Understanding the beginnings of the Universe and life itself is NASA’s long term vision and one of humanities’ grand challenges. Missions to the edge of our solar system and to space between stars in our galaxy – the interstellar medium – are of a great promise to shed light on these questions. However, today’s deep …
Researchers at MIT and elsewhere has developed a new approach to deep learning AI computing, using light instead of electricity, which they say could vastly improve the speed and efficiency of certain deep learning computations Soljačić says that many researchers over the years have made claims about optics-based computers, but that “people dramatically over-promised, and …
Here is a link to a 16 page unclassified Summary of A Threat to America’s Global Vigilance, Reach, and Power High-speed maneuvering weapons The U.S. lead in the technologies of high-speed flight is in question, particularly as it pertains to military applications. Several countries around the world have been quite busy establishing their own capabilities, …
When Artificial Intelligence (AI) work began over 50 years ago, the AI field was directly aimed at the construction of “thinking machines”—that is, computer systems with human-like general intelligence. The whole package, complete with all the bells and whistles like self, will, attention, creativity, and so forth. But this goal proved very difficult to achieve; …
The RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) is a ship-based missile system used by the US Navy to intercept short-to intermediate-range ballistic missiles as a part of Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. Although primarily designed as an anti-ballistic missile, the SM-3 has also been employed in an anti-satellite capacity against a satellite at the lower end …
DARPA wants to enable existing large aircraft to carry, launch and recover multiple unmanned air systems for a variety of missions. Military air operations typically rely on large, manned, robust aircraft, but such missions put these expensive assets—and their pilots—at risk. While small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) can reduce or eliminate such risks, they lack …
India has a rising stock market, falling oil prices and a stable, majority government all at the same time. India’s government under Prime Minister Modi needs to execute reforms so that India can achieve its full growth potential of about 10% GDP growth. 10% GDP growth is the level that India should be able to …
The burgeoning field of nanophotonics has grown to be a major research area, primarily because of the ability to control and manipulate single quantum systems (emitters) and single photons on demand. For many years studying nanophotonic phenomena was limited to traditional semiconductors (including silicon and GaAs) and experiments were carried out predominantly at cryogenic temperatures. …
CSIRO (austrialian research) have developed three-dimensional optical beam lithography with 9 nm feature size and 52 nm two-line resolution in a newly developed two-photon absorption resin with high mechanical strength. The revealed dependence of the feature size and the two-line resolution confirms that they can reach deep sub-diffraction scale but are limited by the mechanical strength of …
Splitting Singlets Solar cell efficiency is limited because light at wavelengths shorter than the cell’s absorption threshold does not channel any of its excess energy into the generated electricity. Congreve et al. have developed a method to harvest the excess energy in carbon-based absorbers through a process termed “singlet fission.” In this process, high-energy photons …
Volvo Cars tests of flywheel technology confirm fuel savings of up to 25 per cent in a S60 sedan. Volvo Car Group has completed extensive testing of kinetic flywheel technology on public roads – and the results confirm that this is a light, cheap and very eco-efficient solution. “The testing of this complete experimental system …