Tech News Digest

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02.12

02.12

Tech News Digest

Compiled By IEEE-USA Staff

The following is a roundup of technology-related news and notable developments with a focus on electrical engineering, computing and information technology and allied fields reported during January 2012. Items are excerpted from news releases generated by universities, government agencies and other research institutions. Highlighted topics include:

1) Congressionally-Mandated Report Examines the Federal Role in U.S. Innovation and Competitiveness

On 6 January 2012, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) issued a new report highlighting key policy priorities to sustain and promote American innovation and economic competitiveness. The report, The Competitiveness and Innovative Capacity of the United States, examines the historic role of federal investments in research, education and infrastructure in driving the nation's economic competitiveness, business expansion and job creation, and argues for continued strong support for those three areas as well as manufacturing.

For more information, see: http://www.nist.gov/director/competes-011012.cfm

2) Comments Released on Access to Federally Funded Scientific Research and Data

In late January, the President’s Office of Science and Technology Policy released over 450 public comments received in response to two Requests for Information on “Pubilc Access to Peer-Reviewed Scholarly Publication Resulting from Federally Funded Research” and on “Public Access to Digital Data Resulting from Federally Funded Scientific Research.” IEEE was among the organizations who commented. Comments will be reviewed by the Task Force on Public Access to Scholarly Publications and the Interagency Working Group on Digital Data, who have been tasked by Congress to make recommendations for an Administration policy on public access.

For more information, see: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/30/your-comments-access-federally-funded-scientific-research-results

3) DARPA Seeks New Power Dynamic for Continuation of Moore’s Law

In the past, computing systems could rely on increasing computing performance with each processor generation. Following Moore’s Law, each generation brought with it double the number of transistors. And according to Dennard’s Scaling, clock speed could increase 40 percent each generation without increasing power density. This allowed increased performance without the penalty of increased power. “That expected increase in processing performance is at an end,” said DARPA Director Regina E. Dugan. “Clock speeds are being limited by power constraints. Power efficiency has become the Achilles Heel of increased computational capability.”

DARPA’s Power Efficiency Revolution for Embedded Computing Technologies (PERFECT) program seeks to improve power efficiency for embedded computer systems, providing more computing per watt of electrical power. To increase awareness of this program and attract potential researchers, DARPA has scheduled a Proposers’ Day workshop 15 Feb. in Arlington, Va.

For more information, see: http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Releases/2012/01/26.aspx

4) Research Paves Way for Portable Power Systems

Developments by hydrogen researchers at the US Department of Energy's Savannah River National Laboratory are paving the way for the successful development of portable power systems with capacities that far exceed the best batteries available today. SRNL's advances in the use of alane, a lightweight material for storing hydrogen, may be the key that unlocks the development of portable fuel cell systems that meet the needs for both military and commercial portable power applications.

For more information, see: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/drnl-srp010912.php

5) Power Generation is Blowing in the Wind

By looking at the stability of the atmosphere, wind farm operators could gain greater insight into the amount of power generated at any given time. Power generated by a wind turbine largely depends on the wind speed. In a wind farm in which the turbines experience the same wind speeds but different shapes (such as turbulence) to the wind profile, a turbine will produce different amounts of power.

For more information, see: https://www.llnl.gov/news/newsreleases/2012/Jan/NR-12-01-03.html

6) 10-second Dance of Electrons is Step Toward Exotic New Computers

An international team of researchers including scientists at Princeton University have achieved a 100-fold increase in the ability to maintain control the spins of electrons in a solid material, a key step in the development of ultra-fast quantum computers.

For more information, see: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/pues-tdo011612.php

7) Particle-free Silver Ink Prints Small, High-Performance Electronics

University of Illinois materials scientists have developed a new reactive silver ink for printing high-performance electronics on ubiquitous, low-cost materials such as flexible plastic, paper or fabric substrates. The reactive ink has several advantages over particle-based inks: low processing temperature, high conductivity, and the ability to print very small features.

For more information, see: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/uoia-psi011212.php

8) Theory Explains How Graphene Could Improve Electronic Shelf Life

By taking advantage of the thermal conductivity of graphene, research by UT Dallas engineers could lead to more efficient cooling of electronics, producing quieter and longer-lasting computers, and cellphones and other devices.

