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2010-09-06T19:42:00.001-07:00

The graceful robotic penguins in the video above were unveiled by German engineering firm Festo this week.

Source: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16996-bionic-penguins-take-to-the-water--and-the-skies.html

Smell activates robot

2010-09-06T19:41:00.000-07:00

By using genetically modified frog cells, you give a robot a sharper sense of smell - according to Shoji Takeuchi, a bioengineer at the University of Tokyo in Japan.

Existing E-Noses use quartz rods designed to vibrate at a different frequency when they bind to a target substance.Takeuchi and his team have developed a living smell sensor. Immature eggs, or oocytes, from the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis are genetically modified to express the proteins known to act as smell receptors. The team then placed the modified cells between electrodes and measured the telltale currents generated when different molecules bound to the receptors.

As a proof of concept, Takeuchi has built a robot that shakes its head when moth pheromones are sensed by the nose.

Source: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19351-frog-cells-give-artificial-nose-the-power-of-super-smell.html

Edible crystals for storing hydrogen fuel

2010-09-06T19:31:00.000-07:00

Researchers have experimented with storing hydrogen inside molecular "cages", made from chains of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen atoms linked by metal ions. These so-called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) only bond weakly with the hydrogen atoms they enclose, so the gas can be recovered simply by heating the material slightly.

Fraser Stoddart of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and colleagues have found a way to make MOFs using simple, readily available materials. Stoddart's molecular cages are cubical, and each side is made of gamma-cyclodextrin, a ring of glucose molecules. Produced by bacteria, this sugary starch is used as an additive in many foods and pharmaceuticals – making Stoddart's MOFs edible.

Source: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19401-edible-crystals-could-store-hydrogen-fuel.html

Mobile chargers for electric cars

2010-09-06T19:27:00.000-07:00

Zafer Sahinoglu at the Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and colleagues, are developing a network of portable charging stations, which can be moved to wherever the demand for recharging is greatest. To determine where the stations are needed, in-car sensors would monitor the level of charge in the battery and periodically report this to a central operations center, which would flag areas where most cars run low on juice.

Source: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20727765.600-mobile-chargers-could-keep-electric-cars-juiced-up.html

A breakthrough in electrolyte membranes for fuel cells

2010-07-11T19:45:00.000-07:00

Yamaguchi and his colleagues have achieved a breakthrough in electrolyte membranes that could broaden the applicability of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Those fuel cells are strong candidates for new portable power devices. They compare unfavorably in regard to energy density, however, with the lithium-ion batteries now used widely.

Yamaguchi and his colleagues have addressed the problem of methanol crossover in DMFCs with a highly durable pore-filling electrolyte membrane. They make the membrane from porous polyimide substrate and wholly aromatic hydrocarbon. Their pore-filling electrolyte membrane has enabled them to reduce methanol crossover greatly. The crossover is several hundred times less than with commonly used perfluorinated ionomer membranes, such as Nafion, and proton conductivity is steady. The membrane developed by Yamaguchi and his colleagues is also superior to other membranes in regard to durability.

Source: http://www.titech.ac.jp/bulletin/archives_category/research/research_z4.html

A new human interface based on electromyographic signals

2010-07-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

Measuring muscle activity provides a basis for estimating the angles, torques, and impedances in human joints. Koike, Sato, and their colleagues use electromyographic signals generated by neck and wrist muscle activity to control a wheelchair. The wheelchair moves in the direction in which its occupant looks.

Source: http://www.titech.ac.jp/bulletin/archives_category/research/research_34.html

Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST)

2010-07-11T19:35:00.000-07:00

Current Research Projects: http://www.newkast.or.jp/english/projects/index.html

Robot-eyes for producing human-like 3D images of the surroundings

2010-07-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

Xiaolin Zhang is at the Precision and Intelligence Laboratory, and inventor of ‘active stereo vision systems’, based on a deep understanding of the cooperative movements of human eyes.

“My robot-eyes-system enable the realization of three dimensional visualization of objects,” says Zhang. “We conducted a thorough analysis of binocular movement based on system control engineering.”

Based on this analysis, Zhang developed a robotic system consisting of two CCD cameras with unique peripheral control mechanisms, enabling unsurpassed 3D imaging. The robotic system is capable of maintaining a constant distance with respect to a target—for example a human face—even when the target is moving.

