Researchers are developing a new class of tiny mechanical devices containing vibrating, hair-thin structures that could be used to filter electronic signals in cell phones and for other more exotic applications.
University of California, Berkeley scientists can accurately predict which of a thousand pictures a person is looking at by analyzing brain activity, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
The scientists first recorded visual cortex activity as subjects looked at several thousand randomly selected pictures. The researchers then developed a computer model that would predict the pattern of brain activity triggered by any image.
When volunteers were later shown… read more
A handheld device that enables a user to chat in another language — without having to learn any words or phrases — has been developed by NEC.
It consists of a speech recognition engine, translation software and a voice generator. Spoken English or Japanese is recognized and converted into text by the speech-recognition engine. The text is then converted from Japanese to English (or the other way) by translation… read more
The New York-based 2009 Singularity Summit has added AI researchers Marcus Hutter (how to move beyond a narrowly human notion of human intelligence to a full mathematical theory) and Anna Salamon, and three leading technology investors: Peter Thiel, David S. Rose, and Mark Gorenberg.
The $100 discount for early registration ends today, August 20.
A new microscope design allows nanotechnology researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to track the motions of nanoparticles in solution as they dart around in three dimensions.
The technology may lead to a better understanding of the dynamics of nanoparticles in fluids and, ultimately, process control techniques for “directed self-assembly.” This capitalizes on physical properties and chemical affinities of nanoparticles in solutions to… read more
UC Santa Cruz researchers have reported the first demonstration of integrated optical waveguides with liquid cores, a technology that enables light propagation through small volumes of liquids on a chip.
The new technology has a wide range of potential applications, including chemical and biological sensors with single-molecule sensitivity.
The first image of a molecule has been achieved by IBM researchers using atomic force microscopy (AFM).
They imaged the organic pentacene molecule, overcoming the problem of the probe sticking to the molecule (from electrostatic and van der Waals forces) by fixing a single carbon monoxide molecule to the end of the probe so that only one atom of relatively inactive oxygen came into contact with the pentacene.… read more
In his new book “Physics of the Impossible,” Michio Kaku, a professor of theoretical physics at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and a cofounder of string field theory, delves deeply into cutting-edge science to tell us what breakthrough innovations we can expect in our own lifetimes — and which our grandchildren’s grandchildren will still be dreaming about.
Intel researchers have revealed plans to use exotic materials such as carbon nanotubes and nanowires as well as novel techniques to take the transistor down to the atomic level.
Intel believes the ultimate transistor shape would be a pure cylinder with a gate wrapped entirely around the channel, striking the best balance between electron mobility and leakage control. It would be based on a silicon nanowire.
Intel is… read more
LAS VEGAS — Perhaps the most exciting technology at Comdex this year was a 3D display that projected volumetric images into thin air, prompting show goers to gasp, burst out laughing and run around the booth in excitement.
At the back of one of the exhibit halls, Dimensional Media set up a booth full of 3D displays that projected images — of objects such as cell phones or soda cans… read more
Interactions between electrons significantly enhance the already high velocity of electrons in graphene, researchers at The University of Manchester have found.
They anticipate their findings will accelerate building graphene-based devices such as touchscreens, ultrafast transistors, and photodetectors.
The researchers used extremely high-quality graphene devices, prepared by suspending sheets of graphene in a vacuum. This eliminated most of the unwanted scattering mechanisms for electrons in… read more
“In 2001 Arthur C. Clarke not only envisioned the future of artificial intelligence, but he also foresaw the ‘uncanny valley’ in which AI becomes creepy–and dangerous–when it is oh so close to human intelligence but not fully there,” said Ray Kurzweil.
“HAL realized he had made a mistake and then imagining that he must be perfect, felt that he would be disconnected for having made a mistake and reasoned… read more
Nantero next year plans to have “working samples” of its first product — a next-generation nonvolatile memory based on carbon nanotube technology.
It will initially debut a 1-megabit device. The company is developing NRAM, a high-density nonvolatile random access memory that could eventually replace flash memory.
Forget Moore’s Law. Forget quantum computing. The real limits to computational growth may be the “foaminess” (noise) of spacetime itself at the level of 10-35 meters, says Jack Ng of the University of North Carolina, as reported in Physics News 532, March 28, 2001.
“The foaminess of spacetime leads to an uncertainty in timekeeping (the more accurate the clock, the shorter its lifetime), which in turn… read more