Ryerson students invent breakthrough brain-controlled prosthetic arm

Physorg.com
March 31, 2011

Two Ryerson University undergraduate biomedical engineering students are changing the world of medical prosthetics with a newly developed prosthetic arm that is controlled by brain signals. The Artificial Muscle-Operated (AMO) Arm not only enables amputees more range of movement as compared to other prosthetic arms but it allows amputees to avoid invasive surgeries and could potentially save hundreds of thousands of dollars. The AMO Arm is controlled by the user's brain signals and is powered by 'artificial muscles' - simple pneumatic pumps and valves - to create movements. In contrast, traditional prosthetic limbs – which typically offer more limited movements – rely on intricate and expensive electrical and mechanical components.
To read more click here...

Solving the problem of autonomous refuelling with robots

Science Business
March 31, 2011

Robots will be used to help solve the problem of autonomous engagement for in-flight refuelling. This new research could pave the way for civil or military unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flights to last days or even weeks.
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Creating green aviation technology

Physorg.com
March 31, 2011

"Green" research has become a burgeoning field at NASA, and Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., is definitely on board. Scientists, engineers and researchers at Ames conduct a variety of green projects in relation to aviation. “Green is not just a buzzword to us,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden at Ames' Green Aviation Summit last September.
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Thermoelectric materials: recycling energy

Oak Ridge National Laboratory
March 30, 2011

For some years now, NASA has been using what are called thermoelectric materials to power its space probes. The probes travel such great distances from our sun that solar panels are no longer an efficient source of power. So NASA imbeds a nuclear material in a radioisotope thermal generator, where it decays, producing heat energy. That energy is then converted by thermoelectric materials into the electricity that powers the space probe. The same technology is now being explored for more earthly applications, for example, to capture heat lost in the exhaust of automobiles to produce electricity for the vehicle.
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Microreactors: Small Scale Chemistry Could Lead to Big Improvements for Biodegradable Polymers

NIST
March 30, 2011

Using a small block of aluminum with a tiny groove carved in it, a team of researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Polytechnic Institute of New York University is developing an improved “green chemistry” method for making biodegradable polymers. Their recently published work* is a prime example of the value of microfluidics, a technology more commonly associated with inkjet printers and medical diagnostics, to process modeling and development for industrial chemistry.
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Smartbird Robot Flies Through The Skies

Festo.com
March 26, 2011

Created by the researchers at Festo, the SmartBird (artificial bird) features innovative technology that has finally deciphered and replicated the mechanics of a bird's flight. It features an ultralight body with the aerodynamic qualities and extreme agility.
To read more click here...

Darpa Creating Cheetah-Bot to Hunt Humans

Wired.com
March 2, 2011

On Friday, Boston Dynamics has announced that the United States Department of Defense's research agency, DARPA, has awarded them a contract to build a new four-legged robot that will be fast enough to chase, evade, and hunt down the fastest human.
To read more click here...

Pyrolysis Method Recycles Motor Oil Into Fuel

The Engineer
March 29, 2011

Using microwave heating, UK scientists at Cambridge University have developed a process that can recycle motor oil into fuel.

To read more click here...

Stanford researchers use river water and salty ocean water to generate electricity

Stanford University
March 29, 2011

Stanford researchers have developed a rechargeable battery that uses freshwater and seawater to create electricity. Aided by nanotechnology, the battery employs the difference in salinity between fresh and saltwater to generate a current. A power station might be built wherever a river flows into the ocean.To read more click here...

The Drive Toward Hydrogen Vehicles Just Got Shorter

ScienceDaily 
March 21, 2011

Researchers have revealed a new single-stage method for recharging the hydrogen storage compound ammonia borane. The breakthrough makes hydrogen a more attractive fuel for vehicles and other transportation modes.

In an article appearing recently in the journal Science, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and University of Alabama researchers working within the U.S. Department of Energy's Chemical Hydrogen Storage Center of Excellence describe a significant advance in hydrogen storage science.
To read more click here...

