Hand-based biometrics identifies users by unique features in their hands, such as fingerprints, palmprints, hand geometry, and finger and palm vein patterns. This book explores the range of technologies and methods under development and in use for hand-based biometrics, with evaluations of the advantages and performance of each. The inclusion of significant material on the relevant aspects of the physiology of the hand is a particularly useful and innovative feature.

Interactions between art, science and technology are leading to the emergence of new cultural forms, behaviours and values. Presenting the work of over sixty highly respected theorists and practitioners in art and science, Reframing Consciousness brings to questions of art and consciousness a diversity of approach and a rich background of knowledge.

Loosely themed around four key elements of Mind, Body, Art and Values, the editor leads the investigation through the familiar territories of interactive media and artificial life, combining them with new and ancient ideas about creativity and authorship, the body and personal identity. This is the first book to recognise the paradigmatic changes which art, in alliance with science and technology is currently undergoing.

The rapid increase in urban population, land prices and land preservation, urban regeneration, as well as globalization and climate change have been forcing cities to build upward. High-rises can be part of a more sustainable solution if the construction and engineering challenges are addressed before construction starts. Smart technologies are being integrated in the digital environment to allow for better energy efficiency, safety and security, and to maximize the health and well-being of the occupants.

Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) enables power to be transferred from a grid or storage unit to a device without the need for cable connections. This can be performed by inductive coupling of magnetic fields as well as by direct radiative transfer via beams of electromagnetic waves, commonly radiowaves, microwaves or lasers. Inductive coupling is the most widely used wireless technology with applications including charging handheld devices, RFID tags, chargers for implantable medical devices, and proposed systems for charging electric vehicles. Applications of radiative power transfer include solar power satellites and wireless powered drone aircraft.