Photo: iStockphoto An Australian Senate committee published a 146-page report assessing the government’s progress toward its goal of becoming “one of the top three digital governments in the world…that other nations can look to for guidance and inspiration,” by 2025. Given what is in the report, other nations may want to look elsewhere for their… Continue reading Australia’s Digital Transformation Stumbles Badly
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Chip Hall of Fame: Intel 4004 Microprocessor
Photo: Intel Intel 4004 Manufacturer: Intel Category: Processors Year: 1971 The Intel 4004 was the world’s first microprocessor—a complete general-purpose CPU on a single chip. Released in March 1971, and using cutting-edge silicon-gate technology, the 4004 marked the beginning of Intel’s rise to global dominance in the processor industry. So you might imagine that the full… Continue reading Chip Hall of Fame: Intel 4004 Microprocessor
Honda Halts Asimo Development in Favor of More Useful Humanoid Robots
Photo: Evan Ackerman/IEEE Spectrum Yesterday, NHK (the Japan Broadcasting Corporation) reported that Honda has decided to cancel further development of its flagship humanoid robot, Asimo. A Honda representative who spoke with AFP said, “We will still continue research into humanoid robots, but our future robots may not be named Asimo. We have obtained lots of… Continue reading Honda Halts Asimo Development in Favor of More Useful Humanoid Robots
The IceCube Neutrino Detector at the South Pole Hits Paydirt
Photo-illustration: IceCube Collaboration/NSF After 3.9 billion years of hurtling unhindered through the vast reaches of the universe, a ghostly neutrino particle died on 22 September 2017. It was annihilated when it collided with an atom in the frozen darkness two kilometers beneath the surface of the south polar ice cap. But this subatomic particle’s death… Continue reading The IceCube Neutrino Detector at the South Pole Hits Paydirt
5 Things to Do When Launching an Engineering Startup
Figure 1. Planning ahead helps an entrepreneur succeed at working for him or herself. Source: Nick Youngson / CC BY-SA 3.0 The freedom that comes with being your own boss can’t be beat: You make your hours, find your clients and reap the financial benefits. However, the reality looks more like working all hours, babysitting… Continue reading 5 Things to Do When Launching an Engineering Startup
Forget Jet Packs—Why Don’t We Have Stair-Climbing Wheelchairs?
Photo: MIT Museum Ernesto Blanco invented his stair-climbing wheelchair in 1962 and entered it in a design challenge from the National Inventors Council, a U.S. agency that sought out technologies of potential military use. Blanco even created a one-quarter scale model [above] to show that the design actually worked. Stairs are of course tricky to… Continue reading Forget Jet Packs—Why Don’t We Have Stair-Climbing Wheelchairs?
Swarm Asks FCC for Permission to Have Its Rogue Satellites Phone Home
Illustration: IEEE Spectrum; Images: Swarm Technologies; iStockphoto Ever since Swarm Technologies illegally launched four experimental satellites in January, the tiny spacecraft have been orbiting the Earth in silence, awaiting judgement from a furious U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Now the stealthy start-up wants to briefly activate the satellites, probably with the aim of placating the FCC… Continue reading Swarm Asks FCC for Permission to Have Its Rogue Satellites Phone Home
Device Uses Flashes of Light to Restore Hearing
Image: University Medical Center Göttingen Scientists in Germany have succeeded in restoring hearing sensations in gerbils using flashes of light. The technique, if it can be developed for humans, could offer a more refined, high-resolution auditory experience than what can be achieved with current hearing devices such as the cochlear implant. The scientists, led by Tobias Moser, a professor of… Continue reading Device Uses Flashes of Light to Restore Hearing
Popcorn-Driven Robotic Actuators
Photo: Cornell University It’s not that often I can steal the title of a paper and use it for a blog article that people will actually read, but I think “Popcorn-Driven Robotic Actuators” totally works, so credit for that to Steven Ceron at Cornell University, who’s the first author on this paper, presented at the IEEE International… Continue reading Popcorn-Driven Robotic Actuators
How to Make an Artificial Neural Net With DNA
Illustration: Olivier Wyart An artificial neural network made of DNA can recognize numbers written using molecules, a new study finds. These new findings suggest that DNA neural networks could also recognize other patterns of molecules, such as ones signaling disease, researchers add. In artificial neural networks, components dubbed neurons are fed data and cooperate to… Continue reading How to Make an Artificial Neural Net With DNA