Related Information:

• Hydrogen Fuel Cell Storage Issue Addressed

Global Clean Energy Investment Reached Record 243 Billion Dollars In 2010

Washington DC (SPX) 
March 30, 2011

 

Global clean energy finance and investment grew significantly in 2010 to $243 billion, a 30 percent increase from the previous year. China, Germany, Italy and India were among the nations that most successfully attracted private investments, according to new research released by The Pew Charitable Trusts.
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Using Heat to Cool Buildings

Technology Review
March 30, 2011

It could soon be more practical to cool buildings using solar water heaters and waste heat from generators. That's because of new porous materials developed by researchers from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. These materials can improve a process called adsorption chilling, which can be used for refrigeration and air conditioning.
Adsorption chillers are too big and expensive for many applications, such as use in homes. Peter McGrail, who heads the research effort, predicts that the materials could allow adsorption chillers to be 75 percent smaller and half as expensive. This would make them competitive with conventional, compressor-driven chillers. 
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Solar Module Manufacturers Turn To Innovative Solutions To Enhance Production Processes And Meet Growing Market Demands

Chaineux, Belgium (SPX) 
March 30, 2011

Following a successful year in 2010, Saint-Gobain Solar, a leading manufacturer of sustainable materials and engineered renewable energy solutions, is on track for an even brighter 2011. The group is bringing new levels of production efficiency and cost savings to photovoltaic module manufacturing processes with its innovative SolarBond products.
To read more click here...

Solar Frontier Sets New Efficiency Record In Thin-Film CIS Technology

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) 
March 30, 2011

Solar Frontier announced today that it has achieved 17.2% aperture area efficiency on a 30x30cm CIS-based photovoltaic submodule, according to in-house measurements.

This new world record for thin-film CIS technology was accomplished at Solar Frontier's dedicated research laboratory in Atsugi, Japan, a cornerstone of the company's integrated research and production framework, in cooperation with Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).
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Green Cars Could Be Made From Pineapples And Bananas

Anaheim CA (SPX) 
March 29, 2011

Your next new car hopefully won't be a lemon. But it could be a pineapple or a banana. That's because scientists in Brazil have developed a more effective way to use fibers from these and other plants in a new generation of automotive plastics that are stronger, lighter, and more eco-friendly than plastics now in use.
To read more click here...

Related Information:

• Chicken Fat Biofuel: Eco-Friendly Jet Fuel Alternative 

Semiconductor Research And Masdar Institute Host Solar Technology Scientists

Abu Dhabi, UAE (SPX) 
March 29, 2011

 

Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology has announced Abu Dhabi's first world-class gathering of solar experts and university researchers for a forum on photovoltaics (PV). The March 27-28 event is designed to explore the route for development of cost-effective systems capable of achieving 25 percent energy conversion from solar resources in Abu Dhabi by the year 2020.
To read more click here...

Engineered Organisms for Making Cheap Sugar

Technology Review
March 29, 2011

In a bid to make biofuels cheaper, a startup called Proterro, based in Princeton, New Jersey,  is developing a way to cut the cost of making sugar, a basic building block for ethanol. The company is engineering photosynthetic microorganisms to secrete large amounts of sugar, and it is designing a  bioreactor for growing the organisms using small amounts of water.
To read more click here...

China 'to overtake US on science' in two years

BBC
March 28, 2011

China is on course to overtake the US in scientific output possibly as soon as 2013 - far earlier than expected.
That is the conclusion of a major new study by the Royal Society, the UK's national science academy.

The country that invented the compass, gunpowder, paper and printing is set for a globally important comeback.

An analysis of published research - one of the key measures of scientific effort - reveals an "especially striking" rise by Chinese science.
To read more click here...

