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Research Watch
Making cars a wee bit more efficient by turning urine into hydrogen
05:56 July 7, 2009 PDT
No-one should ever drink and drive, but there may soon be a good reason to drink a lot before you fill up your car – researchers at Ohio University have worked out a way to efficiently extract hydrogen from urine. It could provide a cheap, renewable fuel source for vehicles and, finally, a good use for the most abundant waste on Earth. Read More
Converting light into energy with ‘artificial leaf’ one step closer
22:15 July 1, 2009 PDT
As an efficient, natural means of capturing solar energy, photosynthesis is hard to beat. But it’s also proving extremely difficult to duplicate. That’s why researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands are very excited at having built a light-harvesting antenna using the chlorophyll of the alga Spirulina: they’re now halfway towards the artificial leaf. Read More
Researchers create acoustic metamaterial ‘superlens’
By Jeff Salton
04:48 July 1, 2009 PDT
A team at the University of Illinois, Chicago, has developed the world’s first acoustic ‘super lens’. It is proposed that this innovation could be used for high-resolution ultrasound imaging, non-destructive structural testing of buildings and bridges, and underwater stealth technology or "acoustic cloaking". Read More
Light sensor breakthrough could enhance solar cells and digital cameras
By Alan Brandon
02:06 June 30, 2009 PDT
A new type of light sensor that acts like a pixel in a digital camera has been created by researchers at the University of Toronto. Scientists believe the sensor, which takes advantage of a phenomenon called multi-exciton generation (MEG), could lead to substantial advancements in the performance of a variety of electronic devices including digital cameras. Read More
New fire-proof coating could take the heat off building products
04:19 June 26, 2009 PDT
Even when lives aren’t lost, the property destruction wrought by fires can be heartbreaking. The coatings used in most buildings don’t help, tending to break down at relatively low temperatures and often producing toxic fumes or smoke. To tackle this issue, Australian researchers have come up with a new coating material that can be cheaply produced, applied as easily as paint, and yet withstands temperatures of up to 1830°F (1000°C). Read More
Sound laser could be the key to manipulating nanoparticles
19:04 June 23, 2009 PDT
A team of researchers has managed to build the first "saser" or sound laser, a device capable of generating a highly concentrated beam of sound waves at terahertz frequency that, while built out of simple scientific curiosity, could have important repercussions on nanoscale microchips' performance. Read More
New ‘electronic glue’ promises cheaper semiconductors
By Darren Quick
00:47 June 23, 2009 PDT
A new “electronic glue” for nanocrystals developed by researchers at the University of Chicago and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory promises to accelerate advances in semiconductor-based technologies, including solar cells and thermoelectric devices. Read More
Astronomers discover new way to search for life elsewhere
By Darren Quick
22:27 June 17, 2009 PDT
Directly observing planets outside our solar system - called exoplanets - is almost impossible because they are washed out by the glare of the parent star. For this reason astronomers have largely relied on indirect methods that observe the effects of the planets on their parent stars instead of the planets themselves. Such indirect detection methods have helped take the number of exoplanets discovered so far to more than 350, but determining whether signs of life exist on a planet that can’t actually be seen presents a problem. Astronomers from the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) have found a solution. Read More
Study exposes transport's hidden impact on the environment
By Darren Quick
02:29 June 15, 2009 PDT
By looking at the environmental impact of passenger transport – whether it be trains, planes or automobiles – beyond the exhaust fumes spewing from its collective tail pipe, researchers in the United States have discovered a significant spike in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. By taking into account transport support systems – which includes sourcing raw materials, manufacturing, as well as the construction and maintenance of infrastructure – researchers at the University of California hope to provide a more detailed view for transport planners and policy makers. And produce a better outcome for the environment. Read More
Manipulating light on a chip for quantum computing
19:47 June 12, 2009 PDT
Achieving quantum computing is not just a sheer matter of improving computational speed: it is a radically different paradigm that has attracted physicists and engineers for decades with its potential to solve problems across a number of domains — from database searches to prime number factorization and artificial intelligence. Now in a major breakthrough, a research team from the University of Bristol has achieved highly precise control of up to four photons on a silicon chip for the very first time. Read More
Graphene interconnects could help keep pace with Moore’s Law
By Darren Quick
17:51 June 11, 2009 PDT
Graphene, the one-atom-thick gauze of carbon atoms resembling chicken wire first isolated in 2004, continues to find new and wondrous applications. It has already been used to create the world’s smallest transistor and now researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have experimentally demonstrated the potential for graphene to replace copper for interconnects in future generations of integrated circuits. Read More
Thinnest superconducting metal ever may have wide application
00:57 June 10, 2009 PDT
Scientists at the University of Texas have developed a superconducting sheet of lead only two atoms thick, a remarkably pliable nanomaterial that could help lead to new breakthroughs in electricity generation and computer processing speeds. Read More
Photon-powered nanomotor transforms light directly into motion
By Darren Quick
21:38 June 9, 2009 PDT
Most solar powered motors require an intermediate step where the light is converted to electricity or heat, usually by a photovoltaic cell, before it can be used to drive the motor. But now a team of University of Florida chemists have developed a new type of “molecular nanomotor” that bypasses this step and transforms light directly into motion – albeit on a very tiny scale. Read More
New OLED lamp shines on … and on
By Darren Quick
01:12 June 9, 2009 PDT
With their impressive energy efficiency, flat form and incandescent brightness, organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) look to be a shoo-in as the next generation of lighting. Although the limited lifespan of the organic materials used in OLEDs has posed problems. Scientists around the globe have been toiling away to find ways to overcome this drawback and now South Korea's Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) has developed a white OLED lamp that has a lifetime of 10,000 hours – 20 percent longer than existing fluorescent lamps. Read More
