Laser makes silicon pump liquid uphill with no added energy

Mar 17 | News

Researchers at the Univ. of Rochester's Institute of Optics have discovered a way to make liquid flow vertically upward along a silicon surface, overcoming the pull of gravity, without pumps or other mechanical devices.

World’s largest clean room gets a “Webb” cam

Mar 12 | News

At 1.3 million cubic feet, the Goddard Space Flight Center’s High Bay Clean Room, where the components of the James Webb Space Telescope are now being assembled, circulates a staggering one million cubic feet of air per minutes, ensuring no more than 10,000 particles larger than 0.5 microns. Progress on the telescope can now be viewed by webcam.

America’s Cup winner trounces “tradition” with technology

Feb 16 | RDBlog

A fine sail off the coast of Spain is hardly the reality for most Americans, who have been locked in a snowy wonderland for months. But that's apparently where the technology is: the USA 17 that brought home the America's Cup for the first time in 23 years could be the most advanced sailboat ever built.

The world's most precise clock

Feb 5 | News

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have built an enhanced version of an experimental atomic clock based on a single aluminum atom that is now the world’s most precise clock, more than twice as precise as the previous pacesetter based on a mercury atom.

First germanium laser built

Feb 4 | News

MIT researchers have demonstrated the first laser built from germanium that can emit wavelengths of light useful for optical communications. It’s also the first germanium laser to operate at room temperature. Unlike the materials typically used in lasers, germanium is easy to incorporate into existing processes for manufacturing silicon chips.

Sniffing out terrorists

Jan 14 | News

A new intelligent system has been developed to help identify terrorists carrying explosives. Sensitive electronic noses capture the smell of the explosives; the system processes the acquired data, correlates it with individuals' movements … and ultimately tracks down the suspects.

Quantum cascade lasers emit more light than heat

Jan 12 | News

Northwestern Univ. researchers have developed compact, mid-infrared laser diodes that generate more light than heat—a breakthroughs in quantum cascade laser efficiency. The results are an important step toward use of quantum cascade lasers in a variety of applications, including remote sensing of hazardous chemicals.

Beyond Plug-and-Play

Jan 7 | Application Notes

Computer-based machining systems make basic metalcutting a largely plug-and-play process. In most cases, a 3-D CAD file run through a CAM package and posted to a CNC machine tool will produce a part that resembles the original model.

Electronic nose can select produce with appealing aromas

12/22/2009 | News

Researchers from the Agro-Food Quality Improvement Group at the Universitat Jaume I (UJI) have developed a statistical methodology which enables the aromatic characteristics of different samples of a product to be compared efficiently, so that the best quality items can be selected.  

Robotics Brought to the Benchtop

12/21/2009 | Featured Articles

In life science applications, sample preparation is crucial to any research project. With that knowledge, Symyx (Sunnyvale, Calif.) created a benchtop platform system that excels in doing complex sample preparation for a variety of life science analytics.

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Much ado about next to nothing

Mar 15

The recent review of the past 10 years of the National Nanotechnology Initiative--as presented by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology--suggested the rise of nanomanufacturing as the near future of nanotechnology. But the actual proposed funding reflects a cautious approach, even about nanotech in general.

Lunar tires, space MRSA, and resonating microfluidics

Mar 5

I typically attend the annual Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy each year in pursuit of specific coverage. This year, I sought out candidates for coverage in a vacuum technology article, and pulled together some instruments for a spectroscopy guide. But as busy as that kept me, it wasn’t all mass spectrometers and vacuum pumps on the show floor.  

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NuGard Coating Ashburn Hill

Jan 7

NuGard First Response Protective Clothing are lightweight coveralls, jackets, and pants that provide protection from heat and flame while keeping the wearers body temperature constant.

Multi-Touch Music Maker

Jan 7

Professor David Wessel shows his multi-touch interface that uses computer technologies that allow him to experiment with fine controls to "caress" the instrument.