Source: http://www.titech.ac.jp/bulletin/innovation.html

Superior cathodes for lithium ion batteries

2010-07-11T19:24:00.000-07:00

Lithium ion batteries have proven problematic for widespread distribution, because they require expensive and sometimes toxic materials. Zhumabay Bakenov and Izumi Taniguchi at Tokyo Tech’s Department of Chemical Engineering are among the scientists tackling this problem. Much of their research has focused on so-called ‘olivine’ structured phosphates, which could be used to build cathodes that are not only low-cost and non-toxic, but also have high energy densities, and are stable under thermal, electrical or chemical changes. Bakenov and Taniguchi have gone one step further by including carbon when preparing their olivine samples, thereby creating a composite material. The carbon improves the electrical contact between nanoparticles, and prevents the particles from agglomerating into larger chunks which can adversely affect performance. Recently, the researchers created cathodes from a composite of lithium manganese phosphate with carbon. On placing the cathodes in a battery, they recorded a high discharge capacity, and the samples remained stable at voltages up to 4.9 V and temperatures up to 50 °C.

Source: http://www.titech.ac.jp/bulletin/topics.html

Topological Supramolecule

2010-07-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

Topological supramolecule such as rotaxane and catenane, which has mechanically interlocked molecular system, is one of the most intensive research areas in chemistry from interests of molecular switch and motor. The University of Tokyo, Advanced Softmaterials Inc. and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. have cooperatively developed new coating materials with high scratch-resist properties and stretchability based on supramolecular network and slide-ring materials invented by Kohzo Ito and others.

Source: http://www.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp/news/20091110press-ito-e.html

International Joint COE Center for Magnetic Self-Organization

2010-07-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

Its main subject is to activate the international and interdisciplinary research of magnetic self-organization in space and laboratory plasmas. Its keys are to solve how the magnetic field lines reconnect with each other and how its local features are connected to global restructuring of magnetic configuration.

Source: http://www.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp/news/20100628press-01-e.html

Robots that care for us

2010-07-10T07:08:00.000-07:00

University of Auckland researcher, Associate Professor Bruce MacDonald, and his team of researchers (both in New Zealand and in South Korea), are creating robots to help care for the elderly. By monitoring vital signs and location, detecting falls and prompting users to take medication, the robots can fill the gap between the number of available caregivers for the elderly and the growth of our aging population.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_o7bFbzMRM

Source: http://www.youtube.com/researchworkswonders

UQ’s quantum computers make light work of Harvard's chemistry

2010-07-10T07:07:00.000-07:00

UQ physicists and Harvard chemists have teamed up to build a quantum computer that could have profound implications for wider science.

Source: http://www.uq.edu.au/news/?article=20368

The University of Queensland launches iTunes U

2010-07-10T07:03:00.000-07:00

The University of Queensland today launched iTunes U to deliver free education content through the iTunes Store for students, staff and community. The University that developed the vaccination for cervical cancer and the next generation jet engine is now on iTunes U.

http://www.uq.edu.au/itunes/

Source: http://www.uq.edu.au/news/?article=21169

Queensland Geothermal Energy Centre

2010-07-10T06:59:00.000-07:00

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh last year announced a $15 million five-year contribution to a new research and development centre for “hot rocks”, the Queensland Geothermal Energy Centre of Excellence.

Source: http://www.uq.edu.au/geothermal/

Monash University Research

2010-07-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

Recent research highlights

* Revolutionizing the design of fuel cells used in the latest generation of hybrid cars, which could make the vehicles more reliable and cheaper to build.

* A way to remove stains using sunlight, which means that in a few years, there will be the potential to produce self-cleaning clothes.

* The development of a model for world’s best practice counter-terrorism community policing in collaboration with Victoria Police.

* The use of DNA fingerprinting to identify which embryos implanted after in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) have resulted in the birth of healthy babies.

* Developing a simple and inexpensive testing strip made from paper that instantly identifies a person's blood type.

Source: http://www.monash.edu.au/research/about/achievements.html

Silicon chips to enter world of high speed optical processing

2010-07-10T06:52:00.000-07:00

Physicists at the University of Sydney have brought silicon chips closer to performing all-optical computing and information processing that could overcome the speed limitations intrinsic to electronics, with the first report published of an on-chip all-optical temporal integrator in Nature Communications today.

Source: http://www.usyd.edu.au/news/84.html?newsstoryid=5113

Institute of Photonics and Optical Science

2010-07-10T06:45:00.000-07:00

The University of Sydney's Institute of Photonics and Optical Science (IPOS) is set to present a year of research breakthroughs in photonics since its inception when it hosts its first symposium tomorrow and Friday.

Professor Ben Eggleton: "One of the most significant directions is the integration of biology with photonics and optics. The breakthrough of the 'optic chip on a strip' is truly life-saving technology."

