Ultra-high-speed wireless connectivity – capable of transferring 15 gigabits of data per second over short distances – has taken a significant step toward reality. A recent decision by an international standards group could help bring this technology to market soon. Multi-gigabit technology could also help enable “viral communications.” Viral communications scenarios envision a future of …
Steven Chu said on Tuesday that he would push as the new energy secretary to help the nuclear energy and clean coal industries jump-start their contributions to battle the nation’s energy crisis. The Nobel Prize-winning physicist told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee during his confirmation hearing that he’d help streamline nuclear loan guarantees …
1. Super carbon nanotube batteries MIT Technology Review reports researchers at MIT have made pure, dense, thin films of carbon nanotubes that show promise as electrodes for higher-capacity batteries and supercapacitors. Dispensing with the additives previously used to hold such films together improved their electrical properties, including the ability to carry and store a large …
Information on the Inertial Electrostatic Fusion project by EMC2 Fusion Inc which is carrying on the work of the late Robert Bussard Alan Boyle reports that the review of the WB7 experiment is done and the verdict is positive. The team has turned in its final report, and it’s been double-checked by a peer-review panel, …
Hale Bonddad Steward at Huffington Post has a lot of charts that show the bad financial situation. Brad Delong, economist, seems to be indicating that the USA is at or near a depression. There is serious talk and moves toward a $3 trillion stimulus package that would allow everyone in the USA to refinance a …
Researchers have solved one of the significant remaining challenges with photonic “metamaterials,” discovering a way to prevent the loss of light as it passes through these materials, and opening the door to many important new optical, electronic and communication technologies. Photonic metamaterials are engineered composite materials with unique electromagnetic properties, and have attracted significant research …
Dramatic enhancement in energy harvesting for a narrow range of dimensions in piezoelectric nanostructures around the critical size of 20-23 nanometer thick beams. Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) material employed in the form of cantilever beams, our results indicate that the total harvested power peak value can increase by 100% around 21 nm beam thickness (under …
GE90 engine is an example of improving engine affordability and with better performance Phase 2 and 3 of the Versatile Affordable Advanced Turbine Engines (VAATE) program are being funded. The VAATE program is structured in three phases to achieve 4X performance/cost by 2009, 6X performance/cost by 2013 and 10X performance/cost by 2017. The Adaptive Versatile …
The Supercomputer conference is Nov 15-20, 2008. Technological developments in several areas have the potential to impact exascale supercomputer systems in a very disruptive way. These technologies could lead to viable exascale systems in the 2015-2020 timeframe. Four technologies are: * Quantum computing [Dwave Systems] * Flash storage Sun Micro has introduced high performance flash …
Previously this site had speculated on using current and in development technology to create a Bolo supertank from science fiction. From Roland Piquepaille’s Technology Trends : Caterpillar engineers and computer scientists from Carnegie Mellon University have teamed up to develop an autonomous 700 ton mining truck. The super-large mining truck was a baseline from which …
From Foresight Institutes Nanodot report of new Japanese research. Robert Freitas (author of Nanomedicine) commented on the new Japanese work: This paper reports purely mechanical-based covalent bond-making and bond-breaking (true mechanosynthesis) involving atom by atom substitution of silicon (Si) atoms for tin (Sn) atoms in an Sn monolayer surface on a Si(111) surface; also demonstrates …