German Parliament OKs Bold HVDC Grid Upgrade
Germany's parliament and senate approved a bold grid upgrade that could challenge AC power's century-long reign
Advanced Occupancy Sensors Slash Energy Bills, Keep Everyone Happy
Forget about lighting, sensors offer far greater savings when managing airflow
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Echolocation by Smartphone Possible
A burst of sound and a pair of microphones may be enough to map simple rooms
Your Dad’s Next Nurse Might Be a Robot
Because we humans can’t care for everyone who needs it
Race for Electronically-Tinted Windows Heats Up
Glass giant Corning invests in View, a startup that makes energy-saving “smart” windows.
Connecting the Internet of (Medical) Things
The Internet holds great promise for medical devices, but security issues, lack of st...
China Launches Pilot Carbon Emissions Trading System
With its usual talent for copying the most successful, China is starting small
Disposable Drones Will Collect Data by Surfing Along with Hurricanes
Swarms of cheap, tiny drones will surf the wind and waves to study hurricanes
Does the NSA Really Need “Direct Access”?
What to call U.S. intelligence agencies’ activities comes down to semantics
Best Supercomputers Still Not Best for Big Data
China’s new top-ranked supercomputer is at the top of the heap for some needs, but not for the kind of data sifting the NSA and Amazon.com do
China's Tianhe-2 Caps Top 10 Supercomputers
China's Tianhe-2 outflanks U.S. systems to take No. 1 spot in Top500 list
IT Hiccups of the Week: 911 Systems Need Emergency Help
German bank supervisor reinstated after missing sleep error, Chrysler has more recalls, Ford adds knobs back to touch-screen system
This Week in Cybercrime: FDA Urges Tighter Cybersecurity for Medical Devices
Plus: Online bank robbers nabbed, and cybercrooks’ recruiting efforts uncovered
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Roach-Net Radio
The son of the cyborg moth is a radio-equipped cockroach
US Prosecutors Want 'Kill Switch' to Stop Smartphone Theft
U.S. prosecutors ask Google, Apple and other tech leaders to secure smartphones against thieves
Graphene Nanoribbons Bring New Twist to Li-ion Batteries
Graphene nanoribbons could be the answer to improving the storage capacity of Li-ion batteries
Sensor Variability Helps Build a Better E-Nose
Thirty-two-sensor array reliably sniffs out differences between apples and pears
Is Anki the Hottest Robotics Company You've Never Heard Of?
The startup unveils its first product: a "real-world video game"
Video Friday: Quadrotor Acrobatics, Telerobotic Pitcher, and RoboRoach
Flying robots and cybernetic bugs invade Video Friday
Millimeter Waves May Be the Future of 5G Phones
Samsung’s millimeter-wave transceiver technology could enable ultrafast mobile broadband by 2020
This Robot Wants to Beat You at Air Hockey
It adapts to your playing style, and wants to get on your nerves
China Unveils Secret Quantum Communications Experiment
Launching in 2016, the “Chinese Quantum Science Satellite” could make China the first country with space-based quantum communication capability
BBC IT Project Fiasco Snares New York Times CEO
MPs Claim Mark Thompson wasn’t truthful in Parliamentary inquiry as BBC Director General
Nanoparticles Promise to Make LEDs Cheaper
A silicon-based nanoparticle aims at replacing the rare-earth-element phosphors used in LEDs
Self-Charging Cell Phone Screens Coming Soon
An optical trick makes solar cells disappear
Voice-Activated Systems Make Driving Less Safe
New study finds that hands-free technologies take drivers' minds off the road even if their eyes aren’t
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A Starter Kit for the Internet of Things
Ayla Networks software platform connects smart thermostats, refrigerators, and other Wi-Fi-enabled gadgets to cloud apps
Android May Ask Users to Make a Face
A Google patent filing suggests better face recognition could someday replace passwords for Android phones
Video: Drones, Quadrupeds, Humanoids, and More Robots From ICRA 2013
Here are all the robots you may have missed at ICRA conference
A $19 Billion Plan to Fortify New York City Against Climate Change
Much of what Michael Bloomberg proposes will not be built, but some important things will be
Farming by the Numbers
Precision agriculture brings computing’s accuracy to the ancient art of cultivation
Miniature Quadruped Robot Is Blazingly Fast
This tiny little robot is probably the fastest in the world for its size
Steve Mann: My “Augmediated” Life
What I’ve learned from 35 years of wearing computerized eyewear
Soylent: It's Not People. Or Food.
Too many engineers in the kitchen
The Better Meat Substitute
Can new and improved meat analogues help us control our damaging desire for animal flesh?
Agricultural Productivity Will Rise to the Challenge
We can feed a growing world for decades to come provided that we invest in research not only in the advanced countries, but everywhere
The Global Brain Trade
A survey reveals the worldwide migration patterns of researchers
Supermarkets Are High-Tech Hotbeds
Kroger’s infrared cameras to shorten checkout queues is just one example
Willow Garage May Sell Limited Edition Velo Grippers
An inexpensive, 3D printable, and very capable new gripper may be coming your way from Willow Garage
Creating Recipes with Artificial Intelligence
IBM’s cognitive computing team takes on a new frontier: meal planning
Autonomous Robots in the Fog of War
Networks of autonomous robots will someday transform warfare, but significant hurdles remain
iRobot and Cisco Team Up to Create Ava 500 Telepresence Robot
This robot knows how to drive itself around your office
IT Hiccups of the Week: Lie Detector Lies?
No-swipe payment system swipes customers’ money; Big Apple worries that e-voting will take a bite out of mayoral election
Video Friday: AR Drone Stunt, Real Transformer, and Futurama Justice
What better way to kick off the weekend than with a flaming flying robot?
Here's Microsoft's New Kinect Sensor
The new Kinect was announced yesterday, and it's better. Way better.
3-D Printed Gun's First Shot Has Big Implications
A mostly 3D-printed gun represents an imperfect weapon with big implications
With Better Software, Office Buildings Can Cut Energy Use by 30 Percent
A Techwise Conversation with BuildingIQ CEO Mike Zimmerman
Touch Screens With Feeling
Engineers add texture to touch-screen devices
GM Foods Grow Up
With help from robots and new genetic tricks, farmers could feed the planet while dodging the controversy
Africa: Continent of Plenty
Ten reasons why Africa can feed itself—and help feed the rest of the world too
The Memristor’s Fundamental Secrets Revealed
Memristors surround us, opening them up to experimentation by just about everybody
Microsoft's Robot Touch Screen Lets You Palpate a Brain
The TouchMover display uses a robotic mechanism to create haptic feedback
The Jargon of Junk Food
Manufactured foods need manufactured words
Is Data Science Your Next Career?
Opportunities abound, and universities are meeting them with new programs
U.S. States Selling Hospital Data that Puts Patients' Privacy at Risk
Data can be used to re-identify patients despite their being made "anonymous"
Decades of Atmospheric Measurement Errors Corrected
New analysis of radio occultation data revises calculations of upper-atmosphere temperatures
The Memristor’s Fundamental Secrets Revealed
Memristors surround us, opening them up to experimentation by just about everybody
SAP’s Highly Logical Choice
The German software house says that by 2020, 1 percent of its workforce will be on the autistic spectrum