As well as IPOS researchers, international and national speakers include Professor Demetri Psaltis (Optics Lab, School of Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland); Professor Fiorenzo Omenetto (Deptartment Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, USA); Professor. Min Gu (Faculty of Engineering & Industrial Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology); Dr. John Arkwright (Biomedical Fibre Sensors, Materials Science and Engineering, CSIRO); Professor Holger Schmidt (Applied Optics Group, Baskin School of Engineering, University of California USA) and Dr Rod Vance (Optiscan P/L)

Source: http://www.usyd.edu.au/news/84.html?newsstoryid=5162

Revolutionary thruster set for space launch

2010-07-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

An ANU researcher’s revolutionary ‘plasma thruster’ will be developed for launch into space within the next four years, as part of a prototype satellite. It will be the first time in seven years that a piece of Australian hardware will be sent into space and the first time a satellite with a plasma engine will be tested.

Source: http://news.anu.edu.au/?p=1178

Nanotubes help to solve desalination problem

2010-07-10T06:40:00.000-07:00

A team of researchers from The Australian National University have discovered a way to remove salt from seawater using nanotubes made from boron and nitrogen atoms that will make the process up to five times faster.

Source: http://news.anu.edu.au/?p=1558

ANU researcher - Dr Catchpole

2010-07-10T06:38:00.000-07:00

Dr Catchpole, a research fellow in the ANU College of Engineering and Computer Science, has used nanoparticles to develop solar cells that generate 30 per cent more electrical current than conventional thin-film silicon cells.

Source: http://news.anu.edu.au/?p=2125

World first for quantum memory storage

2010-07-10T06:36:00.000-07:00

An ANU-led team has developed the most efficient quantum memory for light in the world, taking us closer to a future of super-fast computers and communication secured by the laws of physics.

Source: http://news.anu.edu.au/?p=2216

World's smallest transistor

2010-07-10T06:34:00.000-07:00

Despite its incredibly tiny size – a mere four billionths of a metre long – the quantum dot is a functioning electronic device, the world's first created deliberately by placing individual atoms.

Source: http://www.unsw.edu.au/news/pad/articles/2010/may/smallest_transistor_simmons.html

Defence Science Access Network (DSAN)

2010-07-10T06:27:00.001-07:00

The Defence Science Access Network (DSAN) has been established to encourage more collaboration between industry, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and DSTO.

DSTO welcomes opportunities to collaborate with SMEs and other S&T organizations undertaking research that may be of interest to Defence. DSTO also seeks to investigate new and emerging technologies developed by industry.

Source: http://www.dsto.defence.gov.au/dsan/

Australia's Department of Defence

2010-07-10T06:24:00.000-07:00

The Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) is part of Australia's Department of Defence. DSTO is the Australian Government’s lead agency charged with applying science and technology to protect and defend Australia and its national interests.

Source: http://www.dsto.defence.gov.au/

MAGIC 2010: Super-smart robots

2010-07-10T06:22:00.000-07:00

The Multi Autonomous Ground-robotic International Challenge (MAGIC 2010) is jointly sponsored by the Australian and US Departments of Defence to attract innovative proposals from worldwide research organisations to develop next-generation fully autonomous ground vehicle systems that can be deployed effectively in military operations and civilian emergency situations.

Source: http://www.dsto.defence.gov.au/MAGIC2010/

Electric Plastics

2010-07-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

Dr Rylie Green:

"Our plastics will lead to smaller devices that use safer smaller currents and that encourage nerve interaction," said Dr Green, whose research has been published in Biomaterials. Our focus is on developing a plastic that makes a better neural connection."

Source: http://www.unsw.edu.au/news/pad/articles/2010/jun/bionic_eyes.html

Robotic Soccer

2010-07-10T06:13:00.000-07:00

The UNSW robot soccer team has made it to the grand final of RoboCup 2010, the world’s toughest test of android ability - only to be knocked out by a team from Germany.

Source: http://www.unsw.edu.au/news/pad/articles/2010/jun/Robocup.html

University of Melbourne - Research Reports

2010-07-10T06:06:00.000-07:00

The annual University of Melbourne Research Report is a comprehensive listing of the University's research publications and projects.

Source: http://www.research.unimelb.edu.au/performance/published/researchreport

University of Melbourne - The Parkville Research Precinct

2010-07-10T05:58:00.000-07:00

The sheer quantity of life sciences research facilities, institutes, researchers, fellows and postgraduate students in the Parkville precinct and surrounds, and the comprehensive breadth of bio-science disciplines, is without parallel in the Southern hemisphere and one of the few such concentrations of research excellence worldwide. The Precinct created and commercialised numerous medical innovations, including the Bionic Ear, colony stimulating factors, Relenza®, Recaldent®, retinal imaging, discovery of Rotavirus, vaccines, diagnostics, microsurgical instruments and antibiotics.

Source: http://uninews.unimelb.edu.au/view.php?articleID=5917

Green Touch

2010-07-10T05:56:00.000-07:00

GreenTouch opens up membership and takes important steps toward revolutionizing ICT networks with dramatically improved energy efficiency.

