http://news.softpedia.com Softpedia News - Sci Pry Softpedia News en-us 2001 - 2012 Softpedia. All rights reserved. Tue, 29 May 2012 05:34:40 GMT Tue, 29 May 2012 05:34:40 GMT News http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 10 http://news.softpedia.com/base_img/softpedia_logo.gif http://news.softpedia.com http://news.softpedia.com/news/Eugene-Polley-Inventor-of-the-Remote-Control-Dies-271262.shtml The engineer who invented the wireless TV remote control, back in 1955, died of natural causes on May 20, 2012, at the age of 95. Eugene Polley is described by his son, Eugene J. Polley Jr., as a constant tinkerer, always thinking about and improving on various devices.

Over the course of his lifetime, Polley contributed significan... (read more)]]> Wed, 23 May 2012 11:51:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Eugene-Polley-Inventor-of-the-Remote-Control-Dies-271262.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Eugene-Polley-Inventor-of-the-Remote-Control-Dies-271262.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/NOAA-Unveils-New-Nautical-Chart-for-the-Arctic-271184.shtml As global warming is leading to the loss of more and more ice in the Arctic, new shipping routes are becoming available in areas where ice has previously made traffic impossible. Officials at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will soon release a map of such an area.

Their new nautical chart covers a region ... (read more)]]> Wed, 23 May 2012 07:43:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/NOAA-Unveils-New-Nautical-Chart-for-the-Arctic-271184.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/NOAA-Unveils-New-Nautical-Chart-for-the-Arctic-271184.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Technique-to-Measure-Pipeline-Corrosion-271037.shtml Scientists at the Cambridge-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announce the creation of a new method of measuring and monitoring pipeline corrosion. This ability will be essential for avoiding disasters similar to the 2010 PG&E explosion.

At that time, people living in the Bay Area community of San Bruno reported smelling ... (read more)]]> Tue, 22 May 2012 12:14:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Technique-to-Measure-Pipeline-Corrosion-271037.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Technique-to-Measure-Pipeline-Corrosion-271037.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Japan-Renounces-Nuclear-Energy-in-Full-268062.shtml All major news outlets have confirmed that Japan has shut down its last operating nuclear reactor over the weekend. Today, May 7, represents the first time in decades when the Asian nation no longer utilizes electricity derived from nuclear fission.

Saturday evening, at 11:03 pm local time, the No. 3 reactor at the Tomari Nuclear Power Plant,... (read more)]]> Mon, 7 May 2012 12:35:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Japan-Renounces-Nuclear-Energy-in-Full-268062.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Japan-Renounces-Nuclear-Energy-in-Full-268062.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Live-3D-Imaging-of-Living-Tissues-Now-Possible-268006.shtml Scientists with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) say that they have developed a new computational technique for correcting the aberrations inherent in a medical imaging technology called optical tomography.

This means that imaging may soon become a three-dimensional, real-time process, capable of providing healthc... (read more)]]> Mon, 7 May 2012 09:24:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Live-3D-Imaging-of-Living-Tissues-Now-Possible-268006.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Live-3D-Imaging-of-Living-Tissues-Now-Possible-268006.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Bird-Like-Robot-Can-Perch-on-Mobile-Targets-267996.shtml Experts from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Aerospace Robotics and Control Laboratory (ARCL) announce the successful development of a flying robot capable of perching on a human hand at landing.

This is made possible by sophisticated control algorithms, coupled with an innovative design of the airplane itself. The ... (read more)]]> Mon, 7 May 2012 08:48:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Bird-Like-Robot-Can-Perch-on-Mobile-Targets-267996.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Bird-Like-Robot-Can-Perch-on-Mobile-Targets-267996.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Robot-Can-Study-Neuron-Firing-Patterns-267962.shtml A group of experts from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Georgia Institute of Technology (GeorgiaTech) announces the development of a robotic arm that can identify and record signals passed between neurons in the living brain.

