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CodaOctopus delivers first of three Underwater Inspection Systems to U.S. Coast Guard
CodaOctopus delivers first of three Underwater Inspection Systems (UIS) to U.S. Coast Guard; advanced, versatile system features several advanced technologies which allow for real-time 3D underwater inspection with accurate positioning (up to 10cm) for georeferencing
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Penn State researchers increase data transmission rate of copper cables
Nittany Lions electrical engineers show it is possible to increase the data transmission of Category-7 copper cables used to connect computers to each other and the Internet
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Researchers slow down, stop, and capture light
Slowing light would allow the use of light rather than electrons to store memory, enabling an increase in operating capacity of 1,000 percent by using light’s broad spectrum rather than single electrons
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CANBERRA offers new interactive CD for popular UltraRadia radiation monitor
Monitoring nuclear radiation and dosage levels is becoming more important for firefighters, HAZMAT teams, paramedics, and other first responders — but also for soldiers in the theater; it is also important for those in the nuclear power industry
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GeoEye's technology monitors endangered gorilla population
Specialist in satellite, aerial, and geospatial information donates high-duality maps of Africa’s Virunga National Park to help in mapping mountain gorilla habitat
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Chinese espionage "single greatest risk" to U.S. technology sector
China’s disregard of intellectual property law is a matter of record; European governments are increasingly alarmed by Chinese intelligence engaging in massive industrial espionage campaign on behalf of Chinese companies; now, congressional panel warns of dire consequences to U.S. technology sector from sustained, sophisticated Chinese espionage campaign
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Pulse power harnessed to defeat IEDs
Texas company wants to use pulse power as the basis of an anti-IED device; DHS will give the company $2.5 million to continue to develop the idea; company says the principle behind the anti-IED device can be use in killing cancer cells, cleansing polluted air, purifying water
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Using pulse power to stop cars in their tracks
A beam of microwave energy could stop vehicles in their tracks; good solution for perimeter defense, security check points, and police car chases; problem is, it may disable electronic systems in the neighborhood
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Using visualization to see through fuzzy data
Finding method in the madness: DHS’s S&T Directorate supports efforts, building on Edward Tufte’s work, to use visualization to find patterns in and make sense of fuzzy data
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Carbon fiber UAV sets flight duration record
QinetiQ Group’s Zephyr breaks record for the longest duration unmanned flight — 54 hours — nearly doubling Northrop Grumman’s RQ-4A Global Hawk 2001 record of 30 hours, 24 minutes
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More opposition in Europe to Galileo
Growing opposition in Europe to the Galileo Project, Europe’s response to the U.S. GPS network; behind schedule and over budget, many ask whether the benefits of the system would outweigh its costs
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Octopus inspire new camouflage strategies for military applications
New in personal protection equipment: The remarkable shape- and color-changing abilities of the octopus and its close relatives inspire researchers to attempt to understand one of nature’s most stunning feats of camouflage and self-preservation — and see whether such techniques can be applied in the military
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Plasma antennas are stealthy, versatile, and jam resistant
Soldiers in the field would soon benefit from a new antenna made of plasma — that is, a gas heated to the point at which the electrons are ripped free of atoms and molecules) works just like conventional metal antennas, except that it vanishes when you turn it off
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D-Wave demonstrates quantum computer with Google image search
This week in Reno, Nevada, D-Wave demonstrates the first commercial quantum computer by using Google’s forthcoming search-by-image tool; problems remain
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Chinese intelligence engages in industrial spying in Europe
China may be slowly integrating into the global economy, but its massive disregard of intellectual property laws shows that it has yet to internalize important norms of market conduct; and now this: Chinese intelligence is using its considerable assets to engage in industrial spying on behalf of Chinese companies
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The long view
Russia’s AI Quest is State-Driven — Even More than China’s. Can It Work?
The Russian government, more than Western governments and more than China’s, is working hard to position itself as a facilitator and promoter of innovation in artificial intelligence. Vladimir Putin said that the technology will lead whoever masters it to global advantage. Samuel Bendett writes that “Those who doubt that this uniquely state-heavy approach can succeed would do well to remember that today’s internet and mobile telecommunications grew out of Pentagon-funded research, that the Soviet Union led the Space Race for a decade, and that U.S. astronauts currently ascend to orbit atop Russian rockets.”
Technologies to Manage Climate Change Already Exist – but U.K. Needs to Scale Up Efforts Urgently
In the U.K., climate change is being tackled by taking baby steps. Andreas Busch writes that this is unfortunate, because “The world already has effective engineering solutions to manage climate change and to limit global temperatures from rising above 1.5°C – a target set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). But there is a desperate lack of conviction from politicians and society to address the climate emergency.”
The Sea Wanted to Take This California Lighthouse. Now, It’s Part of a Conflict Between a Town and Two Tribes
For decades, the Trinidad Memorial Lighthouse stood like atop the coastal bluff overlooking the rocky outcrops of Trinidad Bay in northern California. But then, climate change began to take its toll: “the ground began to crumble. Rain moved the earth. The bluff cracked, a sidewalk warped, and thus ended the charmed life of the Trinidad Memorial Lighthouse, which suddenly threatened to slide into the Pacific,” Hailey Branson-Potts writes.
Weather Is Turning into Big Business. And That Could Be Trouble for the Public.
This may well be the future of weather forecasting: “Now for your local weather forecast: That’ll be $10, please.” Climate change is inflicting an increasingly heavier costs on the U.S. economy, and those rising costs — along with advances in data-gathering and processing, and cheaper access to low Earth orbit — have spurred start-ups and established companies to get into the business of weather forecasting.
Scientists Warn of Weather Extremes as “New Normal”
Scientists warned that faster and stronger climate change is threatening the Earth and humankind as extreme weather has become the “new normal,” according to a report presented to UN climate chief. The report found that climate change is forcing people to reconsider the notion of an extreme event. What was once considered unlikely or rare – is becoming part of the “new normal.”
A Quantum Computing Future Is Unlikely, Due to Random Hardware Errors
Earlier this fall Google announced that it had demonstrated “quantum supremacy” – that is, that it performed a specific quantum computation far faster than the best classical computers could achieve. IBM promptly criticized the claim, saying that its own classical supercomputer could perform the computation at nearly the same speed with far greater fidelity. “So how can you make sense of what is going on?” Subhash Kak, a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, asks. “As someone who has worked on quantum computing for many years, I believe that due to the inevitability of random errors in the hardware, useful quantum computers are unlikely to ever be built.”