock) Here's an interesting fact about the pomelo fruit: even though a mature fruit can weigh up to 2 kg (4.4 lb), they remain intact after falling from heights of over 10 meters (33 ft). The secret lies in the structure of their peel. Scientists have copied that structure, to produce a new type of aluminum composite that's stronger than straight aluminum.  Read More
Voxan Wattman being charged from a standard European wall outlet, a process that takes onl...
A new claimant for the title of "most powerful electric motorcycle in the world" was presented to admirers at the Paris Motor Show on Monday. The Voxan Wattman electric motorcycle, with 150 kW (200 hp) of power at full tilt, can pull the 350 kg (770 lb) bike from 0 to 160 km/h (0-100 mph) in 5.9 seconds, and has a top speed of 170 km/h (106 mph). With styling based on a scorpion's exoskeleton, this dramatic new entry is searching for its place in the sun.  Read More
Spotify Artists gives musicians access to their play counts, track-by-track information an... Spotify has made a move to get music artists onside by making its formula for calculating royalty payments and analytics openly accessible through the new Spotify Artists website.  Read More
The 488-m-long hull of the Prelude FLNG is floated for the first time
A hull longer than the Empire State Building is tall has been floated out of dry dock in Geoje, South Korea. Measuring 488 m (1,601 ft) long and 74 m (243 ft) wide, the hull belongs to Shell's Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility, which upon completion will be the largest floating facility ever built.  Read More
Artist's depiction of the Sunjammer spacecraft leaving Earth orbit The team of NASA, L’Guarde, and Space Services Inc. are preparing for the Sunjammer space mission that in 2015 will see the first deep space deployment of a solar sail. On September 30, the Sunjammer team completed a milestone when they successfully deployed a quarter panel of the spacecraft’s solar sail.  Read More
The SES-8 satellite lifts-off atop the Falcon 9 rocket
Three’s a charm, they say. On Monday, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) met success with its third attempt at launching the SES-8 satellite into geosynchronous orbit. At 5:41 PM EST, the Orbital Sciences GEOStar-2 commercial telecommunications satellite lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida atop an upgraded Falcon 9 launch vehicle. This marks SpaceX’s first geostationary transfer mission.  Read More

IRCRAFT
A quadcopter running the algorithm is able to remain in control, even after losing one pro...
Whether it's for Amazon-purchased goods, text books or defibrillators, unmanned multicopters are increasingly being considered for use as delivery vehicles. Given that this would involve their flying over heavily-populated areas, however, many people are rightly concerned about the aircraft malfunctioning and crashing down onto someone below. That's why researchers at ETH Zurich have created a control algorithm that allows any quadcopter to keep flying, even if it loses multiple motors or propellers.  Read More
Silkworms chowing down on one of their favorite foods – mulberry leaves  (Photo: Shutterst... Like most other fabrics, silk is colored with dye. Unfortunately, the dyeing process results in wastewater laden with toxins. Now, however, scientists from the National Chemical Laboratory in India are developing an alternative. They're feeding dye to silkworms, which in turn are producing pre-colored silk fibers.  Read More
Immerset combines French press and pour-over coffee-making techniques
Combining the French press and pouring-over methods, while improving both, is the goal of a new coffee-maker being promoted by an outfit called Immerset. The device is a project by inventor Chic Kelty, and is designed both for commercial and consumer purposes.  Read More
Kulturinsel Einsiedel: dawn view from the balcony of the treehouse hotel
In search of weird and unique hotels in Europe, Gizmag’s Loz Blain visits a beautifully hand-carved treehouse village on the German-Polish border. The treetop hotel itself is remarkable, but as it turns out, the rest of "Culture Island" is just as amazing.  Read More
Knightscope's Autonomous Data Machines are designed to help 'predict and prevent' local cr...
Silicon Valley startup Knightscope Inc. is developing an "Autonomous Data Machine" with the potential to perform the oftentimes monotonous task of keeping watch over property more cost effectively and comprehensively than a human security guard. The company today revealed it has already started securing beta customers for its first two models, the Knightscope K5 and K10.  Read More
Agility's all-electric has a top speed of 80 mph (129 km/h) and a range of 112 miles (182 ...
Since 2011, the UK's Agility Motors has been promising to deliver on its highly anticipated electric motorbike. Promoted as the firm's "next generation electric urban sport motorcycle" the new 96.5 hp Saietta R, with its 3.9 second 0-60 mph (96 km/h) time and unique visual statement, is now set to hit US shores in 2014.  Read More
The Amphibious Responder was designed to transport rescuers and materials into disaster zo...