In a series of experiments conducted on unsuspecting lab mice, the group demonstrated that ... (read more)]]> Mon, 7 May 2012 07:38:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Robot-Can-Study-Neuron-Firing-Patterns-267962.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Robot-Can-Study-Neuron-Firing-Patterns-267962.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Sensor-Detects-Spoiled-Fruits-and-Vegetables-267058.shtml A chemistry professor at the Cambridge-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and his team have recently completed work on a new type of sensors, which can be used by grocers and supermarket managers to keep a closer eye on the state of produce they are selling.

The sensor the group created works by detecting ethylene, a ... (read more)]]> Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:27:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Sensor-Detects-Spoiled-Fruits-and-Vegetables-267058.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Sensor-Detects-Spoiled-Fruits-and-Vegetables-267058.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Extreme-Temperatures-Destroyed-Hypersonic-Test-Aircraft-266032.shtml Scientists at the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have finally released their technical report, explaining why the Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2) military drone failed to complete its test flight successfully in August, 2011.

The ultra-fast aircraft was designed to travel at speeds of up to Mach ... (read more)]]> Tue, 24 Apr 2012 06:56:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Extreme-Temperatures-Destroyed-Hypersonic-Test-Aircraft-266032.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Extreme-Temperatures-Destroyed-Hypersonic-Test-Aircraft-266032.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/NASA-Wants-to-Create-a-Quiet-Supersonic-Aircraft-265648.shtml Officials with the American space agency say that they plan to use a small, unmanned drone to conduct a series of tests on how aircraft behave when they pass the sound barrier. This effort could lead to the reintroduction of commercial supersonic aircraft.

The data acquired from these investigations will eventually be used to create ... (read more)]]> Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:49:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/NASA-Wants-to-Create-a-Quiet-Supersonic-Aircraft-265648.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/NASA-Wants-to-Create-a-Quiet-Supersonic-Aircraft-265648.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Clam-Powered-Electric-Motor-Developed-265314.shtml An international collaboration featuring American and Israeli researchers announces the creation of a power source for electric motors that is a little bit unconventional. The group has recently developed a method of extracting energy from clams.

In a study that appears to be inspired by the blockbuster “The Matrix,” researchers ho... (read more)]]> Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:05:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Clam-Powered-Electric-Motor-Developed-265314.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Clam-Powered-Electric-Motor-Developed-265314.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/US-Military-Interested-in-Laser-Defense-Weapons-263788.shtml The United States military has recently expressed its interest in outfitting Marine vehicles with advanced weapons systems, capable of shooting down incoming projectiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) if they become a threat.

Officials announced that this capability needs to be implemented on existing vehicles as well, and that t... (read more)]]> Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:14:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/US-Military-Interested-in-Laser-Defense-Weapons-263788.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/US-Military-Interested-in-Laser-Defense-Weapons-263788.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Ear-Plug-Sized-Air-Sampler-Developed-in-the-US-263769.shtml Scientists at the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) say that they were recently able to complete the development of a new type of small sensor, which could come in handy for numerous practical applications.

These include sampling gas contents and concentrations above battlefields or heavily industrializ... (read more)]]> Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:41:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Ear-Plug-Sized-Air-Sampler-Developed-in-the-US-263769.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Ear-Plug-Sized-Air-Sampler-Developed-in-the-US-263769.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Rare-Earth-Element-Bottleneck-Looms-on-the-Horizon-263506.shtml One of the things that has the potential to stop the growing prevalence of green energy production methods is a potential bottleneck in the availability of a class of chemicals called rare-Earth elements (REE). At this point, demand is steadily growing, while the materials grow increasingly scarce.

Wind turbines, electric car motor... (read more)]]> Mon, 9 Apr 2012 10:03:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Rare-Earth-Element-Bottleneck-Looms-on-the-Horizon-263506.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Rare-Earth-Element-Bottleneck-Looms-on-the-Horizon-263506.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Advanced-Plastic-Electronics-Developed-at-Cambridge-263498.shtml Using solution-processed organic semiconductors, researchers with the University of Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory managed to achieve a breakthrough in the field of plastic electronics.

