Technologies & Strategies That Enable R&D
The Lead
Google begins launching Internet-beaming balloons
June 17, 2013 2:54 pm | by Martha Mendoza and Nick Perry, Associated Press | News | Comments
Eighteen months in the works, the top-secret project was announced Saturday in New Zealand, where up to 50 volunteer households are already beginning to receive the Internet briefly on their home computers via translucent helium balloons that sail by on the wind 12 miles above Earth. Google is launching these Internet-beaming antennas into the stratosphere aboard giant, jellyfish-shaped balloons.
Papaya-clay combo could cut cost of water purification
June 12, 2013 2:35 pm | Product Releases | Comments
Technology exists for removing heavy metals from drinking water, but often is too...
Researchers develop high-efficiency zinc-air battery
May 30, 2013 7:59 am | News | Comments
Stanford University scientists have developed an advanced zinc-air battery with higher...
Geoscientists cite need for basic research to unleash new energy sources
December 3, 2012 12:26 pm | News | Comments
Geological and environmental challenges facing developers of renewable energy and shale gas...
Less is more: Novel cellulose structure requires fewer enzymes to process biomass to fuel
June 19, 2013 4:49 pm | News | CommentsImproved methods for breaking down cellulose nanofibers are central to cost-effective biofuel production and the subject of new research from Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center. Scientists are investigating the unique properties of crystalline cellulose nanofibers to develop novel chemical pretreatments and designer enzymes for biofuel production from cellulosic—or non-food—plant derived biomass.
Expressly unfit for the laboratory
June 19, 2013 4:39 pm | News | CommentsA new Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study challenges the orthodoxy of microbiology, which holds that in response to environmental changes, bacterial genes will boost production of needed proteins and decrease production of those that aren’t. The study found that for bacteria in the laboratory there was little evidence of adaptive genetic response.
GTRI agile aperture antenna technology tested on autonomous ocean vehicle
June 19, 2013 4:28 pm | News | CommentsAntenna technology originally developed to quickly send and receive information through a software-defined military radio may soon be used to transmit ocean data from a wave-powered autonomous surface vehicle. The technology, the lowest-power method for maintaining a satellite uplink, automatically compensates for the movement of the antenna as the boat bobs around on the ocean surface.
Cheap, color, holographic video
June 19, 2013 4:13 pm | by Larry Hardesty, MIT News Office | News | CommentsIn the journal Nature, researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab report a new approach to generating holograms that could lead to color holographic-video displays that are much cheaper to manufacture than today’s experimental, monochromatic displays. The same technique could also increase the resolution of conventional 2-D displays.
DNA constructs antenna for solar energy
June 19, 2013 8:11 am | News | CommentsResearchers at Chalmers Univ. of Technology have found an effective solution for collecting sunlight for artificial photosynthesis. By combining self-assembling DNA molecules with simple dye molecules, the researchers have created a system that resembles nature's own antenna system.
Multiview 3-D photography made simple
June 19, 2013 7:57 am | by Larry Hardesty, MIT News Office | News | CommentsThe first commercial application of computational photography is the so-called light-field camera, which can measure not only the intensity of incoming light but also its angle. However these cameras trade a good deal of resolution for that extra angle information. That is, until now.
Japan formally OKs new nuke safety requirements
June 19, 2013 7:48 am | by MARI YAMAGUCHI - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsJapan's nuclear watchdog formally approved a set of new safety requirements for atomic power plants Wednesday, paving the way for the reopening of facilities shut down since the Fukushima disaster. The new requirements approved by the Nuclear Regulation Authority will take effect on July 8, when operators will be able to apply for inspections.
Langmuir-Style Probe
June 19, 2013 7:43 am | Hiden Analytical Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsHiden Analytical has introduced the ESPION Langmuir-style probe, a versatile commercial electrostatic probe. The probe automatically reports the critical plasma characteristics of electron density and energy distribution, electron temperature, ion density, plasma potential and floating potential, providing the rapid and accurate feedback essential for plasma-based process analysis and control.
Laboratory Heating Blocks
June 19, 2013 7:40 am | Product Releases | CommentsStuart Equipment has introduced a new range of heating blocks designed as accessories for the company’s Undergrad range of hotplates and hotplate stirrers. The blocks enable users to turn their hotplate into a heating mantle, providing safe, effective heating for round bottom flasks.
Airborne laser reveals hidden city in Cambodia
June 19, 2013 1:08 am | by Kristen Gelineau, Associated Press | News | CommentsLaser technology has uncovered a network of roadways and canals, illustrating a bustling ancient city linking Cambodia's famed Angkor Wat temple complex. The discovery was announced this week after the publication of a study describing how airborne laser scanning revealed a previously undocumented formally planned urban landscape integrating the 1,200-year-old temples.
Solar plane to help ground energy use
June 19, 2013 1:01 am | by Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsWhen it's in flight, there's no roar of engines. It's strangely quiet. And as it crisscrosses the U.S., the spindly plane doesn't use a drop of fuel. Ernest Moniz, who heads the U.S. Department of Energy, praised the efficiency of the Solar Impulse plane at a news conference Monday in Washington, where the plane landed early Sunday morning. He said the solar-powered aircraft highlighted a cleaner energy future for the nation.
Scientists discuss new photo-taking satellite
June 19, 2013 12:52 am | by Dirk Lammers, Associated Press | News | CommentsNearly 120 scientists and engineers from around the world are meeting in South Dakota this week to discuss operational and technical issues with collecting images from the Landsat 8 satellite. In February, NASA launched the satellite, which takes images of every inch of the Earth’s surface to see what happens over time, and recently handed over operational control of it to the EROS Center.
Sandia Labs hosts annual Robot Rodeo
June 19, 2013 12:46 am | News | CommentsThis week, Sandia National Laboratories is hosting the seventh annual Western National Robot Rodeo and Capability Exercise, a challenging five-day event that draws civilian and military bomb squad teams from across the country to see who can most effectively defuse dangerous situations with the help of robots. The competition provides an opportunity to practice using robots and new technology in a low-risk, but competitive environment.
Rapid prototyping conference breaks past attendance records
June 19, 2013 12:11 am | News | CommentsMore than 2,500 attendees turned out for the 2013 RAPID Conference and Exposition, almost doubling last year’s attendance and reflecting widespread excitement about 3D printing and additive manufacturing, according to event organizer SME. It included attendees from nearly 30 countries and the U.S.
Wisconsin lawmakers approve venture capital bill
June 18, 2013 7:52 pm | by KEVIN WANG - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsState lawmakers on Tuesday approved legislation that would invest millions of dollars in public and private money in Wisconsin startups despite criticism that the investment targets only limited industries. The bipartisan legislation would create a program that invests $25 million from the state and at least $50 million in private money in young Wisconsin companies
