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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.
NC State's coiled nanowire discovery could lead to stretchable electronic devices
Cotton may very well be the fabric of our lives, but it'd sure feel a lot better draped across our skin if we could incorporate stretchable electronic devices into it. That's the goal of NC State's own Dr. Yong Zhu, who has worked with a team of gurus to create "the first coils of silicon nanowire on a substrate that can be stretched to more than double their original length." Essentially, this type of breakthrough brings us one (major) step closer to "incorporating stretchable electronic devices into clothing, implantable health-monitoring devices, and a host of other applications." Compared to prior studies on buckling, this particular approach one-ups those focusing on freestanding nanowires, with the new coils' mechanical properties enabling them to be "stretched an additional 104 percent beyond their original length." That's a lot of technobabble, for sure, but what you need to realize is just how amazing your life will be as soon as The Zhu Crew figures out how to improve the reliability of the electrical performance when the coils are stretched to the limit. Flexible PMPs woven into your ski jacket? Bendable LCDs sewn right into your car's headrests? The future... it's here.
NC State and CMU develop velocity-sensing shoe radar, aim to improve indoor GPS routing
The world at large owes a good bit to Maxwell Smart, you know. Granted, it's hard to directly link the faux shoe phone to the GPS-equipped kicks that are around today, but the lineage is certainly apparent. The only issue with GPS in your feet is how they react when you waltz indoors, which is to say, not at all. In the past, most routing apparatuses have used inertial measurement units (IMUs) to track motion, movement and distance once GPS reception is lost indoors, but those have proven poor at spotting the difference between a slow gait and an outright halt. Enter NC State and Carnegie Mellon University, who have worked in tandem in order to develop a prototype shoe radar that's specifically designed to sense velocity. Within the shoe, a radar is attached to a diminutive navigational computer that "tracks the distance between your heel and the ground; if that distance doesn't change within a given period of time, the navigation computer knows that your foot is stationary." Hard to say when Nike will start testing these out in the cleats worn by football players, but after last week's abomination of a spot (and subsequent botching of a review by one Ron Cherry) during the NC State - Maryland matchup, we're hoping it's sooner rather than later.
NC State gurus find 'Goldilocks' of DNA self-assembly, look to improve drug-delivery vehicles
We're guessing that most Wolfpackers in the greater Raleigh area are in full-on tailgate mode right now, but aside from laying a beating on the Seminoles this evening, NC State faithful are also trumpeting a new DNA discovery that could one day make it easy to get vital drugs to hard-to-reach places within you. Researchers from the university have purportedly discovered the 'Goldilocks' of DNA self-assembly, which holds promise for technologies ranging from drug delivery to molecular sensors. The concept, known as DNA-assisted self-assembly, has been vastly improved by using "computer simulations of DNA strands to identify the optimal length of a DNA strand for self-assembly." You see, perfection occurs when strands aren't long enough to intertwine with each other, yet not short enough to simply fold over on each other. We know, it's a lot to wrap your brain around with half a hot dog shoved in your mouth, but hit the video after the break for a... shall we say, more visual explanation.
NC State patents multifunctional smart sensors, looks to 'revolutionize energy and communications infrastructure'
Bold words coming from a program that choked in epic fashion this past Saturday in front of 58,000+, don't you think? Thankfully for those who are actually involved in the global energy and communications infrastructure (not to mention depressed alumni), NC State's athletics department is far removed from its research labs, and the university's latest development was born and bred in the latter. A team of researchers have managed to patent a new technology that is expected to enable the development of "high-power, high-voltage and high-current devices that are critical for the development of energy distribution devices, such as smart grid technology and high-frequency military communications." The secret? Integrating gallium nitride (GaN) sensors and devices directly into silicon-based computer chips, a feat that hasn't been accomplished by any team prior. According to Dr. Jay Narayan, this newfangled integration has "enabled the creation of multifunctional smart sensors, high-electron mobility transistors, high-power devices, and high-voltage switches for smart grids," and it also makes a broader range of radio frequencies available -- something that'll obviously be beneficial in the advancement of communications. Best of all, a US-based corporation is already in the process of licensing the technology, so it's likely that we'll see this in use in the not-too-distant future. An ACC championship, however, remains far more elusive.
