Samsung is using quantum computing to research better batteries

Even the slightest improvement in battery technology could help you decide what gadgets you buy, and Samsung is hoping quantum computing will give it an edge. The tech firm and Imperial College London researchers are using Honeywell's System Mode...

‘Asteroid Day’ is a good time to learn about the threat of space rocks

On June 30th, 1908, more than 770 square miles of remote Russian forest were obliterated from the face of the Earth when a relatively small meteor, estimated at only around 400 feet across, unleashed 15 megatons of energy above the Stony Tunguska Riv...

NPL, Imperial College create room-temperature maser, promise more sensitive beams

NPL, Imperial College London develop roomtemperature maser, promise more precise beams of light

Masers, or microwave lasers, have rarely been as viable as their regular counterparts; they need temperatures near absolute zero, exotic vacuum chambers or strong magnets just to run at all, which safely rules out carrying a maser as a pocket pointer. The National Physical Laboratory and Imperial College London might put that gap in practicality to bed after developing a maser that can run at room temperatures. Instead of using ruby to boost the microwave strength, the scientists rely on a less pronounceable p-terphenyl crystal treated with pentacene that can handle ordinary amounts of heat. There's still much work left in refining the technology: it has yet to stay active for sustained periods, only works in a narrow bandwidth and chews through an ample amount of power. Once it's given the appropriate polish, however, the extra sensitivity of the improved maser could be a boon for medical scanning, bomb disposal or even future space communication that could punch through the atmosphere.

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NPL, Imperial College create room-temperature maser, promise more sensitive beams originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 23:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Researchers use off-the-shelf parts to let you write emails with your eyes (video)

Researchers use offtheshelf parts to let you write emails with your eye movements, play Pong

There's a lot of research to help the spinal cord or stroke-injured become more self-sufficient, but it often takes some exotic paraphernalia. To buck that trend, scientists from Imperial College London showed that subjects could perform relatively hard tasks like writing messages and playing Pong using eye movement -- with a mere $35-worth of parts. They even showed how well the system worked, with subjects scoring within 20 percent of an able-bodied person after a scant 10 minutes of practice. The tracker works with two video console cameras and a pair of eyeglasses that, after calibration, can precisely track the pupils -- allowing them to control a cursor or move a paddle. The researchers also figured out how to "click" the eye-mouse by winking, and can even use more precise adjustments to calculate gaze depth -- meaning subjects will be able to perform more complex tasks in the future, like guide a motorized wheelchair. While by no means the first eye-tracking system we've seen, it's by far the most economical. Check the video after the break to see how it works.

Continue reading Researchers use off-the-shelf parts to let you write emails with your eyes (video)

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Researchers use off-the-shelf parts to let you write emails with your eyes (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 08:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel funnels $40 million into global network of research laboratories

Intel funnels $40 million into global network of research laboratories

Like any tech company worth its weight in silicon, Intel puts plenty of cash into research, often partnering with outside labs and schools that are less concerned with turning every project into a multi-billion dollar product. After throwing $30 million at Carnegie Mellon last year to open two new labs, Chipzilla is investing $40 million more in a global network of university research centers. Over the next five years that money will be rolled out to what the company is calling, Intel Collaborative Research Institutes (ICRI). The ICRI are based on the same premise as Intel's Science and Technology Centers, like those opened at Mellon, except with a global reach. Two existing labs, the Intel Visual Computing Institute at Saarland University and the Intel-NTU Connected Context Computing Center at National Taiwan University are being rolled into the program. In addition, three new centers are being opened up, including ICRIs for Sustainable Connected Cities in the United Kingdom, Secure Computing at the Technische Universität Darmstadt and Computational Intelligence at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. For more info on what sort or work they'll be doing at the various labs check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading Intel funnels $40 million into global network of research laboratories

Intel funnels $40 million into global network of research laboratories originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 23:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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