The team may have set the foundation for developing fast and flexible plastic electronics that consume only limited amounts of energy. The... (read more)]]> Mon, 9 Apr 2012 09:47:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Advanced-Plastic-Electronics-Developed-at-Cambridge-263498.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Advanced-Plastic-Electronics-Developed-at-Cambridge-263498.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Pacific-Ocean-Reveals-Effects-of-Fukushima-Accident-262566.shtml The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident was one of the worst in history. Radioactive particles escaped from reactors at the power plant, and contaminated both portions of Japan and the Pacific Ocean. A new study now shows the extent of the devastation inflicted on the ocean.

Led by experts at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institutio... (read more)]]> Tue, 3 Apr 2012 20:01:02 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Pacific-Ocean-Reveals-Effects-of-Fukushima-Accident-262566.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Pacific-Ocean-Reveals-Effects-of-Fukushima-Accident-262566.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/MIT-Experts-Developing-Smart-Sand-262243.shtml Scientists with the Distributed Robotics Laboratory (DRL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) announce the development of algorithms that could enable the creation of smart sand.

The material could be used to create reconfigurable robots, among many other practical appl... (read more)]]> Mon, 2 Apr 2012 09:41:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/MIT-Experts-Developing-Smart-Sand-262243.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/MIT-Experts-Developing-Smart-Sand-262243.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Version-of-Eyes-on-the-Earth-Released-for-the-Public-260471.shtml Boasting a sleek and simplified interface, as well as a new version of the popular “Eyes on the Earth” interactive virtual reality visualization, the NASA Global Climate Change website looks better than ever. The page can be accessed here, or directly here.

The page has already won the Webby Award, a feat that NA... (read more)]]> Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:29:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Version-of-Eyes-on-the-Earth-Released-for-the-Public-260471.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Version-of-Eyes-on-the-Earth-Released-for-the-Public-260471.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/NASA-Seeks-to-Develop-Deep-Space-Habitat-Prototypes-259839.shtml The American space agency is very interested in developing a new generations of deep space habitat prototypes. These will be structures in which astronauts of the future will be able to work, at locations far away from the relative safety of low-Earth orbit.

But designing, manufacturing, assembling and testing the systems that wo... (read more)]]> Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:52:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/NASA-Seeks-to-Develop-Deep-Space-Habitat-Prototypes-259839.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/NASA-Seeks-to-Develop-Deep-Space-Habitat-Prototypes-259839.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/MIT-Team-Develops-Supersonic-Aircraft-259447.shtml Ever since the Concorde was retired from active service, in 2003, passengers have been left without access to a supersonic aircraft capable of covering a distance such as that between New York and Paris in just three hours. Now, American researchers are taking steps to address this gap.

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (... (read more)]]> Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:21:01 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/MIT-Team-Develops-Supersonic-Aircraft-259447.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/MIT-Team-Develops-Supersonic-Aircraft-259447.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Hybrid-Snails-that-Produce-Electricity-Created-259349.shtml Investigators at the Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, have created hybrid snails, which they say are able to produce electricity. The group, led by scientist Evgeny Katz, inserted tiny biofuel cells into the mollusks, which work by extracting electricity from the glucose and oxygen in the blood.

This approach generates only a... (read more)]]> Mon, 19 Mar 2012 07:59:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Hybrid-Snails-that-Produce-Electricity-Created-259349.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Hybrid-Snails-that-Produce-Electricity-Created-259349.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Babies-Can-Make-Computers-Faster-258865.shtml A group of researchers at the University of California in Berkeley (UCB) wants to use the cognitive capabilities of babies and small children in order to make computers capable of a more human-like behavior. Doing so is entirely possible, the experts seem to think.

This approach is very interesting because most scientists are currently wondering whe... (read more)]]> Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:33:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Babies-Can-Make-Computers-Faster-258865.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Babies-Can-Make-Computers-Faster-258865.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Unprinting-Machines-Could-Use-Lasers-to-Remove-Ink-from-Paper-258598.shtml Even recycling paper takes up a lot of time and resources, say experts at the University of Cambridge. For this exact reason, they developed a method that allows ink to be removed from paper via lasers.