NC State's computer vision software promises improved self-driving vehicles
Well, NC State researchers sure seem to be keeping themselves busy these days, with them not only recently developing some improved smart sensors, but some computer vision software that could one day lead to self-driving vehicles. The big advantage with their software is that it's basically able to watch the road and recognize real world driving conditions a few steps in advance -- lane changes, stop signs, etc. -- while also watching out for other cars and pedestrians. Of course, at the moment, that "road" is actually the hallways of NC State, and the vehicle is a toy Jeep, but you get the idea. The researchers are also quick to point out that while the software could eventually lead to truly autonomous vehicles, they first see it being used in the event of an emergency, with the car able to slowly and safely pull itself over and then dial 911. Head on past for a quick overview, local news style.
NC State gurus create harder, better, faster, stronger 'smart sensors'
The year is 1974. Skywalker lives, and a tradition is born. The year is 1983. The odds are ridiculous. The final score leads to an unpremeditated running around the court that'll live forever in history. Fast forward to 2010, and NC State is hanging onto advancements in science while the blued neighbors in Durham and Chapel-Hill are celebrating back-to-back titles. Regardless of all that, we're still pretty proud of Dr. Jay Narayan and company, who have just uncovered a new "smart sensor" that will allow for "faster response times from military applications." Essentially, the team has taken a sensor material called vanadium oxide and integrated it with a silicon chip, forcing the sensor to become a part of the computer chip itself. The new approach leads to intelligent sensors that can "sense, manipulate and respond to information" in a much faster manner than before, providing soldiers with weapons and analyzing tools that can react more hastily to incoming ammunition or other, um, pertinent information. It's no banner hanging ceremony, but we'll take what we can get.
NC State's refreshable Braille display could revolutionize reading for the blind
While many in Raleigh are wondering whatever happened to the glory days of 1983, Dr. Neil Di Spigna and company are doing far more productive things at NC State. It's no secret that the holy grail of Braille is a tactile display that could change on a whim in order to give blind viewers a way to experience richer content (and lots more of it) when reading, but not until today have we been reasonably confident that such a goal was attainable. Gurus at the university have just concocted a "hydraulic and latching mechanism" concept, vital to the creation of the full-page, refreshable Braille display system. As you may expect, the wonder of this solution is the display's ability to erect dots at the precise points, retract them, and re-erect another set when the reader scrolls through a document or presses a "link" on a website. We're told that the researchers have already presented their findings, and if all goes well, they'll have a fully functioning prototype "within a year." Here's hoping a suitable replacement to Lee Fowler is also unearthed during the same window.
NC State intellects design twistable, shape-shifting antennas
NC State may be well on its way to yet another underwhelming season on the hardwood, but it seems as if a few of its most spirited boffins aren't even taking any time off to celebrate the season-ending victory over the hated Heels on the team's final football game. Dr. Michael Dickey and team have just published their latest invention, and if this thing ever reaches commercial status, you can expect ordinary objects to become a lot more intelligent. The crew's shape-shifting, twistable antenna overcomes the common limitation of copper-based alternatives by relying on an alloy that can be "bent, stretched, cut and twisted" while still transmitting or receiving a signal. Aside from enabling concept phones like the Ondo to become real, the development could also allow for stretchable antennas to be integrated into actual structures, giving buildings and bridges a way to communicate stresses to architects. Too bad it can't communicate the crumbling of an athletics program to an oblivious AD, but hey, there's always room for improvement in version 2.0.
