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09.11

Tech News Digest

Compiled By IEEE-USA Staff

The following is a roundup of news and notable developments in electrical engineering and computer or information technology reported during August 2011. Items are excerpted from news releases generated by universities, government agencies and other research institutions. Highlighted topics include:

1. Communications, Navigation And In-Space Propulsion Technologies Selected For NASA Flight Demonstration  

2. DARPA Conducts Test of Hypersonic Vehicle

3. Comments Sought on National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education

4. How The Internet’s Architecture Got Its Hourglass Shape

5. Stick-On Tattoos Go Electronic

6. Human Gait Could Power Portable Electronics

7. Solution Paves Way to Photonic Chip Technology

8. Shooting Light a Curve

9. Virginia Tech Photonics Center to Develop Sensors to Keep Power Systems Clean, Safe

10. Grants Strengthen University-Led Nuclear Energy Research and Development

11. NIST Uncovers Reliability Issues for Carbon Nanotubes in Future Electronics

12. Solid-state, Nanotube-based Supercapacitor Packs a Punch

13. Los Alamos Achieves World-record Pulsed Magnetic Field

14. DOE Awards More Than $175 Million for Advanced Vehicle Research and Development

15. Eco-Friendly Driving Research Seeks to Improve Fuel Economy by 30 Percent

16. Football Analysis Leads to Advance in Artificial Intelligence

17. New Bionic Leg Gives Amputees a Natural Gait

18. DOE Announces $41 Million Investment for Carbon Capture Development

19. New ASU Engineering Research Center Seeks To Accelerate Solar Energy Advances

1. Communications, Navigation And In-Space Propulsion Technologies Selected For NASA Flight Demonstration  

NASA has selected three proposals as Technology Demonstration Missions to transform space communications, deep space navigation and in-space propulsion capabilities. The projects will develop and fly a space solar sail, deep space atomic clock, and space-based optical communications system, technologies deemed crucial for America’s ability to travel into deep space.

For more information, see:  http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/aug/HQ_11-272_TDM_Selections.html

2. DARPA Conducts Test of Hypersonic Vehicle

On 11 Aug., the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency demonstrated stable aerodynamically controlled Mach 20 flight for nearly three minutes in its attempt to fly the fastest aircraft ever flown.  The Agency’s Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2) is designed to fly anywhere in the world in less than 60 minutes.  This capability requires an aircraft that can fly at 13,000 mph, while experiencing temperatures in excess of 3500F. 

For more information, see:  http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Releases/2011/2011/08/

3. Comments Sought on National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued for public comment a draft strategic plan for the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) program. The interagency NICE program, which is a national campaign focused on enhancing cybersecurity in the United States by accelerating the availability of educational and training resources designed to improve the cyber behavior, skills and knowledge of every segment of the population. The program aims to improve secure use and access to digital information in a way that advances America's economic prosperity and national security.

The plan, "Building a Digital Nation," outlines NICE's mission, vision, goals and objectives. NIST and its interagency NICE partners seek comments from all interested citizens and organizations concerned with cybersecurity awareness, training and education.  Comments on the NICE draft strategic plan are due by 12 September 2011.

For more information, see: http://www.nist.gov/itl/comment_nice_8-11-11.cfm

4. How The Internet’s Architecture Got Its Hourglass Shape

A new computer model that describes the evolution of the Internet's architecture suggests that a process similar to natural evolution took place to determine which protocols survived and which ones became extinct. Understanding the evolution may help the designers of future Internet architectures.

For more information, see:  http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/giot-hti081411.php

5. Stick-On Tattoos Go Electronic

Through a combination of careful theoretical modeling and precise micro-manufacturing, a team of engineers and scientists from five universities has developed a new type of ultra-thin, self-adhesive electronics device that can effectively measure data about the human heart, brain waves and muscle activity — all without the use of bulky equipment, conductive fluids, or glues.

The new technology, dubbed an epidermal electronic system (EES,  incorporates miniature sensors, light-emitting diodes, tiny transmitters and receivers, and networks of carefully crafted wire filaments into their initial designs.  The devices are so thin that close-contact forces called van der Waals interactions dominate the adhesion at the molecular level, so the electronic tattoos adhere to the skin without any glues and stay in place for hours. The recent study demonstrated device lifetimes of up to 24 hours under ideal conditions.

