Engadget http://www.engadget.com Engadget http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif Engadget http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Copper-nickel nanowires from Duke University could make ubiquitous printable circuits]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/31/copper-nickel-nanowires-from-duke-university/http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/31/copper-nickel-nanowires-from-duke-university/http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/31/copper-nickel-nanowires-from-duke-university/#comments Nanowires

Nanowires, although they're building steam, still have to overcome the not-so-small problem of cost -- they often have to use indium tin oxide that's not just expensive, but fragile. Duke University has developed copper-nanowire films that could remedy this in style. The choice of material is both a hundred times less expensive to make than indium and is much more durable. It's flexible, too: if layered on as a coating, the nanowires would make for considerably more viable wearable electronics that won't snap under heavy stress. The catch, as you might suspect, stems from the copper itself, which doesn't conduct as much electricity as indium. The nickel will keep your copper electronics from oxidizing faster than the Statue of Liberty, however. Any practical use could be years away, but further successes from Duke could quickly see printable electronics hit the mainstream power and power our dreams of flexible displays.

Copper-nickel nanowires from Duke University could make ubiquitous printable circuits originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 04:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>copperduke universityDukeUniversityflexible displayFlexibleDisplayindium tin oxideIndiumTinOxidenano technologynano wirenano wiresNanoTechnologyNanoWireNanoWiresprintableprintable circuitsprintable electronicsPrintableCircuitsPrintableElectronicssciencewearablesThu, 31 May 2012 04:24:00 EST<![CDATA[Ditching DRM could reduce piracy, prices, inconvenience]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/09/ditching-drm-could-reduce-piracy-prices-inconvenience/http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/09/ditching-drm-could-reduce-piracy-prices-inconvenience/http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/09/ditching-drm-could-reduce-piracy-prices-inconvenience/#commentsDown with DRMThis may run counter to what your common sense tells you but, a new paper out of Duke and Rice University says that ditching DRM could actually reduce piracy. The study, which relied on analytical modeling, showed that while copy protection made illegally sharing content more difficult it had a significantly negative impact on legal users. In fact, the researchers say, "only the legal users pay the price and suffer from the restrictions [of DRM]." Many consumers simply choose to pirate music and movies because doing simple things, like backing up a media collection, is difficult with DRMed content. Even the most effective DRM is eventually broken, and fails to deter those already determined to steal. Meanwhile, abandoning these restrictions could increase competition and drive down prices (as well as remove a serious inconvenience), encouraging more people to legitimately purchase content. You can check out the November-December issue of Marketing Science for more details.

Ditching DRM could reduce piracy, prices, inconvenience originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Oct 2011 20:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DRMDRM freeDrmFreedukeduke universityDukeUniversitypiracyresearchricerice universityRiceUniversitystudySun, 09 Oct 2011 20:22:00 EST<![CDATA[Monkeys control virtual arm with their brains, may herald breakthrough for paraplegics]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/06/monkeys-control-virtual-arm-with-their-brains-may-herald-breakt/http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/06/monkeys-control-virtual-arm-with-their-brains-may-herald-breakt/http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/06/monkeys-control-virtual-arm-with-their-brains-may-herald-breakt/#commentsMonkey mind-controlled arm: It sounds like the name of an awesomely terrible sci-fi film or a fledgling grindcore group, but it's a very real phenomenon, and one that could pay significant dividends for paraplegics everywhere. Neurobiology professor Miguel Nicolelis and his team of researchers at Duke University recently devised a method by which monkeys (and, perhaps one day, humans) can control a virtual arm using only their brains. It's a concept similar to what DARPA has been pursuing with its mind-controlled "Luke" arm, with one important difference: Nicolelis' system not only allows users to remotely execute motor functions, but provides them with near-instantaneous sensory feedback, as well. Most similar techniques use electrode implants to stimulate brain activity, but this can create confusion when a patient's brain sends and receives signals to and from a prosthetic arm. Nicolelis circumvented this problem with a new interface that can read and transmit brain signals to an artificial limb, before switching to a receptive mode in just milliseconds.

