http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (PhysOrg.com) -- By building a robotic ground-effect vehicle that flies inches above the ground, researchers from Japan may be offering a glimpse into the future of high-speed rail. The researchers, led by Yusuke Sugahara at Tohoku University, are currently testing the robotic prototype, which they have described earlier this week at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in Shanghai. http://phys.org/news224431253.html Technology Thu, 12 May 2011 15:30:02 EST news224431253 (PhysOrg.com) -- One of the most difficult problems for designing mobile devices is finding a way to minimize the size of the device while simultaneously maximizing the size of the display. To get the best of both worlds, researchers from the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology in South Korea have designed and built a prototype of a seamless foldable display that folds in half without a visible crease in the middle. http://phys.org/news224407300.html Physics Thu, 12 May 2011 09:00:01 EST news224407300 The launch into space of Denmark's first privately-built rocket has been postponed to Thursday due to bad weather conditions, one of its builders said. http://phys.org/news202387130.html Space & Earth Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:39:05 EST news202387130 (PhysOrg.com) -- Computers controlled by the mind are going a step further with Intel's development of mind-controlled computers. Existing computers operated by brain power require the user to mentally move a cursor on the screen, but the new computers will be designed to directly read the words thought by the user. http://phys.org/news201939898.html Technology Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:00:10 EST news201939898 Alain Thebault, the French skipper of the world sailing speed record holder Hydroptere, on Monday unveiled a new prototype of the 'flying' yacht as a first step towards ocean-going records. http://phys.org/news201790068.html Technology Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:10:03 EST news201790068 (PhysOrg.com) -- Last Wednesday Toshiba made an announcement at the Magnetic Recording Conference in San Diego that they have made a breakthrough in their research of bit-patterned media that would result in enormous storage improvements for future hard drives. http://phys.org/news201785765.html Technology Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:37:39 EST news201785765 (PhysOrg.com) -- Evatran, a company from Virginia in the US, has developed a working prototype of a plugless induction charger for electric and hybrid vehicles, and demonstrated the system at this week’s Plug In conference in San Jose, California. http://phys.org/news199685767.html Technology Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:50:01 EST news199685767 (PhysOrg.com) -- ASUS announced in May it would be producing two Eee Pad tablets, a 12-inch version running Windows 7 Home Premium and a 10-inch with the Windows Embedded Compact 7 operating system. It now seems likely the smaller tablet will use Google's Linux-based mobile operating system Android instead. http://phys.org/news198902796.html Electronics Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:50:01 EST news198902796 (PhysOrg.com) -- Whether you're away from electricity or you don't mind expending a few of your own calories, a new generator allows you to recharge it simply by shaking it. Its developer, Brother Industries Ltd, says that the "vibration-powered generating battery" can replace AA and AAA batteries for devices that have a power consumption of about 100 mW, such as a flashlight or remote control. http://phys.org/news198686681.html Technology Sun, 18 Jul 2010 15:45:28 EST news198686681 (AP) -- An experimental solar-powered plane whose Swiss makers hope someday to fly around the globe soared into uncharted territory Wednesday - the cold, dark night. http://phys.org/news197695549.html Technology Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:32:53 EST news197695549 Cell phones are accumulating a Swiss Army Knife-esqe assortment of capabilities; substituting as cameras, providing internet access, and soon operating as medical labs if Aydogan Ozcan's plans come to fruition. This month's cover article of the journal Lab on a Chip features the latest creation by the Ozcan group, a functioning prototype of a cell phone microscope. The lensless imaging platform behind the cell phone microscope is nearing readiness for real world trials, after receiving prestigious awards in the past month from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, National Geographic, and the National Science Foundation (NSF). http://phys.org/news197111699.html Technology Wed, 30 Jun 2010 10:15:18 EST news197111699 Samsung Electronics announced today that it has developed the industry's first 32 gigabyte (GB) load-reduced, dual-inline memory module (LRDIMM), for server applications. http://phys.org/news197110104.html Electronics Wed, 30 Jun 2010 10:00:01 EST news197110104 Imagine you're an engineer charged with designing an SUV to sell in a third-world country. What sorts of questions might you consider before creating a prototype? http://phys.org/news196946940.html Technology Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:29:31 EST news196946940 A sharp view of the starry sky is difficult, because the atmosphere constantly distorts the image. Eindhoven University of Technology researcher Roger Hamelinck developed a new type of telescope mirror, which quickly corrects the image. His prototypes are required for future large telescopes, but also gives old telescopes a sharper view. http://phys.org/news196594364.html Space & Earth Thu, 24 Jun 2010 10:33:03 EST news196594364 A team of researchers from the University of Alberta and the National Institute for Nanotechnology has extended the operating life of an unsealed plastic solar cell, from mere hours to eight months. http://phys.org/news196355743.html Nanotechnology Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:16:13 EST news196355743 (PhysOrg.com) -- Looking to the future of powering mobile devices, Japanese company Oki Printed Circuits recently demonstrated a prototype of a 0.8-mm-thick printed circuit board embedded with a 170-μm-thick rechargeable all-solid-state Lithium-ion battery. The prototype was on display at the