Tag: physical sciences
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Simulation Software Helps Optimize Utility Transport Grids
Software developed by Fraunhofer Institute mathematicians and engineers can simulate the workings of utility grids and thus help managers of these facilities plan and operate their critical networks. Researchers from Fraunhofer’s Institute for Algorithms and Scientific Computing in Augustin, Germany will exhibit the software at the Hannover Messe technology trade show in Germany, 23-27 April.…
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Programmed Nanoparticles Tested as Cancer Treatments
Researchers from four universities, three hospitals, and the biopharmaceutical company BIND Biosciences are testing a new form of cancer therapy using nanoscale particles designed to deliver a dose of targeted medicine to solid tumors. The findings, including results of early clinical trials, are published in this week’s issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine (paid…
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Case Western Reserve Builds Utility Scale Wind Turbine
Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio and its industrial partners have built their largest research wind turbine, with two other turbines already erected and one in operation providing power. The new turbine resides on property owned by industrial grinder manufacturer William Sopko & Sons in nearby Euclid, the site of another university turbine. The…
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University Licenses Research to Detect Airborne Toxins
University of California at Riverside is licensing an engineering professor’s research on detecting airborne toxins to a local company that plans to take the technology to market. Nano Engineered Applications Inc. plans to develop the research of chemical and environmental engineer Nosang Myung (pictured right) into handheld detection devices that can spot harmful substances in…
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NSF Computer Science Funding Addresses Robots, Big Data
National Science Foundation today unveiled $40 million in funding for this year’s Expeditions in Computing awards. The four sets of five-year grants, each set totaling $10 million, go one or more universities studying robotics, exploding volumes of data, and computer-assisted programming. Two sets of awards deal with robotics. One team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology,…
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Trial to Test Gel-Coated Coils for Treating Aneurysms
A clinical trial at Northwestern University and other sites will test a new gel-coated coil as a treatment to repair ruptured brain aneurysms. The post-market study will test the gel-coated coil against standard bare platinum coils to see which is better at preventing future rupturing or leaking. An aneurysm is a balloon-like bulge in an…
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Process Developed to Self-Assemble Materials into Objects
Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have devised a process to enable the self-assembly of smart materials into predetermined shapes. Computer science professor Daniela Rus and grad student Kyle Gilpin from MIT’s Distributed Robotics Laboratory will discuss their findings at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in May 2012. The research by Rus…
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Algae Biofuel Start-Up Secures $144M for Demo Plant
Sapphire Energy in San Diego says it received the last installment of its series C financing — the third round of funding after initial start-up — valued at $144 million. The company develops biofuels from algae and bacteria, and the new financing is expected to fund a demonstration production plant in Luna County, New Mexico.…
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Efficient, Economical Brain Imaging System in Development
Biomedical and electrical engineers at University of Toronto have developed a neural imaging system that allows researchers to make much more complex maps of the brain with just one camera and one imaging platform. The team led by engineering professor Ofer Levi published its findings yesterday in the journal Biomedical Optics Express. Clinicians use neural…
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Robotic Hand Demonstrates Firm Grip and Gentle Touch
An engineering team at Saarland University in Saarbrücken, Germany has built a robotic hand with the ability to firmly grasp sturdy objects like bottles, yet with enough sensitivity to hold an egg (pictured right). The Saarland researchers collaborated with colleagues in Bologna and Naples, Italy as part of the EU-funded DEXMART project, an acronym for…