Source: http://www.greentouch.org/

University of Melbourne - E-Research

2010-07-10T05:54:00.000-07:00

Development of tsunami warning systems, tools for a virtual MRI grid and intelligent language resource searches on the web are all projects that recently received a share of more than 1/2 million dollars for e-research.

Source: http://uninews.unimelb.edu.au/view.php?articleID=2682

University of Melbourne - ultra-resolution global collaboration laboratory

2010-07-10T05:47:00.000-07:00

U of Mel: next generation ultra-resolution visualization carried over a super-broadband network linking the University of Melbourne and the University of California San Diego. Allows real-time, interactive collaboration across the globe - combining high-definition video and audio with the sharing of ultra-resolution visualisations from a broad range of disciplines.

Source: http://uninews.unimelb.edu.au/news/4880/

Charge your iPod with your bike

2009-09-22T04:05:00.000-07:00

The BioLogic FreeCharge will be also be available as a separate unit for about $99 next March.

Source: http://bikehugger.com/2009/09/charge-your-ipod-with-your-bik.html

Solar Roads

2009-09-22T03:58:00.000-07:00

The US Department of Transportation granted Idaho-based Solar Roadways $100,000 to develop a prototype of its Solar Road Panel, a section of roadway made of glass and solar cells. The panels are meant to replace typical pavement on roads and parking lots.

Source: http://www.solarroadways.com/

Powerbrella

2009-09-22T03:57:00.000-07:00

The Powerbrella is a patio umbrella that has solar panels on its top surface. While you relax in the shade, it uses the sun's rays to provide power for outlets in its base.

Source: http://dvice.com/archives/2009/05/powerbrella-jui.php

Melanin Energy Conversion

2009-09-22T03:51:00.000-07:00

A schoolboy from Nepal has come up with a recession-busting new solar panel which replaces the silicon component with human hair. Milan Karki, an 18-year-old student from the region of Khotang, devised the idea after discovering that hair pigment Melanin acts as an energy converter.

Each panel, which is around 15 inches square, produces 9 Volts (18 Watts) of energy, and costs $38 to make. This, it has to be said, is mainly due to the price of the raw materials: half a kilo of human hair costs around 25¢ in Nepal. Karki is hoping to commercialize his invention, which can charge a cellphone or power batteries to provide an evening's worth of light, and eventually mass produce it.

Sources: http://dvice.com/archives/2009/09/nepalese-teens.php
http://www.sankofa.ch/texts/Melanin.htm

Visual Voltage displays your energy usage

2009-09-22T03:49:00.000-07:00

The energy aware clock is designed to make you aware of your energy consumption
on a daily basis.

Source: http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/7501/visual-voltage-exhibition-at-design-vlaanderen-brussels.html

Plug-In Prius

2009-09-22T03:41:00.000-07:00

It'll be packing lithium ion batteries, and with those batteries alone, it accelerates up to 62 miles an hour. But the batteries only work on their own for 12.5 miles, with the gas engine assisting that electro-motor for longer distances. Toyota's not saying how fast that electric acceleration will be, but the company does offer this encouraging statistic: It takes just 1.5 hours to charge up its battery pack on a 230 V power supply.

Home gets money back from Electric Company

2009-09-22T03:38:00.000-07:00

The $350,000 house, located between Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, creates so much electricity that its owner receives a check from the power company each month.

Source: http://dvice.com/archives/2009/09/energy-producin.php?p=9&cat=undefined#more

Panasonic: New LED bulbs shine for 19 years

2009-09-22T03:35:00.000-07:00

The screw-in bulbs are part of the EverLed line, and they're scheduled to hit stores in Japan on October 21, with monthly production at 50,000 units. No changes to lighting equipment used for incandescents are required.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10350053-1.html

GreenSun solar panels

2009-09-22T03:32:00.000-07:00

Using jewel-toned plates, the solar concentrators capture from a wide spectrum of light. Even on a cloudy day, they'll produce electricity, although less than on a sunny day with direct light. They're even cheaper than traditional panels, since they don't use as much silicon as standard panels.

Source: http://www.greensun.biz/Technology/

Solar Kiosk Charging Station

2009-09-22T03:28:00.000-07:00

The idea is to provide a place for electric vehicles to charge up (in this case, eight of them), giving commuters another option than the outlet at home. It also benefits from the fact that it wouldn't require a lot of infrastructure to be installed, as a city-wide smart grid would.

Source: http://dvice.com/archives/2009/09/this-solar-kios.php

Solar Car Port

2009-09-22T03:20:00.000-07:00

Japan-based Sankyo Tateyama Aluminium has begun selling carports [JP] with solar power generation systems installed on their tops.

