• Locating VoIP callers in emergencies

    Callers who use VoIP to call 999 (the U.K. equivalent of the U.S. 911) run the risk of making it difficult, if not impossible, for the police, paramedics, and fire crews to attend emergencies promptly; a system is being developed to locate Internet phones

  • First solar-powered plane to fly at night

    Swiss aviators designed a solar-powered plane capable of flying day and night; the goal is to make fly for 36 hours without fuel; test flight scheduled for 26 June

  • Researchers conduct live human trials of brain-plug interface

    Brown University researchers begin human trials of “neural interface” brain-plug equipment, intended to let users control computers and machinery merely by thinking; the technology would initially be used by patients suffering from paralysis or amputated limbs, but eventually allow people, telekinetically, to unlock doors, turn lights or machines on and off, handle computers

  • New method for chemoterrorism developed

    Chemical terrorism does not receive as much press as bioterrorism; still, poisoning the air, water, and food supply using chemicals can do major harm and terrorize, intimidate, or coerce governments or civilian populations; scientists develop a new method to detect chemical attacks

  • Mystery surrounds detection of North Korea's nuclear test

    Detecting radionuclide evidence in the form of radioactive gas is the “smoking gun” — proving that a nuclear explosion has occurred; seismologists say they are comfortable that explosion in North Korea two weeks ago was a nuclear test — but sensors have not been able to pick up radionuclide evidence

  • Inflatable tower would bring people to the edge of space

    Scientists describe a 15-kilometer inflatable tower made up of 100 modules, each one 150 meters tall and 230 meters in diameter, built from inflatable tubes 2 meters across; when pressurized, the tower would weigh 800,000 tons — twice the weight of the world’s largest supertanker

  • Motorola: Cellphones could offer a unified disaster alerts broadcasts

    Motorola envisages using cellphones for emergency alerts even if most of a cellphone network is down; a new generation of cellphones that can rapidly form a peer-to-peer network when an emergency alert is broadcast

  • Technology to prevent police friendly-fire accidents "nonviable"

    Following a recent killing of a plain clothes policeman by fellow officers, the NYPD asked the Pacific Northwestern Laboratory to look into the possibility of developing a technology which would prevent such accidents in the future; PNL says such technology is currently nonviable

  • IDF to use serpent surveillance robot

    Israeli researchers developed a 2-meter long serpent-like robot which mimics the movements and appearance of real snakes, slithering around through caves, tunnels, cracks, and buildings, while at the same time sending images and sound back to a soldier who controls the device through a laptop computer

  • UAV operation now a career path in U.S. Air Force

    The USAF has 127 Predator and 31 Reaper UAVs in service, along with some 400 pilots to run them; these operators can put about 36 UAVs into the air at any given time; the USAF wants to be able to do more, so it has instituted a policy which will see 10 percent of recent graduates from pilot schools will spend three years operating UAVs, before going on to flying manned aircraft

  • NYPD looking for technology to prevent friendly fire

    The recent accidental shooting of a plain clothes policeman by fellow officers has prompted NYPD to seek technology to prevent friendly fire accidents; the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will help

  • Radio-controlled bullets

    Rifle fires radio-controlled bullets that can detonate within a meter of a target, allowing soldiers to fire on snipers hiding in trenches, behind walls, or inside buildings

  • Flying car's proof-of-concept testing now complete

    Terrafugia says its Transition flying car has completed the proof-of-concept testing; company now to build a beta test prototype; the company is taking reservations, and deliveries are expected in 2011

  • U.K. to test technology to reduce friendly fire accidents

    New technology will allow pilots to identify U.K. soldiers on the ground; the Combat ID Server (CIDS) system will be continuously updated about the location of U.K. troops on the ground; pilots will see these see blips representing U.K. ground units in his or her heads-up display

  • Fuel-cells will extend UAVs' ability to roam the skies

    At present, battery-powered electric UAVs are limited to one to three hours of flight; Massachusetts-based Protonex developed a power systems which allows this flight time to be extended by up to four times