Related Information:

• China and Iran challenging science "superpowers" of US and Britain
• Emerging world on science fast-track 

EADS unit to buy Canada's Vector Aerospace

Reuters
March 29, 2011

EADS  has ended a three-year acquisition drought in North America with a C$625 million ($640 million) cash bid for Canadian overhaul and repair firm Vector Aerospace.

Europe's largest aerospace company has had its eye on transatlantic expansion for some time to wean itself off the euro, whose strength has been hurting its airplane subsidiary Airbus, and to expand further into defense and aerospace services.

To read more click here...

Private investment in clean energy plunges

The Financial Times
March 29, 2011

Private investment in renewable energy in the UK fell sharply last year, relegating the country from third place to 13th in a table of Group of 20 economies.
The UK attracted $3.3bn in 2010 against $11bn in 2009, falling below every other European nation in the group, China, the US and Canada, according to a report by the Pew Environment Group.
To read more click here...

The solar drinking water now in Haiti

Haiti Libre
March 26, 2011

As we announced it to you on February 11th, 2011, the company BIO-UV specializes in water treatment, developed a drinking water treatment plant (BIO-SUN) that runs on solar energy. Combining a very fine filtration and a disinfection by ultraviolet radiation (UVR), water is purified and freed of all micro-organisms.

Well, this water treatment plant has just arrived in Haiti and is expected to be operational within two weeks, according to an official of the company Lysa, an expert company in management and durable maintenance of water, cooperating with BIO-UV and operator since 2009 and for a period of 15 years of the Société des Eaux de Saint Marc (SESAM) thus ensuring the management of the network of water supply to Saint Marc. Currently the city of Saint Marc has 8 hours of running water per day but in the suburbs the supply is ensured through public fountains or retail outlets collective.

The advantages of this plant are mainly:

• Its low cost, indeed the plant cost about US$4.000 and the cost for 1000 liters is $0.34
  
• Its capacity, this plant can process the equivalent of 500 liters/hour [with 400 J/m2 of sunshine]
  
• Its autonomy, given its photovoltaic power, this plant [in the absence of sun] has a battery life of 3 days, 4 hours use per day [2,000 liters], which allows in this situation to meet the daily requirement of a hundred people.
  

To conclude, "... involve local people in the maintenance of the plant, will also create some economic activity around the facility, " hopes Delphine Benat-Rassat one of the responsible of Lysa.

Solar power photovoltaics (PV) is on the road to becoming a mainstream energy technology

REVE
March 28, 2011

Solar energy photovoltaic (PV) has a critical contribution to the three pillars of the EU's energy policy: competitiveness, energy security of supply and sustainability.
To read more click here...

Daimler puts up €1.75 M to fund PhDs and drive knowledge transfer for electric cars

Science Business
March 23, 2011

The German carmaker is teaming up with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg Launch to launch a PhD research group specialising in electric vehicles.
To read more click here...

Warwick and partners awarded £1.4M in national solar energy program

Science Business
March 28, 2011

The University of Warwick is a key part of a consortium that has just been awarded £1.4 Million by a new national programme designed to develop the next generation of solar energy harvesting technology.
To read more click here...

Stanford engineers put a damper on 'aeroelastic flutter'

Stanford University
March 24, 2011

Anyone who has ever flown knows the feeling: an otherwise smooth flight gets a little choppy. If you are lucky, the plane skips a few times like a rock across a pond and then settles. For the not-so-lucky, the captain has turned on that seatbelt sign for a reason, but even the worst turbulence usually fades.
To read more click here...

