• Innovative nozzle protects firefighters against flashover

    Firefighters face not only the immediate fire, but also the risk of flashover — this is when fumes seeping out of walls and furniture get so hot they spontaneously ignite; innovative nozzle from an Austrian company addresses this risk

  • Shape-memory rubber developed

    University of Rochester researchers develop shape-memory rubber which allows designers to make products as diverse as biomedical implants, conformal face-masks, self-sealing sutures, and “smart” labels; material made from shape-memory polymers, once stretched into a new shape, stay in that form until heated, at which time they revert to their initial shape

  • Enjoying the benefits of GPS technology without giving up on privacy

    The proliferation of location-based services raises the specter of an Orwellian Big Brother society in which a citizen’s every move is monitored and tracked; two computer scientists offer a way to enjoy the benefits of location-based services, while avoiding the more sinister aspects of the technology

  • Photonic crystal fiber creates broad spectra of light

    Bath University researchers explain the ability of photonic crystal fiber to create broad spectra of light, opening the way for developments in various technologies

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  • Boeing installs high-energy chemical laser aboard a C-130

    The laser, which includes a 5,400 kg integrated laser module, has been installed in a rotating turret on the aircraft’s belly and aligned with the previously installed beam control system

  • U.K. government promotes commercialization of innovative technology

    The U.K. government and a couple of research associations are seeking bids from universities interested in hosting new Innovation and Knowledge Centers (IKCs); each center will be funded with £9.5 million spread over five years

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  • New siren for emergency vehicles shakes the ground

    If the flashing blue lights, ear-piercing sirens, and blazing headlamps of a police car or an ambulance do not manage to attract your attention, then shaking the earth under your feet surely will

  • Low-cost killer robots may replace soldiers

    Robotex, a Silicon Valley start-up, combines engineering skill and innovative weaponry to create robot soldiers; system developed with no government funding

  • UAVs to be used for mid-air refueling

    U.S. Air Force, Boeing conducts tests to see whether a UAV can perform mid-air refueling

  • Unmanned aircraft takes off and lands on water on its own

    Wolverine researchers develop a UAV which is the first seaplane that can initiate and perform its own takeoffs and landings on water; funded by DARPA, the vehicle will fit into DOD’s “persistent ocean surveillance” program

  • MI5 warns of growing Chinese cyberspace spy threat

    Director-general of MI5 sends letter to 300 British companies warning them that their computer systems are under sustained attack from Chinese intelligence services; China engages in a systemic campaign to steal Western industrial secrets — and provide information to Chinese companies about Western companies with which these Chinese companies are doing business

  • Flock of small UAVs to track storms

    University of Colorado researchers develop a small UAV — weighing 250 grams and with a wingspan of half a meter; they plan to fly dozens, if not hundreds, of them in swarms for the purpose of early detection of storms; UAVs will eventually be connected to mini submarines

  • Rambus launches Terabyte Bandwidth Initiative

    Technology initiative will facilitate blazing-fast data rates of 16 Gbps and enable a future memory architecture which can deliver terabyte per second (TB/s) of memory bandwidth (1 terabyte = 1,024 gigabytes) to a single System-on-Chip (SoC)

  • Debate ends on using fractal analysis for authenticating art

    There was a time when museums and art historians thought that fractal analysis could be used to authenticate works of art; In a symposium tomorrow, scientists and art experts will admit that this cannot be done; some say it is a good thing, too: “I think it is more appealing that Pollock’s work cannot be reduced to a set of numbers with a certain mean and certain standard deviation,” said one researcher

  • FRES competition heats up

    U.K. Defense Ministry will announce Friday the initial winner of the first phase of the FRES (Future Rapid Effect System) competition; the largest-ever peace-time contract will see the government spend up to £16 billion on 3,000 armored vehicles (the company to manufacture the vehicles will be selected Friday from the three remaining finalists); £60 billion will be spent on maintaining these vehicles during their service life; BAE says it needs to win the vehicle integrator contract