NorthCarolinaState
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ICYMI: Bullet-stopping foam, all-terrain military car and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-659024{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-659024, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-659024{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-659024").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Researchers developed a new kind of armor called composite metal foam that's stronger and lighter than the metals inside of it. DARPA is developing a military vehicle that should be able to travel over 95% of solid surfaces, and a Kickstarter project to explore the depths of the Yellowstone River has our attention, in light of the coral reef discovery outside of the Amazon River. Make sure you send this video to your diehard Apple watch friend. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
NC State discovery finds optimal connections 10,000 times more quickly, ResNet admins do a double take
Ever wondered how just one message in an average Chatroulette session finds its way to whatever destination fate may deem suitable? Sure you have. As it stands, every single pulse from your Ethernet socket starts its initial journey by hunting for an optimal connection path; in some cases, that involves routing through massive ring networks crossing over untold miles of fiber optic cabling. Using traditional techniques, nailing down an optimal solution for a ring can take eons (or days, whichever you prefer), but there's a new methodology coming out of NC State's den that could enable the same type of scenario to reach its natural conclusion 10,000 times faster. Dr. George Rouskas, a computer science professor and proud Wolfpacker, has just published a new paper describing the scheme, with the focal point being a "mathematical model that identifies the exact optimal routes and wavelengths for ring network designers." More technobabble surrounding the discovery can be found in the source link below, but unfortunately, there's no telling how long it'll take your impending click to be addressed using conventional means. Here's to the future, eh?
NC State builds self-healing structural stress sensor, moves on to other alliterative projects
"Sensor, heal thyself," goes an old saying, and North Carolina State University researchers have given it a new spin. Structural stress monitors can break during, say, an earthquake or explosion: just when you most need information about a building's integrity. So the NCSU crew added a reservoir of ultraviolet-curable resin; if their sensor cracks, the resin flows into the gap, where a UV light hardens it. An infrared light, which does the actual monitoring, then has a complete circuit through which to pass, and voila: stress data flows once more, aiding decision-makers. Obviously we never tire of UV-reactive gadgetry, especially for making safer buildings, and we're doubly glad to see self-healing that doesn't involve the phrase "he's just not that into you." To see the self-repair in action, check the picture after the break, and hit the source link for more info.