NC State gurus build remote control bats, freak out Dukies and Tar Holes
Micro-aerial vehicles, or MAVs as they're called in the elusive underground, are far from new, but a team from NC State University is hoping to advance the field with an all new critter. The Robo-Bat is a remote controlled creature that relies on a super elastic shape-memory metal alloy for the joints, which is said to provide a full range of motion while enabling it to "always return to its original position -- a function performed by many tiny bones, cartilage and tendons in real bats." The crew is also utilizing other "smart materials" in the muscular system, giving it the ability to react in real time to environmental changes such as sudden wind gusts. Ideally, this bionic chiropteran would be used to chivvy those who dare step foot on Franklin Street or inside Cameron Indoor Stadium, but in less malicious situations, it could help well-meaning scientists get the bottom of that whole "aerodynamics" thing.
NC State gurus keep hearts beating outside of the body
If NC State's athletic branches had even half the aptitude as its medical researchers, maybe then those blue boys down the road wouldn't have so much right to bang us up. Personal beefs aside, we're simultaneously stoked and amazed by a new machine crafted down in Raleigh, one that enables scientists to keep a heart pumping even after it has been removed from the body, but for research purposes only. Andrew Richards, a bright young mechanical engineering student, designed the so-called dynamic heart system, which "pumps fluid through a pig heart so that it functions in a very realistic way." Obviously, such a device has a multitude of benefits, including time / money savings compared to alternative approaches, the ability to record the inner workings of a pumping heart and scoring the creator some serious street cred in the industry. Mind-blowing video is just after the break.[Via Neatorama]
Researchers fire most powerful antimatter beam ever
Scientists at North Carolina's PULSTAR nuclear reactor facility fired a positron bean five times stronger than any other ever created earlier this month, breaking a record previously held by a team in Germany. The antimatter device -- which apparently looks like a Star Trek warp reactor -- was developed as part of a two year project by NC State, the University of Michigan, and Oak Ridge National Labs. Now that the device is working, the team is looking for practical applications for the tech, including building an "antimatter telescope," which would allow even closer observations of atomic interactions. Or they could use it to blow up the universe. You know, whatever.[Via TG Daily]
NC State researchers working up longevous capacitors
If being able to recharge your future collection of batteries "a thousand times more" than your existing stockpile sounds enticing, a team of NC State physicists now have your attention. Thanks to their research on the electromechanical properties of the commonly used polymer polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), they have discovered that when combined with CTFE (that's yet another polymer), it may allow capacitors to store "up to seven times more energy than those currently in use." According to Vivek Ranjan, the process moves atoms within the material "in order to make the polymer rearrange with the least voltage," and this storage booster could even be used to allow electric cars of the future to sport the "same acceleration capability as a gas-powered sports car." Sounds like more than a few manufacturers are desperate for something like this, eh?[Image courtesy of Biopact]
NC State researchers uncover muscle mimicking fibers
While some researchers over in Raleigh are having fun tinkering with PlayStation 3 farms and dodging the RIAA, NC State's Drs. Tushar Ghosh and John Muth are occupied building prototypes with fibers they say "resemble human muscle and can exhibit muscle-like capabilities when electrical currents are applied." The duo sees the development as paving the way for "advancements and potential applications in robotics, smart textiles, prosthetics, and biomedicines," as they have reportedly found that polyurethane and silicone tube structures shaped like human muscle strands can be manipulated with electricity. It was noted, however, that the current models are using strands "roughly the size of a pencil lead," but the next step is to scale down the fibers and integrate them into a robotic Mr. and Mrs. Wuf.
Survey sez LED lit parking garages seem safer
We had a sneaking suspicion that there was an ulterior motive behind Raleigh getting lit up as the "world's first LED city," and aside from savings tons of dough on energy bills over the next decade or so, it seems to make motorists feel a good bit safer, too. According to a before and after survey conducted by Mindwave Research, the number of respondents who "perceived the garage as very safe increased by 76-percent after the LED fixtures were installed." Admittedly, the newfangled lighting certainly added a new level of brightness to the situation, and the number of individuals who gave the garage an overall rating of "excellent" increased by 100-percent in response. The (unnecessarily lengthy) survey also added a few more minor figures to further prove that LED lighting is simply superior to the other stuff , but we're not yet sure if Cree will successfully use this ammunition to grab even more contracts to freshen up the city lights.
