SENSITIVE AND CHEAP: To achieve a thousandfold sensitivity gain, HP’s new MEMS inertial sensor design uses a much larger proof mass than what’s inside traditional MEMS designs. The proof mass [light blue] is a piece of silicon suspended on a spring inside the device. MEMS accelerometers use a variable capacitor to measure motion. A capacitance …
NASA pre-solitication of a lunar tug using VARIABLE SPECIFIC IMPULSE MAGNETO-PLASMA ROCKET – VASIMR Studies will be conducted to evaluate a Lunar Tug concept utilizing Variable Specific Impulse Magneto-plasma Rocket (VASIMR) engine capabilities from Low Earth Orbit to Lunar Orbit and libration points. NASA/JSC intends to purchase these services from Ad Astra Rocket Company. Adequate …
EEtimes reports Intel Corp. and Micron Technology Inc. have regained the process technology lead in NAND flash, by rolling out the first in a family of 25-nm devices. The first 25-nm NAND device is a multi-level-cell (MLC), 8-GB device, which is said to reduce IC count by 50 percent over previous products. With the device, …
MIT Technology Review – Skin Cells Turned into Brain Cells Skin cells called fibroblasts can be transformed into neurons quickly and efficiently with just a few genetic tweaks, according to new research. The surprisingly simple conversion, which doesn’t require the cells to be returned to an embryonic state, suggests that differentiated adult cells are much …
This Z antenna tested at the National Institute of Standards and Technology is smaller than a standard antenna with comparable properties. Its high efficiency is derived from the “Z element” inside the square that acts as a metamaterial, greatly boosting the signal sent over the air. The square is 30 millimeters on a side. NIST …
(H/T to Joel Upchurch for the links) The interstellar spaceship that is used in the Avatar movie story is based upon the Valkerie Antimatter Starship designed by Charles Pellegrino and Brookhaven physicist Jim Powell Dr. Pellegrino served as a scientific consultant on James Cameron’s Avatar movie. The interstellar vehicles seen in the film are based …
A speed gene in horses is enabling thoroughbred owners to sort would-be sprinters from plodders from just a teaspoonful of the galloper’s blood. The research, published Jan. 20 in the Public Library of Science Journal PLoS ONE, is the first known characterization of a gene contributing to a specific athletic trait in thoroughbreds, the authors …
The Wall Street Journal and other sources are reporting on a Supreme court Ruling with far reaching implications on the US political process. A divided Supreme Court struck down decades-old limits on corporate political expenditures, potentially reshaping the 2010 election landscape by permitting businesses and unions to spend freely on commercials for or against candidates. …
Picture – This graphene (100 mm / 4 inch) wafer contains more than 22,000 devices and test structures. Researchers in the Electro-Optics Center (EOC) Materials Division at Penn State have produced 100 mm diameter graphene wafers, a key milestone in the development of graphene for next generation high-power, high-frequency electronic devices. Graphene is the two-dimensional …
Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has selected Protonex Technology Corporation to develop power supply concepts that will enable the HULC robotic exoskeleton to support 72+-hour extended missions. The Lockheed HULC exoskeleton was covered here Previously a jet fuel generator was needed to get this level of endurance. Protonex will evaluate fuel cell-based power solutions that can …
In a significant step toward restoring healthy blood circulation to treat a variety of diseases, a team of scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College has developed a new technique and described a novel mechanism for turning human embryonic and pluripotent stem cells into plentiful, functional endothelial cells, which are critical to the formation of blood …