McKinsey - Evaluating the potential of Solar Technologies

2009-09-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

Solar and Wind Calculators

2009-08-26T19:33:00.001-07:00

IBM scientists build computer chips from DNA

2009-08-17T21:09:00.000-07:00

The company is researching ways in which DNA can arrange itself into patterns on the surface of a chip, and then act as a kind of scaffolding on to which millions of tiny carbon nanotubes and nanoparticles are deposited. That network of nanotubes and nanoparticles could act as the wires and transistors on future computer chips, the IBM scientists said.

Source: http://www.infoworld.com/d/hardware/ibm-scientists-build-computer-chips-dna-833

The Lab

2009-08-17T21:07:00.000-07:00

Got an opinion about how General Motors designs its cars and trucks? Let them know.
Give them your idea: http://thelab.gmblogs.com/

LiveFuels

2009-08-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

LiveFuels, an algae biofuel start-up, announced a pilot project on Thursday to grow and harvest algae biofuels in open waters with the help of naturally occurring activities in the ecosystem.

The company plans to encourage algae growth with the additive of agricultural-waste products. Then, instead of retrieving the algae itself to be converted into biofuels through a mechanical process, it plans to let algae-eating fish do the conversion.

Once the algae-eating fish plump enough, LiveFuels plans to catch them and process them for their oil in the same way people used to harvest whale blubber for oil. Only instead of using the oil for lamps, this harvested oil could fuel cars and trucks, according to LiveFuels.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10308996-54.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=GreenTech

Netscape Founder to make New Browser

2009-08-17T20:57:00.000-07:00

Mr. Andreessen is backing a start-up called RockMelt, staffed with some of his close associates, that is building a new Internet browser. Little else is known about RockMelt, and Mr. Vishria was unwilling to discuss it. “We are at very early stages of development,” Mr. Vishria said. “Talking about it at this stage is not useful.”

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/technology/internet/14browser.html?_r=4&partner=rss&emc=rss

Source: http://www.rockmelt.com/

Universal Phone for blind and sighted people

2009-08-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

Thousands of micro pins dynamically raise and lower forming a tactile surface for all to get touchy with. Sighted people get the elusive tactile feedback they’re missing with ordinary touch-screens and blind people get a whole new interface made of braille.

Source: http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/08/13/the-universal-phone-has-sighted-people-jealous/

MagLevAir system launches planes with magnets

2009-08-16T18:26:00.000-07:00

The MagLevAir is an airplane shuttle system with reduced noise, space and energy consumption during take off. The airplane is hooked to a maglev shuttle saving expensive cerosin for accerleration during take off. In flight the delta wing shaped airplane uses scram jets. The MagLevAir is part of a hub and spoke system. It could serve in an urban environment and transport passengers across short distances to bigger airports with more standard Airbuses and Boeings.

Source: http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/08/10/plane-takes-off-on-magnets/

A Nanobomb

2009-08-16T18:23:00.000-07:00

Scientists turned to nanotechnology, combining tiny particles of metals such as nanoaluminum with iron oxide to make superthermite. That stuff speeds up the chemical reaction that causes explosions by 1000 times. The result? A gigantic boom from these energy-packed nanometals, much more powerful than anything short of a nuclear weapon.

Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=14105&ch=nanotech&a=f

Mug for the blind plays a sound when it's full

2009-08-16T18:18:00.000-07:00

The Braun Bell Mug has 3 indicative levels on the handle and liquid-level sensors within the mug. The blind folks only need to choose their levels and keep pouring till the bell sounds.

Source: http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/08/06/no-more-overspills-even-if-you-are-blind/

Implanted Hearing Aids

2009-08-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

New bone-anchored, implanted hearing aids are starting to be given to patients with poor hearing and with great results.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/hightech-hearing-aid-is-the-ultimate-ipod-accessory-20090809-ee8p.html

Computer input by scratching

2009-08-16T18:14:00.000-07:00

This is the idea behind a scratch input — a system that would measure surface scratches and interpret them as commands. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are developing such an interface. In theory, all you'd need to turn any surface in to an input device would be a kind of stethoscope and a processor to interpret the scratches. The potential applications are innumerable: Scratch your computer to turn it on, or use your desk as a drawing surface for your fingernail, with the drawings appearing on the monitor.

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/08/scratch-input/

10,000mph hypersonic scramjets

2009-08-16T18:13:00.000-07:00

A scramjet can't go as fast as the space shuttle, but it can beat any jet handily, theoretically accelerating up to Mach 15. Don't be planning that trip from New York to L.A. in 45 minutes just yet, though, because this hypersonic technology has a long way to go before it'll find its way into passenger aircraft.

Source: http://dvice.com/archives/2009/08/10000mph-hypers.php

Touchable holographic display

2009-08-16T18:11:00.000-07:00

A Wiimotes sense where your hand is, telling the holographic image to adjust based on your location. Then an airborne ultrasound tactile display creates the sensation of touch.

