Week of Sun, 2008-04-20 00:00 to Sat, 2008-04-26 23:59

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. showcased an experimental model of a walking assist device which could support walking for the elderly and other people with weakened leg muscles(*), at the International Trade Fair on Barrier Free Equipments & Rehabilitation for the Elderly & the Disabled (BARRIER FREE 2008) which is being held at Intex Osaka, Friday, April 25 through Sunday, April 27, 2008 (Organizers: Osaka Prefecture Council of Social Welfare and Television Osaka Inc.)

“The TH!NK city is the world’s only crash-tested and highway-certified EV and is ideal for markets such as California where we will initiate demonstration projects offering an exceptionally safe and fun car to drive” says Jan-Olaf Willums, CEO of Think Global. –“We are therefore proud to partner with the two pioneering investors in the clean tech field and to launch TH!NK city in North America with them.”

Lockheed Martin and Rice University announced the creation of an innovative, strategic partnership to develop new technologies for a broad range of applications in electronics, energy and security.

The Lockheed Martin Advanced Nanotechnology Center of Excellence at Rice University, or LANCER, will pair researchers from Lockheed Martin with Rice experts in carbon nanotechnology, photonics, plasmonics and more. LANCER will be based at Rice's Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology.

NASA has awarded Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, a NASA Launch Services contract for the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 launch vehicles.

The NASA Launch Services contracts are multiple awards to multiple launch service providers. Twice per year, there is an opportunity for existing and emerging domestic launch service providers to submit proposals if their vehicles meet the minimum contract requirements.

Optical Storage and Computing

The goal of replacing electronics with optics for processing data in computers is coming closer through cutting edge European research into the mysterious properties of “fast and slow” light. The long term aim is to boost processing speeds and data storage densities by several orders of magnitude and take the information technology industry into a new era, combining greatly improved performance with dramatically lower energy consumption.

AMD (NYSE: AMD) announced the availability of three new AMD Phenom™ X3 triple-core processors that, when combined with the AMD 780 series chipset, can give users a full HD experience and visually stunning gaming and digital performance.

The proliferation of digital media devices and entertainment changes the way consumers use PCs and creates stronger demand on the processing and graphics capabilities. Two of the biggest determinants of the user experience when purchasing a PC are graphics and processors, with consumers weighing trade-offs. The AMD solution-based PCs offers balanced platforms that enable the Ultimate Visual Experience complete with scalability.

Co-owners of a New Jersey-based computer service provider have agreed to plead guilty to participating in a conspiracy to defraud the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) E-Rate program, the Department of Justice announced today.

Conspiracy charges were filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., against Benjamin Rowner and Jay H. Soled, former owners of DeltaNet Inc., for their role in defrauding the E-Rate program. Rowner and Soled conspired to defraud the E-Rate program by submitting false statements and concealing material facts from the Universal Service Administrative Company, which administers the E-Rate Program for the FCC. In some instances, these false statements were submitted by wire transmission, email and U.S. mail. The conspiracy began in 1999 and ran at least until 2003, affecting schools from New York to California. Under the terms of their plea agreements, which are subject to court approval, the two men have agreed to cooperate with the Department’s ongoing investigation.

Dutch researcher Peter Korteweg has developed algorithms for wireless networks. The algorithms focus on optimising communication to a central point in such networks, for example, by minimising processing times and the communication costs.

An optimisation problem describes a situation in which an optimal solution is sought from among all possible solutions. Mathematicians study an optimisation problem to find a general method for solving such a problem; such a method is called an algorithm.

SCOTT CARRERA, 33, of Darien, Illinois, has been sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to three years of probation, the first six months of which CARRERA must spend in home confinement. Judge Chatigny also ordered CARRERA to pay a fine in the amount of $7500 and to perform 120 hours of community service. On May 7, 2007, CARRERA pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement. This matter stems from a multinational software piracy investigation known as “Operation Higher Education.”