After designing the technology, Nicolelis and his colleagues tested it on two, electrode-equipped rhesus monkeys. One set of electrodes was placed in the motor cortex of each animal, with the other implanted within their brains' sensory regions. They then trained the monkeys to look at a three identical objects on a computer screen and to "touch" each object with a virtual arm, controlled by signals sent from the brain electrodes. Only one of the three objects had a so-called "virtual texture," which, if selected with the on-screen arm, would send a sensory signal back to the monkey's brain (while triggering a tasty squirt of fruit juice for the lucky contestant). The two rhesus species ended up passing the test with flying colors, resulting in a "proof of principle" that Nicolelis' system can send tactile signals to the brain in almost real-time. The scientists have already developed a way for monkeys to control the arm wirelessly, and are now embedding their technology within a full-body, mind-controlled exoskeleton for paralyzed patients, as well. Of course, the technology still needs to be tested on actual humans, though Nicolelis seems confident that he and his team have already cleared the most difficult hurdle: "Since we cannot talk to the monkeys, I assume with human patients, it's going to be much easier."

Monkeys control virtual arm with their brains, may herald breakthrough for paraplegics originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 17:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>armartificial limbArtificialLimbbrainDukeDuke UniversityDukeUniversityhealthlimbmedicineMiguel NicolelisMiguelNicolelismindmind controlmind controlledMindControlMindControlledmonkeyneurobiologyneurologyneuronparalysisparalyzedparaplegicproof of principleProofOfPrincipleprostheticprosthetic armProstheticArmrhesussciencesensoryvirtualvirtual armVirtualArmThu, 06 Oct 2011 17:44:00 EST<![CDATA[Duke University's underwater invisibility cloak stills troubled waters]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/29/duke-universitys-underwater-invisibility-cloak-stills-troubled/http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/29/duke-universitys-underwater-invisibility-cloak-stills-troubled/http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/29/duke-universitys-underwater-invisibility-cloak-stills-troubled/#comments

Everyone's jumping on the invisibility cloaking bandwagon these days, but no one's quite managed to fully deliver on the promise. The same goes for two Duke University researchers who believe their mesh casing could grant the gift of concealment to underwater craft -- submarines, anyone? According to the proposed model, a specially designed shell punctuated by complex patterns of permeability and millimeter-sized pumps would eliminate the drag and turbulent wake caused by an object as it moves through the water. Utilizing the penetrable gaps in the case, water would at first accelerate, and then decelerate to its original speed before exiting -- rendering the fluid around the object virtually undisturbed. Now for the bad news: the design doesn't quite work for large-scale, real-world implementations -- hello again, submarines -- since the tech can only cloak small structures, like "a vehicle one centimetre across... [moving] at speeds of less than one centimetre per second." It's a massive bummer, we know, but we're getting there folks -- you just won't see it when it actually happens.

Duke University's underwater invisibility cloak stills troubled waters originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dukeduke universityDukeUniversityfluid cloakFluidCloakinvisibility cloakInvisibilityCloakPhysicistsphysicssubmarinesubmarinesunderwaterwaterFri, 29 Jul 2011 12:34:00 EST<![CDATA[SleepWell forces WiFi to wait its turn, keeps gadgets well-rested (update)]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/04/sleepwell-forces-wifi-to-wait-its-turn-keeps-gadgets-well-reste/http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/04/sleepwell-forces-wifi-to-wait-its-turn-keeps-gadgets-well-reste/http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/04/sleepwell-forces-wifi-to-wait-its-turn-keeps-gadgets-well-reste/#commentsSleepWellEver feel like your WiFi devices' battery-lives are better off when not surrounded by peers and passersby? According to Duke University grad student Justin Manweiler and assistant professor Romit Roy Choudhury, this phenomenon is due to gadgets constantly fighting to retrieve the same data. Their Systems Networking Research Group has created a program dubbed SleepWell to alleviate the congestion; it puts WiFi to rest until the path is clear for accessing the specific data it needs, and provides improved power management all the while. The tech was shown off at MobiSys 2011 this past week and reportedly works well "across a number of device types and situations." Notably, Microsoft and Nokia (amongst others like Verizon) are backing up the project, which makes us cautiously optimistic that it could be headed for WP7 (or Windows 8, for that matter) in due time. There's no info on whether SleepWell will ever be distributed commercially, but may we suggest an LTE version to help out big V's poor ol' T-Bolt?