Next Generation Ion Engines

2009-08-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

Ion propulsion, which involves electrostatically accelerating ionized Xenon gas to generate thrust, is attractive when compared to chemical thrusters, as the rocket doesn't have to spare a good portion of its payload for fuel. At the same time, ion engines rely on power sources such as solar energy, which loses its effectiveness the farther the craft gets from the sun, and nuclear power, which, politically, is an unpopular power source for a spacecraft.

Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/23120/

The Folding Bike

2009-08-16T18:04:00.000-07:00

Three companies are already interested in cranking out thousands of copies of this compact cycle, and it might not even be exorbitantly expensive, perhaps less than $700.

Source: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/08/contortionist-folding-bike-video-dominic-hargreaves-royal-college-of-art-student.php?dcitc=th_rss

Low Budget Fusion Reactory

2009-08-16T07:02:00.000-07:00

General Fusion has figured out a way to create a "low budget" fusion reactor for less than $1 billion. They're saying they can get this beast online in less than a decade, because it's not using incredibly expensive superconducting magnets or spectacularly powerful lasers to create that long-sought controlled fusion reaction.

Source: http://www.generalfusion.com/

Skylon's Sabre propulsion system

2009-08-16T06:45:00.001-07:00

In short, it's a space plane. The creation of Reaction Engines Limited, a British outfit based at the Culham Science Center in Oxfordshire, the Skylon will be able to take off from and land at normal airport runways in order to deliver its payload of up to 13 tons in orbit.

The thrust is created by burning hydrogen and oxygen — a tricky concept, because air in the lower atmosphere can reach temperatures of 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. In order to cool the air before compressing and burning it, Reaction Engines have created a heat exchanger pre-cooler, which consists of ultra-fine piping that drops the temperature of the hot intake gases to minus 200°F in just one hundredth of a second.

Source: http://www.reactionengines.co.uk/index.html

Wireless power system

2009-08-16T06:43:00.000-07:00

The system uses two coils, one at the mains and one on the gadget, both of which have been engineered with the same resonant frequency. When connected up to an electricity supply, the mains coil produces a magnetic field that resonates with the second coil, allowing voltage to build up to power the gadget.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8165928.stm

Shrinking Jug

2009-08-16T06:41:00.000-07:00

This flexible container works like a spring. Push a button on the top and a valve opens, and as you press down on the container, the milk is forced out. As you continue forcing out the milk, the container gets shorter and shorter. Inventor claims that it will keep milk from spoiling a week longer.

Source: http://www.jamesdysonaward.org/Projects/Project.aspx?ID=298

Google Wave

2009-08-16T06:38:00.000-07:00

In September, you'll be able to browse to Google Wave, called a "personal communications and collaboration tool." This open-source, web-based wonder will let you combine your e-mail, instant messaging and social networking onto one personalized page on the web.

Source: http://wave.google.com/

Future Bike

2009-08-16T06:27:00.000-07:00

This amazing bike concept is part exercise machine, part electric scooter, and will even help to pay your fare while providing a seat for the bus ride home.

Source: http://martenwallgren.blogspot.com/2009/06/winner-seymourpowell-award-for.html

Cylinder TV

2009-08-16T06:25:00.000-07:00

The rolled-up television uses the company's proprietary spinning LED technology.

Source: http://dynascanusa.com/

Human-powered monorail

2009-08-16T06:20:00.000-07:00

New Zealand's Scweeb monorail is probably a healthier (if a little cramped) alternative to the bike.

Source: http://www.shweeb.com/Shweeb/business_opps_IDL=1_IDT=2824_ID=16127_.html

3D camera

2009-08-16T06:17:00.000-07:00

Fujifilm's FinePix Real 3D W1 camera aims to take a photo "just as your eyes see it." The camera's 3D system is said to be the only one that can both snap pictures and record video in three dimensions — while never requiring you to wear silly glasses to view them properly.

Source: http://www.fujifilm.com/products/3d/camera/finepix_real3dw1/

Sound wave neurosurgery

2009-08-16T06:14:00.000-07:00

The procedure has been used before to remove uterine fibroids (or small, benign tumors in the uterus), and looks like a promising candidate to eliminate tumors from breasts and, hopefully, the brain. The biggest challenge when tackling the brain is getting the ultrasonic beams through the skull with any intensity, but that's handled by a head harness developed by InSightec, which is equipped with 1,000 ultrasound transducers and even built-in cooling to keep the skull from overheating.

Source: http://dvice.com/archives/2009/07/sound-wave-neur.php

MIT electric car charges in 10 minutes

2009-08-16T06:11:00.000-07:00

The catch here: that quick charge needs 350 kW of power, enough to bring residential power systems to their knees. Charging stations capable of 356 Volts and 1000 amps would need to be built along highways to make this work. And the battery is quite expensive: $80K!

