Raising the roof Solar panel installations on the rooftop of the Fritz Walter-Stadium in Kaiserslautern, Germany will cover the whole stadium roof (6,000 square metres) and provide an 800 kilowatt peak when finished. The installation was inaugurated last week and ties in with climate protection campaigns 'Green Goal' and 'primaKlima:2006' in conjunction with the Fifa World Cup to be held in Germany this summer.?EPA U are your own health care Ubiquitous health monitoring will soon arrive in the South Korean city of Daegu thanks to a joint project between the city government and the country's information and communication ministry. The city's 'U-health care' programme will provide wearable computers for 100 elderly people living alone and patients with chronic diseases, according to a report by Korean news outlet Chosun. The devices are in the form of shirts with embedded sensors that register vital signs and send the information to medical centres through the network. They also permit self-diagnosis, distance monitoring, emergency care and medical consultation. iPod upload for makers Mainland and Taiwanese manufacturers are expected to produce more than US$104 million worth of iPods and related audio accessories this year - a 37 per cent increase year on year, according to a report last week from Global Sources. The report said at least 50 new suppliers would begin production this year to satisfy demand from owners of the iconic device. Mainland firms will account for US$33 million, with Taiwan producing around US$71 million of accessories. The report said many manufacturers expected to increase export prices by about 10 per cent in the coming months. Water technology counters bird flu Researchers at Japan's Tottori University and Sanyo's Human Ecology Research Centre have found a way to disinfect up to 99 per cent of airborne avian influenza viruses in enclosed spaces using the electronics giant's electrolysed water technology. Sanyo already uses the technology in air purifiers, air humidifiers, drier-washing machines and fan heaters sold in Japan. Tests that included letting contaminated air pass through a filter impregnated with electrolysed water and spraying electrolysed water on to a cotton bud smeared with the virus showed the same result. Sanyo said the technology was useful in preventing the spread of the bird flu virus, as electrolysed water could be made from tap water and it did not require antiseptic substances.?Agence France-Presse Breath of fresh air in a can Convenience store operator 7-Eleven Japan has begun selling canned oxygen to alleviate fatigue and stress. The 3.2-litre canned supplements - dubbed O2 Suppli - provide an oxygen density ratio of 95 per cent in relation to the container's volume, according to a Kyodo News report. The canned oxygen products were developed with household products manufacturer Hakugen, and will initially be sold with aroma sheets soaked with either peppermint or grapefruit essential oil. Tired customers can buy the cans for 600 yen ($41) at 7-Eleven stores in Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa, with a nationwide roll out expected later this year. Copan has massive plans for Asia-Pacific Storage specialist Copan Systems last week opened its Asia-Pacific and Japan regional headquarters in Hong Kong with an eye on the fast-growing mainland market. The United States-based Copan is the leading supplier of Massive Array of Idle Disks. The technology offers an efficient use of storage capacity at less cost and less room space, and without the typical heat and power consumption issues of other disk-based storage systems. 'A strong and experienced presence in Hong Kong will allow us to step up momentum throughout the region,' said Greg Cornfield, vice-president for Asia-Pacific and Japan. Research firm International Data Corp forecast continued enterprise storage hardware demand this year. It estimated that total shipments of new external storage capacity last year in the Asia-Pacific, excluding Japan, hit 147,955 terabytes, up from 76,351 TBs in 2004. China dominated the Asia-Pacific, excluding Japan, in terms of storage system demand. External disk storage sales on the mainland reached US$551.8million last year, accounting for 23.3 per cent of the total regional market, excluding Japan. LG.Philips displays sharpens its focus Hong Kong-based LG.Philips Displays International, the world's largest maker of cathode ray tubes (CRT) for televisions and computer monitors, is sharpening its focus on key markets after a clutch of operations in Europe and Mexico filed for insolvency protection. Son Jeong-il, group president and chief executive, said the company had transformed itself into 'a stronger, leaner and more effective CRT manufacturer'. Despite the insolvency filings, initiated in January, the group's plants in the mainland, Brazil, Indonesia and South Korea continue to operate, as well as factories in the Netherlands and Britain. Mr Son said having a low-cost industrial base and investments in next-generation SuperSlim and UltraSlim ensured the group would maintain its lead in the CRT market. It is estimated that global demand for the group's 29-inch and 32-inch SuperSlim products will grow to 16 million units next year, from almost 1 million units last year.