BROAD STRATEGIC APPRAISALS

Monday, October 26, 2009

Brother, NEC look to invade your retinas next year

Brother now seems to have a fully developed, fully functional prototype (pictured above), and it says it plans to commercialize the glasses sometime "next year." Naturally, there are a few considerable limitations compared to more traditional displays, but the company's as yet unnamed goggles do promise to beam an 800 x 600 image directly into your retina that'll appear as a 10-centimeter wide image floating about one meter in front of them.

Snail mail to get its own top level Internet domain

ICANN and the Universal Postal Union (UPU) have reached an in principle agreement for the UPU to sponsor the .post top-level domain.

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Taking Earth’s Temperature With 30-Mile Thermometer

Roll out the world’s biggest thermometer: a fiber-optic cable up to 30 miles long that records temps at 3-foot intervals every 10 seconds.

Obstacle Detection/Video System helps prevent backing accidents

Mobile Awareness, LLC, a provider of leading-edge transportation safety products, today announced VisionStat(TM) Plus, an extremely affordable and complete commercial-grade system to prevent backing accidents.

Lund reports nanowire progress

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have for the first time successfully injected 'nanowires' into the brains of rats.

The breakthrough at Lund has significant implications for understanding how the body reacts to nanoparticles.

Staying Out of a Jam: Air Force Looks at Nanotube Sheets for Electromagnetic Shielding

Strong, lightweight materials made from nanotubes could protect aircraft and satellites from harmful electromagnetic interference.

First Acoustic Hyperlens Boosts Power of Ultrasound and Sonar

Imaging an unborn fetus and and spotting a lurking submarine could both become much easier with the world's first acoustic hyperlens. The device manipulates imaging sound waves to provide an eightfold increase in the magnification power of technologies such as ultrasound and sonar.

Trust the Cloud? Americans Say No Way

Americans don't trust cloud storage for their confidential data, with identity theft ranking as their top security concern, according to a twice-yearly survey by network security consulting firm Unisys.

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The Future of Laundry: No More Water

Clean your clothes without putting them—or your utility bills—through the wringer. Xeros’s prototype washing machine uses 90 percent less water than ordinary models, which also eliminates energy-intensive spin cycles and dryer blasts.

The machine replaces all but one tenth of the usual water and about one third of the usual detergent with 0.1-inch plastic beads, reusable for hundreds of washes.

Pentagon study shows F-35 jet to cost more

A new Pentagon study has affirmed previous findings that Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, the costliest U.S. arms purchase program, will require billions of dollars more than planned, and more time, an online news service said on Friday.

New Rocket, but Future of Program Is Unclear

The first flight in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s program to build a next-generation rocket to replace the space shuttle could also be the swan song.

The launching of the Ares I-X, a prototype, is scheduled for 8 a.m. Tuesday. It comes less than a week after a blue-ribbon panel reviewing NASA’s human spaceflight program released its final report, which offers a less-than-ringing endorsement of the Ares I rocket and brings the entire program into question.

Rocket contest reaches endgame

Five days from now, a bunch of no-longer-amateur rocketeers are going to be at least $1.15 million richer, thanks to a NASA-backed contest for lunar lander prototypes. But the identity of the winners is still up in the air.

UAVs Dominate Seoul Air Show

Unmanned aerial vehicles have dominated the 7th Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX), with both foreign and local companies displaying a variety of models. The trade show began Tuesday and runs through Sunday at the Seoul Airport.

Israel's Elbit Systems displayed models of the Hermes 90, 450 and 900 UAVs, along with the Skylark I.

David’s Sling Weapon System (DSWS)

The DSWS is a joint short-range ballistic missile defense program between the US Missile Defense Agency and the Israel Missile Defense Organization. The system is designed to defeat short-range ballistic missiles, large-caliber rockets and cruise missiles in their terminal phase of flight.

Slimmer, Trimmer US Army Land Warrior System Moves Ahead

General Dynamics C4 Systems received a contract, worth up to $50 million, to supply the US Army with engineering and logistics-support services for the Land Warrior integrated modular fighting systems.

Friday, October 23, 2009

How to Turn Methane Gas into Liquid Fuel

A group of American researchers, based at the University of Washington (UW), and at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill (UNC) has recently managed to take an important step forward in its quest of finding a method of converting methane gas into a liquid fuel. The innovation could see a lot more uses for methane, as well as facilities brought to the production processes related to obtaining other chemicals as well. The find is detailed in the October 23 issue of the top journal Science.

