Tag: computer science

  • Study: Computer Detection No Aid in Finding Breast Tumors

    A group of university, research institute, and National Cancer Institute researchers have concluded that computer-aided detection (CAD) technology, often used with mammograms, is ineffective in finding breast tumors. The research indicates that CAD may also increase a woman’s risk of being called back needlessly for additional testing following mammography. The study, published online in the…

  • Head Cap Devised to Capture Brain Signals to Control Devices

    A neuroscience/engineering team at University of Maryland in College Park has developed headgear like a swim cap with sensors that read brain signals and let the wearer control electronic devices. The Maryland team’s findings appear in the current issue of the Journal of Neurophysiology (paid subscription required). The non-invasive cap, lined with sensors that connect…

  • National Lab Software Helps Safeguard Public Water Supplies

    Software developed at Sandia National Lab in Albuquerque, New Mexico gives public water utilities early warnings of water quality threats from terrorists or natural contaminants. The open-source code, written in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is available as a free download. The software, known as CANARY, can tells utility operators in minutes of…

  • Caltech Develops High Rez, High Speed, High Depth 3D Imaging

    Researchers from California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena have developed a new process for 3D optical imaging of live biological samples. The new approach that produces images of higher resolution, penetration depth — for seeing deep inside 3D samples — and imaging speed are described online in the journal Nature Methods (paid subscription required).…

  • Project Developing Inexpensive Auto Safety Sensors

    An EU-funded project is developing a sensor system for smaller cars to detect distances between cars on the road, and other safety features. The system, consisting of a camera, lenses, and infared LED, is being built by the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration (IZM) in Berlin, Germany, with the Italian automaker Fiat and chip…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Agilent, Singapore Institute Launch Drug Screening Center

    Agilent Technologies in Santa Clara, California and Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) unveiled a comprehensive drug screening platform for biomedical researchers. The service, called the Singapore Screening Centre, will reside in A*STAR’s Experimental Therapeutics Centre. Agilent and A*STAR say the platform can conduct high-throughput screenings to identify potential drug candidates against diseases,…

  • 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…

  • 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…