Information Technologies
Coming to TV screens of the future: A sense of smell
June 17, 2011 5:01 am | News | CommentsToday's television programs are designed to trigger your emotions and your mind through your senses of sound and sight. But what if they could trigger a few more? What if you could smell or taste the cheesy slices of pizza being eaten by your favorite characters on TV? Is it possible?
Translating thoughts into movement
June 17, 2011 3:53 am | News | CommentsA brain implant developed at the Univ. of Michigan uses the body's skin like a conductor to wirelessly transmit the brain's neural signals to control a computer, and may eventually be used to reactivate paralyzed limbs.
'Ultrawideband' could be future of medical monitoring
June 16, 2011 11:37 am | News | CommentsNew research by electrical engineers at Oregon State Univ. has confirmed that an electronic technology called "ultrawideband" could hold part of the solution to an ambitious goal in the future of medicine—health monitoring with sophisticated "body-area networks."
Stretchable electronics report how you feel
June 16, 2011 8:29 am | News | CommentsElectronics that can be bent and stretched might sound like science fiction. But Uppsala researcher Zhigang Wu, working with collaborators, has devised a wireless sensor that can stand to be stretched.
The EPA improves access to information on chemicals
June 16, 2011 8:11 am | News | CommentsThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making it easier to find data about chemicals. EPA is releasing two databases—the Toxicity Forecaster database (ToxCastDB) and a database of chemical exposure studies (ExpoCastDB)—that scientists and the public can use to access chemical toxicity and exposure data.
Neutrons, simulations reveal details of bioenergy barrier
June 16, 2011 6:21 am | News | CommentsA first of its kind combination of experiment and simulation at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is providing a close-up look at the molecule that complicates next-generation biofuels.
Researchers break light-matter coupling strength limit
June 16, 2011 4:54 am | News | CommentsNew engineering research at the University of Pennsylvania demonstrates that polaritons have increased coupling strength when confined to nanoscale semiconductors. This represents a promising advance in the field of photonics: smaller and faster circuits that use light rather than electricity.
Quiet China giant embodies technology aspirations
June 15, 2011 10:08 am | by Joe McDonald, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsHuawei Technologies Co., a leading Chinese telecommunications company, has flown under the radar on its way to becoming multi-billion dollar company with 110,000 employees (and an R&D 100 Award under its belt). Now, the company wants to become a globally recognized brand alongside the likes of Apple and Cisco Systems.
First self-powered nano-device to transmit wireless data
June 15, 2011 10:05 am | News | CommentsResearchers from Georgia Tech have just published a paper that describes the first self-powered nanoscale device that can transmit data wirelessly up to 30 feet. The device consists of a nanogenerator that produces electricity from mechanical vibration/triggering, a capacitor to store the energy, and electronics that include radio transmitter.
Nighttime lights clarify economic activity
June 14, 2011 2:09 pm | News | CommentsFor some, the glow of lights along Broadway, the Las Vegas Strip or the Sunset Strip in Hollywood mean a fun night out. For an economist, these dazzling lights signify people's pockets are flush with cash; and in fact, a new study confirms it.
The best animators know their physics
June 14, 2011 7:07 am | News | CommentsPhysicist Alejandro Garcia, a professor at San Jose State Univ., advises DreamWorks animators on how to create believable characters. With physics in mind, he and other scientists help animators make people walk right, dragons fly right, and explosions look real.
Smart cars that are actually smart
June 14, 2011 4:50 am | by Emily Finn, MIT News Office | News | CommentsMIT mechanical engineers are working to develop a new intelligent transportation system (ITS) algorithm that takes into account models of human driving behavior to warn drivers of potential collisions, and ultimately takes control of the vehicle to prevent a crash.
Package tracking system takes social media to new heights
June 14, 2011 4:17 am | by Ron Walli | News | CommentsWhat has made the Internet such a success could help change the way high-dollar and hazardous packages are tracked, according to Randy Walker of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Quantum dot laser achieves telecom wavelength for first time
June 13, 2011 6:27 am | News | CommentsThe drive to increase communications speeds by integrating optical interconnects in silicon has been hampered by the difficulty of adding light sources to those structures. Researchers in the UK have made special layers that prevent overcome this limitation and report the way is now clear for these devices to be built.