Update: We'd like to clarify that this software currently works from the accesss point side rather than the individual devices. You'll a find an additional PDF about the project in the source links below.

[Thanks, Daiwei Li]

SleepWell forces WiFi to wait its turn, keeps gadgets well-rested (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jul 2011 08:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>batterybattery drainbattery lifeBatteryDrainBatteryLifecellphonesduke universityDukeUniversityJustin ManweilerJustinManweilerlaptopsmicrosoftmobisysmobisys 2011Mobisys2011nappingnokiapower managementPowerManagementRomit Roy ChoudhuryRomitRoyChoudhurySleep WellSleepWellverizonwifiwifi nappingWifiNappingMon, 04 Jul 2011 08:52:00 EST<![CDATA[Duke University physicists test first air-based acoustic invisibility cloak]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/25/duke-university-physicists-test-first-acoustic-invisibility-cloa/http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/25/duke-university-physicists-test-first-acoustic-invisibility-cloa/http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/25/duke-university-physicists-test-first-acoustic-invisibility-cloa/#commentsFirmly departing from the Stuff Of Dreams category, Duke University physicists have successfully tested an acoustic cloaking device that fools sound waves while looking nowhere near as scifi as you'd think. Layering nothing more than a bunch of hole-punched plastic sheets -- known as meta-materials, for those curious -- atop a ten centimeter long block of wood, highly-directed sound in the 1 - 4kHz range bounced right off the concealed object none the wiser. The cloaking tech owes some of its origin to the math behind transformation optics -- and maybe to the Duke team, too. Besides allowing defense department bunkers to erupt into silent applause, the research should prove useful in the construction of future concert halls. DIY hobbyists, let us know what you can rig up with some trash bags.

[Thanks, Drew]

Duke University physicists test first air-based acoustic invisibility cloak originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Jun 2011 16:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>acoustic cloakingacoustic cloaking deviceAcousticCloakingAcousticCloakingDeviceacousticsdukeduke universityDukeUniversityinvisibility cloakInvisibilityCloakPhysicistsphysicssound cloakSoundCloakSat, 25 Jun 2011 16:19:00 EST<![CDATA[Self-assembling DNA circuits could power your next computer]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/14/self-assembling-dna-circuits-could-power-your-next-computer/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/14/self-assembling-dna-circuits-could-power-your-next-computer/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/14/self-assembling-dna-circuits-could-power-your-next-computer/#commentsSelf-assembling DNA circuits could power your next computerSick of silicon? It is getting a bit played, so maybe it's time to shift some paradigms, and Duke University engineer Chris Dwyer thinks that pure proteins deoxyribonucleic acids are where it's at. He's demonstrated a way to force DNA to create shapes all by itself, a process he likens to a puzzle that puts itself together:
It's like taking pieces of a puzzle, throwing them in a box and as you shake the box, the pieces gradually find their neighbors to form the puzzle. What we did was to take billions of these puzzle pieces, throwing them together, to form billions of copies of the same puzzle.
Right now the waffle-shaped structures he can form aren't particularly useful, but going forward the hope is that nearly any type of circuitry could be made to build itself in massive quantities at next to no cost. It sounds exciting, promising, almost utopian -- exactly the kind of research that we usually never hear of again.

Update: We've had a few people commenting on the inaccuracy of the word "proteins" above, so it's been fixed and we hereby invite all you armchair molecular biologists to get back to curing cancer already.

