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Space-based solar power coming to California
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), California’s largest utility company, will purchase from Solaren 200 megawatts of electricity when Solaren’s system is in place, which is expected to be 2016
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Using a long tether to deflect threatening asteroids
An asteroid-tether-ballast system could effectively alter the motion of an asteroid to ensure it missed hitting Earth; the tether, though, is on the long side: between 1,000 kilometers to 100,000 kilometers
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Aussies inaugurate carbon capture institute
Australia is the world’s fourth largest producer of hard coal, and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says that Australia has a national and shared global responsibility to establish the workability of carbon capture and storage technology at a commercial scale
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Pocket-size choppers for soldiers, first responders
Norwegian company successfully tests a tiny helicopter — it is just over 10 cm long and weighs 0.5 grams; it will be used to look inside a building, over a hill or crest, or down a tunnel
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American Technology Corp.: LRAD worked as intended in February incident
San Diego-based American Technology Corporation says its product — long-range acoustic device (LRAD) — was never deployed during the February 2009 MV Biscaglia pirate incident; LRAD is a critical part of a layered defense strategy; it is effective in giving crew members time to determine the intent of unidentified vessels that do not respond to radio calls, and let the pirates know that they lost the element of surprise
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U.S. tests large flying wing-type UAV in Afghanistan
Hazy photographs emerged of a large flying-wing UAV — or, rather, UCAV (unmanned combat air vehicle) —on a runway in a military base in Afghanistan; the shape and assumed capabilities indicate growing role of unmanned system in attack missions
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Watching the watchers: new solution monitors CCTV operators
People watching CCTV images back in the control rooms often have too many screens to monitor at once, and as a result may miss the criminal or antisocial activities they are there to spot; a new solution monitor the monitors
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Latest in nonlethal weapons: Poo-flinging catapult
A colorful English businessman, tired of his property and business being burglarized, used a catapult loaded with chicken excrement to deter burglars; the police said the smart-poo device was illegal because it could not be said to use “reasonable force”
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New curved laser beams may be used to lessen threats of thunderclouds
U.S. physicists have created the first curved laser beams; the laser’s plasma channels could be used to control lightning strikes by firing laser pulses into thunderclouds
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Seeing through concrete, clearly
Insurgents and terrorists fight from within civilian structures, making it difficult for soldiers and first responders to respond without injuring many civilians; DARPA wants a solution which would allow soldiers to look through concrete walls and give them a detailed picture of a building’s interior — right down to the fixtures
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£8.5 million in grants for innovative businesses in east England
U.K. regional development agency has £8.5 million in grants for research and development of hi-tech products and proof of concept; businesses may also benefit from funds available from the European Regional Development Fund
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Smart bandage tells doctors about state of wound healing
Dutch researchers develop a smart bandage which updates doctors about the wound healing process; bandage made of printed electronic sensors; the researchers’ next goal: add an antenna to transmit information about the patient’s health remotely to the attending physician
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Metallic nanostructures make security and medical sensors possible
New sensors could be tailor-made instantly to detect the presence of particular molecules, for example poisons or explosives in transport screening situations, or proteins in patients’ blood samples, with high sensitivity
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DARPA looking for construction material made of solar cells
What if there was a material made of solar cells but which would be strong and flexible enough to be used for making planes and cars? There would be no need for an engine — or for batteries, as the material would generate and store power
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£44 million to U.K. universities to share knowledge with business
U.K. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) created the Knowledge Transfer Accounts (KTA) program to increase collaboration between academia and business; so far, the EPSRC’s KTA programs have awarded a total of £44 million
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The long view
Nuclear Has Changed. Will the U.S. Change with It?
Fueled by artificial intelligence, cloud service providers, and ambitious new climate regulations, U.S. demand for carbon-free electricity is on the rise. In response, analysts and lawmakers are taking a fresh look at a controversial energy source: nuclear power.
Exploring the New Nuclear Energy Landscape
In the last few years, the U.S. has seen a resurgence of interest in nuclear energy and its potential for helping meet the nation’s growing demands for clean electricity and energy security. Meanwhile, nuclear energy technologies themselves have advanced, opening up new possibilities for their use.