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Fuel cells for UAVs
Massachusetts company awarded a contract to increase the power density of its existing fuel cell while also increasing the power output of the overall system
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DARPA looking for space sweeper
The age of space exploration allowed mankind to look deep into space, but it has also created a glut of space junk orbiting Earth and threatening future space missions; DARPA seeks ideas on cleaning space debris, noting that it looking for systems capable of dealing with everything from rubbish up to “derelict spaceship” size
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Biometric surveillance checkpoint technology would notice the imperceptible
Draper Laboratory and collaborators develop technology which will home in on irregular physiological and behavioral biometrics of the individual being screened, such as heart rate, blink rate, and even fidgeting
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Roboboat to fight pirates
An American company has developed an automated counterpiracy system that could be outfitted to a vessel and set loose on patrol
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The day of the "iSniff" nears
Pocket-size pollution sensors hold promise of big improvement in monitoring personal environment; wearable sensors to be used for identifying air-borne causes of disease
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More efficient nuclear fuel sought
DoE funds research to address the shortcomings of uranium dioxide — the fuel most commonly used to generate nuclear energy
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California police employs nonlethal weapon used against pirates
ATC’s long range acoustic device (LRAD) blast sounds at 150 decibels — 50 times the human threshold of pain — to fend off approaching pirates or massing insurgents; California law enforcement is now using the device at local political events
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U.K. equips soldiers with thermal rifle sights
The red dot sight is more accurate than iron sights, could be used with both eyes open, and is generally more effective at typical combat ranges (under a hundred meters)
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Turning water fountains into infection control units
Toronto’s Farrow Partnership Architects sees future in infection-control units
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Detecting counterfeit pharmaceuticals
Researchers develop a method which quickly and cheaply identifies counterfeit drugs in the health care industry
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Electronic nose detects toxins
Physicists have radiation badges to protect them in the workplace, but chemists and workers who handle chemicals do not have equivalent devices to monitor their exposure to potentially toxic chemicals; new electronic nose will change that
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Surveillance software solves security snag
Network security monitoring is currently limited by the inability of operators to recall the relationships between more than about 40 cameras in a network; the new software will automatically integrate data from thousands of security cameras in a video surveillance network into a single sensor, eliminating existing problems with huge information overloads
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Airborne laser ready for flight tests
The coming months will be important for the airborne laser — the multibillion-dollar laser built into a customized Boeing 747 will try to shoot a ballistic missile as it rises above the clouds
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U.K. orders helmet-mounted displays
BAE’s The Q-Sight display is a key element of the Gunner’s Remote Sighting System (GRSS), a system that will allow the image from a machine-gun-mounted thermal weapon sight to be displayed remotely on a see-through display mounted on the weapon operator’s helmet
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New type of blast-resistant glass
Currently, blast-resistant window glass is more than 1in thick, which is much thicker than standard window glass that is only one-fourth of an inch thick and hurricane-protected window glass that is one-half of an inch thick; the new glass being developed is less than one-half of an inch thick
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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.
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.