Discussions
Enhancing Video for the Visually Impaired
Researchers are using algorithms that can better the picture quality for people with macular degeneration.
What's Next for Computer Interfaces?
A user demonstrates a nanoTouch device.
No More Thumbprints
New chemistry and microsurfaces have led to super oil-repellent materials that are self-cleaning.
Magnetic Liquid Separates Blood Cells
An applied magnetic field creates waves in a liquid containing magnetic nanoparticles (not visible here) that separate two types of microbeads based on their size. The same technique can be used to separate blood cells and bacteria.
The Best Photon Detector Yet
Mario Paniccia, director of Intel’s Photonics Technology Lab, describes the company’s new silicon-based avalanche photodetector and explains the technical challenges involved in making it.
The Extensible Obama
Watch Tom Daschle, the incoming secretary of health and human services, and Lauren Aronson, a member of Obama’s health-policy team, respond to online comments in this video made by the Obama transition team.
Back-Button to the Future
Mira Dontcheva, a researcher at Adobe Systems, explains how Zoetrope can be used to browse back through a Web page’s history. She demonstrates a few advanced techniques for looking at historic data and shows how to compare several Web pages over time.
A New Twist on Hydropower
Michael Bernitsas of the University of Michigan’s department of marine engineering explains how his VIVACE generation system captures the energy in vortex-induced vibrations as water flows past a cylindrical bar. The system, he says, can work in slow currents where turbine and water-mill technologies are ineffective.
A Design for Cheaper Wind Power
A design that draws on jet engine technology could halve the cost of generating electricity from wind.
Modeling Brain Blasts
A computer simulation reveals how blast waves reverberate around a soldier’s helmet.