Over the past couple of months, our attention has been caught by a couple of monstrous, land/water rescue machines in the form of the Ghe-O Rescue and the ARGO XTI 8x8. The CAMI Amphibious Responder makes three, and it is the largest, most powerful amphibious rescue machine of the bunch.  Read More
Taking inspiration from a bee's honeycomb, the Hivehaus is comprised of as many or as few ...
Similar to other micro-homes we have looked at, the Hivehaus comes flat-packed, is self-contained and appears relatively easy to build. Taking its name from the honeycomb structures built by bees, Hivehaus is a modular housing system constructed from individual hexagonal cells that can be customized and connected, offering plenty of design flexibility.  Read More
Left: Patient Zero's Mk. 1 weapon. Right: Mk. 2 weapon. Yes, my face always looks like tha...
Australian real life video game company IRLShooter is back in 2014 with a total upgrade and redesign of its Patient Zero live action zombie shooter game, which puts small teams of players through a survival quest in a purpose-built game facility seething with infected undead. Gizmag’s Loz Blain and his brother Chris dropped in to check out the upgraded weapons system and try out a whole new addition to the game – the “pain belt” – which delivers a nasty electric shock any time you take damage in-game. Naturally, we filmed the pain belt test for your viewing pleasure. (Warning: contains strong language)  Read More
The prototype sensor belt developed by researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technolog...
Although electrocardiograms (ECGs) can help predict cardiac emergencies as much as several months before a potentially life-threatening episode, this usually requires being hooked up to an ECG machine for a period of time at a doctor's office or hospital. A new sensor belt prototype allows an ECG to be recorded around the clock for up to six months, increasing the chances a problem will be discovered and treated before an emergency strikes.  Read More
 
A breakthrough by EPFL researchers could improve the data throughput of worldwide optical ...
As the volume of data carried around the world via optical fibers continues to increase, researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) have found a way to increase data throughput capacity by ten times. Because it is based on changing the shape of light pulses to reduce the space between, the breakthrough would work on existing optical fiber infrastructure.  Read More
The Loop gaming platform is comprised of the Loop Clip, motion bar, headphones and an open...
As technology has gained a reputation for drawing children indoors and keeping them there captivated by the latest Angry Birds update or building their Minecraft kingdom, we have seen a conscious effort from within the industry to counter the perception of technology as a facilitator of unhealthy childhood habits. Loop, from Pushstart Creative, is the latest effort in this growing trend, relying on movement tracking technology as a vehicle to promote physical activity.  Read More
Compact at launch, the origami-inspired solar array will expand to 10 times its stored siz...
One big problem when sending things into space is, well, space. Rockets have limited payload capacity and given the costs involved, every inch counts. That's why Brigham Young University researchers have turned to origami as their inspiration. Their folding solar array is designed to be compact at launch and expand to around 10 times its size once it's deployed in outer space.  Read More
The Neptune Pine lets users flip their wrist and check a lot more than just the time
When we covered the Neptune Pine watch earlier this year, our first thought was that it looked like the smartwatch that tech lovers have been waiting for. That was immediately followed by a second thought – is this set of rough renderings ever going to lead to an actual watch we can buy? It hasn't happened quite yet, but things are moving in the right direction. Neptune has developed a working prototype and launched a Kickstarter campaign that has attracted a half-million dollars in pledges in just over two weeks.  Read More
A high-tech running shoe being developed by Fraunhofer has the ability to evaluate a jogge...
Given its accessibility to anyone with two feet, jogging is one of the most popular forms of fitness activity around the world, with around 10 million people in Germany alone donning their running shoes and hitting the pavement on a regular basis, according to the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS). However, this popularity also translates into a large number of jogging-related injuries. In an effort to reduce the number of injuries, a research team from IPMS is developing a high-tech running shoe with the ability to evaluate a jogger's running form and technique in real-time.  Read More
MIT students (left to right) Ayush Bhandari, Refael Whyte and Achuta Kadambi pose next to ...
