BROAD STRATEGIC APPRAISALS

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Liquid Crystals that Light Up

A material containing electroluminescent liquid crystals could be used to make new kinds of OLED and LCD displays.

Research by Stephen Kelly, head of chemistry at the University of Hull, in the UK, and physicist Mary O'Neill, also at the University of Hull, has shown that it is possible to make liquid crystals that emit light when electrically stimulated.

Head-mounted microscope sees brain beneath the skull

A small microscope that can be mounted on an animal's head should offer a front-row view of how its brain processes visual and other stimuli on the move.

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Making Carbon Nanotubes into Long Fibers

A new method for assembling carbon nanotubes has been used to create fibers hundreds of meters long. Individual carbon nanotubes are strong, lightweight, and electrically conductive, and could be valuable as, among other things, electrical transmission wires.

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A Personal Power Generator

A start-up will sell a gadget that uses springs and a magnet to recharge personal electronics.

According to NPR, a Cleveland startup called Tremont Electric will make a flashlight-sized device that converts energy from walking into electrical current for recharging the batteries in personal electronics.

Uracil Made in the Lab

NASA scientists studying theorigin of life have reproduced uracil, a key component of our hereditary material, in the laboratory. They discovered that an ice sample containing pyrimidine exposed to ultraviolet radiation under space-like conditions produces this essential ingredient of life.

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Improving security with face recognition technology

A number of U.S. states now use facial recognition technology when issuing drivers licenses. Similar methods are also used to grant access to buildings and to verify the identities of international travelers. Historically, obtaining accurate results with this type of technology has been a time intensive activity. Now, a researcher from the University of Miami College of Engineering and his collaborators have developed ways to make the technology more efficient while improving accuracy.

LaserMotive is First Ever Prize Winner in Space Elevator Games

The LaserMotive machine consists of a motor that pulls the device up the 2,953-foot-long ribbon, photovoltaic cells that power the motor, and a ground-based laser that provides the light for the cells. LaserMotive set a new record for the competition, and became the first team to ever reach the top of the ribbon.

Boeing Prepares Wedgetail For Delivery

Boeing is preparing to make the much-delayed delivery of the first pair of Australian 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft for Project Wedgetail later this month, after completing tests of the countermeasures dispenser system (CMDS).

Software prevents fatal crashes, scientists say

Every year, one or two pilots die because they couldn’t get their bearings in time. Now, scientists for the Air Force and Lockheed Martin Corp. think they can virtually eliminate those fatal accidents with onboard computer software that takes control of the Fighting Falcon when it goes into a deadly dive.

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Google Creates Programming Language to Simplify App Dev

Google has invented a new programming language designed to reduce the complexity of coding without compromising the performance of applications.

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Debate sought on animals with human genes

A mouse that can speak? A monkey with Down's Syndrome? Dogs with human hands or feet? British scientists want to know if such experiments are acceptable, or if they go too far in the name of medical research.

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Insitu unveils NightEagle UAS

Insitu has adapted the ScanEagle unmanned aircraft system to carry both an electro-optical and infrared camera simultaneously.

Iraq Explosives Detection Gadget Does Not Work: U.S. General

A top U.S. Army officer said on Sunday he did not have confidence in a hand-held device used by Iraq's security forces to detect explosives and stop suicide bombers passing through checkpoints.

CACI to Support US Army Information Warfare Directorate under $900M TESS Contract

CACI Internationalreceived a $75 million task order to support the US Army’s Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) Intelligence and Information Warfare Directorate (I2WD) under the Technical Engineering Support Services (TESS) contract.

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Friday, November 6, 2009

Boat tail reduces truck fuel consumption by 7.5 percent

A boat tail is a tapering protrusion about two metres in length mounted on the rear of a truck. The boat tail had already proved itself during wind tunnel experiments and computer simulations, both conducted at Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands; TU Delft), in theory and using small-scale models.

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Frontline troops could get real-time video comms

Poject is aimed at investigating the use of arrays of highly specialised antennas that could be worn by combat troops to provide covert short-range person-to-person battleground communications.

Betting on a Metal-Air Battery Breakthrough

A spinoff from Arizona State University says it can develop a metal-air battery that dramatically outperforms the best lithium-ion batteries on the market, and now it has the funding it needs to prove it.

Device that 'smells' human fear could identify terrorists

A device that 'smells' human fear is being developed by British scientists who hope it could be used to identify terrorists by detecting scents found in sweat.

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Life-logging camera brings new hope for memory-loss patients

A small, wearable camera that captures images automatically could change the way memory loss patients, in particular those with Alzheimer's, are treated, experts say.

Market For Acoustic Defense Systems Heats Up

More than just a siren, Inferno utilizes four frequencies spread over 2-5 KHz. and 125-127 dB. to create a unique sound that is not just loud, but disorienting and potentially nauseating.

U.S. Builds Largest Biometric Database

One of the most important innovations in the FBI's post-9/11 counterterrorism efforts consists of a portable workstation and a miniaturesatellite dish. Called the Quick Capture Platform (QCP), it electronically scans fingerprints and beams them to a database here.

Northrop Grumman Begins Producing First International F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has begun producing the center fuselage for the first international F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, an F-35B short take off, vertical landing (STOVL) variant for the United Kingdom designated BK-1. The center fuselage is the core structure around which the F-35 aircraft is built.

Nanoparticles can damage DNA

Nanoparticles can damage the DNA of cells from a distance, even without crossing the cellular barriers that protect certain parts of the body, British researchers said on Thursday.

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Don't Alienate Russia, Says NATO Official

A NATO official has stressed the importance of not alienating Russia again, adding that there could be some added value to bringing Russia on board when exploring missile defense because of its industry and technical knowledge.

U.S. To Remove N. Korean WMDs in Contingency

U.S. forces in Korea will take charge of securing or eliminating weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in North Korea when contingency situations occur, even after South Korea takes over wartime operational control (OPCON) of its troops from the United States in 2012.

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Walrus Heavy-Lift Blimp

The Walrus program aimed to develop and evaluate a very large airlift vehicle concept designed to control lift in all stages of air or ground operations including the ability to off-load payload without taking on-board ballast other than surrounding air. This is obviously rather important when offloading up to 2 million pounds of personnel and military equipment in remote areas.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Space junk piles up into threat to future launches

A BURGEONING blizzard of space debris is going to have a major impact on the future economics of space flight.

That was the prediction made this week by Hugh Lewis of the University of Southampton, UK, at the European Air and Space Conference in Manchester. His projections indicate that the number of close encounters between objects in orbit will rise 50 per cent in the next decade, and quadruple by 2059. Countermeasures will add greatly to the cost of future missions.

Navy to increase broadband speed tenfold

The Navy is about to install new satellite technology that will increase bandwidth by up to 10 times what is currently available on board ships.

The new terminals will provide frigates, cruisers and destroyers with access to high-speed Internet, video and other broadband services. The terminals are part of the Commercial Broadband Satellite Program's Unit Level Variant program.

Stealthy Nanoparticles Attack Cancer Cells

Scientists at BIND have shown that their nanoparticles--which are not only infused with drugs but also enrobed in cancer-targeting proteins--can better stop the growth of prostate, breast and lung tumors in rodents.

Cryptographic Voting System

Scantegrity is an open source election verification technology for optical scan voting systems. It uses privacy preserving confirmation numbers to allow each voter to verify her vote is counted. The confirmation numbers also allow anyone to verify that all the votes were counted correctly.

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