NC State researchers devise new ways to invade your bloodstream
While schools in the ACC are certainly making noise on the hardwood, it seems that the Atlantic Coast Conference is also interested in shoving microbots all around your innards. Just days after a team from Georgia Tech envisioned a new internal method for monitoring blood pressure, research conducted at NC State is hoping to cram even more robotic creatures into deep, dark places within your body. A team led by Orlin Velev has discovered that "a simple electronic diode" could spark a new form of propulsion which could power robots and other diminutive devices from a distance. By exploiting "a phenomenon known as electro-osmosis," the diodes can push microscopic material through internal fluids "at speeds of several millimeters per second," which could allow cameras and medicines to reach critical locales that are presently isolated. Of course, there's still a good bit of work to be done, as the prototype device still has become substantially smaller before it will even fit in most of the tiny tubes within your skin, but it's looking more and more like we'll have nursebots shoving spinoffs of themselves into our beings before too long.[Via NewScientistTech]
NC State engineer crafts academic cluster with PlayStation 3s
While universities have been cranking out supercomputers and research clusters for some time, an associate professor at NC State is utilizing IBM's highly-touted Cell processor in a slightly different form to craft his own farm. Similar to the Xbox Linux cluster from years past, this concoction consists of eight PlayStation 3 consoles networked together and powered via Linux in order to handle ridiculous amounts of number crunching. Dubbed the "world's first" PS3-based academic cluster, the creation boasts the ability to utilize "64 logical processors," and is set to be used to handle various research tasks when sly CSC students aren't firing up a round of Ridge Racer 7 after hours. Nevertheless, Dr. Frank Mueller noted that the biggest limitation in its current state is the "512MB RAM constraint," but did insinuate that he might try retrofitting additional memory if future tasks deemed it necessary. Still, we can't help but wonder how many spots the Pack could jump in the RIAA's Most Wanted list if this thing became a dedicated torrent server.[Via TWW]
RIAA lists top 25 universities handing out piracy notices
The "good guys" have tried to tempt college kids with free legal music for far too long to no avail, and after continuous failed attempts at gaining traction here in the US, it's no surprise that the RIAA would devote precious man-hours to concocting a most-wanted list of pirating schools. It should be noted that the top 25 is based on the amount of warnings sent out from the university to its students, and some schools may be omitted simply due to a lack of response on the administration's end. Nevertheless, it's reported that over three times as many infringement notices have been sent out during the 2006 - 2007 school year versus the year prior, but the RIAA did attribute some of that boost to its heightened awareness and tracking capabilities. Interestingly enough, the top spot holder doesn't seem to be overly concerned about its position, as Purdue feels the "service provider" shouldn't be the one lashing out at "criminals," essentially brushing that RIAA grief right off its shoulder. Still, we all know what you're here for, and that's to see if your alma mater made the dubious cut (full list after the jump), and while some here at Engadget can proudly proclaim to be in the top ten (ahem), drop us a comment and let us know where you stand.[Via TWW]
Raleigh officials envision "world's first" LED lit city
While it's no secret that LEDs light up the night in a more efficient (albeit expensive) manner, few locales have given the idea of lighting up the town en masse with LEDs any serious consideration. In a feat that would surely oust Brussles' Dexia Tower in terms of magnitude, city officials in Raleigh, North Carolina are hoping to make the Capital City the "world's first LED city." Reportedly envisioned by the mayor, officials are teaming up with RTP-based Cree, Inc. in order to "save money and help the environment," and in a pilot program completed late last year, a LED-equipped parking deck purportedly burned "40-percent less energy" than those with "standard lighting systems." Additionally, the quality and brightness of the lighting was said to have improved, which paved the way for LEDs to hit up street lights, architectural and accent lighting, and pedestrian and walkway lights over the next 18 months. If things go as planned, the entire city will "convert permanently to LED lighting," hopefully saving around $80,000 a year in parking deck utility bills alone -- and hey, if nobody in charge can figure out how to use an extra 80 large per year, there's a few potholes craters on Hillsborough Street that could use some attention.[Via TWW]
