Science and Enterprise

Tag: computer science

  • Robotic Bat Wing Developed to Simulate Flight Dynamics

    Biologists and engineers at Brown University in Providence created a robotic bat wing that simulates the aerodynamics of bats, but can also be applied to the design of small pilotless aircraft. The team from the labs of Brown engineer Kenneth Breuer and biologist Sharon Swartz published results from early experiments with the device in the…

  • Informatics Tools Underused to Fight Hospital Infections

    Researchers at the Regenstrief Institute in Indianapolis report relatively few professionals responsible for controlling hospital-based infections are engaged in or even aware of automated systems designed to share data about these infections. The findings of the survey led by Regenstrief’s Brian Dixon, with colleagues from Indiana University medical school (affiliated with Regenstrief Institute), and the…

  • Lockheed Martin, Nanyang Univ. to Partner on Nanotech Copper

    Lockheed Martin Corp. in Bethesda, Maryland and Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) will collaborate on research involving a new type of copper based on nanotechnology. The laboratory established under the agreement signed today will have initial funding of $10 million over four years. The NTU-Lockheed Martin Joint Laboratory at the university’s Yunnan campus will employ…

  • FDA Approves Electronic Artificial Retina Implant Device

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first implant device to restore some visual perception for adults with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disease that damages the retina. The Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System is made by Second Sight Medical Products Inc. in Sylmar, California. Retinitis pigmentosa is an eye disease caused by genetic defects…

  • Smart Wall Panel Designed to Give Seniors Day-to-Day Help

    University and company researchers in Germany are designing systems to be built into the walls of older peoples’ homes to help with simple day-to-day tasks as well as monitor their health. A team from Technical University Munich (Technische Universität München, TUM) will demonstrate the Living Independently in Südtirol/Alto Adige or LISA prototype on 20 February…

  • Feasibility Shown of Spintronic Enabling Organic Materials

    Engineers at University of Utah in Salt Lake City developed a process to create organic materials with the ability to conduct electricity on their edges, while the inside acts as an insulator. The team led by Utah professor Feng Liu published its findings in yesterday’s issue of the journal Nature Communications (paid subscription required). Materials…

  • GE, Vanderbilt to Partner on Colon Cancer Research

    GE Global Research, a division of General Electric Company, and Vanderbilt University’s Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville are collaborating on research to better understand the formation of colon cancer tumors at the level of individual cells. The study is funded by a five-year, $3.75 million grant from National Institutes of Health (NIH). Better cancer diagnosis…

  • Process Adds New Properties to Ferroelectric Materials

    Materials scientists at University of Illinois in Urbana developed a new type of thin metal oxide film with a built-in electric field, useful  for semiconductor devices such as computer memory. The team led by Illinois professor Lane Martin published their findings online in a recent issue of the journal Advanced Materials (paid subscription required). Lane,…

  • iPhone App Tests Selective Dominant-Ear Listening Behavior

    Psychologists at University of Bergen in Norway wrote software that turns an iPhone into a device to test dichotic listening, behavior that combines language processing and attention. A team from Bergen’s research group examined the iPhone app’s validity and reliability in measuring dichotic listening, with the team’s results appearing online yesterday in the journal Frontiers…

  • Space Data Start-Up Raises $1.3M from Angels, Crowdfunding

    NanoSatisfi, a start-up company in San Francisco offering low-priced space-based data services, raised $1.2 million in seed capital, to go along with more than $100,000 collected last summer through crowdfunding. The company announced the funding round yesterday on Twitter, with details reported on the technology and business news Web site TechCrunch. Anthony Ha of TechCrunch…