MIT researchers have developed a new time-of-flight (TOF) 3D "nano-camera" with the ability to work with translucent objects, motion, fog, rain, and other factors in the environment that totally confuse previous TOF cameras, such as Microsoft's second-gen Kinect. The MIT Media Lab team has added these new capabilities by introducing additional information into the illuminating light beam. The resulting camera costs less than US$500 in parts.  Read More
The app can be used to produce 3D portraits
Most of us have gotten used to smartphones replacing long-established devices such as cameras and music players. Soon, however, they might be taking over the duties of something that is itself an emerging technology – the 3D scanner. Researchers at ETH Zurich have created an app that allows an ordinary smartphone to capture and display three-dimensional models of real-world objects, for subsequent finessing or even 3D printing.  Read More
Sequence photo of the launch of the XFC (Photo: NAVSEA-AUTEC)
Today, the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) announced that it had successfully launched a drone from a submerged submarine. The all-electric eXperimental Fuel Cell Unmanned Aerial System (XFC) was launched in the Bahamas from the Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Providence (SSN 719) using a system that allowed the drone to be deployed without modifications to the boat, or requiring it to surface.  Read More
Gizmag reviews the HTC One max, a familiar phone in a supersized form
The HTC One was one of our favorite smartphones of 2013. But what happens when you take that phone and stretch it out to gigantic proportions? Well, you get the HTC One max, one of the bigger phones you can buy today. Join Gizmag, as we put HTC's first phablet through the paces.  Read More
The Acer Aspire Z3-600 portable All-in-One PC
Acer is set to join the mobile All-in-One computer party later this month with the release of the Aspire Z3-600. Able to lie flat on a coffee table or stand proud on a desk, the new portable Windows 8 PC packs a Pentium quad-core processor, Harman Kardon speakers, gesture control, and a 6-cell Li-ion battery that allows for over 2.5 hours of use away from a power outlet. It offers the same Full HD display real estate as Sony's recently-released Vaio Tap 21, but has a significantly lower price tag.  Read More
A breakthrough by EPFL researchers could improve the data throughput of worldwide optical ...
As the volume of data carried around the world via optical fibers continues to increase, researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) have found a way to increase data throughput capacity by ten times. Because it is based on changing the shape of light pulses to reduce the space between, the breakthrough would work on existing optical fiber infrastructure.  Read More
The Loop gaming platform is comprised of the Loop Clip, motion bar, headphones and an open...
As technology has gained a reputation for drawing children indoors and keeping them there captivated by the latest Angry Birds update or building their Minecraft kingdom, we have seen a conscious effort from within the industry to counter the perception of technology as a facilitator of unhealthy childhood habits. Loop, from Pushstart Creative, is the latest effort in this growing trend, relying on movement tracking technology as a vehicle to promote physical activity.  Read More
Compact at launch, the origami-inspired solar array will expand to 10 times its stored siz...
One big problem when sending things into space is, well, space. Rockets have limited payload capacity and given the costs involved, every inch counts. That's why Brigham Young University researchers have turned to origami as their inspiration. Their folding solar array is designed to be compact at launch and expand to around 10 times its size once it's deployed in outer space.  Read More
The Neptune Pine lets users flip their wrist and check a lot more than just the time
When we covered the Neptune Pine watch earlier this year, our first thought was that it looked like the smartwatch that tech lovers have been waiting for. That was immediately followed by a second thought – is this set of rough renderings ever going to lead to an actual watch we can buy? It hasn't happened quite yet, but things are moving in the right direction. Neptune has developed a working prototype and launched a Kickstarter campaign that has attracted a half-million dollars in pledges in just over two weeks.  Read More
A high-tech running shoe being developed by Fraunhofer has the ability to evaluate a jogge...
Given its accessibility to anyone with two feet, jogging is one of the most popular forms of fitness activity around the world, with around 10 million people in Germany alone donning their running shoes and hitting the pavement on a regular basis, according to the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS). However, this popularity also translates into a large number of jogging-related injuries. In an effort to reduce the number of injuries, a research team from IPMS is developing a high-tech running shoe with the ability to evaluate a jogger's running form and technique in real-time.  Read More
MIT students (left to right) Ayush Bhandari, Refael Whyte and Achuta Kadambi pose next to ...
