SMART GLASSES SIGNAL WHEN IT'S TIME FOR A REFILL
A team of researchers at Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories has come
up with something every bar patron would appreciate -- a drinking glass
that signals the waiter when it's time for another round. The technology is
an adaptation of the tagging systems used to protect merchandise from
shoplifting. A microchip and a coil in the base of each glass interact with
a coating on the surface to determine how full it is and then relays this
information to a base station. The concept behind the device is simple: the
coating on the glass conducts electricity and makes the glass act as a
capacitor -- an electrical device that stores a charge. As the volume of
liquid in the glass decreases, less of the glass is in contact with the
liquid and the capacitance of the glass declines. When the liquid is almost
all gone, the glass sends a signal and a code in the chip identifies whose
glass is calling for a refill. (BBC News 4 Apr 2002)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1910000/1910627.stm


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