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) plans to invest up to $50 million over five years (Fiscal Years 2008 - 2012), subject to appropriations from Congress, in nine demonstration projects competitively selected to increase efficiency in the nation’s electricity grid. The Renewable and Distributed Systems Integration (RDSI) technologies demonstrated in these projects aim to reduce peak load electricity demand by at least 15 percent at distribution feeders.

COREY L. STANFORD, JR., 31, of Austin, Texas, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Janet C. Hall in Bridgeport to one count of distributing anabolic steroids.

According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in court, STANFORD used the Internet, including the website sell.com, to communicate with individuals interested in buying steroids. STANFORD then sent the steroids to those individuals through the mail.

Scientists and engineers across Europe have joined forces in a unique collaborative effort to develop a new generation of high-brightness lasers that will transform the fields of healthcare, communications and entertainment.

The €16.25m (with €9.7m of European Commission funding) project called WWW.BRIGHTER.EU, which runs until September 2009, has brought 22 of Europe's top research teams together from industry, internationally-recognised research laboratories and leading academic institutions to achieve the next quantum leap in this multi-billion Euro field by making lasers smaller, brighter, more efficient — and cheaper.

Sixteen student teams from throughout the United States are first place regional winners in the 2007-2008 eCYBERMISSION competition. With this award, each team member will receive a $3,000 U.S. EE savings bond and will be invited to Washington, D.C., in June to compete in this year's National Judging and Educational Event.

Dominion (NYSE:D) and BP Alternative Energy North America Inc. have an agreement to jointly develop, own and operate wind energy projects in Virginia. Terms of the joint development agreement were not disclosed.

In January, Dominion announced that it joined BP as a 50 percent partner in the Fowler Ridge Wind Farm in Benton County, Ind. The Fowler Ridge facility is expected to be built in two phases and generate a total of 750 megawatts. Dominion and BP are partners for 650 megawatts, with BP retaining sole ownership of 100 megawatts. The first phase of the project is currently under construction and is expected to be operational by the end of 2008.

Monroe County, New York, will use a Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell Electric vehicle as part of their efforts to promote a cleaner and greener environment in the Western New York area. Monroe County becomes the latest member of Chevy's Project Driveway.

eSolar™ has closed $130 million in funding from Idealab, Google.org, Oak Investment Partners, and other investors for the construction and deployment of pre-fabricated power plants. Designed to address the complex issues surrounding large or utility-scale power projects, eSolar’s distributed solar thermal plants achieve economies of scale at 33 MW, and are modularly scaled to fit the needs of large and small utilities.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) reported strong first-quarter results, highlighted by a significant ramp in consolidated revenue growth, led by improved results in wireless and enterprise, and further expansion of wireless and consolidated margins. This marked AT&T's 12th consecutive quarter of double-digit growth in adjusted earnings per share.

Reported Results:

For the quarter ended March 31, 2008, AT&T's revenues totaled $30.7 billion, up 6.1 percent versus reported results in the year-earlier quarter and up 4.6 percent compared with first-quarter 2007 pro forma revenues, which exclude merger-related accounting impacts on directory revenues. This marks a substantial step up from year-over-year pro forma revenue growth of 2.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007 and 1.7 percent in the first quarter of 2007.

Designed for both mounted and dismounted infantry, QinetiQ’s miniature, low-profile acoustic Ears family of wearable, sniper detection and gunshot localisation solutions is based on a miniature single integrated acoustic sensor.

The palm-sized, 6.4-ounce sensor can be coupled with an individual operators’ interface or used in vehicles and at fixed locations. It responds with the direction and distance in less than a tenth of a second from the first gunshot being fired, without being confused by surrounding sounds, to accurately locate snipers in a 360o view, even when in use on a vehicle moving at speeds over 50mph.

Boeing [NYSE: BA] has been awarded a $3.8 million Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contract for Phase 1 of the Vulture air vehicle program, an effort to create a new category of ultra-long-endurance aircraft.

DARPA's Vulture program calls for developing technologies and ultimately a vehicle that can deliver and maintain an airborne payload on station for an uninterrupted period of more than five years using a fixed-wing aircraft. Boeing is teaming with United Kingdom-based QinetiQ Ltd. for the program.

