AMD fabricates double-gate transistor for 10-nm designs
September 11, 2002
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. here today announced it has fabricated the world’s smallest double-gate transistors, measuring 10 nanometers.
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Cleaner Living Through Nanotech
September 10, 2002
Scientists see nanotechnology as the the key to solving some current environmental ills.
Tricks of the light promise record data speeds
September 9, 2002
Researchers have shown that the bandwidth of existing fiber optic cables can be increased from 10 gigabits/second to 2 terabits/per second, using new techniques, including a subcarrier, multiple wavelengths, and multiple polarizations.
A Theory of Evolution, for Robots
September 6, 2002
Scientists have designed a winged robot capable of learning flight techniques automatically with genetic algorithms. Its small motors allow it to manipulate its meter-long, balsa-wood wings in different directions. A computer program feeds the robot random instructions, which let it develop the concept of liftoff on its own.
Musical approach helps programmers catch bugs
September 6, 2002
Researchers have developed a system that automatically converts computer program code written in Pascal into simple “music” to make it easier for programmers to detect bugs from sequences of notes.
Parents look to microchip children
September 5, 2002
Worried UK parents are asking to have tracking microchips implanted into their children following the murders of two 10-year-old girls, says scientist Kevin Warwick, who has implanted a chip in his arm that is connected to a computer in an ongoing experiment.
The operation would involve implanting a small transmitter about one inch long into the child’s arm or stomach, Warwick said. Tracking options include using a mobile phone… read more
Dinosaur ancestor’s vision possibly nocturnal
September 4, 2002
Scientists at Rockefeller University have reconstructed the light-sensing rhodopsin protein from the ancestors of dinosaurs. It suggests that dinosaurs may have been well-adapted to seeing in the dark. Belinda S.W. Chang, Ph.D., first author and research assistant professor at Rockefeller, used existing databases and sophisticated statistical methods to infer the most likely DNA sequences that the ancestral archosaur would have had for its rhodopsin.
“From the databases, we pulled… read more
They Weren’t Meant to Be Games
September 4, 2002
Video games have rocketed past movies in mass appeal, driven by powerful technologies that have transformed games into fully interactive worlds.
A high-quality video game now can surpass traditional action movies in terms of realism, usability, return visits, interactivity and subtlety, thanks to sophisticated computer graphics, improved sound effects, and use of artificial intelligence for character portrayal and movement.
Radio emerges from the electronic soup
September 2, 2002
A self-organising electronic circuit with evolutionary computer program to “breed” an oscillator circuit has stunned engineers by turning itself into a radio receiver. Researchers discovered that the evolving circuit had used the computer’s circuit board itself as an antenna, picking up a signal from a nearby computer and delivering it as an output.
Organic robot mimics sea life
September 2, 2002
The Public Anemone, an organic robot designed to imitate primitive life forms, has been created by MIT researchers. The robot is intended to explore artificial life and provide insights into how to create robots that can behave and interact naturally with humans.
Mind Catcher: A Boy and his Exo-Brain
August 31, 2002
Scientists have perfected a machine that downloads brain waves in this new novel by John Darnton. When surgeons have to shut down the brain stem so the organ can be repaired, a computer supplies the necessary neural transmissions to keep the rest of the body alive.
Game developers look beyond polygons
August 30, 2002
Graphics in games have reached the point where throwing more polygons at the screen has little effect on the quality. The next big thing will be two-way speech.
Rival replacement for DVDs announced
August 30, 2002
A high-capacity replacement for current DVD technology has been announced by NEC and Toshiba. It would increase data storage capacity from the current 4.7 to 8.5 gigabytes to between 15 and 30 gigabytes.
The competing Blu-Ray discs are expected to hold between 40 and 50 gigabytes of data. Both formats are expected to be available in 2004.
The Even-More-Compact Disc
August 30, 2002
The new miniaturized DataPlay digital media offers CD performance and 500 MB storage at a tiny size but at expensive prices initially for media and players.
DataPlay discs will be available in blank, recordable form as well as prerecorded, copy-protected albums.