MIT researchers have developed a new time-of-flight (TOF) 3D "nano-camera" with the ability to work with translucent objects, motion, fog, rain, and other factors in the environment that totally confuse previous TOF cameras, such as Microsoft's second-gen Kinect. The MIT Media Lab team has added these new capabilities by introducing additional information into the illuminating light beam. The resulting camera costs less than US$500 in parts.  Read More
The app can be used to produce 3D portraits
Most of us have gotten used to smartphones replacing long-established devices such as cameras and music players. Soon, however, they might be taking over the duties of something that is itself an emerging technology – the 3D scanner. Researchers at ETH Zurich have created an app that allows an ordinary smartphone to capture and display three-dimensional models of real-world objects, for subsequent finessing or even 3D printing.  Read More
Sequence photo of the launch of the XFC (Photo: NAVSEA-AUTEC)
Today, the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) announced that it had successfully launched a drone from a submerged submarine. The all-electric eXperimental Fuel Cell Unmanned Aerial System (XFC) was launched in the Bahamas from the Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Providence (SSN 719) using a system that allowed the drone to be deployed without modifications to the boat, or requiring it to surface.  Read More
Gizmag reviews the HTC One max, a familiar phone in a supersized form
The HTC One was one of our favorite smartphones of 2013. But what happens when you take that phone and stretch it out to gigantic proportions? Well, you get the HTC One max, one of the bigger phones you can buy today. Join Gizmag, as we put HTC's first phablet through the paces.  Read More
The Acer Aspire Z3-600 portable All-in-One PC
Acer is set to join the mobile All-in-One computer party later this month with the release of the Aspire Z3-600. Able to lie flat on a coffee table or stand proud on a desk, the new portable Windows 8 PC packs a Pentium quad-core processor, Harman Kardon speakers, gesture control, and a 6-cell Li-ion battery that allows for over 2.5 hours of use away from a power outlet. It offers the same Full HD display real estate as Sony's recently-released Vaio Tap 21, but has a significantly lower price tag.  Read More


The Honda UNI-CUB β has no conventional accelerator, brake or steering mechanism, yet it i...
“It has a top speed of 6 km/h, it balances itself, and you couldn’t crash it if you tried. How can you possibly see that as one of the biggest thrills of your life?” That was the response from an automotive journalist colleague at the Tokyo Motor Show after I eulogized riding Honda’s UNI-CUB β personal mobility device. After a lifetime of journalism covering every form of technology, cars, motorcycles and "boys toys,” from driving and riding exotica worth a decade's wages, this was one the greatest thrills I had experienced – being one of the first to ride a landmark personal transportation device as important as Henry Ford’s Model T.  Read More
Gizmag breaks down the top e-readers of the 2013 shopping season
Remember when everyone asked if the first iPad was a "Kindle killer?" Well, although tablets have certainly put the brakes on e-readers' momentum, the Kindle is still alive and kicking. Is it your best e-reader option this holiday season? Join Gizmag, as we break down several of the top e-readers you can buy today.  Read More
The ProJet 4500 3D printer, and one of its creations
Although the things that can be done with 3D printers are certainly amazing, many 3D-printed plastic items still have a certain "look" to them. This is largely due to the fact that each item is all one uniform color. That apparently no longer has to be the case, however, as 3D Systems has unveiled its ProJet 4500. The company describes it as "the industry’s only continuous tone full-color plastic 3D printer."  Read More
Existing USB Cables (pictured) are officially on their way to obsolescence (Photo: Shutter... Tired of trying to plug in a USB cable, only to discover that you have to flip it over? Well, it looks like that design could be going the way of the 5.25-inch floppy disk. Earlier this week, the USB 3.0 Promoter Group announced the development of the new USB Type-C connector, which will work in any plug orientation or cable direction.  Read More
The new-and-improved PowerUp 3.0
Early this year we first heard about PowerUp 3.0, a kit that converts an ordinary paper airplane into a powered, smartphone-controlled flying aircraft. Inventor Shai Goitein has made some improvements to the product since then, and recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to finance its large-scale production. At the time of this posting, he's exceeded his funding goal by over 960 percent.  Read More
Foul-smelling, toxic mosquito repellent could soon become a thing of the past  (Photo: Shu...
Methods for controlling mosquitoes usually take two tacks: luring the mosquitoes into a trap away from humans, or discouraging them from biting at the source. Both methods can be expensive, unhealthy, cumbersome, or disgusting (the smell of rancid butter, anyone?) and generally aren’t scalable for the countries that suffer the most from mosquito-borne disease. New research explores how a mosquito’s neurons actually detect humans, and presents a promising class of chemicals, screened for safety, cost, and an appealing scent, some of which attract mosquitoes and others of which mask the smell of tasty human skin.  Read More
Scientists convert human embryonic stem cells into functional lung epithelial cells (green...
Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have transformed human stem cells into functional lung cells, paving the way for ultimately creating bioengineered lungs using the patient's own cells. Besides being able to generate lung tissue for transplants, these cells could also be used to study lung development and potentially find more advanced treatments for lung diseases.  Read More
The Hangbag in both its forms, being used to first carry clothes and then to help store th... The Hangbag is a paper shopping bag that transforms, via a simple set of folds, into a clothes hanger. Thus one product fulfills two distinct but interconnected uses.  Read More
The GT60 gaming laptop from MSI has a 15.6-inch, 2880 x 1620 resolution, anti-reflective d...