This approach has the potential to reduce the amount of paper that needs to be produced every single year. In addition... (read more)]]> Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:04:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Unprinting-Machines-Could-Use-Lasers-to-Remove-Ink-from-Paper-258598.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Unprinting-Machines-Could-Use-Lasers-to-Remove-Ink-from-Paper-258598.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Boeing-Hydrogen-Powered-UAV-Completes-Taxi-Test-258473.shtml A hydrogen-powered aircraft designed to conduct unmanned, long-range flights has successfully concluded its first, medium-speed taxi test at the Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), in California. The vehicle is being developed by the Boeing Company.

The achievement brings the corporation one step closer to the first test flight. This aircr... (read more)]]> Wed, 14 Mar 2012 09:07:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Boeing-Hydrogen-Powered-UAV-Completes-Taxi-Test-258473.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Boeing-Hydrogen-Powered-UAV-Completes-Taxi-Test-258473.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/European-EGNOS-System-to-Get-Solar-Storm-Defenses-258465.shtml On Friday, March 9, officials from the European Space Agency (ESA) and aerospace company Thales Alenia Space signed a new contract for the strengthening of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS). The goal is to protect this asset from the effects of solar storms.

Additionally, officials are looking to make th... (read more)]]> Wed, 14 Mar 2012 08:50:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/European-EGNOS-System-to-Get-Solar-Storm-Defenses-258465.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/European-EGNOS-System-to-Get-Solar-Storm-Defenses-258465.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Simulation-Software-Can-Model-Multi-Core-Chips-257728.shtml Microprocessors on the market today come with a varied number of processing cores, ranging from 1 to 12. But manufacturers that want to produce 24-core or 48-core chips cannot be sure that their designs would work when completed. This is why researchers have created a simulation for these devices.

Scientists at the Massachusetts Insti... (read more)]]> Fri, 9 Mar 2012 22:01:01 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Simulation-Software-Can-Model-Multi-Core-Chips-257728.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Simulation-Software-Can-Model-Multi-Core-Chips-257728.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Algorithm-Can-Plot-Efficient-Courses-for-Underwater-Vehicles-257718.shtml Early on in school, we are told that the shortest distance between two points is a line. There are some cases though, where this is not true, and navigating underwater is one of them. A team of experts at MIT announces the creation of an algorithm that provides efficient transportation routes underwater.

The new calcu... (read more)]]> Fri, 9 Mar 2012 13:02:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Algorithm-Can-Plot-Efficient-Courses-for-Underwater-Vehicles-257718.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Algorithm-Can-Plot-Efficient-Courses-for-Underwater-Vehicles-257718.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Japanese-Whalers-Heading-Home-in-Shame-257603.shtml After months of chasing four Japanese whaling ships and their escort through the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) finally announces the end of the 2011-2012 campaign to stop illegal whaling around Antarctica.

The Japanese whaling fleet is currently heading home in shame, a press release from th... (read more)]]> Fri, 9 Mar 2012 08:20:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Japanese-Whalers-Heading-Home-in-Shame-257603.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Japanese-Whalers-Heading-Home-in-Shame-257603.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Balloon-Capsule-for-the-Red-Bull-Stratos-Project-Now-Completed-257104.shtml After five years of development, the capsule that will take daredevil skydiver Felix Baumgartner to an altitude of 120,000 feet (36,576 meters) has been completed. The ascent alone will set the record for the highest manned balloon flight ever conducted, before Baumgartner parachutes back to Earth.

He plans to go supers... (read more)]]> Wed, 7 Mar 2012 09:48:00 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Balloon-Capsule-for-the-Red-Bull-Stratos-Project-Now-Completed-257104.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Balloon-Capsule-for-the-Red-Bull-Stratos-Project-Now-Completed-257104.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Robotic-Dogs-Will-Sense-Your-Emotions-Through-Fur-256990.shtml University of British Columbia (UBC) researchers are currently working on a way to integrate advanced biometric sensors into the fur covering robotic pets. They say that this will help the synthetic animals sense the moods of their owners, and act accordingly.

The team has already developed a bunny that can do that. However, the ma... (read more)]]> Tue, 6 Mar 2012 20:01:01 GMT Softpedia News - Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Robotic-Dogs-Will-Sense-Your-Emotions-Through-Fur-256990.shtml Sci Pry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Robotic-Dogs-Will-Sense-Your-Emotions-Through-Fur-256990.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Tudor Vieru)