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New three-in-one detection device
Lawrence Livermore researchers develop a “universal point detection system” which can detect explosive, chemical, and biological agents all at the same time
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NASA awards general aviation technology prizes
NASA wants to encourage innovations that would lead to aircraft that are safer, more affordable, easier to fly and also have less of a negative impact on the environment and on the communities that surround airports
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U.K. Grand Challenge mini-vehicle competition held this weekend
Eleven teams made it to the final of the U.K. Ministry of Defense mini-vehicle competition, aiming to promote devising highly autonomous vehicles capable of identifying threats that are being encountered by U.K. troops on overseas operations
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Scientists to study synthetic telepathy
Researchers are lookig into synthetic telepathy — for example, a soldier would “think” a message to be transmitted and a computer-based speech recognition system would decode the EEG signals and transmit the thought to its intended target
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Simple aluminum structure protects against explosions
Norwegian researchers develop a simple aluminum structure which is made of double-walled panel that can be filled with a suitable heavy substance found on site, such as dirt, sand, gravel, or pebbles
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Can New York City's infrastructure handle climate change's consequences?
Mayor Michael Bloomberg sets up a panel of experts to examine whether NYC can cope with flooded subway tunnels, rising sea levels, intense heat, and other consequences of climate change
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ITT awarded contracts for land mine jammers
EDO makes the Warlock jammer, a derivative of its earlier “Shortstop” product; EDO has a new name for the anti-IED device — CVRJ (CREW Vehicle Receiver/Jammer) — and a new owner — ITT; company wins a new contract, worth up to $1 billion, for its jammer
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Commercial use of invisibility cloak now within sight
Researchers engineer 3-D materials that can reverse the natural direction of visible and near-infrared light, thus forming the basis for higher resolution optical imaging — and for cloaking devices that could render objects invisible to the human eye
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Using kites to generate electricity
The amount of power available from wind is related to the cube of its speed; blades at higher altitudes could thus generate up to five times the amount of electricity as at lower altitudes; why, then, not place blades at higher altitudes?
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Smart Grid would contribute to U.S. energy security and sustainability
New report from the Reform Institute examines benefits of a next generation electric power grid for national resilience and energy efficiency
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Decision on national biolab nears
Five states are vying to host to new, $450 million national biolab which will replace the aging Plum island facility; some lawmakers are questioning the selection process: an internal DHS review ranked the Mississippi site in Flora 14th out of 17 sites originally considered, yet it made it to the final five
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UTD students place 2nd in Robotic submarine competition
Students’ 11th-hour changes help propel team to top Ranks in underwater challenge
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DHS prepares for attack during transition
Elaine Duke, DHS’s undersecretary for management: “A lot of acts of terror take place in times of political change, and there’s an awareness of that…. So we’re looking at — when our political employees leave — who acts in their place … in case of an incident”
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San Diego event to discuss robotic platforms -- their role and management
Robotic platforms perform core and more military and first response missions; the Security Network event in San Diego will discuss these platforms, their missions, payload, and management
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Edible optical sensor to watch for bacteria in food
Tufts University researchers demonstrate for the first time that it is possible to design “living” optical elements that could enable an entirely new class of sensors; these sensors would combine sophisticated nanoscale optics with biological readout functions, be biocompatible and biodegradable, and be manufactured and stored at room temperatures without use of toxic chemicals
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The long view
New Technology is Keeping the Skies Safe
DHS S&T Baggage, Cargo, and People Screening (BCP) Program develops state-of-the-art screening solutions to help secure airspace, communities, and borders
Factories First: Winning the Drone War Before It Starts
Wars are won by factories before they are won on the battlefield,Martin C. Feldmann writes, noting that the United States lacks the manufacturing depth for the coming drone age. Rectifying this situation “will take far more than procurement tweaks,” Feldmann writes. “It demands a national-level, wartime-scale industrial mobilization.”
How Artificial General Intelligence Could Affect the Rise and Fall of Nations
Visions for potential AGI futures: A new report from RAND aims to stimulate thinking among policymakers about possible impacts of the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI) on geopolitics and the world order.
Smaller Nuclear Reactors Spark Renewed Interest in a Once-Shunned Energy Source
In the past two years, half the states have taken action to promote nuclear power, from creating nuclear task forces to integrating nuclear into long-term energy plans.
Keeping the Lights on with Nuclear Waste: Radiochemistry Transforms Nuclear Waste into Strategic Materials
How UNLV radiochemistry is pioneering the future of energy in the Southwest by salvaging strategic materials from nuclear dumps –and making it safe.
Model Predicts Long-Term Effects of Nuclear Waste on Underground Disposal Systems
The simulations matched results from an underground lab experiment in Switzerland, suggesting modeling could be used to validate the safety of nuclear disposal sites.