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March 2009 Issue

Features

In-depth articles from top experts, Spectrum editors, and contributors

Why Plug-Ins Will Make (Dollars and) Sense

Q&A With the Electric Power Research Institute's Mark Duvall

7 min read

News

Insight and analysis on the latest advances in technology

Superstrong Artificial Muscles and More From New Nanotube Material

Sheets of carbon nanotubes could make strong, stretchy artificial muscles with amazing properties

3 min read

Opinion

Spectrum editors and columnists comment on major tech trends

Departments

Articles on DIY projects, engineering careers, and tech history

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March 2009 Issue

The U.S. nuclear stockpile is showing its age, but building new warheads isn’t the solution

From now on, you can get a U.S. patent only on a mousetrap—not on the idea of catching mice

What prosthetic-arm engineering is learning from open source, crowdsourcing, and the video-game industry

Q&A With the Electric Power Research Institute's Mark Duvall

Electronically controlled railway brakes may finally displace a 150-year-old technology

A Q&A with design and policy expert Jeremy Michalek

The carbon impact of the millions of electric vehicles soon to hit the road will depend on the grids that supply them

Telltale neutrons appear, but skepticism remains

Scientists at Seagate Technology show that heat-assisted magnetic recording could break the looming terabit-per-square-inch data limit

Sheets of carbon nanotubes could make strong, stretchy artificial muscles with amazing properties

On-board SRAM produces unique chip fingerprint and random numbers needed for encryption

A motor-studded haptics jacket can run a chill up your spine

Researchers have made magnetic devices that act like the recently discovered fourth circuit element

Spectral lines

Reflections

Old LPs can sound as good as new—even when cracked in half

The data

Building your own nuclear fusion reactor is easier than you think

Back story

Books

David Peters studies the aerodynamics of baseballs and helicopters

Let's think more carefully about how we position IEEE

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