 | Making computer data storage cheaper and easier: Technology on track for terabyte discs Oct 9th 2012, 14:22 Researchers have developed technology aimed at making an optical disc that holds 1 to 2 terabytes of data -- the equivalent of 1,000 to 2,000 copies of Encyclopedia Britannica. The entire print collection of the Library of Congress could fit on five to 10 discs. The discs would provide small- and medium-sized businesses an alternative to storing data on energy-wasting magnetic disks or cumbersome magnetic tapes, the researchers say. | | Digital tabletop system with views on demand Oct 9th 2012, 13:32 A tabletop system where users can come together and view shared content is being unveiled. A team of scientists has developed the system aimed at supporting mixed-focus collaborative tasks. | | New method monitors semiconductor etching as it happens -- with light Sep 28th 2012, 18:10 Researchers have a new low-cost method to carve delicate features onto semiconductor wafers using light -- and watch as it happens. The technique can monitor a semiconductor's surface as it is etched, in real time, with nanometer resolution. This allows the researchers to create complex patterns quickly and easily, and adjust them as needed. | | Built-in germanium lasers could make computer chips faster Sep 10th 2012, 12:24 Researchers have investigated how they could make the semiconductor germanium emit laser light. As a laser material, germanium together with silicon could form the basis for innovative computer chips in which information would be transferred partially in the form of light. This technology would revolutionize data streaming within chips and give a boost to the performance of electronics. | | Towards computing with water droplets: Superhydrophobic droplet logic Sep 7th 2012, 12:20 Researchers in Finland have developed a new concept for computing, using water droplets as bits of digital information. This was enabled by the discovery that upon collision with each other on a highly water-repellent surface, two water droplets rebound like billiard balls. | | Researchers make clinical trials a virtual reality Aug 30th 2012, 16:58 Clinical trials can be time-consuming, expensive and intrusive, but they are also necessary. Researchers have developed an invention that makes clinical trials more efficient by moving them into the virtual world. | | Photonics: Think thin, think vibrant Aug 29th 2012, 15:22 Flat panel displays and many digital devices require thin, efficient and low-cost light-emitters for applications. The pixels that make up the different colors on the display are typically wired to complex electronic circuits, but now researchers have developed a display technology that requires a much simpler architecture for operation. | | Magnetic vortex reveals key to spintronic speed limit Aug 28th 2012, 20:30 Spintronics use electron spin to write and read information. To mobilize this emerging technology, scientists must understand exactly how to manipulate spin as a carrier of computer code. Now, scientists have precisely measured a key parameter of electron interactions called non-adiabatic spin torque that is essential to the development of spintronic devices. This unprecedented precision guides the reading and writing of digital information and sets the spintronic speed limit. | | Computer-simulated knitting goes right down to the yarn Aug 17th 2012, 17:53 A new method for building computer-simulated knitted fabric out of an array of individual stitches has just been developed. The innovation creates a 3-D model of a single stitch and then combine multiple copies into a mesh, like tiles in a mosaic. | | Nano, photonic research gets boost from new 3-D visualization technology Aug 13th 2012, 19:56 For the first time X-ray scientists have combined high-resolution imaging with 3-D viewing of the surface layer of material using X-ray vision in a way that does not damage the sample. This new technique expands the range of X-ray research possible for biology and many aspects of nanotechnology, particularly nanofilms, photonics, and micro- and nano-electronics. This new technique also reduces "guesswork" by eliminating the need for modeling-dependent structural simulation often used in X-ray analysis. | | Scientist invents pocket living room TV Aug 13th 2012, 13:20 Leaving your TV show midway because you had to leave your home will no longer happen as you can now 'pull' the program on your TV screen onto your tablet and continue watching it seamlessly. | |