For more information, see: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/nsf-stg_1080411.php

6. Human Gait Could Power Portable Electronics

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has announced a new energy-harvesting technology, known as “reverse electrowetting,” that promises to dramatically reduce our dependence on batteries by capturing the energy of human motion to power portable electronics.   "Humans, generally speaking, are very powerful energy-producing machines," explains Krupenkin, a UW-Madison professor of engineering. "While sprinting, a person can produce as much as a kilowatt of power."   Grabbing even a small fraction of that energy is enough to power a host of mobile electronic devices — everything from laptop computers to cell phones to flashlights.  The technology converts mechanical energy into electrical energy by using a micro-fluidic device consisting of thousands of liquid micro-droplets interacting with a novel nano-structured substrate.

For more information, see: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/uow-hgc081811.php

7. Solution Paves Way to Photonic Chip Technology

Stretching for thousands of miles beneath oceans, optical fibers now connect every continent except for Antarctica. With less data loss and higher bandwidth, optical-fiber technology allows information to zip around the world, bringing pictures, video, and other data from every corner of the globe to your computer in a split second. But although optical fibers are increasingly replacing copper wires, carrying information via photons instead of electrons, today's computer technology still relies on electronic chips.  Now, researchers led by engineers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) are paving the way for the next generation of computer-chip technology: photonic chips. With integrated circuits that use light instead of electricity, photonic chips will allow for faster computers and less data loss when connected to the global fiber-optic network.

For more information, see: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/ciot-ces080311.php

8. Shooting Light a Curve

Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have demonstrated the first technique that provides dynamic control in real-time of the curved trajectories of Airy beams over metallic surfaces. This development paves the way for fast-as-light, ultra-compact communication systems and optoelectronic devices, and could also stimulate revolutions in chemistry, biology and medicine.

For more information, see: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/dbnl-sla081111.php

9. Virginia Tech Photonics Center to Develop Sensors to Keep Power Systems Clean, Safe

Looking for novel sensing technologies that will aid in everything from clean energy technology to the monitoring of various gases, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) have selected Virginia Tech's Center for Photonics Technology http://photonics.ece.vt.edu/ to lead efforts in three unique projects. Jointly, the awards are valued at more than $3.2 million.   The research will focus on:

A first-of-a-kind technology for remote fiber optic generation and the detection of acoustic waves for structural health monitoring

Development of a sensing sensing platform to monitor the varying space and time properties of a gasifier's refractory wall.

The validity of two approaches to monitoring and detecting hydrogen and acetylene.

For more information, see: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/vt-vtp082411.php

10. Grants Strengthen University-Led Nuclear Energy Research and Development

On 9 August, the Department of Energy announced that it has awarded up to $39 million in research grants aimed at developing cutting-edge nuclear energy technologies and training and educating the next generation of leaders in the U.S. nuclear industry.   Speaking at the U.S. Department of Energy’s annual Nuclear Energy University Programs (NEUP) workshop in Chicago, Assistant Secretary Peter Lyons said the grants would support up to 51 projects at colleges and universities around the country.

For more information, see:  http://www.doe.gov/articles/department-energy-announces-39-million-strengthen-university-led-nuclear-energy-research

11. NIST Uncovers Reliability Issues for Carbon Nanotubes in Future Electronics

Carbon nanotubes offer big promise in a small package. For instance, these tiny cylinders of carbon molecules theoretically can carry 1,000 times more electric current than a metal conductor of the same size. It's easy to imagine carbon nanotubes replacing copper wiring in future nanoscale electronics.

But — not so fast. Recent tests at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) suggest device reliability is a major issue. NIST researchers fabricated and tested numerous nanotube interconnects between metal electrodes. NIST test show that nanotubes can sustain extremely high current densities (tens to hundreds of times larger than that in a typical semiconductor circuit) for several hours but slowly degrade under constant current. Of greater concern, the metal electrodes fail — the edges recede and clump — when currents rise above a certain threshold. The circuits failed in about 40 hours.  While many researchers around the world are studying nanotube fabrication and properties, the NIST work offers an early look at how these materials may behave in real electronic devices over the long term.

