Industry News
End of the Line for Roadrunner Supercomputer
April 1, 2013 9:53 am | by SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe reason? The world of supercomputing is evolving and Roadrunner has been replaced with something smaller, faster, more energy efficient and cheaper. Still, officials at Los Alamos National Laboratory say it's among the 25 fastest supercomputers in the world.
Dell Opens Window on Efforts to Sell Company
April 1, 2013 9:34 am | by MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsDell 's financial advisers tried to persuade 71 potential bidders to make an offer for the troubled personal computer maker before two of them emerged to challenge a proposed $24.4 billion deal with the company's founder, according to documents filed Friday.
Tech Firms Bumping Up Perks to Recruit, Retain
April 1, 2013 9:31 am | by MARTHA MENDOZA, AP National Writer | News | CommentsApple's ring-shaped, gleaming "Spaceship Headquarters" will include a world class auditorium and an orchard for engineers to wander. Google's new Bay View campus will feature walkways angled to force accidental encounters. Facebook, while putting final touches on a Disney-inspired campus including a Main Street with a B-B-Q shack...
Researchers Unveil Large Robotic Jellyfish
March 29, 2013 11:30 am | by Virginia Tech | News | CommentsThe prototype robot, nicknamed Cyro, is a larger model of a robotic jellyfish the same team – headed by Shashank Priya of Blacksburg, Va., and professor of mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech – unveiled in 2012. The earlier robot, dubbed RoboJelly, is roughly the size of a man's hand, and typical of jellyfish found along beaches.
Swarming Robots Could Be the Servants of the Future
March 29, 2013 11:20 am | by University of Sheffield | News | CommentsResearchers in the Sheffield Centre for Robotics, jointly established by the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University, have been working to program a group of 40 robots, and say the ability to control robot swarms could prove hugely beneficial in a range of contexts, from military to medical.
Engineering Update #7: Self-Healing, Laser-Resistant Chips
March 29, 2013 11:09 am | by Eric Sorensen, Coordinator of Multimedia Development | Videos | CommentsIn this episode of Engineering Update, brought to you by Mouser Electronics, we're talking about self-healing, laser resistant chips, New York City's new interactive, touchscreen subway maps, and BMW and Continental's new project into developing "co-pilot" driving technology.
Sensory Helmet Could Mean Firefighters are Not Left in the Dark
March 29, 2013 11:01 am | by University of Sheffield | News | CommentsThe helmet is fitted with a number of ultrasound sensors that are used to detect the distances between the helmet and nearby walls or other obstacles. These signals are transmitted to vibration pads that are attached to the inside of the helmet, touching the wearer's forehead.
RIM Founder Says Board Asked Him To Stay as CEO
March 29, 2013 10:58 am | by ROB GILLIES, Associated Press | News | CommentsLazaridis and Jim Balsillie stepped down in January 2012 after several quarters of disappointing results. Lazaridis said he stayed on as vice chairman and a board director to help new CEO Thorsten Heins and his team with the launch of the BlackBerry 10 smartphones, an update considered crucial to the company's future.
Drone Industry Worries About Privacy Backlash
March 29, 2013 10:56 am | by JOAN LOWY, Associated Press | News | CommentsA far cry from the killing machines whose missiles incinerate terrorists, these generally small, unmanned aircraft will help farmers more precisely apply water and pesticides to crops, saving money and reducing environmental impacts. They'll help police departments find missing people ...
Engineering Newswire 31: Superdome Fiasco, Relay to Blame
March 28, 2013 10:56 am | by Eric Sorensen, Coordinator of Multimedia Development | Videos | CommentsToday on Engineering Newswire, we’re talking to virtual heads, firing sexists in Silicon Valley, investigating a super-sized power outage, and fishing far flung space garbage from the bottom of the ocean. The University of Cambridge has unveiled Zoe, a virtual talking head that is capable of expressing lifelike facial expressions.
Review: Tablet-PC Hybrids a Study in Trade-Offs
March 28, 2013 9:25 am | by RYAN NAKASHIMA, Associated Press | News | CommentsSince Windows 8's debut in October, there have been a range of hot-looking devices that try to combine elements of tablets and traditional PCs. These hybrids seem as if they would be great both for relaxing with an e-book and for writing stories when I occasionally need to snap back into work mode.
Record-Breaking Cyberattack Hits Anti-Spam Group
March 28, 2013 9:23 am | by RAPHAEL SATTER, Associated Press | News | CommentsSpamhaus, a site responsible for keeping ads for counterfeit Viagra and bogus weight-loss pills out of the world's inboxes, said it had been buffeted by the monster denial-of-service attack since mid-March, apparently from groups angry at being blacklisted by the Swiss-British group.
