February 2008 News Analysis

Wi-Fi Cloud Hovers Over Salt Lake City

Researchers map the invisible geography of wireless networks

The Erasable Holographic Display

New three-dimensional holographic material can be written and rewritten indefinitely, paving the way toward 3-D movies

Reengineering the Prosthetic-Arm Socket

To create the next generation of prosthetic arms, Dean Kamen had to reinvent the prosthetic socket

Engineers Work on Laser-Based Brain-Machine Interface for Prosthetic Arm

Laser stimulation of nerves may light the way to better nervous-system feedback for prosthetics

Does Fusion Have a Future?

U.S. funding reversal for ITER suggests that fusion energy—"always just a few decades away from reality" as the joke goes—may have finally run out of decades

Russian Global Navigation System, GLONASS, Falling Short

The GLONASS system's accuracy, reliability, and consumer appeal are in question

Intel and ARM are Exploring Self-Correction Schemes to Boost Processor Performance and Cut Power

Razor technology operates processors at the limits of speed and power by letting chips self-correct timing errors

A Rocket Scientist Recalls the First U.S. Spaceflight

A pioneer of the U.S. space program looks back at its first success 50 years ago

Low-Power Processor Enables Disposable Wireless Vital-Signs Monitor

A bandage-sized vital-signs monitor powered by a printed battery

Printing Technology Makes Miniature Energy Harvesters, Antennas, and Fuel-Cell Parts

EoPlex Technologies miniaturizes for multiple markets

Untangling a New Breast Cancer Screening Technology

An Australian company takes on a controversial technique to screen for breast cancer: X-raying hair

Intel Makes A Big Jump In Computer Math

Long the ugly stepchild of computer arithmetic, division is getting a much needed makeover

Reinventing the Wheel

Can Wind Energy Continue Double-Digit Growth?

The need for backup power has been overstated, but grid interconnections are crucial

Microchip Enables Electronic Gene Injection

Tiny electrodes could bring gene therapy into the brain

Fuel From Sunshine

News brief

Brake-by-Wire Comes To Freight Trains

Electronically controlled pneumatic brakes could help stop accidents and speed cargo

Face Facts

The big picture