Self-assembling DNA circuits could power your next computer originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 May 2010 09:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chris dwyerChrisDwyercircuitsdnaduke universityDukeUniversityproteinsresearchself-assemblingself-assembling circuitsSelf-assemblingCircuitsFri, 14 May 2010 09:41:00 EST<![CDATA[Study finds commercial-skipping DVRs don't affect purchases, 'TiVo effect' may not exist]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/06/study-finds-commercial-skipping-dvrs-dont-affect-purchases-ti/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/06/study-finds-commercial-skipping-dvrs-dont-affect-purchases-ti/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/06/study-finds-commercial-skipping-dvrs-dont-affect-purchases-ti/#comments Two years back, consumer research told us the vast majority of DVR users skipped commercials; now, statisticians at Duke University say that's not the case. More importantly, even those who do hit that oh-so-tempting skip button aren't necessarily spending less on advertised products as a result. Pulling data from over 1,200 TiVo boxes over the course of three years, Professor Carl Mela and colleagues found that a staggering 95 percent of television was watched live instead of recorded, giving viewers no opportunity to skip, and even when there was an opportunity, users took it only 6.5 percent of the time.

Moreover, every attempt the researchers made to find a "TiVo effect" failed -- comparing those who had DVRs with those who didn't, they found no significant difference in the amount TV watchers spent on nine different goods (including cleaning and grooming products) advertised. This could be for a variety of reasons -- perhaps advertising doesn't work, period, or perhaps those without DVRs "skipped" commercials simply by walking out of the room -- but no matter the reason, it seems these days television advertisers don't have quite so much to fear.

Continue reading Study finds commercial-skipping DVRs don't affect purchases, 'TiVo effect' may not exist

Study finds commercial-skipping DVRs don't affect purchases, 'TiVo effect' may not exist originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 May 2010 21:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adsadvertisersadvertisingCarl MelaCarlMelacmcommercialcommercialsDukeduke universityDukeUniversityDVRresearchstatisticstatisticsstatsstudytelevisionTiVoTiVo effectTivoEffectTVThu, 06 May 2010 21:19:00 EST<![CDATA[Robot surgeon uses frighteningly large needle to remove shrapnel, your resistance]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/22/robot-surgeon-uses-frighteningly-large-needle-to-remove-shrapnel/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/22/robot-surgeon-uses-frighteningly-large-needle-to-remove-shrapnel/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/22/robot-surgeon-uses-frighteningly-large-needle-to-remove-shrapnel/#commentsRobot surgeon uses frighteningly large needle to remove shrapnel, your resistanceWe've reported on many a creepy looking and dangerous sounding robot in the past, but this one might just take the cake when it comes to dominating your nightmares for the next few nights. Developed by a team at Duke University, the bot uses ultrasound to identify areas of density in human flesh, then starts probing them with a rather painfully large looking needle. It could be used to locate and extract bits of shrapnel from stricken GIs on the battlefield, but that same tech might also be deployed to pierce women's breasts and men's prostates -- ostensibly to treat cancers of those respective regions, but we can think of more nefarious reasons. The bot doesn't have a name, but once it and its kind take over, neither will you.

[Via gizmag]

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Robot surgeon uses frighteningly large needle to remove shrapnel, your resistance originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cancerdukeduke universityDukeUniversityneedlerobotic surgeonRoboticSurgeonshrapnelsurgeonMon, 22 Jun 2009 09:41:00 EST<![CDATA[PhonePoint Pen application is a hand-talkers' dream come true]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/11/phonepoint-pen-application-is-a-hand-talkers-dream-come-true/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/11/phonepoint-pen-application-is-a-hand-talkers-dream-come-true/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/11/phonepoint-pen-application-is-a-hand-talkers-dream-come-true/#commentsPhonePoint Pen application is a hand-talkers' dream come true
Know someone who talks with their hands so expressively that you have to step back or risk catching a wayward exclamation point in the face? The video after the break will make their day. Students at Duke University have come up with a way to use phone accelerometers to capture gestures with surprising precision, allowing them to pipe those motions through a character recognition algorithm and, hey presto, turn flapping hands into letters and numbers. The prototype app is called PhonePoint Pen, and while right now the process looks painfully slow, with large, precise motions required, with a few months or years of refinements you might just be able to jot down a quick text to a friend while running between terminals, all without putting down the double latte that just cost you $8 at the airport food court. The future, dear readers, it's closer than you think.

