Next-Generation Retinal Implant

Scientists plan to test an implanted chip with four times the resolution of the previous version in people blinded by retinal degeneration It now has 60 pixels instead of 16 and because it is smaller the operation to implant it is much less traumatic, taking just 90 minutes instead of eight hours. Prof Humayun predicts …

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Dwave quantum computer demo part 4

Extremetech.com has a lengthy review of the Dwave presentation of its quantum computer It factually represents a lot of things that were said at the presentation. (I make that assessment as someone who was there as well.) Computerworld also has an article and indicates the Dwave target of selling quantum computers in 2008 Here is …

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Research on Smart cell chips

Smart cells will reconfigurable chips with faster speeds and low power usage. A new class of computer chip is being developed. Huang’s reconfigurable computing device, called the smart cell, will combine the advantages of ASICs and FPGAs. It will incorporate more than a thousand individual processors wired onto a silicon substrate. Each processor will be …

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Material suitable for 30 tesla magnet found

Bismuth compound has been identified as material for the new wires needed to one day build the most powerful superconducting magnet in the world, a 30 Tesla magnet. Using MR techniques at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee, Fla., Halperin and his team studied Bi-2212, one of the “darlings” of superconductivity. To measure …

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Military defense may get a step up on offense

There are two developing technologies. The millimeter radiation system for Active denial. The pain beam. It works out to 500+ meters. They are talking deployment in 2010. They are already in various field trials. I wrote about theHPM (High Power Microwave) pulses–powerful enough to destroy enemy electronics–can be produced without the need for explosives or …

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Molecular memory advance

This is another breakthrough that shows that molecular nanotechnology development is increasingly showing more and more impressive results on the way to major impact. A 160-kilobit memory device that is smaller than a white blood cell was made using interlocked molecules manufactured in the UCLA laboratory of J. Fraser Stoddart, director of the California NanoSystems …

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Silicon photonics advances

Wired discusses advances in silicon photonics In 15 or 20 years out, electrons will nearly exclusively be the stuff that computes, while photons will nearly exclusively be the stuff that communicates. Paniccia’s group at Intel will announce its fabrication of an optical modulator on a silicon chip that can translate electronic signals to light at …

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Nanodots could make higher density storage

Nanodots are one of two major approaches being pursued around the world as possible means of boosting the density of magnetic data storage. The other involves using a laser to heat and switch individual bits (Seagates HAMR technology for 50 terabits per inch) . The ultimate solution may be a combination of the two approaches, …

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New York times discusses better uses for 1.2 trillion dollars

Better uses for the conservative estimate of the Iraq War 1.2 trillion Currently the war is not buying much. A shift should be made to a lower cost approach. Just engage enough to prevent safe havens for terrorists. Redeploy to borders. Occasional sweeps through different cities. Reduce the objectives. Shore up allies Kuwait, Israel, Turkey, …

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DNA so dangerous it does not exist

New Scientist reports on research into dangerous DNA The theory is that some DNA sequences may be lethal. Hampikian’s team is deliberately searching for the shortest absent sequences in order to minimise the possibility that absent sequences are missing simply due to chance. So far they have found 86 sequences of 11 nucleotides long that …

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2007 a big year for robots

MIT technology review shows 2007 will be another big year for robots There will be more of them doing non-industrial work, they will get physically stronger, safer, drive better and Microsoft is making a developers kit for them. Brian WangBrian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers …

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