For  more information, see:  http://www.nist.gov/mml/materials_reliability/cnt-081611.cfm

12. Solid-state, Nanotube-based Supercapacitor Packs a Punch

Rice University researchers have created a solid-state, nanotube-based supercapacitor that promises to combine the best qualities of high-energy batteries and fast-charging capacitors in a device suitable for extreme environments.

For more information, see: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/ru-nbp082211.php

13. Los Alamos Achieves World-record Pulsed Magnetic Field

Researchers at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory's Pulsed Field Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory have set a new world record for the strongest magnetic field produced by a nondestructive magnet. The scientists achieved a field of 92.5 tesla on Thursday, 18 Aug., taking back a record that had been held by a team of German scientists and then, the following day, surpassed their achievement with a whopping 97.4-tesla field.

For more information, see: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/danl-laa082311.php

14. DOE Awards More Than $175 Million for Advanced Vehicle Research and Development

On 10 August, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced more than $175 million over the next three to five years to accelerate the development and deployment of advanced vehicle technologies. The funding will support 40 projects across 15 states and will help improve the fuel efficiency of next generation vehicles.  The projects will target new innovations throughout the vehicle, including better fuels and lubricants, lighter weight materials, longer-lasting and cheaper electric vehicle batteries and components, more efficient engine technologies, and more. 

For more information, see:  http://www.doe.gov/articles/department-energy-awards-more-175-million-advanced-vehicle-research-and-development

15. Eco-Friendly Driving Research Seeks to Improve Fuel Economy by 30 Percent

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside along with their research partners have received a $1.2 million grant from the Department of Energy to study and evaluate technologies that provide feedback to drivers so they can cut harmful emissions and reduce fuel use by up to 30 percent.  The three-year project aims to develop and demonstrate a comprehensive driver feedback technology that will improve fuel efficiency of passenger cars and fleet vehicles of businesses and government. This technology already exists on a small scale, but this study will make large advances in a fully integrated feedback system that includes better trip planning and routing, improved efficiency while driving, and comprehensive reporting on a periodic basis.

For more information, see: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/uoc--sat081711.php

16. Football Analysis Leads to Advance in Artificial Intelligence

Computer scientists in the field of artificial intelligence have made an important advance that blends computer vision, machine learning and automated planning, and created a new system that may improve everything from factory efficiency to airport operation or nursing care. And it's based on watching the Oregon State University Beavers play football.

For more information, see:  http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archives/2011/aug/football-analysis-leads-advance-artificial-intelligence

17. New Bionic Leg Gives Amputees a Natural Gait

A new lower-limb prosthetic developed at Vanderbilt University allows amputees to walk without the leg-dragging gait characteristic of conventional artificial legs.  The device uses the latest advances in computer, sensor, electric motor and battery technology to give it bionic capabilities: It is the first prosthetic with powered knee and ankle joints that operate in unison. It comes equipped with sensors that monitor its user’s motion. It has microprocessors programmed to use this data to predict what the person is trying to do and operate the device in ways that facilitate these movements.

For more information, see: http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2011/08/bionic-leg/

18. DOE Announces $41 Million Investment for Carbon Capture Development

On 25 August, the U.S. Department of Energy the selection of 16 projects aimed at developing advanced post-combustion technologies for capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from coal–fired power plants.  The projects, valued at $41 million over three years, are focused on reducing the energy and cost penalties associated with applying currently available carbon capture technologies to existing and new power plants.    The projects selected will focus on developing carbon capture technologies that can achieve at least 90 percent CO2 removal and reduce the added costs at power plants with carbon capture systems to no more than a 35 percent increase in the cost of electricity produced at the plant.

For more information, see:  http://www.doe.gov/articles/department-energy-announces-41-million-investment-carbon-capture-development

19. New ASU Engineering Research Center Seeks To Accelerate Solar Energy Advances

Arizona State University will lead a new national Engineering Research Center (ERC) supported jointly by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Department of Energy (DOE) to solve challenges to harnessing solar power in economically viable and sustainable ways.   The ERC for Quantum Energy and Sustainable Solar Technologies — or QESST — will be led by faculty from ASU's Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

For more information, see: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/asu-asu081711.php

Comments may be submitted to todaysengineer@ieee.org.