Entries Tagged 'Technology' ↓

Governor Linda Lingle announced today in her State of the State Address that she has authorized the use of $2,805,200 in federal stimulus funds to enhance robotics education programs in Hawai‘i’s schools. The funds will be provided to the University of Hawai‘i College of Engineering, which will disburse the money to the Friends of Hawai‘i Robotics, a not-for-profit organization formed for the purpose of supporting the Robotics Organizing Committee (ROC) and robotics educational programming in the state of Hawai‘i.

The grant money, $1,097,200 this year and $1,708,000 in the next fiscal year, is designed to help foster robotics education and expand students’ learning of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) throughout their schooling, while preparing them for careers in the global economy.

“Robotics education has become an integral part of our efforts to prepare Hawai‘i students for the global economy,” said Governor Lingle. “While we work to develop an innovation economy with high-technology careers based in Hawai‘i, we must also ensure our state’s workforce is ready for the future opportunities. Robotics students will be among those who develop viable solutions to our local, national and global challenges. They will ensure Hawai‘i stays at the forefront of the global economy.”

The funds will be used to purchase robotics kits and curriculum packages for schools, provide teacher workshops and professional development training as well as cover operating costs of competitive robotics events which occur year-round.

“The robotics programs are truly effective in engaging our youth – our future – in the excitement and wonder of science, technology engineering and math,” said University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw. “All of the partners, certainly including highly committed teachers, sponsors, mentors and volunteers, contribute to the success of these programs and such efforts have a positive impact on Hawai‘i’s future. UH-Mānoa is also definitely excited about having the participants as our students in the future.”

The Hawai‘i Robotics Organizing Committee (ROC) was formed last year to bring together the six robotics programs – FIRST LEGO League, FIRST Robotics, Botball, VEX Robotics, Underwater Remote Operating Vehicle and Micro Robotics – which previously operated independently. This is the first time all six of the robotics programs have coordinated their efforts to promote robotics education in elementary, middle and high schools statewide.

Over the past 3 years, student participation in robotics education has grown tremendously. Currently, 182 public, charter and private schools have robotics teams in one or more of the six robotics programs, accounting for 47 percent of Hawai‘i’s schools.

Robotics education is a key component of the Lingle-Aiona Administration’s Hawai‘i Innovation Initiative, which seeks to transform Hawai‘i’s economy from one based on land development to one based on the innovative capacity of Hawai‘i‘s residents, especially our youth.

The $2.8 million funding is being made available to the state under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, Part B as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) that was passed by Congress last February. Governors have discretion over how to use Part B funds, which for Hawai‘i total approximately $35 million. Governor Lingle has elected to dedicate all of the Part B funds toward public education, with a focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Saunders Hall on the UH Mānoa campus served as the demonstration site today for a new renewable energy testbed featuring innovative “micro-inverter” technology.

The “Kumu Kit” solar panel system was donated by Hawaii Energy Connection, LLC to UH Mānoa for installation on the roof of Saunders Hall, home to the Sustainable Saunders Initiative—a collaborative effort among faculty and students to pursue workplace sustainability. Other donations and logistical assistance were made possible from Emphase Energy and the UH Mānoa Sustainability Council. The small residential-sized system, which went live on August 14, will provide an opportunity for students to study the potential of solar energy and test different technologies for turning sunlight into electricity.

“This is a small demonstration and testing site that is vital to move UH to the forefront of research and education in these fields,” said Professor David Nixon, UH Mānoa associate professor in the College of Social Sciences Public Policy Center, and director of the Sustainable Saunders Initiative. “Our vision is to make Saunders Hall the embodiment of sustainability on the Mānoa campus, and renewable energy generation is an important component.”

The first project for the testbed will evaluate micro-inverter technology that improves the efficiency of solar power arrays. The micro-inverters communicate real-time power production data from each solar panel to a central web site that archives historical data.

“We’re particularly excited about the micro-inverters, a new approach to translating the DC power from solar panels into AC power that increases efficiency of the system by 10-15 percent,” said Jeremy Kowalczyk, physics graduate student and Energy Team leader for Sustainable Saunders.

Hawaii is blessed with abundant solar and wind resources that can be harvested to generate electricity. UH Mānoa has set goals of generating 25 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020, and achieving energy independence by 2050.

