IBM scientists demonstrate computer memory breakthrough

(PhysOrg.com) -- For the first time, scientists at IBM Research have demonstrated that a relatively new memory technology, known as phase-change memory (PCM), can reliably store multiple data bits per cell over extended periods of time. This significant improvement advances the development of low-cost, faster and more durable memory applications for consumer devices, including mobile phones and cloud storage, as well as high-performance applications, such as enterprise data storage.

First bio-powered transatlantic flight lands

Biofuels - First bio-powered transatlantic flight lands - Renewable Energy Magazine, at the heart of clean energy journalism

First self-powered device with wireless data transmission

Scientists are reporting development of the first self-powered nano-device that can transmit data wirelessly over long distances. Researchers say it proves the feasibility of a futuristic genre of tiny implantable medical sensors, airborne and stationary surveillance cameras and sensors, wearable personal electronics, and other devices that operate independently without batteries on energy collected from the environment.

The next computer: your genes

(PhysOrg.com) -- "Human beings are more or less like a computer," Jian-Jun Shu tells PhysOrg.com. "We do computing work, and our DNA can be used in computing operations." Shu is a professor at the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Nanyang Technical University in Singapore. "For some problems, DNA-based computing could replace silicon-based computing, offering many advantages."

New solar product captures up to 95 percent of light energy

Efficiency is a problem with today's solar panels; they only collect about 20 percent of available light. Now, a University of Missouri engineer has developed a flexible solar sheet that captures more than 90 percent of available light, and he plans to make prototypes available to consumers within the next five years.

Solar Impulse sun-powered plane successfully completes first international flight

The totally solar powered Solar Impulse aircraft made its maiden international flight, piloted by Andre Borschberg, across Europe on Friday

Robot train-plane could levitate future commuters

The Aero Train is a free-flying, robotic train-plain that levitates on a cushion of air.

Technique reveals quantum phase transition; could lead to superconducting transistors

(PhysOrg.com) -- Like atomic-level bricklayers, researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy

Most powerful millimeter-scale energy harvester generates electricity from vibrations

(PhysOrg.com) -- Electrical engineers at the University of Michigan have built a device that can harness energy from vibrations and convert it to electricity with five to ten times greater efficiency and power than other devices in its class. And it

Optical microscope without lenses produces high-resolution 3-d images on a chip

Researchers have redesigned the concept of a microscope, by removing the lens, to create a system small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, but powerful enough to create 3-D tomographic, or sectional, images of miniscule samples. The advance represents the first demonstration of lens-free optical tomographic imaging on a chip, a technique capable of producing high resolution 3-D images of large volumes of microscopic objects.

'Time machine' made to visually explore space and time in videos: time-lapse gigapans provide new way to access big data

Researchers have leveraged the latest browser technology to create GigaPan Time Machine, a system that enables viewers to explore gigapixel-scale, high-resolution videos and image sequences by panning or zooming in and out of the images while simultaneously moving back and forth through time.

Collecting the sun's energy: novel electrode for flexible thin-film solar cells

Conventional silicon-based rigid solar cells generally found on the market are not suitable for manufacturing moldable thin-film solar cells, in which a transparent, flexible and electrically conductive electrode collects the light and carries away the current. A new woven polymer electrode has now produced first results which are very promising, indicating that the new material may be a substitute for indium tin oxide coatings.

Introducing the world's first intubation robot

Researchers have introduced the first intubation robot operated by remote control. The robotic system may facilitate the intubation procedure and reduce some complications associated with airway management.