After making a quick show and tell at Computex back in June, MSI has now released what's claimed to be the world's first 3K gaming laptop. The 15.6-inch GT60 features a 4th generation Core i7 processor, GeForce graphics, combined SSD/HDD storage and customizable color backlighting for the keyboard for after hours gaming.  Read More
Highlights from the floor of the 30th Thailand International Motor Expo
Thailand has two major auto shows on its calender – the Bangkok Auto Show in March and the Thailand International Auto Expo in early December – and as Thailand continues its rise as a consumer and producer of automobiles, these shows grow in importance. The 30th Thailand International Motor Expo opened this week and Gizmag was on the show floor to capture the highlights.  Read More

SkyJack was made from a Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 like the one pictured here
Amazon's Prime Air announcement last week brought concerns about the use of commercial drones to the fore, but one programmer may have just muddied the waters even more. Notable hacker Samy Kamkar recently modified a Parrot AR.Drone 2 with his custom software, called SkyJack, allowing it to seek out the wireless signals of other UAVs and take control of them, even while in flight.  Read More
Artist's concept of the foldable plastic telescope
DARPA has announced planes to use a foldable plastic lens to “break the glass ceiling” of space telescopes. It’s part of the agency’s Membrane Optical Imager for Real-Time Exploitation (MOIRE) program, which aims at replacing conventional glass optics with lightweight polymer membranes that may one day make possible a foldable plastic orbital telescope 20 m (65 ft) wide that will be capable of seeing a medium-sized dog on Earth from 36,000 km (22,000 mi) away.  Read More
The Factory-in-a-Day project aims to integrate robots into small and medium enterprise fac...
Industrial robots have proven useful in reducing production costs in large factories, with major enterprises enlisting their services to execute repetitive tasks. The Factory-in-a-Day project, which kicked off in October, aims to also make robotic technology beneficial to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), by developing adaptable robots that can be integrated with workplace systems within 24 hours.  Read More
Artist's concept of eLISA passing through gravitational waves (Image: AEI/MM/exozet)
Mark your calendars for 2034, because that is when science is set to get a whole new spectrum to play with when the European Space Agency (ESA) launches its eLISA mission. Consisting of a constellation of three spacecraft flying in precise formation, eLISA will study gravitational waves in a manner that may one day revolutionize our understanding of the Universe.  Read More
The Wokart  (Photo: Wokart)
The Wokart is a featherweight asymmetric catamaran with a centrally-located 70 hp outboard motor that's designed to have the driving characteristics and power-to-weight of a go-kart. The automotive seating and controls make it just like driving a car ... and in four years of development and testing, no-one has flipped one over. Production begins next month and at €20,000 it offers all the fun of a PWC with a fraction of the environmental footprint. Unlike most toys, a horsepower upgrade is as simple as bolting in an 85hp motor, which makes it "unsuitable for the general public," a nice way of saying, "you can't handle this."  Read More
The Moon Express MX-1 lunar lander acts as a hub for activity on the lunar surface, sendin...
Moon Express, a privately held company driven by a short-term goal of winning the Google Lunar X PRIZE competition, and a longer-term strategy of mining the Moon, last week revealed its MX-1 lunar lander at the closing session of Autodesk University in Las Vegas. Not a one-trick pony, the MX-1 is being designed as the first of a series of robotic spacecraft that can carry out a multitude of tasks in Earth orbit as well as in deep space.  Read More
The 2015 Mustang debuts
Ford revealed the all-new, sixth-generation Mustang last week in a four-content event encompassing major cities like Barcelona, New York and Shanghai. The global event supported the new pony car's more worldly focus. The latest Mustang drops the heavily retro influence of generation five in favor of a more modern look and feel. It also gets the latest technologies, including an EcoBoost four-cylinder turbo.  Read More
China's Chang'e-3 lunar probe has entered orbit around the Moon (Photo: Gregory H. Revera ... The Beijing Aerospace Control Center reports that China's Chang'e-3 lunar probe successfully entered lunar orbit Friday at 5:53 pm Beijing time.  Read More
Gizmag compares some of the best mid-range DSLRs on the market
You don't need to be spending big on a high-end full frame camera to get a DSLR with amazing image and video quality. There are plenty of options out there which cater to more modest budgets, without scrimping on features. In this guide Gizmag compares the specs of our selection of the best mid-range DSLRs on the market.  Read More
Rolls-Royce has signed a £5.8 million  to design and equip one that does just thatThe new ...
Building a ship to carry fish as passengers may seem like a phenomenal case of missing the point, but Rolls-Royce has signed a £5.8 million (US$9.5 million) contact to design and equip one that does just that. The live fish carrier will be built by Turkey's Tersan shipyard for the Faroese salmon farming company Bakkafrost as a way to carry fish from their pens to the processing plant.  Read More

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