ASME Articles of Interest - The Era of Insufficient Plenty, Manufacturing at the Crossroads, Custom Model, Credit to the Bicycle

The Era of Insufficient Plenty

"For more than 100 years, the United States has been the world’s largest industrial power, consuming a plurality of the world’s resources. Outstanding science and engineering have made it possible to extract and process natural resources to make almost any type of product at a reasonable cost and the United States has never confronted a situation in which another country matched our consumption. Today, we face that situation from China and India, nations with enormous populations, very large workforces of educated professionals, fast-growing economies, and voracious appetites for resources."
To read more click here

Manufacturing at the Crossroads

"U.S. manufacturers have taken a beating this past decade. As the economy pulls itself out of the recession, they are approaching a crossroads. What happens as the United States climbs out of the recession? Does production move overseas or return home? Does American manufacturing muscle bulk up or atrophy? Job losses in manufacturing have been staggering. From 17-18 million manufacturing workers for 20 years prior to the 2001 recession, employment has plummeted, down to 12 million workers in 2009."

To read more click here...

Custom Model

"Dell is offered up again and again as the prime example of customized manufacturing done right and done successfully. Shortly after its founding in 1984, Dell began a configure-to-order approach to manufacturing. Customers choose from multiple options for their own computers on the Dell Web site and then the computer is manufactured."

To read more click here...

Credit to the Bicycle

"Today an estimated one billion bicycles are used throughout the world, but they often don’t get the credit they deserve.  The first 90 years of the bicycle made world-changing engineering achievements possible that extended to modern motorized forms of transportation. What’s ahead for the next?"

To read more click here...

New trash-to-treasure process turns landfill nuisance into plastic

American Chemical Society
March 27, 2011

With billions of pounds of meat and bone meal going to waste in landfills after a government ban on its use in cattle feed, scientists today described development of a process for using that so-called meat and bone meal to make partially biodegradable plastic that does not require raw materials made from oil or natural gas. They reported here today at the 241^st National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
To read more click here...

Researchers Close In On Technology For Making Renewable Petroleum

ScienceDaily 
March 23, 2011

University of Minnesota researchers are a key step closer to making renewable petroleum fuels using bacteria, sunlight and dioxide, a goal funded by a $2.2 million United States Department of Energy grant.
To read more click here... 

UK Engineers Develop Bee-Based Security Device

The Engineer
March 28, 2011

Trained sniffer bees are the key components of new technology that could stop terrorists in their tracks.

To read more click here...

ABB to Deliver UHVDC Link for India Transmission Project

The Engineer
March 23, 2011

The Power Grid Corporation of India has selected ABB to deliver an ultra-high-voltage transmission system, worth about $900m (£554m). The link will supply hydropower from north-eastern India to the city of Agra over a distance of 1,728km.

To read more click here...

Addition Information:

• Ultra High Voltage DC Systems

Drama of Formula 1 Receives Technological Boost

New Scientist
March 24, 2011

The return of regenerative braking and the innovation of a drag-destroying rear wing could bring the drama of overtaking back to Formula 1.
 To read more click here...

Solar Concentrator Magnifies to Increase Power Output of Cells

The Engineer
March 25, 2011

California-based Hypersolar is developing a solar concentrator that magnifies the power of the sun to significantly increase the power output of solar cells.
To read more click here...

Neutron Analysis Yields Insight Into Bacteria For Solar Energy

ScienceDaily
March 24, 2011

Structural studies of some of nature's most efficient light-harvesting systems are lighting the way for new generations of biologically inspired solar cell devices.
To read more click here...

Cheap Catalyst Made Easy

Cleveland OH (SPX) 
March 25, 2011

Catalysts made of carbon nanotubes dipped in a polymer solution equal the energy output and otherwise outperform platinum catalysts in fuel cells, a team of Case Western Reserve University engineers has found.
To read more click here...

Innovative Microactuators: Compact 3.5 mm cubic rotary-linear piezoelectric actuator

Physorg.com
March 24, 2011

Microactuators are critical components for industrial applications such as MEMS, micro-medical devices, and microrobotics. However, the fabrication of increasingly sophisticated, millimeter sized microactuators is complicated and proving to be a challenge.
To read more click here... 

