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Elephant trap for truck-bombs
A truck bomb killed 241 soliders in Beirut in 1983, and they continue to reap their grim harvest in Iraq and Afghanistan; a designer suggests an elephant-trap design as proetction
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Herding swarming robots
Individual autonomous machines are now in wide use on land, in the air, and at sea for defense and homeland security missions; using several of these robots together, in a coordinated fashion, is difficult; an MIT researcher offers a way to use “swarming” robots which talk to each other
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Bottle makes dirty water drinkable; ideal for post diaster relief
A bottle which purifies even the dirtiest water — it uses filter which cuts out anything longer than 15 nanometres, which means that viruses are filtered out — is ideal for post-disaster relief, soldiers in the field
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Military GPS technology to be marketed domestically
Rockwell Collins will market its Polaris-branded devices, popular in the military, to homeland security and search and rescue agencies
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Body sensor network to improve individual's performance, safety
Imperial College London’s researcher develops sensor which monitors athletes’ performance; it may be used to monitor soldiers, first responders — and the sick and the eledrly
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Flying saucer technology to aid military, law enforcement
Small British company makes a UAV flying saucer; applications include close quarter surveillance and intelligence gathering for military and law enforcement, mountain rescue, and farming
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U.K. researchers to develop new communication signals analysis
The extreme risks and rapid time frames associated with terrorist activities make it difficult to gather evidence that might prevent an attack or lead to successful prosecution; analyzing communication signals with with forensic psychology techniques should help
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DirecTV thwarted in effort to limit signal interception
Court protects security and computer science research into satellite and smart-card technology by denying DirecTV’s broad — too broad — interpretation of federal law prohibiting “assembly” or “modification” of equipment designed to intercept satellite signals
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UAV sets duration world record
QinetiQ’s Zephyr uses solar power to fly for 54 hours while carrying a surveillance payload
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Russia tests world's biggest conventional bomb
As the war against terrorism and nuclear weapon proliferation escalates, so does the interest in bunker-busting weapon systems; Russia tests the latest version, and rogue nations with nuclear materials produced and stored in deeply dug bunkers, and terrorists hiding in caves and fortified undeground tunnels, should pause to reflect
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El Paso school district relies on interoperability
El Paso school district wants to avoid the problems highlighted in Columbine: It uses Department of Justice funds to buy radios which will allow school police officers to talk to El Paso city police and firefighters instantly
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CrimeCog Technologies aquires E*Justice
E*Justice helps different law enforcement departments share information; in addition, one department’s information storage may keep information intact for all other subscribers in the event of a disaster
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East Africa emerges as important front in war on terror
Deteriorating security situation along the east Africa coast leads U.S. government to issue strong warning about travel, shipping in the region
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China to work harder to clean up its act in space
China is now the most polluted — and most polluting — country on Earth; at least the Chinese government has now committed to clean up its activities in space — which is good news for U.S. commercial and military intetrests
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NIST's enhanced PIV Data Generator
NIST releases an improved version of its Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Data Generator — and it can be downloaded from the organization’s Web site
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The long view
Sea-Level Rise Has Increased Frequency of Extreme Coastal Flooding Worldwide: Study
Human-caused sea-level rise has significantly increased the frequency of extreme coastal flooding worldwide. New research found that coastal flooding events expected only once every 100 years are now, on average, about 12 times more likely to occur.
China’s ‘Artificial Sun’: The Holy Grail of Energy
China has achieved a major milestone in its pursuit of commercial nuclear fusion, with two domestically developed superconducting magnets designed for a fusion reactor successfully passing technical acceptance and full-load testing.
U.S. Needs New Drought Assessment Framework as Droughts Become More Severe and Unpredictable
Droughts in the United States are becoming more intense and unpredictable, and the nation needs to develop a new drought assessment framework to better understand and address them. A new framework should be developed which distinguishes between short-term operational needs, such as drought monitoring and emergency response, and long-term planning for water management, infrastructure, and climate adaptation.
What Should America Do with Its Aging Dams?
Aging dams pose growing safety and economic challenges. Two Stanford water experts discuss the safety, economic, and environmental tradeoffs driving debates over dam removal.