[Via Yahoo! News]

Continue reading PhonePoint Pen application is a hand-talkers' dream come true

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PhonePoint Pen application is a hand-talkers' dream come true originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 06:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accelerometerapplicationdukeduke universityDukeUniversityhandwriting recognitionHandwritingRecognitionmessagingmobilephone appphone applicationPhoneAppPhoneApplicationphonepoint penPhonepointPenThu, 11 Jun 2009 06:57:00 EST<![CDATA[PhonePoint Pen application is a hand-talkers' dream come true]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/11/phonepoint-pen-application-is-a-hand-talkers-dream-come-true/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/11/phonepoint-pen-application-is-a-hand-talkers-dream-come-true/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/11/phonepoint-pen-application-is-a-hand-talkers-dream-come-true/#commentsPhonePoint Pen application is a hand-talkers' dream come true
Know someone who talks with their hands so expressively that you have to step back or risk catching a wayward exclamation point in the face? The video after the break will make their day. Students at Duke University have come up with a way to use phone accelerometers to capture gestures with surprising precision, allowing them to pipe those motions through a character recognition algorithm and, hey presto, turn flapping hands into letters and numbers. The prototype app is called PhonePoint Pen, and while right now the process looks painfully slow, with large, precise motions required, with a few months or years of refinements you might just be able to jot down a quick text to a friend while running between terminals, all without putting down the double latte that just cost you $8 at the airport food court. The future, dear readers, it's closer than you think.

[Via Yahoo! News]

Continue reading PhonePoint Pen application is a hand-talkers' dream come true

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PhonePoint Pen application is a hand-talkers' dream come true originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 06:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accelerometerapplicationdukeduke universityDukeUniversityhandwriting recognitionHandwritingRecognitionphone appphone applicationPhoneAppPhoneApplicationphonepoint penPhonepointPenThu, 11 Jun 2009 06:57:00 EST<![CDATA[Robot targeting-intercepting system inspired by Marco Polo pool game]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/27/robot-targeting-intercepting-system-inspired-by-marco-polo-pool/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/27/robot-targeting-intercepting-system-inspired-by-marco-polo-pool/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/27/robot-targeting-intercepting-system-inspired-by-marco-polo-pool/#comments
Engineers from Duke University and the University of New Mexico have just published the results of their most recent robotic escapades in the Journal on Control and Optimization. Silvia Ferrari and Rafael Fierro, leaders of the project, say that by applying the basic principles of the children's swimming game "Marco Polo" they have been able to advance robot's ability to both detect and intercept moving targets. By equipping robots with multiple types of camera sensors camera sensors which provide coverage of all the cells within the space the robot is able to more accurately predict where the moving target is at any given moment. The team sees all types of possible applications for robots equipped with the setup, but there's no real word on when we'll see any real life applications.

[Via Gizmag]