Steve Godmere and Chris DeBone, owners of the Hawai‘i Energy Connection partnership, noted that this is a great opportunity to contribute to the University’s educational and research efforts in sustainability. “Micro-inverters are an important innovation in turning sun power into electricity-they’re less expensive, more convenient, and more efficient than traditional power inverters.”

The Public Policy Center, its UH partners, and the Sustainable Saunders students will be assessing the performance and cost structure of the PV array with its micro-inverters, along with installation possibilities and barriers. For more information, visit: www.publicpolicycenter.hawaii.edu/solaronsaunders.html.

The University of Hawai`i at Mānoa serves approximately 20,000 students pursuing 225 different degrees. Coming from every Hawaiian island, every state in the nation, and more than 100 countries, UH Mānoa students matriculate in an enriching environment for the global exchange of ideas. For more information, visit http://manoa.hawaii.edu.

Edutainment Resources, Inc. is excited to announce the latest addition to its suite of iPhone Apps – PencilBot-Kids Feed Me! for pre-school children. This new series taps into children’s natural desire to learn by providing a fun way to get a head start at acquiring basic knowledge and skills. [iPhone App Store Link]

PencilBot-Kids Feed Me! appeals to pre-school children, with a range of over 100 questions in a unique ‘endless game’ that covers numbers, colors, shapes, patterns and more. PencilBot Apps are developed by teachers and parents, people who love to make learning fun through multimedia edutainment. The PencilBot team has closely followed the educational games available in the iTunes App Store – seeing what works, what doesn’t, and what parents really want in an app for their pre-schoolers. From this research comes the PencilBot-Kids series, with Feed Me! as its first release.

Specially designed for the iPhone and iPod touch, PencilBot-Kids gives pre-schoolers great audio-visual features right at their fingertips – clean, bright visuals, easy navigation, and clear spoken language cues. Their progress is charted in an innovative ‘Trophy Case’ that not only keeps track of learning goals but also motivates young learners during game play.

PencilBot-Kids Feed Me! apps are available in eight languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Italian, and Korean, with more to come. They provide children with exposure to skills in multiple languages, at a time when their minds are at their most receptive.

ERI commissioned Black Pixel, a leading iPhone developer, to deliver the many interactive features of PencilBot-Kids for the iPhone, bringing the advantages of ERI Edutainment to the broadest audience.

Lishan Chong, CEO of Edutainment Resources, Inc., is excited by the enormous potential of the combination of iPhone and PencilBot-Kids.

“We always wanted to bring our unique edutainment to a young audience,” she said, “anytime, anywhere – in the car, waiting at the restaurant, or in the doctor’s office. Parents will love PencilBot-Kids, since youngsters can have fun playing and learning skills independently at their own pace without the need for constant parental supervision.”

More information, including downloadable screenshots, is available at www.pencilbot.com.

Edutainment Resources, Inc. is based in Hawaii. Since its formation in 2004, the company has invested heavily in multimedia content production for the language learning market. The PencilBot™ brand was created to support the company philosophy of combining Education with Entertainment to enhance learning through Edutainment. Its traditional media products are widely used in North America and in China.

The Hawaii Venture Capital Association (HVCA) last week announced the winners of its Technology Entrepreneur of the Year awards. The awards and winners are:

Young Entrepreneur: Lorenz Sell – Blue Lava Technologies, Inc. – ILovePhotos.com – Lorenz is co-founder and CEO at Blue Lava. When he’s not doing deals or spreading the iLovePhotos photo-love, he’s thinking about how to be even lazier about managing his photos. Lorenz keeps Blue Lava a well oiled machine by way of caffeinated food-runs, purchasing new video games, funky personal fashion statements featuring pink, and the occasional fund-raising. He also likes lifting heavy things and eating lots of protein. Lorenz is one of the founders of Beer and Business a periodic mixer for techies, investors and others.

Clean Tech Entrepreneur: Bob King – Pacific Biodiesel, LLC – Bob is a globally recognized leader in community based alternative energy and recently received Governor Lingle’s Innovation Award. The company headquartered on Maui with a track recording of building 10 biodiesel plants in the U.S. and Japan, is currently raising investment for a new Big Island Biodiesel research facility and plant focused on encouraging Hawaii grown feedstocks. 

