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 Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:05:01 EST Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:05:01 EST 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/2009/11/091119101046.htm Like the paperless office, the smart home has been a long time coming, but a new article suggests that radio tags coupled with mobile communications devices could soon provide seamless multimedia services to the home. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119101046.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118160627.htm Engineering researchers have developed a unique and robust method to prevent cloning of passive radio frequency identification tags. The technology, based on one or more unique physical attributes of individual tags rather than information stored on them, will prevent the production of counterfeit tags and thus greatly enhance both security and privacy for government agencies, businesses and consumers. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118160627.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112121605.htm The performance of modern electronics increases steadily on a fast pace thanks to the ongoing miniaturization of the utilized components. However, severe problems arise due to quantum-mechanical phenomena when conventional structures are simply made smaller and reach the nanometer scale. Therefore current research focuses on the so-called bottom-up approach: the engineering of functional structures with the smallest possible building blocks -- single atoms and molecules. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112121605.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115134128.htm Physicists have demonstrated the first "universal" programmable quantum information processor able to run any program allowed by quantum mechanics -- the rules governing the submicroscopic world -- using two quantum bits (qubits) of information. The processor could be a module in a future quantum computer, which theoretically could solve some important problems that are intractable today. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115134128.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029162022.htm Scientists have designed smartphone technology, which includes interactive games and easy-to-use logging features, especially for elderly Chinese diabetics. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029162022.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101543.htm Researchers are working to develop futuristic communications systems that could help protect frontline troops. Building on work completed recently for the UK Ministry of Defence, the project is aimed at investigating the use of arrays of highly specialized antennas that could be worn by combat troops to provide covert short-range person-to-person battleground communications. Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101543.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111122320.htm Nanophysicists have developed a new method for manufacturing the cornerstone of nanotechnology research -- nanowires. The discovery has great potential for the development of nanoelectronics and highly efficient solar cells. Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111122320.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111115841.htm The explosive growth of video on the internet calls for new ways of sorting and searching audiovisual content. Researchers have developed a groundbreaking solution that is finding commercial applications. Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111115841.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112103423.htm A new project has resulted in much improved design methods for high performance silicon chips. Leading semiconductor chipmakers, electronic circuit developers and design automation equipment manufacturers worked closely together to tackle a series of problems much earlier in the design phase and so enhance integrated circuit design approaches. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112103423.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110171746.htm Researchers are making progress in developing a new type of transistor that uses a finlike structure instead of the conventional flat design, possibly enabling engineers to create faster and more compact circuits and computer chips. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110171746.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112095046.htm Researchers have created bowtie-shaped antennae that function as the first tunable nano color sorters, able to capture, filter and steer light at the nanoscale. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112095046.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111210626.htm Electronic devices can't work well unless all of the transistors, or switches, within them allow electrical current to flow easily when they are turned on. Engineers have now determined why some transistors made of organic crystals don't perform well, yielding ideas about how to make them work better. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111210626.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111142514.htm Silicon nanowires are attracting attention from the electronics industry due to the drive for smaller devices, from cell phones to computers. The operation of these devices, and an array of additional applications, will depend on the mechanical properties of these nanowires. New research shows that silicon nanowires are far more resilient than their larger counterparts, a finding that paves the way for smaller, sturdier nanoelectronics, nanosensors, light-emitting diodes and other applications. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111142514.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110112440.htm In work that someday may lead to the development of novel types of nanoscale electronic devices, researchers have combined DNA's talent for self-assembly with the remarkable electronic properties of carbon nanotubes, thereby suggesting a solution to the long-standing problem of organizing carbon nanotubes into nanoscale electronic circuits. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110112440.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030105030.htm By taking advantage of the vagaries of the natural world, engineers have developed a novel approach that they believe can more efficiently harvest electricity from the motions of everyday life. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030105030.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143712.htm University of Utah chemists demonstrated the first conclusive link between the size of catalyst particles on a solid surface, their electronic properties and their ability to speed chemical reactions. The study is a step toward the goal of designing cheaper, more efficient catalysts to increase energy production, reduce Earth-warming gases and manufacture a wide variety of goods from medicines to gasoline. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143712.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111111301.htm A unique microchip with microscopic nail structures enable close communication between the electronics and biological cells. The new chip is a mass-producible, easy-to-use tool in electrophysiology research, for example for fundamental research on the functioning and dysfunctioning of the brain. Each micronail structure serves as a close contact-point for one cell, and contains an electrode that can very accurately record and trigger in real-time the electrical activity of an individual electrogenic cell in a network. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111111301.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121220.htm Materials scientists have found a way to transform a chemical long used as an electrical conductor a thin film insulator potentially useful in transistor technology and in devices such as electronic books. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121220.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132708.htm Professor Yosi Shacham-Diamand of Tel Aviv University's Department of Engineering, working with a team of European Union scientists, has successfully wired a state-of-the-art artificial hand to existing nerve endings in the stump of a severed arm. The device, called "SmartHand," resembles -- in function, sensitivity and appearance -- a real hand. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132708.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102112050.htm A telemedicine system based on a modified version of the Bluetooth wireless protocol can transfer patient data, such as medical images from patient to the health-care provider's mobile device for patient assessment almost four times as fast as conventional Bluetooth and without the intermittent connectivity problems. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102112050.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102172517.htm Converting sunlight to electricity might no longer mean large panels of photovoltaic cells atop flat surfaces like roofs. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102172517.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102121632.htm A wireless digital "plaster" that can monitor vital signs continuously and remotely is being tried out with patients and healthy volunteers in a new clinical trial run by researchers in the UK. The digital "plaster" or "patch" is a disposable device that sticks to a patient's chest. It is designed to allow patients to have their health monitored continuously without being wired up to bulky, fixed monitoring machines. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102121632.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102085825.htm Nature inspires technology as an engineer and an ecologist have teamed to develop robots that use advanced materials to swim like fish to probe underwater environments. Robotic fish -- perhaps schools of them operating autonomously for months -- could give researchers far more precise data on aquatic conditions, deepening our knowledge of critical water supplies and habitats. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102085825.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027132959.htm Researchers are investigating long-distance, mobile optical links imperative for secure quantum communications capabilities in theater. They have conducted high data-rate experiments using an optical laser link, a tool which exploits the quantum noise of light for higher security. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027132959.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029141212.htm Using precision techniques for making superconducting thin films layer-by-layer, physicists have identified a single layer responsible for one such material's ability to become superconducting, i.e., carry electrical current with no energy loss. The technique could be used to engineer ultrathin films with "tunable" superconductivity for higher-efficiency electronic devices. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029141212.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091023104708.htm A team of engineers has transformed simple nanowires into reconfigurable materials and circuits, demonstrating a novel, self-assembling method for chemically creating nanoscale structures that are not possible to grow or obtain otherwise. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091023104708.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029160532.htm High-performance energy storage technologies for the automotive industry or mobile phone batteries and notebooks providing long battery times – these visions of the future are being brought one step nearer. Researchers have developed a new method that utilizes silicon for lithium-ion batteries. Its storage capacity is ten times higher than the graphite substrate which has been used up to now, and promises considerable improvements for users. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029160532.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027162001.htm Scientists have always attempted to develop spin transistors by incorporating local ferromagnets into device architectures. A far better and practical way to manipulate the orientation of an electron's spin would be by using purely electrical means. Researchers have now found an innovative and novel way to control an electron's spin orientation using purely electrical means. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027162001.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029111917.htm How nanowires evolve under stress has been simulated atom-by-atom over a period of time that is closer than ever to experimental reality, thanks to the new Roadrunner supercomputer. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029111917.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026133016.htm A robot is currently building a looping brick wall right in the middle of New York City. Over a period of three weeks, passers-by can watch the "Pike Loop" installation in the making on a traffic island. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026133016.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016224157.htm Researchers have demonstrated some of the first commercially viable plasmonic devices, paving the way for a new era of high-speed communications and computing in which electronic and optical signals can be handled simultaneously. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016224157.