Source: http://dvice.com/archives/2009/07/mit-electric-ca.php

Moon Publicity

2009-08-16T06:05:00.000-07:00

Many people are strongly opposed to creating commercial images on the Moon. We would feel the same way if it were solely for monetary gain.

Source: http://www.moonpublicity.com/mp/

Virtual Reality Windshield

2009-08-16T06:01:00.000-07:00

The "IPSE" is a car designed by Jeongche Yoon and Hoyoung Kihl that turns your average drive into an adventure. IPSE's virtual environment system recognizes outside surrounding then translates into virtual objects and living things. For example, in 'underwater' mode, other vehicles appear to the driver as sea creatures. While it drives through a street in the city, the driver doesn't see any buildings, cars and asphalt-paved road but beautiful trees and wild animals running on the charming grass land.

Source: http://dvice.com/archives/2009/07/vr-windshield-t.php

Interactive Data Eyeglasses

2009-06-14T17:23:00.001-07:00

The data eyeglasses can read from the engineer’s eyes which details he needs to see on the building plans. A CMOS chip with an eye tracker in the microdisplay makes this possible. The eyeglasses are connected to a PDA, display information and respond to commands.

Source

Flying motorcycle to soar in 2010

2009-06-14T17:18:00.000-07:00

Samson Motorworks designs flying motorcycles, and now the company has modified its approach, rolling out the airworthy Switchblade. It's a three-wheeled multimode vehicle (MMV) with a scissors-like wing for flying and a torsion bar lean system for its role as a road rocket.

Samson Motor Works

NTT -- cellphones in 2015

2009-06-14T17:06:00.000-07:00

If Japan's number one telecommunications company NTT has its way, there could be a modular cellphone in your future, with various attachments that give the phone magical new powers. The star of the company's soothsaying is the flexible scroll attachment pictured here, giving you a big color screen to read the newspapers and magazines (and blogs) of 2015.

Source

Lithium-sulfur batteries -- triple the power of lithium-ion

2009-06-14T17:01:00.000-07:00

A research team from the University of Waterloo has synthesized a prototype of a lithium-sulphur rechargeable battery that, thanks to its peculiar nanoscale structure, can store three times the power of a conventional lithium-ion battery in the same volume while being significantly lighter and potentially cheaper to manufacture.

Source

Maker Bots

2009-06-14T16:58:00.000-07:00

MakerBot Industries creates open source robot kits that transform your digital designs into physical objects automatically.

Makerbot

World's smallest VGA display

2009-06-14T16:55:00.000-07:00

Display maker Kopin has managed to pack a liquid-crystal display (LCD) with VGA resolution (600 x 480 pixels) onto a screen that measures just over a quarter-inch diagonally. That means individual color dots are 2.9 x 8.7 micrometers. For those scoring at home, a typical piece for paper is about 100 micrometers thick.

Source

Navy/Raytheon's 100kW weaponized laser

2009-06-14T16:53:00.000-07:00

The 100 kilowatt experimental Free Electron Laser (FEL) uses superconducting electron accelerators to produce high-power laser beams that could target cruise missiles, airplanes or boats.

Source

Restoring Sight With Stem Cells Grown on Contact Lenses?

2009-05-31T20:58:00.000-07:00

Three patients with severe damage to the corneas of their eyes have achieved dramatic improvements in their vision thanks to contact lenses coated with their own stem cells.

Source

Talking to Animals

2009-05-31T20:05:00.000-07:00

Researchers have endowed lab mice with the human version of a gene involved in language, and while the mice didn’t exactly sit up and start reciting poetry about cheese, they did show some intriguing differences in both their vocal patterns and brain structure.

Source

Samsung Mobile Display show 6.5 inch Flexible AMOLED Display

2009-05-31T19:54:00.000-07:00

Samsung Mobile Display's (SMD) prototype is more flexible than any previous model before. Also it is a new processes that does not require low-temperatures to produce the display and productions costs are lower than other competitive products. The new process is simpler and improves efficiencies necessary for mass production.

Source

TriCorder Device

2009-05-31T19:50:00.000-07:00

In partnership with the Technical Support Working Group (TSWG), Boeing and Washington University's School of Medicine in St. Louis, S&T's Tech Solutions group is developing the Standoff Patient Triage Tool (SPTT), a device that classic Star Trek fans will recognize for its resemblance to the medical diagnostic tool known as the tricorder. The device can check body temperature, heart rate and respiration of victims up to 40 feet away.

Source

My fav video - Obama Man

2009-05-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

Isn't this GREAT!!