NEC develops world's first CAM that stores data without using power
June 13, 2011 6:23 am | News | CommentsNEC Corp. (NEC) and Tohoku Univ. announced the development of the world's first content addressable memory (CAM) that both maintains the same high operation speed and non-volatile operation as existing circuits when processing and storing data on a circuit while power is off.
Protecting medical implants from attack
June 13, 2011 4:11 am | by Larry Hardesty, MIT News Office | News | CommentsMillions of Americans have implantable medical devices. Most of these devices have wireless connections, so that doctors can monitor patients' vital signs or revise treatment programs. But recent research has shown that this leaves the devices vulnerable to attack. However, researchers from MIT and UMass developed a new system for preventing such attacks.
Faster computer graphics
June 10, 2011 7:34 am | by Larry Hardesty, MIT News Office | News | CommentsDigitally mimicking the photographic blur caused by moving objects is surprisingly hard, but new research offers ways to make it easier.
New parallelization technique boosts ability to model biological systems
June 9, 2011 10:01 am | News | CommentsResearchers at North Carolina State Univ. have developed a new technique for using multi-core chips more efficiently, significantly enhancing a computer’s ability to build computer models of biological systems. The technique improved the efficiency of algorithms used to build models of biological systems more than seven-fold, creating more realistic models that can account for uncertainty and biological variation.
Tree identification packaged in an app
June 9, 2011 7:43 am | by Brett Zongker, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe combination of a silicon-based cameras and mobile computing has been a powerful technological combination, multiplying digital media production and producing interesting applications like remote medical diagnoses. Now, the Smithsonian Institution has made tree identification as easy as snapping a photo.
Hurdles remain for upcoming Mars mission
June 8, 2011 12:01 pm | by Alicia Chang, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsIntended to be the most sophisticated rover sent to the Martian surface, NASA's next-generation rover, the Mars Science Laboratory, is already over budget and behind schedule. The price tag has ballooned to $2.5 billion, auditors have found, from $1.6 million. And the project may need still more money to meet its November launch date.
Package tracking device may be good for climate metrology
June 8, 2011 11:42 am | News | CommentsNIST researchers are working to reduce the uncertainty associated with climate-change measurements using a mobile temperature-sensing technology made for tracking delicate or perishable, high-value packages in transit. The device is so accurate and resistant to thermal changes that what’s good for FedEx may also be good for climate research.
Research Inside: Intel showcases advances and innovations
June 8, 2011 9:26 am | News | CommentsJustin Rattner, Intel’s CTO and an R&D Magazine Scientist of the Year, this week unveiled more than 35 innovative research projects at the company’s annual Research at Intel event in California. The work, which involves dozens of industry and academic partners, offers a glimpse at near-future computing advances, includes many-core processing, cryptography, and wireless energy sensing.
Glamour shots from space: solar flare, space station
June 8, 2011 7:40 am | News | CommentsExperts say the flare erupting from the sun’s surface is medium-sized and won’t have a significant effect on Earth. Nevertheless, the impressive display captured by NASA cameras shows a coronal ejection racing toward Earth at 14,000 km/hr. NASA also released the first photos of the space station with a shuttle attached. They were taken by a departing Soyuz astronaut.
Streamlined rules for robots
June 8, 2011 5:36 am | by Larry Hardesty, MIT News Office | News | CommentsNew algorithms make it easier to write rules for distributed-computing systems, such as networks of sensors, servers, or robots.
Researchers build bio-circuits and the microscopy method to look at them
June 7, 2011 11:50 am | News | CommentsBiological circuitry recently made the news when Caltech announced they had produced multiple biological transistors. Now, Univ. of Pennsylvania researchers describe their efforts to form their own electronic circuitry using biological molecules, as well the new microscopy technique they invented to measure the electrical properties of these and other devices.
