The next wave in electronics could be wavy electronics.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a fully stretchable form of single-crystal silicon with micron-sized, wave-like geometries that can be used to build high-performance electronic devices on rubber substrates.

“Stretchable silicon offers different capabilities than can be achieved with standard silicon chips,” said John Rogers, a professor of materials science and engineer

JEMA has been contracted directly by the European Commission (commissioned through the European Fusion Development Agreement, EFDA) to design, construct and install 4 sources of power supply, each capable of producing 20 million watts of energy, for the European experimental fusion reactor installations located at Culham in the United Kingdom. The project is expected to last three years.

The contract is a sound example of the confidence these European agencies have in the work of JEMA, es

An electronic nose is so sensitive that it can distinguish between cigarette smoke and smoke from an office or factory fire. Developed by a European research consortium the device will help to end the vast number of false alarms recorded by fire brigades each year.

The researchers developed a demonstrator of the new device and now hope to complete a viable commercial product by October 2006.

The Intelligent Modular, multi-Sensor (IMOS) and networked fire detection system

The research team led by Norberto López de La Calle at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of the Basque Country, have designed a new model for optimising the high-speed, 3- or 5- axis milling of complex parts. One of the objectives in this field has been the development of a methodology for the a priori estimation of errors due to flexion of the milling-machine housing system given that some errors, induced by cutting forces, lead to non-compliance with the tolerances of c

Scientists from Obninsk in the Kaluga reg. (Russia) have developed a ceramic with unique properties, with heat conductivity and thermoplasticity several times higher than normal ceramics. This means that items made of it, from coffee mugs to fuel pellets for atomic power stations, will serve longer and more reliably than standard ceramics.

During a competition of innovative developments under the 5th International Innovation and Investment Salon that was held 15-18 February 20

The University of Manchester has been awarded £5.98m to develop a new class of light alloy solutions that will transform the way aircraft, trains and automobiles are built.

The grant, which will span a five year period, has been awarded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under the Portfolio Partnership Scheme.

Research into improving the performance of light alloys will be carried out in conjunction with Alcan, Novelis, BAE Systems, Airbus,

A pioneering manufacturing process that can turn titanium, stainless steel and many other metals into a new breed of engineering components could have a big impact across industry.

Unlike conventional solid-metal components, the new parts have a tiny lattice-like structure, similar to scaffolding but with poles twice the diameter of a human hair, making them ultra-light. Because loads are channelled along the poles, the parts can comprise up to 70% air while remaining strong enough

Higher standards of insulation and control of air leakage in buildings is called for in the forthcoming revised UK Building Regulations. In particular, Part L of the Building Regulations has been reviewed with a brief to make new buildings more energy efficient and to tackle climate change. The revised changes will be enforced from April 2006.

This will mean new buildings will need to be better insulated and use more efficient heating systems. And importantly, for the first time the rev

University of Kentucky researchers have discovered a means of reducing gate leakage current of transistors in computer chips that will permit chip producers to continue developing more efficient and powerful chips with reduced power consumption.

Zhi Chen, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, found that applying rapid thermal processing directly on gate insulators – used to control current flow of transistors in computer chips – can dramatically reduce the chips&#1

Quick, highly sensitive method makes genetic material glow

Using tiny semiconductor crystals, biological probes and a laser, Johns Hopkins University engineers have developed a new method of finding specific sequences of DNA by making them light up beneath a microscope.

The researchers, who say the technique will have important uses in medical research, demonstrated its potential in their lab by detecting a sample of DNA containing a mutation linked to ovarian cancer

In the mine, like in medicine, prevention is the best way of treatment. It means that it is easier to prevent an explosion than to fight with its consequences, which unfortunately turn sometimes into disasters. Explosion in coal mines happen, as a rule, because of accumulation of combustion agent – natural gas and/or slack – in the air underground. The natural gas and/or slack may explode spontaneously – simply because its concentration in the air has reached the critical value. To learn how much

Time evolution of the thermal properties during dehydration of sol-gel titania emulsions

Nanostructured titania (TiO2) has been extensively studied as a very promising material for applications in sensors, photocatalysis, solar energy conversion and optical coatings. As the properties of titania are determined by its different phases (i.e. rutile and anatase) and these phases depend upon the synthesis method employed, it is important to understand the change in properties that oc

For the first time, scientists have manipulated hydrogen atoms into stable sites beneath the surface of a palladium crystal, creating a structure predicted to be important in metal catalysts, in hydrogen storage, and in fuel cells. The research will be published in the 13 December 2005 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

Observations of the effects of the resulting subsurface hydrides–hydrogen atoms with a partial negative charge–confirmed th

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are assisting the Department of Transportation (DOT) by developing tests for a crash avoidance system that could substantially reduce the number of rear-end, road departure and lane change accidents. About 1,836,000 such accidents occur annually, or 48 percent of police-reported cases a year.

DOT’s “Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety System” (IVBSS) for light vehicles and trucks is a single crash avoidance system u

Everybody complains about high energy prices. And yet it’s so easy to save electricity – simply by switching off electrical appliances completely, rather than leaving them ’idling’ in standby mode. The Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI has been investigating possible ways of raising consumers’ awareness of the energy they waste by leaving appliances switched on.

In a single year, the electrical equipment in German households and offi

A new formula by mathematicians at the University of Surrey shows an ideal trajectory for a car tackling a typical UK roundabout… something esure’s new analysis shows is rarely achievable!

In the last three years, more than one in every dozen UK car accidents has occurred while motorists approach or drive around roundabouts – with a quarter involving collisions while drivers change lanes – according to new research by internet insurer, esure.com. The annual bill is estimated at o