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WiMAX patent alliance formed to promote the standard
WiMAX has so far failed to deliver on the promise inerent in it; six WiMAX big hitters create a patent alliance which will allow for quicker and smoother adoption of the technology
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Plasma-propelled flying saucer
University of Florida researcher designs a plasma-propelled flying saucer — the patent application calls it “wingless electromagnetic air vehicle” — which may be used for surveillance purposes; vehicle powered by magnetohydrodynamics — the force created when a current or a magnetic field is passed through a conducting fluid
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School of Robofish forms basis for underwater robot teams
Most ocean robots require periodic communication with scientist or satellite intermediaries to share information, but new robots can work cooperatively communicating only with each other
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U.S. nuclear recycling plans raise proliferation risks
GAO says that the Department of Energy’s new approach to recycling nuclear materials — or rather, the department’s 2006 decision to go back to a more traditional plutonium separation method — increases the risk of nuclear proliferation
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New class of meterials offers many benefits
Microspheres to carry hydrogen, deliver drugs, filter gases, and detect nuclear weapons development
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New low-carbon technology center in London
The Center for Efficient and Renewable Energy in Buildings will provide a teaching, research and demonstration resource for the capital; the center is the first of its kind in the United Kingdom
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Missing the energy-saving forest for the trees
U.K. expert says that the beneficial effects of turning off standby lights, switching from bottled to tap water, washing clothes at a lower temperature, or having car tires at the right air pressure, pale in insignificance when compared with what was happening at the supply end of energy provision
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Wrist-mounted translator
Soldiers having to mix and converse with non-English speaking populations will appreciate the nifty device: a wrist-mounted translator developed at Derby University
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Using herd mentality for protection
New car security system acts as a herd of animals in the wild would: cars parked next to each other on the street or parking lot serve as look-outs for each other, alerting the authorities if one of the cars is being broken into
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GE Energy, Schlumberger in clean-coal power plant venture
Collaboration will bring together GE’s experience in integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) systems and Schlumberger Carbon Service’s carbon capture and storage (CCS), site selection, and project management expertise
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Future weapons on display
Last week the futuristic-looking XM-25 IAWS was displayed to lawmakers; the system, still under development, will eventually be used to address the defeat of defilade targets — those targets protected by obstacles such as hills or ridges
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Upcoming UCLA extension course: Biometric Identification Technology
UCLA Extension course offers comprehensive review of major biometric technologies and issues; the course is designed for both people already in the field and for newcomers
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Phase II for AV's nano aircraft
Tiny UAV — 7.5 cm wing span, 10 grams in weight — to be used by military, law enforcement to gather information outdoors and indoors
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Stretchy spider silks can be springs or rubber
Spider silk is stronger than steel and nylon, and more extensible than Kevlar; it would be ideal for personal protective gear for soldiers and law enforcement, and medical applications; “would be ideal” — because we do not yet know how to spin artificial silk; Canadian scientists have interesting ideas
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U.S. Army to expand Land Warrior to an entire brigade
Land Warrior is a modular fighting system that uses state-of-the-art computer, communications, and global positioning technologies to link soldiers digitally on the battlefield; it has proved itself in Iraq
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More headlines
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.