A Call for the Safer Handling of Nuclear Waste

Technolgy Review
March 24, 2011

Two weeks after the earthquake and tsunami, Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex continues to spread both radiation and distrust of nuclear power as the plant's situation lurches from hopeful to harrowing and back again. This week, Tokyo Electric Power restored grid power to much of the plant's equipment, bringing instrumentation back to life and, in a few cases, restoring cooling to overheated reactors and spent fuel pools. But on Wednesday, Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency reported that black smoke from Fukushima Daiichi's reactor unit 3 and a spike in radiation around reactor 2 had forced workers to temporarily abandon work to restart the cooling systems.
To read more click here...

Motorised Shoes Could Help The Elderly Improve Their Balance

The Engineer
March 24, 2011

Motorized shoes aimed at helping the elderly improve their balance are being developed with help from researchers at Strathclyde University.
To read more click here...

System Uses Piezoceramics to Dampen Vibrations in Cars

The Engineer
March 24, 2011

Engineers in Germany are hoping to reduce noisy vibrations in cars by using ‘smart materials’ that automatically change their shape.

To read more click here...

Biofuel Could Be An Alternative to Fossil-Based Jet Fuel

The Engineer
March 24, 2011

A consortium of companies led by TAROM Romanian Air Transport, including Honeywell’s UOP, CCE (Camelina Company España), and Airbus, is to spearhead the commercialisation of a biofuel from a weed-like plant.

To read more click here...

Railway Investment in Gulf Countries on a Rise

Railway-technology.com
March 24, 2011

The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have invested $106.2bn in recent railway projects, according to new research by Ventures Middle East.
Saudi Arabia tops the list among the GCC countries, with 23 projects worth S$25.6bn, including the $6bn Makkah-Madina Railway Link.
The UAE has implemented eight railway projects worth $20.6bn, which are underway, including the construction of the $11bn Emirates Railway Project, scheduled to begin in mid-2011.
Qatar will invest $25bn in the Qatar National Rail Scheme linking to the GCC Railway network, which is a $30bn project covering a 2,200km line to connect all six GCC countries by 2017.
Other projects include the Kuwait National Rail Road Network and Metro System totalling $17bn, Oman's National Freight and Passenger Railway worth $10bn, and Bahrain's Rapid Transport Network costing $8bn.

India to Build Floating Solar Plant

New Delhi (UPI) 
March 23, 2011

India's private energy giant Tata Power has joined with Australia's Sunengy Pty Limited for a $1 million pilot project to build a solar-powered electricity generation plant that will float on water, the companies announced.
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Nevada Officials And Sempra Generation Dedicate Largest US PV Plant

San Diego CA (SPX) 
March 24, 2011

Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, Boulder City Mayor Roger Tobler, Jeff Martin, president and chief executive officer of Sempra Generation, and other dignitaries were on hand in southern Nevada to officially dedicate Sempra Generation's Copper Mountain Solar, the largest photovoltaic solar plant in the U.S.
To read more click here...

Department of Energy Awards 3M $4.4 Million to Reduce Cost of Photovoltaic Energy System

3M
March 22, 2011

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded 3M $4.4 million as part of DOE’s SunShot Initiative. SunShot aims to reduce the total costs of photovoltaic solar energy systems by about 75 percent, so that they are cost-competitive with other forms of energy without subsidies. SunShot calls for achieving this goal by the end of the decade. The sum of the 3M award is estimated at $4.4 million over three years.
To read more click here...

Lab creates Self-Strengthening Nanocomposite

Rice University
March 23, 2011

Researchers at Rice Univ. have created a synthetic material that gets stronger from repeated stress much like the body strengthens bones and muscles after repeated workouts.
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Seeing Below The Surface

MIT News
March 24, 2011

In recent years, many airplane manufacturers have started building their planes from advanced composite materials, which consist of high-strength fibers, such as carbon or glass, embedded in a plastic or metal matrix. Such materials are stronger and more lightweight than aluminum, but they are also more difficult to inspect for damage, because their surfaces usually don't reveal underlying problems.

