NY Times – President Obama outlined a broad new military strategy for the United States on Thursday, one that refocuses the armed forces on threats in Asia and the Pacific region, continues a strong presence in the Middle East but makes clear that American ground forces will no longer be large enough to conduct prolonged, …
Agriculture is a field where robotics holds particular promise. Agricultural work is often simple but grueling, and the agriculture and horticulture industries are finding it difficult to meet their labor requirements. A startup robotics company called Harvest Automation is developing robots designed specifically for agricultural work. In an interview with Sander Olson, roboticist and Harvest …
German and French officials lowered expectations Wednesday for a deal to save the euro during this week’s European summit, deflating investors’ optimism about a broad resolution of Europe’s debt crisis. Instead of a new treaty among the 27 members of the European Union, a French official suggested a more likely outcome will be an accord …
Current generic fitness assessments (including push-ups, sit-ups and chin-ups) are often poor predictors of performance in strength based job tasks. In a DSTO study involving over 100 soldiers, the effectiveness of push-ups, sit-ups and chin-ups was compared to a ‘box lift and place’ assessment method (pictured) that involves lifting a weighted box in a manner …
This session at Techonomy 2011 features Ned Hooper of Cisco, Doreen Lorenzo of frog, and Guo Xiao of ThoughtWorks. Gary Rieschel of Qiming Venture Partners moderates. Watch live streaming video from techonomy at livestream.com If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on ycombinator or StumbleUpon. Thanks Brian WangBrian Wang is a …
1. Unit 4 of China National Nuclear Corporation’s (CNNC’s) Qinshan Phase II nuclear power plant was connected to the grid on 25 November – the second Chinese reactor to be connected this year. It is expected to enter commercial operation early in 2012. The reactor, a CNP-600, is a two loop domestic design rated at …
Washington State University researchers have used a 3D printer to create a bone-like material and structure that can be used in orthopedic procedures, dental work and to deliver medicine for treating osteoporosis. Paired with actual bone, it acts as a scaffold for new bone to grow on and ultimately dissolves with no apparent ill effects. …
Aviation Weeks lists 16 technologies in an Imagining the Future special. Orbitec is working on vortex and electric propulsion, heating vortex plasmas with microwaves [and] using water vapor as propellant. They are working on rocket engines whose thrust chambers are made entirely of electromagnetism, whose nozzles are magnetic lines of force and whose exhaust is …
BYD Co., the carmaker partly owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., began selling its all-electric E6 to individuals in China. The E6, which has a range of 300 kilometers (188 miles) per charge, has a sticker price of 369,800 yuan ($58,200), BYD said today in Shenzhen, where it is based. Buyers in the southern …
A map of the Moon combining observations in visible and ultraviolet wavelengths shows a treasure trove of areas rich in Titanium ores. The new map of the moon has uncovered a trove of areas rich in precious titanium ore, with some lunar rocks harboring 10 times as much of the stuff as rocks here on …
Samsung and Seoul National University researchers have grown crystalline gallium nitride (GaN) on the surface of amorphous glass. The idea could lead to new, scalable ways of making semiconductor devices that don’t need to be grown on silicon or sapphire wafers. Commercialisation will take at least 10 years. The technique uses a thin layer of …