NASA Learning Technologies sponsored a workshop to present its concept of delivering NASA content through a Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) educational game to interested development partners. Designed to enhance learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), such an online educational game would draw players into a synthetic environment that can serve as a powerful "hands-on" tool for teaching a range of complex subjects.

Fraunhofer researchers will be presenting a novel lithium-ion battery at Hannover Messe on April 21 - 25. It is based on a polymer electrolyte, which is – unlike the liquid electrolyte in conventional lithium-ion batteries – not inflammable. A test set-up for redox flow batteries will also be on display at the show. This makes it possible to compare different redox systems in a single test set-up.

Garments that can measure a wearer's body temperature or trace their heart activity are just entering the market, but the European project BIOTEX weaves new functions into smart textiles. Miniaturised biosensors in a textile patch can now analyse body fluids, even a tiny drop of sweat, and provide a much better assessment of someone's health.

It is 7 o’clock in the morning. You check yourself in the mirror, adjust your collar, and consider the hectic day ahead. But at least you know that the stress won't damage your health, for this is no ordinary set of clothes you are wearing. Embedded within the fabric are numerous sensors, constantly monitoring your vital signs. If danger signs are detected, the garment is programmed to contact your doctor – and send a text message telling you to take it easy.

Crystalline silicon solar cells are at this moment predominantly made from p-type silicon wafers. Researchers at ECN have shown that significantly higher efficiencies can be obtained by making the solar cells from n-type silicon wafers. They used process steps, such as screen printing, of the same low-cost character as are presently used in mainstream industrial production.

Although the digital age is well under way, one crucial detail remains to be worked out--how to store vast amounts of digital information in a way that allows future generations to recover it.

"The problem is how to build a large-scale data storage system to last 50 to 100 years," said Ethan Miller, associate professor of computer science in the Baskin School of Engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] recently opened a new Wireless Cyber Security Center, one of only a handful of technology labs capable of testing wireless communications systems in a classified environment. The lab allows defense and intelligence agencies to test and evaluate wireless systems like 802.11 Wi-Fi or broadband satellite links on a Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) network.

In the first prosecution of its kind in the nation, a man who is well known to members of the “ botnet underground” pleaded guilty to federal charges related to his use of “ botnets” – armies of compromised computers – to steal the identities of victims throughout the country by extracting information from their personal computers and wiretapping their communications.

John Schiefer, 26, of Los Angeles (90011), appeared before United States District Judge A. Howard Matz and pleaded guilty to accessing protected computers to conduct fraud, disclosing illegally intercepted electronic communications, wire fraud and bank fraud.

The 2009 Buick Lucerne sedan will join General Motors' lineup of flex-fuel vehicles that can run on either ordinary gasoline or E85, or any combination of the two.

The Lucerne, the first flex-fuel capable Buick passenger car, will be among more than 15 GM models with flex-fuel capability in 2009, up from 11 offerings this year.

The Wideband Global SATCOM, or WGS, satellite is the first of six satellites that will take over long-haul communications from the legacy constellation, the Defense Satellite Communications System, called DSCS.

In the past when a new communications satellite was needed, Air Force officials would build it, launch it and then other services could use the capabilities it provided. Today, the warfighting community, including Air Force Space Command members, get together and define the requirements for today and into the future and then the engineers go to work to design a capability that will support the warfighter for the estimated life expectancy of the satellite.

New analysis by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) indicates that European nations are investing nearly twice as much as the U.S. in research primarily aimed at addressing the potential risks of nanotechnology. The analysis also highlights a substantial over-inflation of the federal government's nanotechnology risk-research investment figures for the U.S.

The new PEN assessment of nanotechnology risk-relevant projects identified by the federal government's National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) for fiscal year 2006 found that only $13 million was invested in projects highly relevant to addressing possible risks.

Pilot tests of millimeter wave technology will take place at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Millimeter wave is currently in use at Phoenix Sky-Harbor International Airport. Millimeter wave detects weapons, explosives and other threat items concealed under layers of clothing without any physical contact. It is a promising alternative to the physical pat-down.