Tech

Jul 08, 2013 04:23 PM EDT

All-Optical Transistor Could Pave the Way for Optical Computers

Researchers have created an all-optical transistor capable of being switched on and off by a single photon, or light particle - an impressive demonstration of physics that arguably places scientists one step closer to the complete harnessing of optical computing, the act of using light rather than electricity to perform calculations.

Jul 04, 2013 12:14 AM EDT

NASA Takes Down Ocean Surveyor Jason -1 After System Failures

Following massive and irreparable system failures, NASA has decommissioned the long running ocean mapping satellite, Jason 1.

Jul 02, 2013 04:29 PM EDT

D-Wave's Processor Is a Quantum Processor After All, Scientists Find [VIDEO]

Quantum effects are indeed at play in the first commercial quantum optimization processor manufactured by the company D-Wave, according to scientists at the University of Southern California.

Jul 01, 2013 06:40 AM EDT

Humanoid Robots to Beat Humans by 2050: Robocup Organizers Say [Video]

The organizers of RoboCup Soccer, a tournament that has soccer-playing robots, have announced that, by 2050, humanoid robots could compete and even beat humans at the game.

Jun 29, 2013 04:27 PM EDT

X-Ray Vision Almost Here, Researchers Report

X-ray vision could become a reality thanks to researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology developing a new system using low-cost Wi-Fi technology.

Jun 28, 2013 05:23 PM EDT

MIT Develops Wi-Fi Device that can See Through Walls

A low-cost device that manipulates a Wi-Fi signal promises to grant its users with an ability straight out of superhero comics: X-ray vision.

Jun 28, 2013 02:12 PM EDT

Kickstarter Campaign Adds New Goal of Allowing Individuals to Hunt for Asteroids

Planetary Resources, a company aimed at developing the technology to mine asteroids, announced a new goal to its wildly successful Kickstarter campaign that, should the campaign reach $1.7 million, would allow individuals everywhere to help spot potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs).

Jun 28, 2013 12:51 PM EDT

Desalination Device Could Mean Fresh Water for All [VIDEO]

A month after 500 of the world's leading water scientists issued the stark warning that, come two generations, the majority of humanity will be facing a shortage of fresh water, researchers have introduced a new method for the desalination of seawater that consumes less energy and is dramatically simpler than conventional techniques.

Jun 28, 2013 12:51 PM EDT

Robotic Software Competition Features Disaster-Response Scenarios

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded funds and an Atlas robot to more than half a dozen teams who competed in a software challenge called the Virtual Robotics Challenge (VRC).

Jun 27, 2013 04:03 PM EDT

Private Company Raises $13 Million for Fleet of Satellites to Monitor Earth's Changing Surface

Planet Labs has raised more than $13 million in funding in order to launch a fleet of imaging satellites designed to map the changes on Earth and in its ecosystems through images that will be made publically available.

Jun 27, 2013 09:34 PM EDT

Japan is Determined to Prove Humans and Robots Can Live Together [VIDEO]

Meet Kirobo, the little robot that dreams of a world where humans and robots can live together. A Japanese creation, Kirobo is headed for the International Space Station in August where it will help the astronauts there perform experiments on social interaction as a way to reduce stress in a confined living space.

Jun 26, 2013 08:04 PM EDT

Planetary Systems More Robust Than Previously Believed, Study Shows

The discovery of two new planets smaller than Neptune has scientists reconsidering the established belief about the resilience of planetary systems.

Jun 26, 2013 02:35 PM EDT

Robotic Chimpanzees may be Bound for Moon [VIDEO]

Engineers at a lab in Germany drew inspiration from nature for their latest creation: a robot that moves on all fours like a chimpanzee.

Jun 26, 2013 06:18 AM EDT

Researchers Use Kinect to Control Roaches with a Remote [Video]

Researchers have used Kinect system to control cockroaches with a remote. The system makes the roach travel a defined path by sending short bursts of electric current through the antennae. The technology has many applications in military and rescue operations.

Jun 26, 2013 10:05 AM EDT

New Laser Designed for the Military Reveals Composition of Substances [VIDEO]

A new laser capable of showing what objects are made of could aid military aircraft in identifying hidden dangers, including weapons arsenals, far below.