Japan claim that new underware can burn fat for diets

2009-05-25T16:29:00.000-07:00

Fabric specialist Teijin promises to weave its new Nanofront fiber into underwear that willbe on the market by next summer. It claims the garment’s nanotech fibers create tiny amounts of friction that, multiplied across the surface of the skin, is enough to burn subcutaneous fat.

Source

World’s first 3D digicam

2009-05-25T16:19:00.000-07:00

The unnamed device is set to join the FinePix range later this year and will be the first digicam to combine two snaps taken from dual lenses into a 3D photograph. As with a normal camera, those appear on a rear screen for glasses-free viewing, plus they can be printed on magical extra-dimensional paper.

Source

FujiFilm

Japanese University Robot Research

2009-05-25T15:37:00.000-07:00

Please see: http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?doit=done&tt=url&intl=1&fr=bf-home&trurl=http%3A%2F%2Frobot.watch.impress.co.jp%2F&lp=ja_en&btnTrUrl=Translate

BrainPort

2009-05-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

The sunglasses are part of a breakthrough vision device known as BrainPort, under development by the NEI-supported researchers of Wicab, Inc., for which Hogle serves as director of product development. BrainPort is built on the concept of sensory substitution, which means that when one sense malfunctions, another sense can compensate, serving as a stand-in.

Source

Air Battery

2009-05-24T17:54:00.000-07:00

Researchers at the University of St Andrews, with associates at Strathclyde and Newcastle, have developed a new type of air-fueled battery that could provide up to 10 times the energy storage of existing designs, paving the way for a new generation of electric cars and portable devices.

Source

The ENose

2009-05-24T17:52:00.000-07:00

The ENose is able to determine what are the exact contaminants in the air with a sensitivity level that allows it to accurately select a ‘smell’ of one out of approximately 10,000 parts per million. Through experiments performed by the Brain Mapping Foundation, it was found that ENose was able to distinctly pick up the smell of healthy human cells and cancerous cells.

Source

Brain Mapping

Artificial Trees That Harvest Sun and Wind to Generate Electricity

2009-05-24T17:50:00.000-07:00

Place thousands of these units, dubbed nanoleaves, on a natural-looking, though fake plastic tree—and one could have electricity production without spoiling natural landscapes.

Source

Solar Botanic

A rotating Space Elevator

2009-05-24T17:41:00.000-07:00

“The idea came by itself,” Golubović told PhysOrg.com. “I was thinking how to make things move easily and quickly up the traditional Tsiolkovsky-type space elevators. In my kitchen, I was mixing coffee in my cup too vigorously and the centrifugal force on the rotating coffee won over gravity to make some of the coffee lift and splash out the cup. This was my ‘eureka’ that lead to adding a similar conceptual feature to the old space elevator idea, the internal rotation. Indeed, much like the coffee would lift and splash out the cup if rotated fast enough, the climbers on our Rotating Space Elevator will be lifted up by the centrifugal force winning over gravity.”

Source

Using Gravitational Waves to Generate Radio Signals

2009-05-24T17:40:00.000-07:00

The mechanism is straightforward. Create a uniform magnetic field of the same scale as a gravitational wave and place it in the path of an incoming wave. The subsequent squeezing and shaking of this magnetic field should then generate electromagnetic radiation, just as any other kind of shaking would.

Source

Large-Scale Model of Mammalian Thalamocortical Systems

2009-05-24T17:23:00.000-07:00

Does it have consciousness? That is the question.

Source

Kill chip

2009-05-24T17:21:00.000-07:00

The basic model would consist of a tiny GPS transceiver placed in a capsule and inserted under a person's skin, so that authorities could track him easily.

Model B would have an extra function — a dose of cyanide to remotely kill the wearer without muss or fuss if authorities deemed he'd become a public threat.

Source

Digital Watermarking

2009-05-16T19:23:00.001-07:00

Digital watermarking is a process of invisibly embedding information on the entire surface of a still image. The information can be retrieved even if the image is edited (trimmed, rotated, embossed, etc) or compressed. Therefore, the technology is applicable to digital rights management, providing information on the destination and origin of data in case it is leaked to unauthorized users.

Source

Fujitsu develops world’s fastest processor

2009-05-16T19:14:00.000-07:00

While its 45-nanometer architecture doesn't pack its components together as tightly as Intel's latest 32-nanometer configuration, it accomplishes that world-record blistering speed while sipping one third the power of Intel's flagship chip.

Source

Foam Car

2009-05-16T19:13:00.000-07:00

a car that manages 100 miles to the gallon and has a respectable top speed of 70 miles an hour. It's made out of 90% foam.

Source

Dynamic Lamp

2009-05-16T19:11:00.000-07:00

It has a dynamo on the inside of the globe that converts kinetic energy and gets its glow going.

Source