Tech Universe: Thursday 13 January

The Australian Sunswift IVy recently set a new world speed record for a solar-powered vehicle. Photo / Supplied

WALLET SAFE: The polycarbonate, fibreglass or carbon fibre iWallet requires your fingerprint before it opens. A biometric reader keeps it closed until the right fingerprint is detected. You can also link the wallet via Bluetooth to your phone so if the devices are more than a few metres apart an alarm sounds. At US$300 to $600 you may not have enough cash left to protect though. More at DVice.

CHIPPED NOTES: Clever counterfeiters may get around the safeguards printed in banknotes, but silicon chips may be the ultimate deterrent to fraud. Gold, aluminium oxide and organic molecules deposited directly onto the notes through a patterned mask create a thin-film transistor, or TFT. The TFT can respond to low voltages, perhaps transmitted by readers similar to those used for RFID. Now they just need to figure out how to use the TFTs to prevent fraud. Why bother? Just replace banknotes with an electronic wallet. More at NewScientist.

KNOWLEDGE BLOCK: In 2007 Estonia suffered crippling cyberattacks. Now it's set up a Cyber Defense League of programmers, computer scientists and software engineers. In wartime these volunteers will come under military command to defend their country. Who wouldn't want to be part of a group with a name like Cyber Defense League? Details at NPR.

THE SPEED OF SUNLIGHT: The Australian Sunswift IVy recently set a new world speed record for a solar-powered vehicle, when it reached an average 88.8 Kph over 1 Km on a cloudy day. The previous record was set in 1988. The vehicle used about 1050 W on its run without batteries. Speedy, even if it does resemble R2D2 carrying a tray. More at SunSwift and video on YouTube.

ICANDY: Italcementi make a transparent cement called i.light. Resins are embedded that allow light to pass through. This transparency could significantly reduce costs for lighting, while making for a more attractive building. In the old days the bits that let light in were called windows. Details at DiscoveryNews.

- Miraz Jordan knowit.co.nz