An engineer, using software that he developed and about $10 worth of off-the-shelf hardware, has adapted cellphones to substitute for microscopes.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
A fresh way to take the salt out of seawater
A pair of Canadian engineers have come up with an ingenious way of using the heat of the sun to drive the process. Such heat, in many places that have a shortage of fresh water, is one thing that is in abundant supply.
Building A Better Lightbulb
The U.S. Department of Energy is offering $10 million to the first individual or company to develop an energy-efficient LED replacement for the standard 60-watt incandescent bulb.
Race to develop long-range UAV enters second lap
The race to develop an unmanned aircraft that can stay aloft for five years at a stretch has entered its second phase, where the prize is a $155 millionDARPA contract to build a small-scale demonstrator model.
Army shows more than one way to look under a car
Researchers and scientists at the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (aka TARDEC) have focused on semi-autonomous robotic systems capable of remotely inspecting a vehicle's undercarriage for explosives or roam the line looking for suspicious activity.
Powering cell phone towers with wind
Helix Wind announced Wednesday that it's beginning a trial run in Southern California to see if its wind turbines might be useful for powering cell phone towers.
Soccer-Ball-Sized Submersible Robots Will Track Ocean Currents and Disasters at Sea
Hundreds of soccer-ball-sized robot drones could soon ply the friendly waves to help scientists track ocean currents and harmful algae blooms, or even swarm to disaster sites such as oil spills and airplane crashes.
Pranalytica wins contract to improve quantum cascade laser
The U.S. Army has awarded a Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR) contract to Pranalytica, Inc (Santa Monica, CA) aimed at radically improving that company's quantum cascade laser (QCL) performance.
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Push-Button Books
This summer, the company, called On Demand Books, released the latest version of the Espresso Book Machine, which can turn out a factory-quality softcover book in the time it takes a barista at Starbucks to whip up your favorite fancy coffee drink.
While the pages are printing, a separate full-color inkjet printer processes the cover on thick paper stock. The machine then glues the pages together.
Reports On Nonkinetic Weapons Mixed
The report card is mixed regarding next-generation nonkinetic, or limited effects, weaponry developed by the U.S. and its allies.
Defenses against cyber-attack have begun attracting support because of persistent adversaries who flourish in the Wild West atmosphere of the Russian and Chinese cyber-worlds.
Boeing Receives Study Contract for Submarine-Tracking Unmanned Aerial System
The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] on Sept. 28 received a $275,000 contract from the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) for a study of the magnetic noise associated with the heavy-fuel propulsion system on Boeing's MagEagle Compressed Carriage (MECC) Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). The MECC, designed and built to be magnetically quiet, is a special-mission variant of the company's ScanEagle Compressed Carriage UAS.
Speech Gene Shows Its Bossy Nature
All animals have an FOXP2 gene, but the human version’s product differs at just 2 of its 740 units from that of chimpanzees, suggesting that this tiny evolutionary fix may hold the key to why people can speak and chimps cannot.
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Efforts underway to extend satellites' lifespan
Spacecraft have used ion drives to explore the moon and deep space, but a new study aims to boost the electric propulsion idea to keep satellites around Earth alive longer.
Guided MLRS Reaches New Distance Record
Lockheed Martin successfully fired a U.S. Army Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rocket 92 kilometers in a recent test at White Sands Missile Range, NM.
ATK Awarded Contract To Develop Alternative Warhead For GMLRS
Alliant Techsystems was awarded a $4 million Integration and Demonstration (I and D) contract by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command. ATK was one of three companies awarded an I and D contract to develop an alternative warhead for the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS).
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