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LAX implements game theory insights for better security
Game theory algorithm, developed by USC graduate student, improves security by putting police on unpredictable schedules and in unpredictable locations, making it more difficult for terrorists to plan an attack which would exploit observable weaknesses in security routines
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Hazard protective suits made of new, "breathing" material
Chemical protection suits can make the wearer hot, sweaty, and extremely uncomfortable, thus limiting the time such suits can be worn; Drexel University researcher develops better material for protective suits: The new material is a new class of polymer membrane incorporating nanopores filled with an ionic polymer that allows water vapor to pass through
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New method for anthrax decontamination developed
Yellow Jackets, SMD researchers develop an X-rays and UV-C light-based method for anthrax decontamination; it is rapid and nondisruptive, and also less expensive than currently available decontamination methods; it kills anthrax spores — even those hidden in crevices and cracks — within two to three hours without any lingering effects
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Harder video game to help in better pilots head-up displays
Canadian researchers tracks the eyes of video game players for the purpose of making enemies appear where a player is least likely to see them; research could be used to design harder video games — and head-up displays for helicopter rescue pilots that would put vital information in easy-to-see places and less important information where it would not be distracting
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CCAT looking to fund new military technologies
CCAT is seeking funding applications for technologies which support the smart unmanned ground robotics initiative; technologies of interest to the Naval Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC); and force health protection
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Quantum teleportation and memory demonstrated in tandem
In quantum communication, information is transmitted using atoms, photons, or other quantum objects; researchers, for the first time, show quantum teleportation and quantum memory in a single experiment
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E.coli to serve as a future source of energy
Aggies researchers shows that a strain of E. coli produces 140 times more hydrogen than is created in a naturally occurring process; finding may prove to be a significant stepping stone on the path to a hydrogen-based economy
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Protein found in mouse urine offers powerful biosensor
Proteins found in mouse urine could help create powerful biosensors for environmental monitoring and security applications; major mouse urinary proteins coated on a standard piezoelectric crystal enabled a one thousand-fold increase in sensor sensitivity compared with existing electronic sensing methods
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Robots use electromagnetic force to create shape-shifting swarm
Carnegie Mellon researchers develop herds, or swarms, of robots using electromagnetic forces to cling to each other so they assume any shape or formation on the go; The prototype robots use electromagnetic forces to maneuver themselves, communicate, and even share power
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New method dramatically increases accuracy of facial recognition systems
University of Glasgow researchers develop a method to increase the accuracy of face recognition biometrics: A computer “averages” 20 pictures of an individual into a morphed portrait; tests show that the new method increases accuracy of a facial recognition system from 54 percent to 100 percent
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RFID technology ever more pervasive, pt. I
RFID tags are everywhere — on boxed goods, in some computer printers, car keys and tires, on shampoo bottles and department store clothing tags; they are also in library books, contactless payment cards, passports, and travel documents; they introduce efficiency and security to the supply chain, but also allow companies and organizations to track the behavior and shopping patterns of individuals
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IOTV Body Armor, Improved Outer Tactical Vest
Soldiers have complained that the standard body armor is too heavy, too hot, and too cumbersome; the Army is now deploying new body armor: It is three pounds lighter, provides more coverage in the small of the back, sits higher around the armpit area, and sits lower on the torso
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Funding for developing nuclear clean-up tool
As nuclear power draws renewed interest — what with the rising price of oil and growing worries about global warming — there is more interest in tools and solutions to help deal with nuclear waste and nuclear clean-up
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American Superconductor's New York grid work moves forward
Massachusetts-based American Superconductor signed a contract to to develop and install new electrical power-grid technology in New York City which would enable Con Edison better to handle power surges and interruptions caused by accidents, weather or terrorist attacks; after government agencies’ squabble, and congressional examination of the contract, DHS tells company to go forward
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Analysis // Ben Frankel: China is new driver of world's innovation, economy
China is becoming the driver of the world’s science, technology, and economy; the U.S.’s persistent failure to encourage and support the training of scientists and engineers in sufficient numbers, at the same time that post-9/11 immigration barriers prevent non-American scientists and engineers from filling the gap, has caused the United States to fall further behind China; if the EU were considered one entity instead of 27 separate countries, it, too, would surpass the United States
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More headlines
The long view
Autonomous Vehicle Technology Vulnerable to Road Object Spoofing and Vanishing Attacks
Researchers have demonstrated the potentially hazardous vulnerabilities associated with the technology called LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, many autonomous vehicles use to navigate streets, roads and highways. The researchers have shown how to use lasers to fool LiDAR into “seeing” objects that are not present and missing those that are – deficiencies that can cause unwarranted and unsafe braking or collisions.
Tantalizing Method to Study Cyberdeterrence
Tantalus is unlike most war games because it is experimental instead of experiential — the immersive game differs by overlapping scientific rigor and quantitative assessment methods with the experimental sciences, and experimental war gaming provides insightful data for real-world cyberattacks.
Prototype Self-Service Screening System Unveiled
TSA and DHS S&T unveiled a prototype checkpoint technology, the self-service screening system, at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas, NV. The aim is to provide a near self-sufficient passenger screening process while enabling passengers to directly receive on-person alarm information and allow for the passenger self-resolution of those alarms.
Falling Space Debris: How High Is the Risk I'll Get Hit?
An International Space Station battery fell back to Earth and, luckily, splashed down harmlessly in the Atlantic. Should we have worried? Space debris reenters our atmosphere every week.
Testing Cutting-Edge Counter-Drone Technology
Drones have many positive applications, bad actors can use them for nefarious purposes. Two recent field demonstrations brought government, academia, and industry together to evaluate innovative counter-unmanned aircraft systems.
Strengthening the Grid’s ‘Backbone’ with Hydropower
Argonne-led studies investigate how hydropower could help add more clean energy to the grid, how it generates value as grids add more renewable energy, and how liner technology can improve hydropower efficiency.