• RFID technology ever more pervasive, pt. I

    RFID tags are everywhere — on boxed goods, in some computer printers, car keys and tires, on shampoo bottles and department store clothing tags; they are also in library books, contactless payment cards, passports, and travel documents; they introduce efficiency and security to the supply chain, but also allow companies and organizations to track the behavior and shopping patterns of individuals

  • IOTV Body Armor, Improved Outer Tactical Vest

    Soldiers have complained that the standard body armor is too heavy, too hot, and too cumbersome; the Army is now deploying new body armor: It is three pounds lighter, provides more coverage in the small of the back, sits higher around the armpit area, and sits lower on the torso

  • Funding for developing nuclear clean-up tool

    As nuclear power draws renewed interest — what with the rising price of oil and growing worries about global warming — there is more interest in tools and solutions to help deal with nuclear waste and nuclear clean-up

  • American Superconductor's New York grid work moves forward

    Massachusetts-based American Superconductor signed a contract to to develop and install new electrical power-grid technology in New York City which would enable Con Edison better to handle power surges and interruptions caused by accidents, weather or terrorist attacks; after government agencies’ squabble, and congressional examination of the contract, DHS tells company to go forward

  • First commercial hot-dry-rock geothermal power plant to start operation

    Hot fractured dry rock technology was invented to draw energy from deep underground areas where geothermal heat is abundant, but no water exists to carry the heat to the surface; Aussie company this week to begin operation of the world’s first commercial dry rock geothermal power plant

  • MapSnapper allows queries of points of interest on maps

    Southampton University researchers develop MapSnapper; solution allows cell phone users to take pictures of map sections and have the pictures come back to them with points of interest added; these points of interest can then be queried further; solution could help phone screen advertising — and first responders rushing to the scene of a disaster

  • Magnetic fingerprinting to contribute to air traffic safety

    European researchers develop an innovative system which monitors tiny fluctuations in the Earth’s magnetic field caused by a passing plane; system increases airport safety even in the worst weather conditions

  • MIT awards more than $1.6 million to fund research projects

    MIT Energy Initiative unveils first seed grant winners for energy research; innovative research projects include harnessing microbes, developing new materials, curbing pollution, harvesting wasted watts, and much more

  • Pentagon seeks electropulse blast-ray weapon

    The U.S. Air Force is seeking electromagnetic pulse weapon for the purpose of targeting an enemy communications, data, or power grid networks and overloading their circuits with disruptive RF-induced spikes; earlier efforts to develop such a weapon have failed, but the Pentagon believes a terawatt RF zap weapon is feasible

  • Purdue researchers turn cell phones into radiation detectors

    Boilermaker scientists equip cell phones with radiation sensors able to detect even light residues of radioactive material; many cell phones already contain global positioning locators, so the detector-equipped network of phones would serve as a national radiation tracking system

  • Renault/Nissan to turn Israel into electric car haven

    Car makers, with the help of $1 billion investment from Project Better Place, will wire Israel with 500,000 charging points and 150 battery-swap stations where motorists can exchange their depleted batteries for recharged ones within about five minutes

  • Plasma propulsion drives tiny drones

    The military, law enforcement, and industry turn to ever-smaller surveillance and inspection devices — some the size of insects; trouble is, these miniature drones have a tendency to break down because of the many moving parts required to make them fly; OSU researchers find a solution: Plasma micro thruster

  • Animation shows how cities will cope with devastating earthquakes

    How do we know what damage will be sustained by a city located in an earthquake-prone region? Purdue University researchers have an ambitious idea: Create a mini satellite city to cope with the aftermath of such a catastrophe; Boilermakers have created a 3D fly-through animation showing what the city would look like

  • Idaho geothermal power plant goes online

    U.S. Geothermal launches first geothermal power plant in Idaho; plant uses innovative binary cycle technology in which the geothermal fluid is pumped through a heat exchanger to vaporize isopentane, an organic compound that vaporizes at lower temperatures than water

  • New consortium to develop tiny sensors to boost energy production

    The University of Texas at Austin announces the Advanced Energy Consortium (AEC), a multimillion-dollar research consortium dedicated to the development of micro and nanotechnology applications to increase oil and gas production