Tag: computer science
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Google Granted Patent for Autonomous Vehicle Technology
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded a patent to Google Inc. in Mountain View, California for its technology that enables cars to switch from driver to driver-less mode. Patent number 8,078,349 — entitled “Transitioning a mixed-mode vehicle to autonomous mode” — was awarded on 13 December. The patent covers the processes and devices for…
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Technique Devised for Lowest Greenhouse Emissions Routing
Engineers from University at Buffalo in New York have developed a technique to route drivers to their destinations while minimizing their cars’ greenhouse gas emissions. The study involved simulations of traffic in the Buffalo/Niagara Falls region, but could be applied to today’s GPS systems in the near future, according to the researchers. Buffalo engineering professor…
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Stratolaunch Systems to Build Aircraft-Based Space Launcher
Stratolaunch Systems in Huntsville, Alabama announced plans to build a space launch aircraft and booster rocket with the capacity to replace the recently retired NASA space shuttle. The company, started by Microsoft founder Paul Allen, will partner with aircraft manufacturer Scaled Composites, space vehicle developer Space Exploration Technologies, and aerospace engineering company Dynetics. The entire…
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NSF Grant to Fund Smartphone App for Diabetes Control
A business and engineering team from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts has received a $1.2 million grant to develop a smartphone application for people with advanced cases of diabetes. The project, funded by the National Science Foundation, is a collaboration between Worcester’s Healthcare Delivery Institute and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, also in Worcester.…
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Mobile Tech Developer Raises $15M in Expansion Round
The Cambridge, U.K. mobile technology developer ip.access says it has closed a new $15 million round of funding from its current investors in the U.S. and Europe. The company makes small and low-power cellular base stations that boost signal coverage for mobile Internet devices. The collection of ip.access’s current investors all participated, including Amadeus Capital…
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GE, Acorn Research to Partner on Molecular Cancer Testing
Clarient Inc., a division of GE Healthcare in Aliso Viejo, California, and ACORN Research in Memphis have agreed to collaborate on molecular testing of tumor samples to result in standardized molecular profiles that improve the link between testing and treatment. These processes, say the companies, can eventually improve cancer treatment and research by delivering targeted…
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Robotic System to Test 10,000 Compounds for Toxicity
Three U.S. agencies have begun a testing program of some 10,000 chemical compounds for potential toxicity. The Tox21 program is a collaboration of National Institutes of Health, Environmental Protection Agency, and Food and Drug Administration. The program aims to find out if these chemicals have the potential to disrupt human processes that can lead to…
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University Builds Virtual-Reality Factory Simulation
Iowa State University in Ames has built a simulated factory lab based on virtual reality technology. The lab, called Multimodal Experience Testbed and Laboratory or METaL, seeks to create natural interactions in virtual reality for industrial purposes, such as to design new parts, explore design functionality, or develop better assembly methods. METaL consists of two…
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Video Game Players Add to Genetic Disease Understanding
Users of a Web-based video game developed by McGill University computer scientists in Montreal, have helped advance an understanding of the genetic basis of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and cancer over the past year. Jérôme Waldispuhl of the McGill School of Computer Science and collaborator Mathieu Blanchette released results today of the solutions collected…
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Genome Institute to Fund Research on Rare Diseases, Medical Care
Funding announced by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of National Institutes of Health, will support new research on rare inherited diseases, informatics tools, and use of genomic data in medical care delivery. The four-year, $416 million plan also continues funding for current initiatives on large-scale genomic sequencing production. NHGRI plans to award…