Digital Media: Jason Lau – TalkStory Productions, Inc. – Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Mr. Lau is a product of Punahou School and the University of California, Los Angeles, and has worked in the financial industry for such companies as Dean Witter Reynolds and Bank of Hawaii. He is currently the President of Honowaii Investment Co., an industrial loan company, and the Managing Partner of Lau Enterprises, a Hawaii investment partnership, and BJM Partners, a private equity fund. He has served on the board of directors of Hawaii Angels, an angel investment group, Hawaii Venture Capital Association (HVCA), and the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF). He is also on the advisory board for the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Hawaii.

Invention: Hank Wuh – Cellular Bioengineering, Inc. – Hank is a kama’aina who returned to Hawaii to found Cellular Bioengineering Inc. (CBI) an accelerator of disruptive technologies with biomedical and biodefense applications. CBI searches for innovative and ingenious ideas which it can nurture and grow into mature products that will change the way the world operates. It has brought forward suites of technology at varying stages of development which have favorably impacted health care and homeland security in our country.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs redefined the mobile phone market this morning with the iPhone, a device that everyone expected, yet was completely unexpected. And as part of his live demonstration of the iPhone, Jobs took a break from rocking out to music to e-mail a photo of Hawaii to his global marketing head, Phil Shiller.

The iPhone is “three revolutionary products” in one: a cellular phone (on Cingular’s GSM+EDGE network), and an instant messaging client (with WiFi and Bluetooth), and the long-anticipated “wide-screen” iPod. Instead of a klunky set of menus or a stripped down operating system, the iPhone runs the polished Mac OSX interface. The touch-screen interface eschews buttons, keyboards and the stylus, and it can tell how you’re holding it (as a phone, upright, or in widescreen mode) and where you’re using it (GPS allowing tight integration with online maps). Several features benefit from partnerships with both Yahoo! and Google.

The iPhone will be available in June (pending FCC approval) for $499 for the 4GB model or $599 for the 8GB model with a two-year Cingular contract.

Next month, thousands of kids and adults around the world will be able to jump in a Lamborghini and speed through rural Ka’a'awa. Or cruise through Waikiki in a Mercedes. Or try and read a Kamehameha Highway sign while flying past at 150 miles per hour. These fantasies and more will be at their fingertips through Test Drive Unlimited, a much-anticipated video game due out next month that’s set on Oahu and boasts detailed 3-D renderings of over 1,000 miles of Honolulu roads. Racing games are immensely popular in the gaming community, and the recently revived Atari game company is somewhat late to enter the fray. But Test Drive Unlimited — developed by Eden Studios — hopes to make a splash by expanding what a racing game can be, and boosting the ways and numbers in which players can interact online. Players can race competitively with hundreds of others via on online component, or just sightsee at their leisure. Or, they can buy parts to upgrade their choice of over 150 cars and motorcycles, and even buy a house and garage in which to park them.

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Although KHON-TV’s official website at khon.com has been “under construction” for years, the station recently fought to wrest control of the khon2.com domain name from a known cybersquatter in the Bahamas. Last month, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) ruled that the khon2.com address should be transferred to KHON-TV and owner Emmis Communications, as it was registered and used “in bad faith.”

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There can be only one honolulu.gov, and thanks to Hawaii Rep. Ed Case, the address will finally bring web surfers to the shores of O`ahu. The federal General Services Administration (GSA), which manages government Internet domain names (which end in .gov rather than .com), had held off on assigning the honolulu.gov address for years, citing possible confusion with other cities named Honolulu — notably Honolulu, Alaska. But Case, backed by a City Council resolution authored by councilman Charles Djou, was able to get the city’s long-rebuffed request approved.

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For the second year in a row, Honolulu ranked first in the Digital Cities Survey, tied with Tampa, Fla., among cities with populations of 250,000 or more.

The survey, which is conducted by the Center for Digital Government and is sponsored by Microsoft, evaluates how city governments have progressed in adopting and utilizing digital technologies to improve the delivery of services to their citizens.

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For the second year in a row, Honolulu ranked first in the Digital Cities Survey, tied with Tampa, Fla., among cities with populations of 250,000 or more.

The survey, which is conducted by the Center for Digital Government and is sponsored by Microsoft, evaluates how city governments have progressed in adopting and utilizing digital technologies to improve the delivery of services to their citizens.

Continue reading →