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Robot targeting-intercepting system inspired by Marco Polo pool game originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>duke universityDukeUniversitygamesjournal on control and optimizationJournalOnControlAndOptimizationmarco poloMarcoPolopool gamesPoolGamesRafael FierroRafaelFierrorobotrobotsSilvia FerrariSilviaFerrariswimminguniversity of new mexicoUniversityOfNewMexicoFri, 27 Mar 2009 06:12:00 EST<![CDATA[Robot doctors join the fight against breast cancer]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/11/robot-doctors-join-the-fight-against-breast-cancer/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/11/robot-doctors-join-the-fight-against-breast-cancer/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/11/robot-doctors-join-the-fight-against-breast-cancer/#comments
From Da Vinci robosurgeons to helpful nursebots , robots are becoming commonplace in hospitals the world over -- and now researchers at Duke University have developed a rudimentary tabletop robot that uses 3D ultrasound technology to detect a 'lesion' in a simulated sponge breast, pinpoint its exact location, and perform a biopsy. All the calculations are performed by the device itself, using what has been described as "a basic artificial intelligence program." The next step in the research will be an upgrade that will that the robotic arm from three-axis to six-axis capability, and a change from the old sponge-based simulated breast to one made from turkey breasts, which approximates the density of human breast tissue. According to Stephen Smith, director of the Duke University Ultrasound Transducer Group, if things stay on track, robots will be performing routine breast exams and biopsies in five to ten years. Video after the break.

[Via PhysOrg]

Continue reading Robot doctors join the fight against breast cancer

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Robot doctors join the fight against breast cancer originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3d ultrasound3dUltrasoundbiopsybreast cancer preventionbreast cancer researchBreastCancerPreventionBreastCancerResearchcancer preventioncancer researchCancerPreventionCancerResearchdukeduke universityDukeUniversityresearchrobot doctorRobotDoctorstephen smithStephenSmithultrasoundWed, 11 Feb 2009 13:36:00 EST<![CDATA[Duke micro-bots learning to dance, probe cellular architectures]]>http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/03/duke-micro-bots-learning-to-dance-probe-cellular-architectures/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/03/duke-micro-bots-learning-to-dance-probe-cellular-architectures/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/03/duke-micro-bots-learning-to-dance-probe-cellular-architectures/#commentsWe won't even front: Duke's quasi-invisibility cloak is far cooler than this, but a team of microscopic robots sure have the potential to do more good than a glorified figment of someone's imagination. Bruce Donald, a Duke professor of computer science and biochemistry, has teamed up with a few other mad scientists in order to create ridiculously tiny robots that can dance on objects smaller than a pin's head. According to Mr. Donald, they are "almost 100 times smaller than any previous robotic designs of their kind and weigh even less." Sure, watching these critters do the tango is undoubtedly entertaining, but he's hoping to collaborate with the medical center in order to "probe the molecular and cellular architectures of very small things such as cells." We appreciate the dedication to mankind and all, but don't pretend like you don't goof off with these guys on your coffee breaks, Bruce.

[Via Slashdot]

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Duke micro-bots learning to dance, probe cellular architectures originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jun 2008 23:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>balletdukeduke universityDukeUniversitymemsmicro-robotsmicroelectromechanicalMicroscopicrobotscienceuniversityTue, 03 Jun 2008 23:55:00 EST<![CDATA[Duke University: home to world's largest 802.11n wireless network]]>http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/19/duke-university-home-to-worlds-largest-802-11n-wireless-networ/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/19/duke-university-home-to-worlds-largest-802-11n-wireless-networ/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/19/duke-university-home-to-worlds-largest-802-11n-wireless-networ/#comments
We know, most of you Blue Devil fans are still reeling from that recent loss to Wake Forest, but if it's any consolation, at least your campus is about to become home to the "world's largest" 802.11n wireless network. Last we heard, The Ohio State University held the crown for Earth's biggest WLAN with 1,700 access points lit, but according to Cisco, Duke's campus will soon house 2,500 Aironet 1250 Series APs. The installation will leave more than six million square feet of central North Carolina blanketed in WiFi, and will supposedly be the "largest planned 802.11n wireless network in the world by any organization to date." Watch out, Dukies -- we hear those folks in Chapel Hill have a thing for swiping unsecured signals.

