Vibes Of Life

The Andhra Pradesh government is planning to use drone cameras in Rayalaseema region to increase surveillance on red sander smuggling, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said on Saturday.

Mooting the suggestion during a meeting in Vijayawada to review law and order situation in the state, he said drones cameras or static balloon cameras may be used to keep a vigil on the red sander smuggling.

These cameras will use unused (TV) spectrum under TV White Spaces Project.

The state government in recent months intensified its efforts to check red sander smuggling in the districts bordering Tamil Nadu.

It stepped up patrolling by special task force in Seshachalam forests. In April this year, the police gunned down 20 wood cutters in the forests in Chittoor district.

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The wood cutters from Tamil Nadu were allegedly hired by smugglers operating from that state.

Several smugglers have been arrested and red sander worth crores of rupees was seized in last few months. The arrested smugglers include a Chinese national.

Also called red sandalwood, the precious wood is used in traditional medicines and woodcraft across China, Myanmar, Japan and other countries of East Asia.

A tonne of red sander fetches Rs.20 lakh to Rs.25 lakh in the international market.

Story first published: Aug 24, 2015 11:08 IST

A French firm has designed a conceptual shelter for future astronauts on Mars that would be 3D-printed on the red planet using locally-available materials.

Resembling an igloo from the surface, the shelter, dubbed Sfero, would be partially buried beneath the ground. A

The interior comprises three floors. The uppermost floor measures just 3 sq. m, and food can be grown here, while the next floor down measures 29 sq. m and comprises a work area and bathroom.

The lowermost floor measures 40 sq. m and contains sleeping quarters. The occupants would navigate between each floor by a spiral staircase, 'Gizmag' reported.

The firm Fabulous envisions that the red planet's own substrata could be used as a raw material for 3D printing. The process would involve a central mast that can extract iron from the planet's soil and rock, and also seek out permafrost to turn into water and use as insulation between the structure's inner and outer shell, reducing the effects of solar radiation.

The firm envisions the shelter being tested in California's Mojave Desert or somewhere in Hawaii, while the Gale Crater is slated as the shelter's final Mars location. The project has been created in response to Nasa's call for designs for 3D-printed habitats for Mars, despite the competition being only officially open to US residents, according to 'Dezeen'.

"We still decided to show the French expertise in 3D printing, space travel, and architecture, presenting a standout record," said Fabulous founder Arnault Coulet.

Courtesy: NDTV Gadgets

The South Korean company in the meantime has launched Galaxy smartphones with curved edge displays. If a new leak is to be believed, we might finally see a foldable Samsung smartphone in January - with the company reportedly already testing the smartphone. Additionally, Samsung's mysterious Galaxy View device has been certified by the Bluetooth SIG claiming it's a tablet.

According to a tipster from China (via GforGames), Samsung's foldable smartphone has been codenamed Project Valley and is being tested with two different chipsets - Qualcomm Snapdragon 620 and Snapdragon 820. Other details tipped by the tipster claim that the handset will feature 3GB of RAM; come with expandable storage, and will come with an embedded battery.

It's worth noting that a previous report had claimed that Samsung was testing the unannounced Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset 'aggressively'. The test results were said to determine if the chipset would be featured in next year's flagship models or not.

In other news, Samsung's mysterious Galaxy View device which was teased during its IFA event and expected to the oft-leaked 18.4-inch tablet from the company has purportedly been certified by Bluetooth SIG with model name SM-T670. The Bluetooth SIG listing of the tablet doesn't reveal many details; except that the Bluetooth version will be 4.1.

To recall, Samsung just as it did at the Galaxy Unpacked event last month, teased a new upcoming product at the end of the IFA show - what appeared to be a large tablet. Dubbed Galaxy View, the teaser was mysterious enough to hide most details but a kick stand was visible on the back panel. We will have to wait for Samsung to make the announcement.