"With aluminum, if you hit it, there's a dent there. With a composite, oftentimes if you hit it, there's no surface damage, even though there may be internal damage," says Brian L. Wardle, associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics.
To read more click here...

DARPA Kicks Off Maximum Mobility and Manipulation (M3) Program

Engineerblogger
March 23, 2011

In its search for improved unmanned vehicle capabilities for military missions, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched its Maximum Mobility and Manipulation (M3) program. Announced by DARPA on March 17th, the program was created overcome the poor service of robots currently in service.
To read more click here...

Leeds researcher takes Gold in Parliament

University of Leeds
March 21, 2011

An up-and-coming University of Leeds researcher struck gold in the House of Commons last week after impressing MPs and expert judges with the quality of his work.

Dr Tim Stevenson presented his engineering research to more than one hundred politicians and a panel of leading engineers, as part of the 'Set for Britain' poster competition on Monday 14 March.
His research, which describes the development of a new material with unusual magnetic and electric properties, was judged against 59 other shortlisted researchers' work and came out on top. He was rewarded with a cash prize of £3000.
To read more click here...

University of Nottingham Gets Innovative

Insidermedia.com
March 21, 2011


The University of Nottingham is to lead a new £10m Centre for Innovative Manufacturing.
Working with companies in the aerospace, automotive and energy sectors, the centre will drive engineering research in the field of composite materials.
To read more click here...

Singapore's A*STAR Offers Precision Engineering Industry Technology Capabilities to Venture into Growing Oil & Gas, Aerospace and Medtech Clusters

ACN Newswire Singapore
23 March 2011

Riding on Singapore's strong 10.5% annual growth by the manufacturing sector in 2010, the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech), a research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), aims to help the Precision Engineering (PE) industry soar to greater heights by equipping the industry with innovative and advanced technological capabilities to migrate into the specialised oil & gas, aerospace and medical technology (medtech) industries.
To read more click here...

Batteries Charge Very Quickly and Retain Capacity, Thanks to New Structure

Illinois University
March 21, 2011

Paul Braun, professor of materials science and engineering, center, led the research group of graduate student Xindi Yu, left, and postdoctoral researcher Huigang Zhang that developed a three-dimensional nanostructure for battery cathodes that allows for dramatically faster charging and discharging without sacrificing energy storage capacity.
To read more click here...

Wind And Solar Can Reliably Supply 25 Percent Of Oahu's Electricity Need

Manoa HI (SPX) 
March 23, 2011

When combined with on-Oahu wind farms and solar energy, the Interisland Wind project planned to bring 400 megawatts (MW) of wind power from Molokai and Lanai to Oahu could reliably supply more than 25% of Oahu's projected electricity demand, according to the Oahu Wind Integration Study (OWIS).
To read more click here...

Natural Gas to Gain From Nuclear Crisis

UPI
March 22, 2011

As nations across Europe begin to question their reliance on nuclear power, natural gas could become the fuel of the moment.
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New Technique Produces Graphene Nanoribbons with Metallic Properties

Rdmag.com
March 22, 2011

A new "templated growth" technique for fabricating nanoribbons of epitaxial graphene has produced structures just 15 to 40 nm wide that conduct current with almost no resistance. These structures could address the challenge of connecting graphene devices made with conventional architectures—and set the stage for a new generation of devices that take advantage of the quantum properties of electrons.
To read more click here...

Silverback Solar Leads Discussions On Proper Mounting Methods For Rooftop Solar

Santa Cruz CA (SPX) 
March 21, 2011

 

At the recent International Roofing Expo, sponsored by National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), over 8,000 professionals filled the hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center to learn about new innovations and discuss issues important to the roofing industry.