For more information, see: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/uota-teh010912.php

9) NIST Issues Cloud Computing Guidelines for Managing Security and Privacy

On 24 January, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) finalized its first set of guidelines for managing security and privacy issues in cloud computing. The Guidelines on Security and Privacy in Public Cloud Computing (NIST Special Publication 800-144) provide an overview of the security and privacy challenges facing public cloud computing. It also presents recommendations that organizations should consider when outsourcing data, applications and infrastructure to a public cloud environment. The document provides insights on threats, technology risks and safeguards related to public cloud environments to help organizations make informed decisions about this use of this technology.

For more information, see: http://www.nist.gov/itl/csd/cloud-012412.cfm

10) New Center Developing Computational Bioresearch Tool

University of Chicago scientists are working on a technique that might lead to a new, dramatically simpler way to predict molecular motion inside a cell. The team will pursue that goal with an initial $1.5 million Phase I grant from the National Science Foundation to launch the new Center for Multiscale Theory and Simulation..

For more information, see: http://news.uchicago.edu/article/2012/01/27/new-center-developing-computational-bioresearch-tool

11) Iowa State Engineer Wants to ‘Sculpt’ More Powerful Electric Motors and Generators

Dionysios Aliprantis took up an imaginary hammer and chisel and pounded away at the air. "Think of the ancient Greeks and their sculptures," said the Iowa State University assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. Now apply the idea of a sculptor precisely chipping away at stone to the electric motors that run our machines and generate our electricity. Aliprantis is working to develop computer modeling technology that will show engineers how to chip away at the surfaces of electric motors to create new designs and shapes that can increase power generation. "The goal is to get more power out of the same size motor," he said. "Or, that could mean getting the same power with a smaller motor."

Aliprantis is quick to say he's not looking for a huge improvement in a motor's performance. "I'm looking for a little bit of increase, maybe 5 percent or 1 percent," he said. "But multiply that number by the number of hybrid cars, let's say, and you could get savings in the billions of dollars. The potential here could be huge."

For more information, see: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2012/jan/electricmotors

12) 'Open-source' Robotic Surgery Platform Going To Top Medical Research Labs

Robotics experts at the University of California, Santa Cruz and the University of Washington have completed a set of seven advanced robotic surgery systems for use by major medical research laboratories throughout the United States.

For more information, see: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/uoc--rs011212.php

13) LED Lights Point Shoppers in the Right Direction

Looking for an item in a large department store or mall can be like searching for a needle in a haystack, but that could change thanks to a hybrid location-identification system that uses radio frequency transmitters and overhead LED lights, suggested by a team of researchers from Penn State and Hallym University in South Korea. The team envisions large stores or malls with overhead LED light fixtures, each assigned with a location code. At the entrance, a computer that is accessible via keyboard or even telephone would contain a database of all the items available. The system consists of the location-tagged LEDs and combination photodiode and Zigbee receiver merchandise tags. The request for an item goes from the computer through the many jumps of short radio frequency receivers and transmitters placed throughout the mall. The RF/photodiode tag on the merchandise sought, reads its location from the overhead LED and sends the information back through the wireless network to the computer.

For more information, see: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/ps-llp012312.php

14) Researchers Devise New Means for Creating Elastic Conductors

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new method for creating elastic conductors made of carbon nanotubes, which will contribute to large-scale production of the material for use in a new generation of elastic electronic devices. Potential applications include devices that can be incorporated into clothing, implantable medical devices, and sensors that can be stretched over unmanned aerial vehicles.

For more information, see: http://news.ncsu.edu/releases/wmszhuconductors/

15) NIST to Support Agency Efforts to Implement Best Practices for Standards Activities

On Jan. 17, the White House issued a memorandum recognizing the role of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in helping agencies implement best practices for standards development activities to address national priorities. The memo clarifies how federal agencies should work with the private sector in standards development, and it stresses the importance of public-private partnerships to the U.S. standards system and promoting innovation.

See White House memorandum at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/memoranda/2012/m-12-08.pdf

For more information, see: http://www.nist.gov/director/standards-012412.cfm