JPCA Show 2010 in Tokyo last week, and the company hopes to bring the product to market next year. http://phys.org/news195063742.html Technology Sun, 06 Jun 2010 17:22:48 EST news195063742 (AP) -- After a series of leaked prototypes, it's almost a given that Apple Inc. will unveil a new version of the iPhone during its annual software developers conference that opens Monday in San Francisco. http://phys.org/news194870481.html Electronics Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:00:01 EST news194870481 The concept of a wind-powered vehicle that can be used to explore the surface of Mars - a so-called "tumbleweed rover" that would roll over the surface of Mars like a tumbleweed - has been around for more than 10 years, but so far there has been no consensus on exactly what that vehicle should look like. Now researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a computer model that allows engineers to test the attributes of different vehicle designs. This will allow researchers to select the best design characteristics before spending the time and money necessary to create prototypes for testing in real-world conditions. http://phys.org/news194695118.html Space & Earth Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:59:03 EST news194695118 Ever since Steven Spielberg’s 2002 sci-fi movie Minority Report, in which a black-clad Tom Cruise stands in front of a transparent screen manipulating a host of video images simply by waving his hands, the idea of gesture-based computer interfaces has captured the imagination of technophiles. Academic and industry labs have developed a host of prototype gesture interfaces, ranging from room-sized systems with multiple cameras to detectors built into laptops’ screens. But MIT researchers have developed a system that could make gestural interfaces much more practical. Aside from a standard webcam, like those found in many new computers, the system uses only a single piece of hardware: a multicolored Lycra glove that could be manufactured for about a dollar. http://phys.org/news193566126.html Technology Thu, 20 May 2010 09:22:39 EST news193566126 It’s not a pun: we are truly entering a new dimension of technology with the 3D digital camera developed by the researchers of Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK) in Trento, Italy. http://phys.org/news192965307.html Technology Thu, 13 May 2010 10:28:56 EST news192965307 A 21-year-old Californian man was identified on Thursday as the person who found and sold an Apple iPhone prototype to the technology blog Gizmodo. http://phys.org/news191861732.html Technology Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:56:08 EST news191861732 Research for many water scientists involves a frustrating paradox: Water purification requires prodigious amounts of electricity, while utilities guzzle huge volumes of water to generate electricity. http://phys.org/news191828242.html Technology Fri, 30 Apr 2010 08:20:02 EST news191828242 Inventors are often perceived as eccentric, original thinkers inspired by dreams: but many of the 700 inventors at an international fair in Geneva showed skill, pragmatism and good business sense. http://phys.org/news191132186.html Technology Thu, 22 Apr 2010 05:40:01 EST news191132186 (PhysOrg.com) -- Broken the lid of your favourite ceramic teapot but can't buy a replacement? Worry not. Researchers from the Centre for Fine Print Research (CFPR) at the University of the West of England, Bristol, have discovered a new way of using 3D printing technology (rapid prototyping) which will allow an exact real clay replacement to be printed using a digital file. http://phys.org/news190925146.html Technology Tue, 20 Apr 2010 11:50:01 EST news190925146 (PhysOrg.com) -- Authorities in Toulouse in the south-west of France are considering a proposal to install "pavement power" technology that would use the energy provided by pedestrians to generate electricity to run the street lamps. A trial section of eight modules already installed in the city produces 50-60 watts, which is enough to power a nearby street lamp. http://phys.org/news190533213.html Technology Thu, 15 Apr 2010 06:54:36 EST news190533213 (PhysOrg.com) -- Have you ever found yourself in the kitchen at grappling helplessly with an impossibly stuck lid on a jar of hot fudge sauce? When your can opener failed on the fourth try, were you ever tempted to go after the pork and beans with a hammer? http://phys.org/news190454161.html Technology Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:30:02 EST news190454161 The Solar Impulse aircraft, a Swiss bid to fly around the world on solar energy, will make its first test flight Wednesday at a military airbase in western Switzerland, organisers said. http://phys.org/news189772948.html Technology Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:00:01 EST news189772948 (PhysOrg.com) -- Japanese researchers are developing a super-fast scanner that will be able to scan a book of about 200 pages in a minute without any need to break up or flatten the book. http://phys.org/news188120731.html Technology Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:20:01 EST news188120731 Today's wind turbine blades, which can measure more than 60 metres in length, are subjected to enormous loads, which means that a blade can flex as much as 4-6 metres during strong gusts. However, the blades are also so long that there can be considerable differences in the loading from the gusts along the blade. In wind farms, surrounding wind turbines also exert considerable influence and generate turbulence, which has a more localised effect. http://phys.org/news186066174.html Technology Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:40:02 EST news186066174 (PhysOrg.com) -- The U.N. Development Programme estimates that less than 1 percent of the need for wheelchairs in developing countries is met by local production, partly because small workshops can’t exploit economies of scale to be profitable. Moreover, the wheelchairs that are available aren’t designed for people who must push themselves over rough roads and muddy walking paths often encountered in the Third World. As a result, millions of people must rely on others to carry them or be stranded inside their homes. http://phys.org/news185730593.html Technology Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:50:16 EST news185730593