Texting Money: How Did Contactless Payment Tap into Existence?
Category: Computer Science, Entertainment, History & Society, Issue I, Lifestyle, Volume XXII
Abstract As an integrated civilization, we have long sought a cashless society in which sophisticated technological advancements help prevent financial fraud. While the conservative banking industry constantly weighed the cost of production and maintenance against consumers’ unceasing demand for more expediency and security, payment cards evolved from stripes to chips
Abstract A QR code has two dimensions that can support different kinds of data. Numeric data, alphanumeric characters, and Kanji are the three main data types. The components of the QR code include indicators and data code. The QR code has many applications in our life, such as payment, product
Abstract We encounter retroreflective materials every single day: at street corners, on crosswalks, and almost anywhere that cars can go. They mostly go unnoticed during the day, but under the cover of darkness, the roads become an optical playground. Light on the road is designed to go back towards the
Say Bye Bye Bye to Headphone Wires
Category: Electrical Engineering, Entertainment, Issue I, Lifestyle, Music, Volume XXII
Abstract The development of Bluetooth technology has had a revolutionary effect on simplifying everyone’s lives, erasing the need for wires. When this concept was first introduced, engineers recognized that this technology could be applied to a variety of devices. From there, they tested it on headphones, ultimately transforming the technology
NFTs: 6-Figure Cat GIFs and The Identity of the Future
Category: Computer Science, Issue I, Lifestyle, Volume XXII
Abstract NFTs, which stands for Non-Fungible Tokens, have seen explosive growth in recent years for their involvement in the exchange of expensive digital items. However, it is important to note that NFTs are not a currency. Instead, they are tokens that can represent any virtual good and prove their uniqueness
Netflix’s Recommendation Systems: Entertainment Made for You
Category: Computer Science, Editors' Picks, Entertainment, Issue I, Lifestyle, Volume XXII
Abstract Netflix is the world’s number one streaming platform with more than 200 million paid monthly subscribers in 2021. In its mission to entertain the masses, Netflix has a secret weapon: its recommendation system, which curates user specific content from Netflix’s massive media library for every single one of its
A New Reality
Category: Computer Science, Entertainment, Issue III, Lifestyle, Volume XX
Introduction In mid-2016, much of the world got its first taste of augmented reality (AR) in the form of the wildly popular mobile game Pokemon Go. For weeks, people came together to explore the communities around them in the hopes of catching creatures called Pokemon, filling up once empty parks
Deepfakes: Fooling Humans with Artificial Intelligence
Category: Computer Science, Issue III, Volume XX
Abstract The recent advances in artificial intelligence have given birth to a new kind of fraud: Deepfakes are media manipulated to portray a person as performing an action they did not actually perform. Their use has been primarily malicious, including political misinformation and the creation of fake celebrity porn. Deepfakes
The Graphical Fidelity of Video Games & Animated Films
Category: Computer Science, Entertainment, Issue III, Volume XX
Abstract: Throughout history, movies and games have had different expectations of them. Movies are expected to have gorgeous visual effects, and graphics are expected to look picture perfect. On the other hand, games have always been expected to have smooth, consistent gameplay. Recent advancements in the development of real-time rendering
From a Swipe to a Soulmate – the Power of Online Dating
Category: Computer Science, Issue III, Lifestyle, Volume XX
Abstract The advent of technology has reconfigured the way humans interact and form relationships. The democratization of digital dating technology has transformed complex courting processes into simple swipes and text messages. However, the majority of users are unaware of the internal rating system that assigns a “desirability” score for
At Illumin, engineering forms the foundation of our publishing efforts. While it may not always be readily noticeable in our daily lives, like cars on the road or satellites in the sky- engineering can be found in a variety of forms. Our latest issue, 23.1, delves into the engineering marvels
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle with the Reverse Vending Machine
Category: Environmental Engineering, Issue I, Lifestyle, Sustainability, Volume XXI
Abstract The reverse vending machine offers an alternative way to recycle bottled containers in an efficient, convenient, and incentivizing way. This mechanism is easy to manage, conveniently placed, efficient, and resourceful at recycling. Due to its simplistic process and positive intention of helping the environment, the reverse vending machine is
Abstract Waste from construction and demolition debris experienced a 420 percent spike between 2005 and 2017 [1]. To minimize the built environment’s negative impacts, architects and engineers can manipulate the rules of conventional construction to replace ordinary materials with recycled ones. Through the lens of conventional masonry construction, industry professionals
Augmented Reality: The Sustainable Future of Cosmetic Sampling
Category: Computer Science, Issue I, Lifestyle, Recycling, Sustainability, Volume XXI
Abstract Innovations in technology are rapidly changing the face of the beauty industry. One such technology is Augmented Reality (AR) in the realm of beauty sampling. By harnessing AR technology in the beauty sector, we can minimize the cost and waste associated with physical samples and increase on-demand experimentation for
Biophilic Cities: Good for Both Environmental Health and Human Health
Category: Environmental Engineering, Issue I, Recycling, Sustainability, Volume XXI
Abstract Biophilic cities try to reconnect people with nature, which is something many urban cities currently lack. Singapore is actively implementing many features of biophilic design in order to bring its residents more in touch with nature, just as it has been doing since it gained independence. Through a variety
Abstract The blue recycling bins that we throw our cardboard and plastics away in have made recycling extremely convenient, but what actually happens to the materials we put in these bins? First, the mixture of materials must be sorted using a combination of manual and automated processes. Relying on the
Abstract A building is a living structure. It protects its occupants, regulates heating and air, and conducts other processes to interact with the natural world. Architects have started to design buildings with this in mind, taking inspiration from the diverse flora and fauna of the planet which evolved to interact
Abstract Coral reef ecosystems have been suffering from the consequences of climate change. Coral bleaching, a result of warming ocean temperatures, has caused a mass die-off of coral reefs around the world, emphasizing the importance of protecting coral reefs to save marine ecosystems and coastal societies. Engineers have been experimenting
How You Can Vacation on Mars Without Rockets
Category: Aerospace Engineering, Issue I, Material Science, Space, Volume XX
Abstract A concept called the skyhook might revolutionize the way humans travel in space very soon. Functioning as cables thousands of kilometers (km) long that orbit the Earth, the skyhook can latch onto outbound spacecrafts at the edge of Earth’s atmosphere and move them away along the cable, bypassing the
The Websites Have Ears: Tracking and Privacy on the Internet
Category: Computer Science, Issue I, Volume XX
Abstract Much of what we do online is tracked. But how? There are two major web tracking techniques: cookies and browser fingerprinting. Cookies, which are data stored in a user’s browser by a website, come in the form of first-party and third-party cookies.First-party cookies, which compensate for weaknesses in how
How the Presidential Election Gave us the Technology to Plot the First Down Line in Football
Category: Computer Science, Issue I, Sports & Recreation, Volume XX
Abstract Football games and other sports broadcasts require a lot of information to help viewers understand what is happening as well as enhance their enjoyment of the game. A key portion of displaying this information comes from character generation (CG) graphics that are created during the live broadcast to display
Abstract The introduction and mainstream development of infant incubators has significantly impacted the life expectancy of babies that are born as early as 24 weeks into a pregnancy [1]. Despite the high infant mortality rate in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many medical professionals were hesitant to adopt
Abstract Algorithmic art is on the rise, and it’s expanding our conception of technology and art. Programmers are creating new programs to generate unique visual masterpieces that are beyond their own imaginations. With the use of evolutionary, mathematical, and artificial intelligence algorithms, programmers are bringing computers into the forefront of