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'Mini lasers' illuminate dark molecules

A new microscopy technique that turns molecules into "mini lasers" has been developed by researchers in the US. The new method could help scientists to study biological samples containing "dark molecules", which are invisible to today's advanced fluorescence microscopes.

USVs and UUVs as Minehunters

It now looks increasingly likely that drones – specifically unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) – will play a growing role in minehunting within a few years. A range of scenarios can be envisaged. The French defence procurement agency (DGA) has asked DCNS and co-contractors Thales Underwater Systems and ECA to help it determine which scenarios are the most promising.

Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft Gets X-Plane Designation

Air Force officials have approved X-55A as the new designation for the Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft.

The X-55A is a technology demonstrator for the design and manufacturing of future aircraft using advanced composite materials. The X-55A is a modified Dornier 328J aircraft with the fuselage aft of the crew station and the vertical tail removed and replaced with completely new structural designs. These designs are made from composites using new out-of-autoclave curing techniques.

NGC Awarded DARPA Contract That Takes Technology to 'NEXT' Level

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) the first phase of a $28.9-million Nitride Electronic NeXt Generation Technology (NEXT) contract. Work on the contract will support defense communications, aircraft and space systems with the development of the next generation of gallium nitride (GaN) technology. The first phase of the contract totals $12.4 million.

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Nuclear Plants Cautiously Phase Out Dial-Up Modems

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is asking the operators of America’s 66 nuclear power plants to voluntarily upgrade the on-site monitoring systems that report plant conditions to the government.

That upgrade to the 16-year-old Emergency Response Data System? Replacing telephone dial-up modems with VPN appliances.

1,000 troops arrive in Israel for exercise

More than 1,000 U.S. troops and some of the U.S. Army’s most sophisticated weaponry arrived in Israel this week to practice shooting down ballistic missiles to protect Israel from potential adversaries, most likely Iran.

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USAF re-orients frustrated jamming strategy

The US Air Force has dramatically changed the focus of a frustrated, decade-long attempt to revitalize its ability to jam radars and communications systems.

After abandoning a second attempt earlier this year to convert some Boeing B-52Hs into standoff jamming platforms, the USAF investment strategy has shifted to fielding less expensive "stand-in" systems that could be delivered within a few years.

Net Neutrality: Two Huge Positives for Business

Federal Communication Commissionnet neutrality rules have the potential to save businesses money in ways that range from heading off potential new Internet access charges to opening up low-cost, high-bandwidth services distinguished by superior quality of service.

While the FCC won't make final decisions until next spring at the earliest, its rule-making agenda that was approved Friday prompts speculation on what the outcome might yield, and that includes the possibility of high-quality access at a low price.

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China's cyberwarfare capabilities grow

China is building its cyberwarfare capabilities and appears to be using the growing technical abilities to collect U.S. intelligence through a sophisticated and long-term computer attack campaign, according to an independent report.

Augustine Commission: NASA's Plans 'Unsustainable'

To get to the moon and then eventually go on to Mars will take much more money and technology than the U.S. space program has now, according to a report released today by an independent panel convened, at White House request, under former aerospace executive Norman Augustine.

Japan's Stance on U.S. Base Jolts Alliance

The U.S.-Japan security alliance has been strained as Tokyo's new center-left leaders, in a row over a U.S. military base, make good on their promise to be less subservient to Washington, analysts say.

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Thursday, October 22, 2009

SpaceX Successfully Completes 1st Stage 9-Engine Rocket Firing

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) successfully conducted two static firings of the first stage, nine engine cluster for its Falcon 9 launch vehicle. The firings took place at SpaceX's Texas Test Site, a 300-acre structural and propulsion testing facility just outside of Waco, Texas. With completion of these tests, the first stage has now passed both structural and propulsion acceptance testing and will ship to Cape Canaveral in preparation for the first flight of Falcon 9.

Laser microscope aims to uncover alien life

The hunt for signs of extraterrestrial life usually focuses on detecting molecules associated with living organisms. Direct observation through optical imaging would be more conclusive, so Hans Kreuzer and Manfred Jericho at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and their colleagues have taken a different approach. They have built a robust microscope that can be dunked into water to detect any microscopic life forms that may be swimming or floating there.

Army places new orders for standards-based RFID tags

Savi Technology Inc. will provide supply-tracking technology to the Defense Department under new contracts totaling $6.6 million. Savi will deliver standards-based active radio frequency identification tracking technologies and accompanying services under DOD’s RFID III procurement contract, company officials said today.

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