Scientists defy gravity with metal that pumps liquid uphill
By Darren Quick
01:42 June 4, 2009 PDT
Gravity can make it difficult to move liquid uphill but scientists at the University of Rochester have created a simple slab of metal that does exactly that using the same wicking process that trees employ to pull vast amounts of water from their roots up to their leaves. The metal could be used to pump microscopic amounts of liquid around a medical diagnostic chip, cool a computer's processor or turn almost any simple metal into an anti-bacterial surface. Read More
Eyes-Free dialing just a swipe of a finger away
By Mick Webb
21:47 June 3, 2009 PDT
Google engineers have shown an experimental “Eyes-Free” touch interface for Android powered mobile phones. Through tapping, sliding and releasing, the interface can be used to quickly enter a phone number without having to look at the screen, and it’s not only vision impaired users that are set to benefit from the technology. Read More
An ionic wind to cool laptops may blow fans away
By Darren Quick
00:39 May 26, 2009 PDT
Keeping electronic components cool is a constant problem for electronics manufacturers – computer manufacturers in particular. While desktop PCs have a few options open to them, such as water-cooling, laptops are more limited in how they can be cooled. As laptops and other electronic devices continue to shrink while the heat they generate increases, the search is on for alternatives to the bulky, noisy fan-based systems widely used. A cooling system developed by Tessera has discovered a way to create a cooling airflow through ionizing air particles. Read More
Innovative contact lenses look to dispense drugs
By Karen Sprey
00:02 May 26, 2009 PDT
Eye-drops may be a simple way of medicating the eye, but patients don't always get the right dose at the right time. Eyenovations has developed contact lenses that can deliver drugs to the eye in measured doses for a month or longer. The start-up company’s initial focus is developing a lens to help glaucoma patients. However, it believes the technology can be used to help other eye conditions and deliver antibiotics following surgery. Read More
Reboot takes a hike with Ksplice update software
By Paul Best
23:19 May 25, 2009 PDT
Rebooting your PC after updating software is one of the more tedious aspects of working on computers. New award-winning software, called Ksplice, however, addresses this by enabling important updates, like security patches, without the need to restart – at this stage – Linux-based computers. Read More
Researchers show liquid could exist under observed Martian conditions
By David Greig
21:33 May 22, 2009 PDT
Despite falling silent late last year after five months on the arctic plains of the Red Planet, scientists around the globe continue to analyze data gathered by the Phoenix lander and uncover more clues in the search for evidence of life elsewhere. This latest news comes from researchers at the University of Arkansas who have shown that salts discovered at the Phoenix landing site have the potential to be found as liquid water - an essential ingredient for life - under the temperature and pressure conditions present on Mars. Read More
Ice Cloud research breakthrough to aid climate modeling
By David Greig
22:26 May 18, 2009 PDT
The climate change debate has focused our collective attention on the importance of understanding the complex workings of our planet's weather system, but there is still much we don't know. In this latest breakthrough, a UC San Diego-led team of atmospheric chemistry researchers has made the first-ever direct detection of biological particles within ice clouds. By providing insights into, for example, how particles from Asia effect rainfall in North America, the research aims to shed light on one of the most uncertain factors of climate modeling and enhance our understanding of atmospheric cooling and regional precipitation. Read More
Putting the squeeze on crystals could see an end to computer boot stages
By Darren Quick
01:36 May 15, 2009 PDT
Nobody likes staring at a screen while they wait for their computer to boot up. Sure, you can spend those few minutes making a cup of coffee or ferreting the dirt out from under your fingernails, but if you’re raring to go those few minutes can be a frustrating waste of time. This could soon be a thing of the past however, thanks to a clever materials science technique that may allow a new class of electronic devices that remember their last state, even after power is turned off. Read More
Will nanocrystals dim OLED's bright light?
By Darren Quick
18:24 May 13, 2009 PDT
Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) are just starting to appear in consumer electronics, such as Sony's OLED XEL-1 TV and the United Keys OLED Keypad, but barely have we been there five seconds and already scientists are talking up what could be OLED’s successor – a nanocrystal that constantly emits light, which may open the door to dramatically less expensive and more versatile lasers, brighter LED lighting and biological markers tracking how a drug interacts with a cell at a level never before possible. Read More
NanoEnergy battery to tackle growing needs of consumer electronics
By Darren Quick
17:52 May 13, 2009 PDT
As the rate of miniaturization of portable technology increases, so too does the need for smaller and smaller batteries to power them. Current devices, such as hearing aids and wireless sensor networks, that draw small amounts of power over an extended period of time have generally relied on coin-cell batteries to keep them running. Now ultra-thin bendable battery technology from Front-Edge Technology (FET), delivering between 10 and 20 times more power, may provide the advances the electronics industry needs. Read More
Martin Lindstrom makes Time's Top 100
By Mike Hanlon
21:22 May 5, 2009 PDT
TIME magazine has announced its list of the world’s 100 most influential people of 2009 and we're more than a bit chuffed here at Gizmag. That's because brand futurist and author Martin Lindstrom is on the list and Martin has previously worked with several of Gizmag's core team. Martin was selected in the category of Scientists & Thinkers for his groundbreaking work on neuroscience and branding. His latest book Buyology – Truth and Lies About Why We Buy has been translated into 37 languages and is on almost all major best-seller lists worldwide. Buyology is based on the world’s largest neuroscience study on brands and advertising (peering into the brains of 2,000 consumers across five countries) and questions a range of conventional thinking within the advertising and marketing community. Good on yer Martin! Read More
John M
- November 25, 2009 @ 17:19 UTC