LockMart Makes Strides In Human Space Exploration

Denver CO (SPX) 
March 22, 2011

 

Forging a new path forward to ensure safe, affordable and sustainable human exploration beyond low Earth orbit, Lockheed Martin has unveiled the first Orion spacecraft and a spacious state-of-the-art Space Operations Simulation Center (SOSC). These two major projects, located at Lockheed Martin's Waterton Facility near Denver, Colo., showcase the NASA-industry teams' progress for human space flight, the Orion Project and NASA's Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle.
To read more click here...

Lens views objects from nine angles to create 3D image

The Engineer
March 22, 2011

Engineers at Ohio State University have designed a lens that enables microscopic objects to be seen from nine different angles at once to create a 3D image.

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Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental completes first test flight

The Engineer
March 21, 2011

Boeing’s latest passenger aircraft, the 747-8 Intercontinental, has successfully completed its first test flight in the US.
To read more click here...

Surveillance Robots Know When to Hide

The NewScientist
March 21, 2011

The spy approaches the target building under cover of darkness, taking a zigzag path to avoid well-lit areas and sentries. He selects a handy vantage point next to a dumpster, taking cover behind it when he hears the footsteps of an unseen guard. Once the coast is clear, he is on the move again - trundling along on four small wheels.

This is no human spy but a machine, a prototype in the emerging field of covert robotics. It was being put through its paces at a demonstration late last year by Lockheed Martin's Advanced Technology Laboratories at Cherry Hill, New Jersey. With an aerial drone to their credit (see "Unseen watcher in the sky"), the company now wants to design autonomous robots that can operate around humans without being detected.

To read more click here...

“Good-Bye, Blind Spot” – Man and Machine Always in View

Fraunhofer-Institut für Digitale Medientechnologie
March 21, 2011

Particular care must be taken in a production hall where robots and men work together, where even minor carelessness could result in serious accidents or stop production. At the Hannover Messe trade fair that is taking place from April 4-8, Fraunhofer researchers are introducing a new prototype for intelligent safety monitoring in industrial workplaces.

The intelligent monitoring system illuminates the entire production hall in an optimum manner. This is how dangerous situations between man and machine can be prevented.
To read more click here...

Using Light to Join Nanoparticles Into New Materials

Rdmag.com
March 22, 2011

For many years, scientists have searched for ways to assemble nanoparticles into larger structures of any desired shape and form at will. This effect has been achieved in a new study by using a laser as if it were a magic wand, creating an assembled, continuous filament as the laser beam is moved around.
To read more click here...

Bug Creates Butanol Direct from Cellulose

Technology Review
March 22, 2011

Butanol—a promising next-generation biofuel—packs more energy than ethanol and can be shipped via oil pipelines. But, like ethanol, biobutanol production is focused on using edible feedstocks such as beets, corn starch, and sugarcane.
To read more click here...

Japan Needs to Look to The Future

Chinadaily
March 22, 2011


The earthquake and tsunami have caused huge human and material losses in Japan, and the threat of nuclear radiation has added to people's woes. Many people have been injured and many traumatized.
The Japanese are resilient people, having gone through many traumatic experiences in their history. There is need for them to rebound again, but today's Japan is different from what it was in 1995, when a devastating quake struck Kobe. Japanese today are not as positive about their future as they were during some of the past catastrophes.
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China Looks West as Japan Cuts Production

Chinadaily
March 22, 2011

China will need to source a wide range of products from Europe and the United States to make up for the shortage stemming from the natural disasters in Japan, businesses and experts said.
To read more click here...

Vanadium Redox Battery Upgrade

Rdmag.com
March 18, 2011

Though considered a promising large-scale energy storage device, the vanadium redox battery's use has been limited by its inability to work well in a wide range of temperatures and its high cost. But new research indicates that modifying the battery's electrolyte solution improves its performance. So much so that the upgraded battery could improve the electric grid's reliability and help connect more wind turbines and solar panels to the grid.
To read more click here...