Science and Enterprise

Tag: computer science

  • Ultrathin Electronic Patch Devised for Medical Applications

    Engineers in the U.S., Singapore, and China have developed a technology platform that makes possible electronic medical functions such as sensing or diagnostics in an ultrathin patch worn directly on the skin. The team that developed this technology, led by John Rogers of University of Illinois in Champaign, published its findings in this week’s issue…

  • New Measure Developed of Irrigation Water Requirements

    The Agricultural Research Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has devised a new method for measuring the water requirements of crops, based on the yield per drop of water actually taken in by the crops. A company is now developing instruments and software to measure and manage the amounts of water absorbed…

  • Electronic Conductivity Found in Bacteria Nanowires

    A team of microbiologists and physicists at University of Massachusetts in Amherst have discovered the ability of nanowires in a common microbe to transport electrons across long distances. The researchers published their findings online in the journal Nature Nanotechnology (paid subscription required). Microbiologist Derek Lovley with physicists Mark Tuominen, Nikhil Malvankar and colleagues found this…

  • System Being Developed to Watch for Airport Runway Debris

    A German consortium of companies, university, and Fraunhofer institutes are developing a system with multiple technologies to monitor the presence of debris on airport runways that can make them unsafe for aircraft. A piece of metal that fell off another airplane is blamed for the crash of the supersonic Concorde jet that followed on the…

  • Univ. Research Leads to Mobile Transaction Security Advances

    Research by Georgia Institute of Technology engineering faculty has led to a new layer of security on transactions by mobile phones. The work of engineering professor Steven McLaughlin is also being commercialized by Whisper Communications, a company he co-founded to take the technology to market. The ability of smart phones and other mobile devices to…

  • University Profs. Develop, Commercialize Food-Bite Counter

    Two Clemson University faculty members have developed a device worn on the wrist that can help people monitor the amounts of food they consume. Psychology professor Eric Muth and engineering professor Adam Hoover have also started a company to take their patent-pending device to market. The Bite Counter, as Muth and Hoover call their device,…

  • Robot Being Developed to Aid in Care of Elderly

    The Japanese research foundation RIKEN, in collaboration with Tokai Rubber Industries Ltd. in Nagoya Science Park, has developed a robot with the ability to lift and carry a patient from floor-level bedding to a wheelchair and back.     The robot, with high-precision tactile sensors and motor control, was designed to meet the needs of caring…

  • Corp/Univ Project to Research Green Energy for Data Centers

    Chip maker AMD says it will take part with HP, Clarkson University, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) in a project researching the challenge of channeling renewable energy to data centers. Because wind and solar energy are intermittent power sources, the study will also seek ways to automatically shift a…

  • Challenge Seeks Cost-Effective Fleet Vehicle Data Capture

    A challenge at InnoCentive seeks a more cost-effective way of capturing data from a large fleet of vehicles with little, if any, intervention by the drivers. The competition has a prize of $25,000 and requires a written proposal. The deadline for entries is 28 September 2011. InnoCentive in Waltham, Massachusetts is a company the conducts…

  • Wireless Bridge Safety Sensor Developed, Commercialized

    An engineer at University of Maryland in College Park has developed a wireless, self-powered safety sensor for bridges, and started a company to take the device to market. Electrical engineering researcher Mehdi Kalantari says the sensor can provide public works authorities with an effective structural monitoring system for bridges at about 1 percent of the…