Smartphones become capable of sensing human emotion December 5, 2012 at 3:58 pm
Smartphones are amazing. They tell us where we’re going, let us know if it’s going to rain, and even act like personal assistants. Now, a new research project out of the University of Rochester aims to make your phone capable of sensing your emotions just from measuring how you’re speaking — not based on what you’re saying.
EU seeks to reduce world’s energy usage, and double data center speeds, by replacing copper with fiber December 5, 2012 at 9:24 am
Data centers are still using a gigantic amount of power, so the European Union is funding a trend away from traditional electrical data connections. Headed by Fraunhofer, this project called PhoxTroT aims at reducing power consumption by using light-based data connections while taking the transfer speeds up to an amazing two terabits per second.
NASA will send a second Curiosity rover to Mars in 2020, humans in 2030s December 5, 2012 at 7:30 am
In a surprise announcement at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting, NASA has revealed that it will be sending another rover to Mars in 2020. This news has been met with a mix of reactions, with some planetary scientists wondering why NASA continues to focus on Mars, when there are ice-covered moons like Saturn’s Titan that remain relatively unexplored.
Smart bandages use tiny electrodes to monitor bacterial growth in flesh wounds December 4, 2012 at 2:58 pm
In a recently published research paper, researchers explain how they use minuscule electrodes made of palladium to detect potentially deadly bacteria. When put into bandages, this technology has the potential to revolutionize they way we deal with flesh wounds and surface infections.
Harvard creates self-assembling DNA nanostructures from tiny DNA ‘Lego bricks’ December 4, 2012 at 2:08 pm
Harvard’s Wyss Institute, which brought us 700-terabytes-per-gram-of-DNA data storage earlier in the year, has now produced DNA Lego bricks — three-dimensional DNA building blocks that self-assemble into more than 100 different, three-dimensional structures.
2014 Ford Fiesta hands-on review: 45 mpg from a 1-liter gasoline engine? December 4, 2012 at 11:35 am
Turbocharging (EcoBoost) lets a small engine act twice its size with modest impact on efficiency. Ford is targeting well over 40 mpg when it arrives next year.
AMD’s next-gen Bobcat APU could win big in notebooks and tablets – if it launches on time December 4, 2012 at 10:45 am
AMD’s Kabini looks like it’ll be the company’s frontrunner in 2013. It’s shaping up to be an impressive processor, and a promising alternative to ARM or Clover Trail.
NASA must fix its public image, or die amid apathy December 4, 2012 at 10:00 am
We can respect validity of the work while acknowledging that it is the latest in what is fast becoming a string of NASA’s embarrassing PR missteps.
Philips revamps mainstay LED bulb: A19 LED is prettier and more efficient December 4, 2012 at 8:51 am
Lighting manufacturer Philips has just announced a refresh of its popular 12.5W LED bulb. The new model is the same price, but it’s a little bright and a lot more efficient. Oh yeah, and it’s not bright yellow any more!
The first open-source 3D-printed gun December 4, 2012 at 7:46 am
In its continuing mission to build a “Wiki Weapon,” Defense Distributed has 3D printed the lower receiver of an AR-15 assault rifle and tested it to failure — on video (embedded below). The printed part only survives the firing of six shots, but for a first attempt that’s quite impressive. And hey, it’s a plastic gun.
Curved LCD paves way for augmented reality contact lenses
Why Google should just shut up and buy T-Mobile
Qubits and binary data successfully squirted down the same fiber, at the same time
DoE calls for a chemical battery with 5x capacity, within 5 years – can it be done?
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