Technology
Computing networks of tomorrow will be evolving meshes of different processors, various legacy and newer hardware, and numerous software and operating platforms spanning generations - making it costly, bordering on impossible, to rely solely on human programmers to build and manage so many diverse systems.
The ancient Greeks believed that, above the terrestrial sphere, the universe was filled with a mysterious element called ether or aether - the ‘fifth element'. In 19th century physics, ether was believed to be the substance that filled all of space, basically an undefined thing like…
A project under development at the University of Nevada, Reno, called VI Fit can help children who are blind become more physically active and healthy through video games. The human-computer interaction research team in the computer science and engineering department has developed a motion-sensing-based tennis and bowling exergame.
"Lack of vision forms a significant barrier to participation in physical activity and consequently children with visual impairments have much higher obesity rates and obesity-related illnesses such as diabetes," Eelke Folmer, research team leader and assistant…
Hank |
Some new research out of the Dynamic Robotics Laboratory at Oregon State University could have practical, humanitarian uses, like prosthetic limbs for humans or helping people in wheelchairs gain 'walking' mobility. It could also be used for awesome military power. You know what I am talking about. Yep, the blurb will read "taking on dangerous missions in the military" but we know it means whacking wholesome rebels in a galaxy far, far away.
Credit: Wikipedia, though how they get away without a lawsuit is beyond anyone's understanding.
Currently, robotics is nowhere…
A team of researchers has developed a model that can recereate famous historical monuments. The project makes it possible to create three-dimensional plans with colour images of historical and artistic places of interest. The data is recorded by laser scanners that take the maximum number of geometric measurements from a minimum number of positions"With this methodology an exact model of the monuments or places of interest can be obtained in a virtual way", Pedro Martín-Lerones, co-author of the study and researcher at the Cartif Foundation in the Technological Park of Boecillo (…
A group of bioelectronics researchers say they have made a major step toward being able to regulate nerve cells externally. Their breakthrough is based on an ion transistor of plastic that can transport ions and charged biomolecules and thereby address and regulate cells.
Previously, use has been made of nano-canals and nano-pores to actively control the concentration and transport of ions but those components are difficult to produce and function poorly when the salt content is high, obviously something that would be an issue in interaction with biological systems.
"To get around…
An innovative paint system may make it possible to lower the fuel consumption of airplanes and ships, reducing costs and carbon dioxide emissions, according to researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Applied Materials Research. When applied to every airplane every year throughout the world, the paint could save a volume of 4.48 million tons of fuel.
The inspiration for the paint's structure comes from the scales of fast-swimming sharks that have evolved in a manner that significantly diminishes drag. The challenge was to apply this knowledge to a paint that…
calliope |
Just a quick update for my fab fans out there. And by 'fab' I mean 'PCB fabricators'. For the Calliope satellite, I need 8 printed circuit boards (PCBs) fabricated for the solar cells. As I covered earlier, these cells are also the main satellite structural beams.
And were in a golden age of DIY electronics! There are companies that will make as few as a single board, for around $20, for any small schematic you may have. Mind you, I'd love recommendations on PCB fabricators to try-- this is a new area for me.
The specs: these solar cell panels are about 1 inch x…
You could be forgiven for thinking that the days when flying was a frontier science are well and truly over, but not so, as the Solar Impulse had its maiden flight recently. A flying machine no longer seems an eccentric idea but the aim of Solar Impulse is to fly using only solar power.
"It needs a very big wingspan with high aerodynamic efficiency in order to maintain a slow speed, which in turn cuts energy consumption. The aeroplane has a wingspan of 64 metres, comparable to that of an Airbus 340, but it weighs only 1600 kilograms, about as much as a car. This combination allows us to fly…
Computer analysis of sentiments expressed in a billion "tweets" during 2008-2009 yielded measures of consumer confidence and presidential job approval similar to those of well-established public opinion polls, Carnegie Mellon University researchers say.
The findings suggest that analyzing the text found in streams of tweets could become a cheap, rapid means of gauging public opinion on at least some subjects. But tools for extracting public opinion from social media text are still crude and social media remain in their infancy, so the extent to which these methods could replace or supplement…
In the interest of wanting to prove to the skeptics that the latest Chrome beta version is actually faster than lightening, Google set up these awesome speed tests to see whether Chrome can load faster than a speeding potato shot from a cannon, lightning sent from a giant Tesla coil, and sound waves channeled through hot pink paint and a keytar.
Here's a YouTube video showing the experiments:
And here's Google's official "behind the scenes" video:
The winner is...? We'll find out official results tomorrow. H/t to Huffington Post.