• NASA short on funds to keep up with killer asteroids

    NASA is charged with seeking out nearly all the asteroids that threaten Earth; trouble is, it does not have the money to do the job

  • Competition for U.S. Marines' supply robocopter down to two

    The U.S. Marines are looking for unmanned supply helicopters that can deliver ten tons of supplies across distances of 150 miles in 24 hours; they also have to be able to hover at high altitudes (say, up in the Hindu Kush mountains)

  • Making software safer

    More and more security systems in aircraft and motor vehicles rely on software for their operation; Aussie researchers develop away to make sure such software is safe

  • "Point-and-toss" UAV in field demonstration

    Florida-based IATech used the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International’s biannual field demonstration to show its point-and-toss UAV: the unit measures 3 feet across and is thrown like a paper airplane; it costs only about $25,000

  • All-titanium campus bridge show way for defense industry

    University of Akron, Defense Metals Technology Center co-sponsor design contest for titanium pedestrian bridge on university’s campus; titanium is a strong, lightweight, virtually corrosion-proof (but expensive) metal; a high-profile venture demonstrating titanium’s feasibility in commercial infrastructure projects could spark greater demand and open new markets for titanium
    ‘Avant-garde’ all-titanium span could spur other projects - and cut Pentagon’s costs

  • TSA conducting scanning tech evaluation

    TSA tests both millimeter wave and backscatter imaging technologies to address privacy concerns; the aim is to reduce concerns about privacy while strengthening the ability to detect metallic and non-metallic threats

  • University of Detroit Mercy receives cyber security research contract

    The aim of the $551,500 federal contract is to develop and disseminate the knowledge necessary to ensure that the software that enables America’s business and critical infrastructure is safe and secure

  • phd 4 u: British researcher receives first ever doctor of texting

    Texts are much more about maintaining and building relationships rather than passing on raw facts; as such they tend to include a lot of information which is irrelevant but entertaining

  • Israel equips its tanks with anti-missile systems

    During the summer 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, twenty-two Israeli Merkava tanks were damaged by Russian Kornet anti-tank guided missiles fired by Hezbollah fighters; the Israeli military determined that most of the missile hits could have been averted if the tanks had been equipped with available anti-missile systems

  • DARPA acquires British hi-tech fabric vehicle armor

    U.K. company Amsafe developed hi-tech cloth which protects vehicles from RPGs and other rockets; DARPA, which has been trying for a long time to develop similar material under the RPGnets program, decides to order test quantities of the U.K. material

  • Hacking schools flourish in China

    Chinese hackers have been on the forefront of sustained hacking and disruption campaign against Western business and government networks — some do it for fun, other for profit, but many do so on behalf of the Chinese government and its many intelligence and military agencies; ever wondered where all these hackers come from? “Hacker schools” are big business in China, generating $34.8 million last year

  • Study: No high engineering dropout rate

    New study from Purdue University busts two education-related myths - - that engineering has a higher dropout rate than other majors and that women do not as well as men

  • Powered robot suits demonstrated in Tokyo

    Japanese company develops a powered exoskeletal suit intended for heavy labor, rescue support at disaster sites, and use by the disabled or elderly

  • U.K. to create largest technology fund in Europe

    U.K. government’s agency issued an RFP that sets out parameters for the creation of the largest technology fund in Europe; the government forecasts that this investment will be enough to create a 10-year fund worth £1 billion

  • New titanium alloys offer better IED protection

    Titanium deforms and retains damage from strong impacts and fast applied forces — such compression on the metal can happen when it is hit by bullets or explosives; metallurgy theory provides a greater understanding of the material at the atomic scale — an understanding which will lead to the production of more resilient titanium