New Book Shares Insights from Steve Jobs' 1st Boss
March 28, 2013 9:23 am | by MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsNolan Bushnell never appeared in those tributes, even though Apple was riffing on an iconoclastic philosophy he embraced while running video game pioneer Atari in the early 1970s. Atari's refusal to be corralled by the status quo was one of the reasons Jobs went to work there in 1974 as an unkempt, contemptuous 19-year-old.
RIM Sells a Million New BlackBerry 10 Phones in 4Q
March 28, 2013 9:15 am | by ROB GILLIES, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe earnings provide a first glimpse of how RIM's new touch-screen Z10 is selling internationally and in Canada since its debut Jan. 31. Details on the U.S. launch are not part of the fiscal fourth quarter's financial results because the Z10 just went on sale in the U.S. last week.
Azimuth Systems Enhances Field-to-Lab Test Capabilities with AzMapper 2.5
March 27, 2013 7:17 pm | by Azimuth Systems, Inc. | News | CommentsAzMapper, a critical component of Azimuth’s Field-to-Lab solution, enables raw data collected with drive test scanners to be thoroughly analyzed and used to recreate that same radio environment through intelligent mapping of the logged field conditions to the available lab testbed.
Macro Sensors Offers Online Position Sensor Guide
March 27, 2013 7:06 pm | by Macro Sensors | News | CommentsNow there’s help quickly identifying the right LVDT Linear Position Sensor for an application. Replacing the need for customers to peruse numerous web pages and review product specifications, Macro Sensors offers an online Position Sensor Guide.
Emerson Network Power Connectivity Solutions Announces the Semflex Quick Turn Cable Assembly Program
March 27, 2013 7:03 pm | by Emerson Network Power Connectivity Solutions | News | CommentsThe Quick Turn program, offers the precision low-loss Semflex HP series cable assemblies, to ship from the factory within 48 hours of receipt of order. The cable assemblies offered consist of the HP120, 160, 190 and 305 series with available connectors of SMA, 2.92mm, 2.4mm and Type N. Performance is up to 50 GHz.
Fingernail Display Technology for Future Touch Screens
March 27, 2013 10:38 am | by Thomas Reuters | Videos | CommentsResearchers in Taiwan are developing a remote control system that will turn finger-nails into mini-display screens. Using wirelessly-enabled, light emitting diodes, the team says the technology could revolutionise the way we control and use devices such as smart phones and tablets. Ben Gruber reports.
APL Backpack-Sized Mini-mapper Captures Intel in Tight Spots
March 27, 2013 10:25 am | by Applied Physics Laboratory | News | CommentsProduced for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), the Enhanced Mapping and Positioning System (EMAPS) captures a floor-plan-style map of the area traversed, as well as 360-degree photos and sensor readings of that area using a combination of lasers and sensors.
States Answer Help Wanted Ad to Be Drone Test Site
March 27, 2013 9:58 am | by ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsBefore that can become reality, the Federal Aviation Administration last month put out a call to test fly drones at half a dozen to-be-determined sites before they can share the same space as commercial jetliners, small aircraft and helicopters.
Google Picks 8,000 Winners of 'Glass' Contest
March 27, 2013 9:54 am | by MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsThe pool selected by Google won a contest conducted last month requiring U.S. residents to submit 50-word applications through Twitter or Google's Plus to explain how they would use a technology that is being hailed as the next breakthrough in mobile computing.
T-Mobile to Start Selling iPhones on April 12
March 27, 2013 9:48 am | by PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsThe company will charge $100 up front for the iPhone 5, then another $20 per month for two years. That's on top of service fees for voice, text and data that start at $50 per month. The total monthly cost starts at $70 per month, a substantial discount to prices offered by bigger companies.
SVForum Announces "Call for Companies" for Launch: Silicon Valley 2013
March 26, 2013 4:06 pm | by SVForum | News | CommentsLaunch: Silicon Valley 2013 is designed to uncover and showcase products and services from the most exciting of the newest startups in information technology, mobility, digital media, next generation internet, life sciences and clean energy.
Virtual Choir Live
March 26, 2013 10:37 am | by TED Talk | Videos | CommentsComposer and conductor Eric Whitacre has inspired millions by bringing together "virtual choirs," singers from many countries spliced together on video. Now, for the first time ever, he creates the experience in real time, as 32 singers from around the world Skype in to join an onstage choir.
NASA’s Technical Reports Server Shuts Down
March 26, 2013 9:56 am | by Karl Stephan, Consulting Engineer, Texas State University, San Marcos | Blogs | CommentsFor most of its existence, the U. S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) could be termed the fishbowl agency. Unlike the Department of Defense or nuclear-related branches of the Department of Energy, virtually everything NASA did, built, or planned has been publicly available to anybody who asked.
