January 02, 2013
Oh, the first week of January: a time of reflection, resolutions and, unfortunately for some, the same week when those resolutions are broken. But it's also a time of dreaming up what might be in store in the coming year, so what would be more appropriate than a list of predictions for the fields of science and technology? Here’s what Michael Keller at the Txchnologist picked as some of the major stories that will develop in 2013.
Brain mapping brings us one step closer to the Singularity
As computer scientists and neuroscientists cross paths, the spatial resolution of brain imaging techniques will help us in pin pointing the functioning of our bodies' most nebulous organ. Through the comparison of healthy and damaged brains, researchers will be better able to identify the phenomena that make us who we are, but as techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging are refined, we stand a chance to understand the brain on the neuronal level.
DNA sequencing becomes affordable for the average consumer
While mapping the human genome cost a whopping $300 million in 2001, Dr. Michael Snyder and his team of Stanford Researchers have helped to lower that cost to a mere $1,000. If this number is reduced even further in 2013, even the layperson could undergo comprehensive medical screening to preempt potentially fatal health conditions.
The Internet of Things connects even your toaster to the web
Okay, maybe not your toaster, but this ever-expanding web of sensors and communications software may help numerous industries reach record-breaking efficiency, which is good news for manufacturers. But for this application, 2013 is only the beginning – eventually we expect not only our electronics to be online, but even our bodies with the help of smart health monitors.
Fuel-free planes fly across the US
A solar-powered plane with Swiss pilots behind the wheel will successfully test-fly an aircraft across the US. The 3,500-lb plane, touting a wingspan of a Boeing 747 and four 10-horsepower electric engines is slated to fly from California to New York City as a part of the Solar Impulse project.
Organs-on-a-Chip diagnose disease
In 2013, researchers will further the development of tiny devices capable of assuming the responsibilities of human organs. While these microfluidic tools could be key to pharmaceutical testing, they could be invaluable to individuals for disease diagnosis. Researchers at Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering even received a grant to develop a human-on-a-chip by integrating the functions of 10 organs-on-chips.
Full story at Txchnologist
Simulations may be increasingly taking advantage of HPC to become more and more sophisticated, but the way those mountains of data are displayed don’t always keep up in terms of staying on the cutting edge. But one avenue for reviewing digital designs, called a cave automatic virtual environment (CAVE), looks to be making up for this trend by combining engineers’ modeling information with virtual reality.
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The ability to control fluid streams at microscale is of great importance in many domains such as biological processing, guiding chemical reactions, and creating structured materials. Recently, it has been discovered that placing pillars of different dimensions, and at different offsets, allows fluid transformations to “sculpt” fluid streams.
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So far, the story surrounding the industrial Internet has been centered around GE, and their plans to infuse their factories with thousands of sensors that will bring big data to manufacturing. But after record-breaking floods from Hurricane Sandy took their toll on New York and New Jersey, environmental and civil engineers have found a new application for the Internet-connected sensor system.
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May 23, 2013 |
In the wake of plastic gun stories, a unique use case for 3D printing helps demonstrate that the additive manufacturing technology's potential to save lives deserves its own place in the spotlight. Now, doctors at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor have combined medical expertise with 3D printing's flexibility to save a three-month old.
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May 23, 2013 |
Researchers have been studying fire ants hoping to learn about their underground navigation skills. They want to apply their findings to making robots that will be able to assist in search and rescue missions for people trapped underground.
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May 22, 2013 |
While advanced carbon-fiber composites have been used in the recent years, researchers are searching for materials that are even stronger and lighter. Composites made with carbon fibers coated with carbon nanotubes are being considered because they can be hundreds of times stronger than steel and only one-sixth the weight.
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May 22, 2013 |
NASA has awarded a $125,000 grant for a project intended to 3D print food for astronauts in space. The printer will mix together basic nutrients such as oil and protein powder to create the food. It will also allow the user to input their sex, age, and weight so that it can make the food based on the individual's own nutritional needs.
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May 17, 2013 |
This week, Airbus towed its newest airliner, the A350 XWB, out of its hangar and is poised to roll it into the spotlight of the upcoming Paris Air Show. The A350 XWB has been designed with the goal of surpassing the 787 in fuel efficiency and comfort, and has forgone metal for composite materials to make it happen.
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03/20/2013 | SAS | This white paper examines how an enterprise-wide quality platform can turn existing data into substantial and sustainable revenue growth and cost savings for global manufacturers. The paper is based on the findings of the IW/SAS Enterprise Quality Survey completed by more than 400 manufacturing executives. The objectives of the survey were to determine concerns about quality among manufacturers; investigate the tools used to measure quality; and examine how using enterprise-wide analysis on quality data improves performance.
07/19/2011 | Univa | TATA Steel Automotive Engineering’s concern grew when open source Grid Engine support and development was discontinued by Oracle. Grid Engine is a business critical application in their environment. They recognized the likelihood that product enhancements and innovations would cease. Read how TATA Steel Automotive Engineering moved from a self-support solution to Univa Grid Engine. You can get more out of your environment and your budget with Univa Grid Engine.
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