159319
submission
space_donkey writes:
NewScientistTech has a story about robots that make carefully-measured guesses about what might be around the next corner. The researchers behind the project say this mimics the way humans build 'mental maps' of an area, by making predictions based on what they have already seen. The approach could help robots find their way around large unfamiliar and repetitive indoor spaces.
150417
submission
Galactic_grub writes:
In the future, your place of work (or apartment) may very well spy on you. But that doesn't mean it'll be able to name and shame you for all your nasty habits. Researchers at Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratory (MERL) have devised a 'dumb' surveillance system that monitors the movements of workers without identifying them individually. The idea is to have a computer system automatically configure the air-conditioning to save money, or illuminate the most appropriate escape signs in an emergency.
150411
submission
Space_Pingu writes:
The latest patent round-up on New Scientist includes one from Boeing that proposes using commercial aircraft to gather weather data globally. By collecting data from parts of the planet that aren't normally monitored, the scheme could boost the accuracy of weather forecasts, according to Boeing. The same round-up includes one from Canon for sub-wavelength, near-field lithography for creating even smaller silicon chips.
147711
submission
space_donkey writes:
Signals produced by TV and cellphone masts could provide a navigation back-up when GPS is unavailable, according to NewScientist. obust Surface Navigation programme, funded by the US government's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), aims to extract accurate positioning information from "signals of opportunity". These may include television and cellphone transmissions, if satellite signals are unavailable.
147545
submission
galactic_grub writes:
According to this article at New Scientist, DARPA is developing a plasma shield that would allow troops to stun and disorientate enemies. The system will use a technology known as dynamic pulse detonation (DPD), which involves producing a ball of plasma with an intense laser pulse creates, and then a supersonic shockwave within the plasma using another pulse. The result is a gigantic flash and a loud bang in a the air.
137623
submission
137253
submission
moon_monkey writes:
New Scientist has a story about computer simulations that show how 'smart dust' sensors ould explore other planets simply by changing their shape. John Barker, at the University of Glasgow, created computer models in which tens of thousands of devices measuring 1 cubic millimetre each travelled across the surface of Mars by switching their shape from smooth to dimpled. The smooth dust sensors are carried on the Martian wind, while the rough ones experience enough drag to fall back to the surface and Barker found that thousands of these devices could navigate 20 kilometers this way. They could perhaps be used this way for chemical or biological sensing and exploration.
82580
submission
holy_calamity writes:
US researchers have made a transistor from a Bose-Einstein condensate. They claim it to be the first step towards "atomic circuits" that run with atoms instead of electrons. "A small number of atoms can be used to control the flow of a large number of atoms, in much the same way that an FET uses a gate voltage to control a large electric current," says lead research Alex Zozulya. The abstract of their paper is freely available.
