Tag: physical sciences
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Challenge Seeks Independent Acutator for Radiator Thermostat
A challenge at InnoCentive seeks a design of an independently powered actuator and power harvesting system for standard hot-water radiator thermostat valves. The competition, with a prize of $20,000, requires a written proposal. The due date for proposals is 22 September 2011. InnoCentive in Waltham, Massachusetts is a company the conducts open-innovation crowd-sourcing competitions for…
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Navy Develops Lightweight Power for Explosive Disposal Teams
The U.S. Office of Naval Research has developed a lightweight power system to cut the 50 pounds of battery devices hauled by the Navy’s explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams. Protonex Technology Corp. in Southborough, Massachusetts partnered with the Navy to build the system, called the Power Management Kit (PMK), and shipped five units to the…
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Prototype Spherical Robot Developed to Monitor Reactor Pipes
Engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a small robotic device to inspect underground pipes for corrosion at nuclear reactors. A prototype of the remote-controlled device was presented in May at the 2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. The device, about the size of an egg and with a spherical shape, was…
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GE Develops 500 Gigabyte Micro-Holographic Disc
The technology research division of General Electric Co. says it successfully demonstrated an optical storage technology using micro-holographic material that can support data recording at the same speed as Blu-ray discs. The technology will be discussed today at IEEE’s Joint International Symposium on Optical Memory & Optical Data Storage Topical Meeting in Kauai, Hawaii. GE…
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University to Study Fracking and Methane in Drinking Water
Researchers at Temple University in Philadelphia will investigate the origins of methane gas found in drinking water wells near Marcellus Shale drilling sites in Pennsylvania. A related research project will study the extent to which science influences public policy on shale gas drilling. Both studies are funded by a one-year, $66,000 grant from the William…
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Companies Join National Lab in Composites Consortium
Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee, part of the U.S. Department of Energy, has established a consortium with 14 companies to promote the development and commercialization of carbon fiber and composites materials. The Oak Ridge Carbon Fiber Composites Consortium will hold its first meeting in September. Oak Ridge Lab has been involved in composite materials…
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FDA Issues Draft Guidance on Mobile Medical Phone Apps
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued a draft of guidance to industry on oversight of mobile medical applications (apps) designed for smartphones and other mobile computing devices. Interested parties have 90 days to comment on the proposed regulations. The industry market analysts Research2Guidance expect as many as 500 million smartphone users worldwide will…
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Mercury Found in Soil Near Central Indiana Coal Power Plants
A study by researchers at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis found that measurable amounts of mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants are deposited in central Indiana soil and can subsequently enter regional watersheds. The findings by earth scientists Carrie Lynne Hatcher (now at University of Toronto) and Gabriel Filippelli appear in the journal Water, Air, and…
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International Team Develops Optical Packet Router
Researchers from Spain, the Netherlands, and Canada have developed an optical router chip, capable of operating up to 100 times faster than currently available chips. The router, that incorporates the principle of directing packets of data, are described in the latest issue of the journal Optics Express. The new chip is capable of routing optical…
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Venture Company to Invest in Early-Stage Science Enterprises
True North Venture Partners, a venture capital company in Chicago, unveiled today its $300 million investment fund and strategy. The company plans to invest in early stage companies in the energy, water, agriculture, and waste sectors — where products and services are often based on scientific research findings — with amounts invested ranging from $100,000…