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Duke University: home to world's largest 802.11n wireless network originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>802.11naccciscodukeDuke UniversityDukeUniversityinternetuniversitywifiwirelesswlanworld recordWorldRecordTue, 19 Feb 2008 14:06:00 EST<![CDATA[Researchers say three-dimensional sound cloak is possible, in theory]]>http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/10/researchers-say-three-dimensional-sound-cloak-is-possible-in-th/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/10/researchers-say-three-dimensional-sound-cloak-is-possible-in-th/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/10/researchers-say-three-dimensional-sound-cloak-is-possible-in-th/#commentsApparently not content with simply building an invisibility cloak, of sorts, those mad scientists at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering now say that they've found that a three-dimensional "sound cloak" is also possible, in theory. According to Duke's Steven Cummer, the researchers have come up with a "recipe" for an acoustic material that would "essentially open up a hole in space and make something inside that hole disappear from sound waves." Needless to say, they haven't tested that possibility just yet, but they say it could one day be used to hide submarines from detection by sonar or even be used to improve the acoustics of a concert hall by making inconvenient structural beams effectively disappear. What's more, they say that the basic principles at play here could also suggest that cloaks could be created for other wave systems, like seismic waves, or even waves at the surface of the ocean, although the practical applications for those would seem to be a bit more limited.

[Image courtesy of Royal Navy/BAE Systems]

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Researchers say three-dimensional sound cloak is possible, in theory originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Jan 2008 12:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dukeduke universityDukeUniversityinvisibility cloakInvisibilityCloaksound cloakSoundCloakThu, 10 Jan 2008 12:51:00 EST<![CDATA[Monkeys take their robot-wielding powers international]]>http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/27/monkeys-take-their-robot-wielding-powers-international/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/27/monkeys-take-their-robot-wielding-powers-international/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/27/monkeys-take-their-robot-wielding-powers-international/#commentsIt's been a while since we've heard from the folks at Duke University and their robot-controlling monkeys, but it seems that they've remained hard at work on their potentially perilous collaboration, with them recently showing off some of their latest tricks at the Neuroscience 2007 conference earlier this month. This time, they had the monkeys control a pair of robot legs through the use of some electrodes implanted in their brains which, apparently, went off without a hitch. But that's not all! The legs the monkeys were controlling just so happened to be located at the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International in Kyoto, Japan, which the monkeys were linked to via the Internet. No word on what they plan to attempt next, although taking the robots and/or monkeys into space would seem to be the next logical step (at least to us).

[Photo courtesy of NASA-JSC / Wikimedia Commons]

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Monkeys take their robot-wielding powers international originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dukeduke universityDukeUniversitymonkeyrobotrobot legsRobotLegsTue, 27 Nov 2007 13:17:00 EST<![CDATA[Duke scientists build theorized invisibility cloak. Sort of.]]>http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/19/duke-scientists-build-theorized-invisibility-cloak-sort-of/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/19/duke-scientists-build-theorized-invisibility-cloak-sort-of/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/19/duke-scientists-build-theorized-invisibility-cloak-sort-of/#comments Yes, everyone wants an invisibility cloak. Yes, it's been theorized and in development before. But now, what our friends across the pond have only imagined, scientists at an American university have actually built. A group of brainiacs at Duke University have built a device (based on the Imperial College London theory) that can deflect microwave beams so the beams flow around an object almost as if nothing was there, with not too much distortion (but only in two dimensions). In order to do this, the group built a series of concentric circles made up of "metamaterials," or "artificial composites that can be made to interact with electromagnetic waves in ways that natural materials cannot reproduce." Don't get too excited yet, as scientists warn that this is merely a "baby step." The next step is to make the cloak work in three dimensions, and make improve the cloak's effectiveness. And even still, we're a long way off from making something completely disappear from visibility, which "would have to simultaneously interact with all of the wavelengths, or colors, that make up light." said David R. Smith, a member of the research squad. Hey Duke team, if you ever need human test subjects, we'd definitely be willing to volunteer.

[Via The Associated Press]

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Duke scientists build theorized invisibility cloak. Sort of. originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Oct 2006 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cloakcloaking deviceCloakingDeviceduke universityDukeUniversityinvisibilityinvisibility cloakInvisibilityCloakinvisibleThu, 19 Oct 2006 19:20:00 EST