http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/technology/ Technology news. Read articles on new gadgets and prototypes for future technology from leading research institutes around the world. en-us Mon, 12 May 2008 20:05:01 EDT Mon, 12 May 2008 20:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/technology/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512172317.htm Plants have an ambivalent relationship with light. They need it to live, but too much light leads to the increased production of high-energy chemical intermediates that can injure or kill the plant. The intermediates do this because the efficient conversion of sunlight into chemical energy cannot keep up with sunlight streaming into the plant. Tue, 13 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512172317.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508164412.htm Scientists have developed a new technique for fabricating nanowire photonic and electronic integrated circuits that may one day be suitable for high-volume commercial production. The fabrication technique could yield low-cost, scalable nanowire photonic and electronic circuits. Sun, 11 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508164412.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508143307.htm Many important electronic devices used by people today would be impossible without the use of ceramics. A new study illustrates the use of ceramic materials in the development of technological devices, including mobile communication and ultrasonic imaging. Fri, 09 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508143307.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505223023.htm Scientists have invented a unique robotic device to assist with the physical rehabilitation process of patients suffering from neurological damages to their upper extremities such as those due to stroke or Parkinson's disease. They designed and built the device to aid physical therapists and their patients to retrain injured muscles. Fri, 09 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505223023.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505165804.htm Researchers have designed a system capable of simultaneously measuring hundreds of radio frequency identification tags and rapidly testing new RFID tag prototypes. This testbed allows researchers to measure the signal strength of tags hidden behind other tags and to rapidly test unique antenna configurations and multiple antennas without actually constructing new tags for each experiment. Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505165804.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506105133.htm An innovative micro-pump makes it possible for tiny quantities of liquid -- such as medicines -- to be dosed accurately and flexibly. Active composites and an electronic control mechanism ensure that the low-maintenance pump works accurately -- both forwards and backwards. Wed, 07 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506105133.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506151137.htm Engineers are developing advanced "cell-based sensors-on-a-chip" technology. These tiny sensors, only a few millimeters in size, could speed up and improve the detection of everything from explosive materials to biological pathogens to spoiled food or impure water. Wed, 07 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506151137.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501143423.htm When a chemistry professor and his graduate student accidentally made some nanowire pine tree shapes one day -- complete with tall trunks and branches that tapered in length as they spiraled upward -- they knew they'd stumbled upon something peculiar. Tue, 06 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501143423.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502114843.htm The Holy Grail for transistor designers has been the requirement to be able to get high performance at reduced costs over very large substrate areas. Transistors on cheap and flexible substrates like glass and plastics are currently unable to deliver such performance and therefore do not lend themselves to seamless monolithic integration of increased electronic functions on human interface devices (displays and sensors). Tue, 06 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502114843.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502171010.htm Beginning this crop season, farmers will be able to receive text messages on their cell phones from their plants saying whether they are thirsty or not. Accent Engineering, Inc., of Lubbock, Tex., developed the SmartCropTM automated drought monitoring system based on a patent held by the Agricultural Research Service. They are offering it for sale in time for this growing season. Mon, 05 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502171010.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080504153803.htm As microchips shrink, even tiny defects in the lines, dots and other shapes etched on them become major barriers to performance. Princeton engineers have now found a way to literally melt away such defects, using a process that could dramatically improve chip quality without increasing fabrication cost. Mon, 05 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080504153803.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430103109.htm Researchers have produced tiny liquid crystal devices with electrodes made from graphene -- an exciting development that could lead to computer and TV displays based on this technology. They report on the use of graphene as a transparent conductive coating for electro-optical devices -- and show that its high transparency and low resistivity make it ideal for electrodes in liquid crystal devices. Fri, 02 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430103109.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429170958.htm In what should be good news for integrated circuit manufacturers, recent studies have helped resolve two important questions about an emerging microcircuit manufacturing technology called nanoimprint lithography. Fri, 02 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429170958.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415164306.htm NIST, in collaboration with NASA, has published detailed guidelines for making essential measurements on samples of single-walled carbon nanotubes. The new guide constitutes the current "best practices" for characterizing one of the most promising and heavily studied of the new generation of nanoscale materials. Thu, 01 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415164306.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429204303.htm With an innovative concept developed by UC Berkeley engineers, the ubiquitous cell phone could one day be used to make medical imaging accessible to billions of people around the world. Using off-the-shelf components, the researchers demonstrated the feasibility of using a mobile phone to transmit raw data from a medical scan to a central server for processing, and then receiving the final image for display on its screen. Thu, 01 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429204303.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429075325.htm A breakthrough barrier technology that protects sensitive devices such as organic light emitting diodes and solar cells from moisture 1000 times more effectively than any existing technology has been invented by Singapore researchers. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429075325.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429075327.htm In the rapid and fast-growing world of nanotechnology, researchers are continually on the lookout for new building blocks to push innovation and discovery to scales much smaller than the tiniest speck of dust. While scientists are fully exploring the promise of DNA nanotechnology, some researchers are working to give scientists brand new materials to aid their designs. One team has now made the first self-assembled nanostructures composed entirely of glycerol nucleic acid -- a synthetic analog of DNA. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429075327.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428142028.htm A new low-temperature, catalyst-free technique for growing copper nanowires has been developed. The copper nanowires could serve as interconnects in electronic device fabrication and as electron emitters in a television-like, very thin flat-panel display known as a field-emission display. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428142028.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428123555.htm Quantum cryptography may be essentially solved, but getting the funky physics to work on disciplined computer networks is a whole new headache. Cryptography is an arms race, but the finish line may be fast approaching. Up to now, each time the codemakers made a better mousetrap, codebreakers breed a better mouse. But quantum cryptography theoretically could outpace the codebreakers and win the race. Forever. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428123555.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428094214.htm The first real steps towards building a microscopic device that can construct nano machines have been taken by US researchers. Researchers have developed an early prototype for a nanoassembler. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428094214.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428155737.htm Scientists have discovered a method for remote sensing of the physiological and emotional state of human beings. The researchers believe the discovery could theoretically help remotely monitor medical patients, evaluate athletic performance, diagnose disease and remotely sense the level of excitation -- which could have significant implications for technology in the biomedical engineering, anti-terror and security technology fields. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428155737.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428085757.htm Imagine a technology that would not only provide a green and renewable source of electrical energy, but could also help scrub the atmosphere of excessive carbon dioxide resulting from the burning of fossil fuels. That's the promise of artificial versions of photosynthesis, the process by which green plants have been converting solar energy into electrochemical energy for millions of years. The first direct experimental links between atomic and electronic structures in pigment-protein complexes while energy is being transferred during photosynthesis have been attained. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428085757.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424103646.htm The goal of replacing electronics with optics for processing data in computers is coming closer through cutting-edge European research into the mysterious properties of "fast and slow" light. The long-term aim is to boost processing speeds and data storage densities by several orders of magnitude and take the information technology industry into a new era, combining greatly improved performance with dramatically lower energy consumption. Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424103646.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424212327.htm Transistors are an indispensable building block in electric appliances, where they amplify weak electric currents. Now researchers have developed a new type of transistor that is 50 times more energy efficient than today's models. It is also the first to be developed using nanotechnology. Sat, 26 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424212327.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422112942.htm It can hold a credit card, use a keyboard with the index finger, and lift a bag weighing up to 20 kg -- the world's first commercially available prosthetic hand that can move each finger separately and has an astounding range of grip configurations. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422112942.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423124533.htm Chemists have found a way to grow long, straight cylinders only a few atoms thick in very large numbers, removing a major roadblock in the pursuit of nano-scale electronics. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423124533.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423101810.htm Researchers have developed a method to calculate how a device can provide maximum functionality with a minimum quantity of processor and memory capacity. TVs, DVD players and mobile phones can malfunction when the inbuilt chips and software cease to cope with the increasingly large flow of data. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423101810.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422160243.htm Silicon is the workhorse among semiconductors in electronics. But in opto-electronics, where light signals are processed along with electronic signals, a semiconductor that is capable of emitting light is needed, which silicon can't do very well. Here gallium-arsenide (GaAs) is the workhorse, especially in the creation of light emitting diodes (LED) and LED lasers. Scientists have now grown GaAs structures into the shape of narrow needles which, when optically pumped, emit light with high brightness. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422160243.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417142457.htm Researchers have discovered that certain organic -- or carbon-based -- molecules exhibit the properties of atoms under certain circumstances and, in turn, conduct electricity as well as metal. Detailed in Science, the finding is a breakthrough in developing nanotechnology that provides a new strategy for designing electronic materials, including inexpensive and multifunctional organic conductors that have long been considered the key to smaller, cheaper and faster technologies. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417142457.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416111607.htm From cars and mobile phones to computers and furniture, most of today's products are created virtually on a computer before they are actually produced. Researchers are adding new functionalities to digital product development. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416111607.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417142452.htm Researchers have used the world's thinnest material to create the world's smallest transistor, one atom thick and ten atoms wide. The smaller the size of their transistors the better they perform, say the Manchester researchers. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417142452.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416161226.htm Chemists have determined that the element chromium displays electrical properties of magnets in surprising ways. This finding can be used in the emerging field of "spintronics," which might someday contribute to new and more energy efficient ways of processing and storing data. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416161226.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415154822.htm Researchers have combined two tiny but powerful inventions on a single microchip, a cryogenic sensor and a micro-refrigerator. The combination offers the possibility of cheaper, simpler and faster precision analysis of materials such as semiconductors and stardust. Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415154822.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080411150945.htm Cycling is fun -- if you can find the right tread. But those who tire themselves out quickly lose the desire to conquer the world on two wheels. A remedy could soon be available in the form of adaptronic components which report inappropriate biomechanical stress. Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080411150945.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080411150953.htm Changing the prices on supermarket shelves often involves a lot of running around for the employees. A system of networked displays enables prices to be updated quickly and at any time from a central computer. Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080411150953.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415114510.htm Researchers have created the first nanomotor that is propelled by changes in temperature. A carbon nanotube is capable of transporting cargo and rotating like a conventional motor, but is a million times smaller than the head of a needle. This research opens the door to the creation of new nanometric devices designed to carry out mechanical tasks and which could be applied to the fields of biomedicine or new materials. Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415114510.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415193420.htm A new artificial material may mark the beginning of a revolution in the development of materials for electronic applications. The new material, a superlattice, which has a multilayer structure composed of alternating atomically thin layers of two different oxides, possesses properties radically different to either of the two materials by themselves. These new properties are a direct consequence of the artificially layered structure and are driven by interactions at the atomic scale at the interfaces between the layers. Wed, 16 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415193420.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414232716.htm Engineers took an early step toward building superfast computers that run on far-infrared light instead of electricity: They made waveguides -- the equivalent of wires -- that carried and bent this form of light, also known as terahertz radiation, which is the last unexploited portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414232716.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080412174944.htm The device that will manage the telematics communications of next-generation vehicles may already be in our pockets. Multiple application 'nomadic' devices like the mobile phone are ideal for telematics solutions. Automotive manufacturers are now facing up to that reality. It hasn't been easy. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080412174944.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408160640.htm Even large amounts of manufactured nanoparticles, also known as Buckyballs, don't faze microscopic organisms that are charged with cleaning up the environment, according to new research. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408160640.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080409091733.htm Carbon nanotubes are promising materials for many high-technology applications due to their exceptional mechanical, thermal, chemical, optical and electrical properties. Now researchers have used metallic nanotubes to make thin films that are semitransparent, highly conductive, flexible and come in a variety of colors, with an appearance similar to stained glass. These results could lead to improved high-tech products such as flat-panel displays and solar cells. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080409091733.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080410101128.htm Nanotechnology could improve the life of the lithium batteries used in portable devices, including laptop computers, mp3 players and mobile phones. New research demonstrates that carbon nanotubes can prevent such batteries from losing their charge capacity over time. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080410101128.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408120106.htm Engineers are creating a wireless device designed to be injected into tumors to tell doctors the precise dose of radiation received and locate the exact position of tumors during treatment. Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408120106.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407153030.htm Fungi processing audio signals. E. Coli storing images. DNA acting as logic circuits. It's possible, and in some cases, it's already happened. In any event, performing digital signal processing using organic and chemical materials without electrical currents could be the wave of the future. Electrical engineers and computer science specialists describe experiments that perform signal processing with novel materials while stirring the engineering community towards "a possible not-so-electronic future" of digital signal processing. Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407153030.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407101854.htm Nano-physicists have made a discovery that could change the way data is stored on computers. In the future it will be possible to store data much faster, and with more accuracy. A computer has two equally important elements: computing power and memory. Traditionally, scientists have developed these two elements in parallel. Now computer scientists have made a step towards a new means of data-storage, in which electricity and magnetism are combined in a new transistor concept. Tue, 08 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407101854.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402101656.htm Engineers have created a software program to help avoid the network timing glitches called 'cyclic jitters' that can cause real jitters, making production line machines jump or shake, damaging products, even shutting down assembly lines. Sat, 05 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402101656.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402100005.htm A fingerprint identification technology for use in Personal Identification Verification cards that offers improved protection from identity theft meets the standardized accuracy criteria for federal identification cards. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402100005.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403131859.htm A modern computer contains two different types of components: magnetic components, which perform memory functions, and semiconductor components, which perform logic operations. Computer scientists are working to combine these two functions in a single hybrid material. This new material would allow seamless integration of memory and logical functions and is expected to permit the design of devices that operate at much higher speeds and use considerably less power than current electronic devices. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403131859.htm