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020111427.htm More than 120 years after the discovery of the electromagnetic character of radiowaves by Heinrich Hertz, wireless data transmission dominates information technology. Higher and higher radio frequencies are applied to transmit more data. Some years ago, scientists found that light waves might also be used for radio transmission. So far, manufacture of the small antennas has required an enormous expenditure. Scientists have now succeeded in specifically and reproducibly manufacturing smallest optical nanoantennas from gold. Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020111427.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022101544.htm The biological safety of nanotechnology, in other words, how the body reacts to nanoparticles, is a hot topic. Researchers have managed for the first time to carry out successful experiments involving the injection of so-called 'nanowires.' In the future it is expected that it will be possible to insert nanoscale electrodes to study learning and memory functions and to treat patients suffering from chronic pain, depression, and diseases such as Parkinson's. But it is not known what would happen if the nanoelectrodes would break away from their contact points. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022101544.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091021101816.htm Taking nanomaterials to a new level of structural complexity, scientists have determined how to introduce kinks into arrow-straight nanowires, transforming them into zigzagging two- and three-dimensional structures with correspondingly advanced functions. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091021101816.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020111431.htm A new form of spectroscopy, a scientific method that uses electromagnetic radiation to identify materials, and a novel nanoelectronic device to detect signals, can identify explosive liquids, or liquid components for the fabrication of explosives, in usual plastic bottles almost instantly. Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020111431.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020162007.htm Maple tree seeds and the spiraling pattern in which they glide to the ground have delighted children for ages and perplexed engineers for decades. Now aerospace engineering graduate students have learned how to apply the seeds' unique design to aerial devices that can fly, hover and perform surveillance in defense and emergency situations. Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020162007.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020111614.htm Engineers have created a new material that would allow a fingernail-size computer chip to store the equivalent of 20 high-definition DVDs or 250 million pages of text, far exceeding the storage capacities of today's computer memory systems. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020111614.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014210602.htm Researchers in Asia are working to come up with solutions to improve satellite links during heavy rainfall, which is common in tropical regions. Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014210602.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013110042.htm Researchers have found a way to make a key electronic component on a phenomenally tiny scale -- a single-molecule diode. Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013110042.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001095612.htm Aircraft maintenance will be easier in future, with sensors monitoring the aircraft skin. If they discover any dents or cracks they will send a radio message to a monitoring unit. The energy needed for this will be obtained from temperature differences. Sun, 18 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001095612.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091015133117.htm In the quest for smaller, faster computer chips, researchers are increasingly turning to quantum mechanics -- the exotic physics of the small. The problem: the manufacturing techniques required to make quantum devices have been equally exotic. That is, until now. Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091015133117.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014144722.htm Researchers have discovered novel electronic properties in two-dimensional sheets of carbon atoms called graphene that could one day be the heart of speedy and powerful electronic devices. The new findings, previously considered possible by physicists but only now being seen in the laboratory, show that electrons in graphene can interact strongly with each other. The physicists discovered that the fractional quantum Hall effect in graphene is even more robust than in standard semiconductors. Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014144722.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007091750.htm A new method enables calibrating entire waveforms -- graphical shapes showing how electrical signals vary over time -- rather than just parts of waveforms as is current practice. The new method improves the accuracy of common test instruments used in communications and electronics. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007091750.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090921093653.htm New technologies may change our lives for the better, but sometimes they have risks. Communicating those benefits and risks to the public, and developing regulations to deal with them, can be difficult -- particularly if there's already public opposition to the technology. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090921093653.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013112521.htm In an effort to make graphene more useful in electronics applications, engineers have made a golden discovery -- gold "snowflakes" on graphene. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013112521.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091012084217.htm Engineers have shown that a wireless network of radio transmitters can track people moving behind solid walls. The system could help police, firefighters and others nab intruders, and rescue hostages, fire victims and elderly people who fall in their homes. It also might help retail marketing and border control. Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091012084217.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007153735.htm Scientists have developed a new "lab-on-a-chip" technique that analyzes tiny samples of blood and breast tissue to identify women at risk of breast cancer much more quickly than ever before. Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007153735.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001095608.htm For the first time, researchers have demonstrated 60 GHz broadband radio for wireless transmission of HD video data, HDTV, live. The findings mean more robust transmissions that are less susceptible to interference. Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001095608.htm