CEA-Léti and Fraunhofer Microelectronics Alliance (VµE), two of the largest organizations for applied research in the field of micro and nanoelectronics in Europe, have signed an extension of their 2003 cooperation agreement, now including front-end technologies for micro and nanoelectronics.

The document was signed in a ceremony on the occasion of the Annual Conference 2004 of Fraunhofer IISB in Erlangen, Germany, competence center for front-end technologies within the VµE. CEA-

Charlyrobot of France is launching its new generation of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) mini-milling machines, for compact 3D milling, called Charly4U. Charlyrobot has been a leading manufacturer of milling machines for more than 20 years. The company has local partners in the UK but is looking for distributors in the Nordic Region. Charlyrobot will be showcasing its technology at the Euromold trade show in Frankfurt in early December 2004.

Thanks to Charly4U, Charlyrobot is s

Tools so tiny that they are difficult to see, are solving the problems of carving patterns in glass, ceramics and other brittle materials, according to a Penn State engineer.

“Even very brittle materials like glass will cut smoothly at a micron level,” says Dr. Eric R. Marsh, associate professor of mechanical engineering. “The tools we are making are small enough so that the brittle materials behave like a malleable material like aluminum, producing smooth curly chips of glass or

A unique technology partnership between Cranfield University and California-based Hayes Diversified Technologies (HDT) has created the world’s first production diesel military motorbike – and the first bike of any kind with a purpose-designed diesel power unit.

An initial order for 522 diesel motorcycles has already been placed by the US Marines. Delivery is due to commence in early 2005. In addition, keen interest is being shown by the US Army, the UK Ministry of Defence

Imagine driving from Sweden to Spain and never having to stop to pay a toll. That scenario could soon become a reality thanks in part to the work of PISTA, which has validated a new European standard for interoperable electronic fee collection (EFC) systems.

Through trials in seven European countries, the IST project has proven the practicality of toll road operators applying the CEN 278 interoperability standard to EFC systems, which allow drivers to pay tolls electronically th

A group of researchers at the Public University of Navarre, together with the Navarre-based company, Frenos Iruña S.A.L., is undertaking a project for the design and development of handbrakes aimed at specialised vehicles such as tractors, excavators or forklift trucks.

The brake control is the part that is behind the brake pedal, which we press our foot down on when we wish to brake. It involves an assembly or unit made up of master brake cylinders and servobrakes.

Th

Early correct diagnosis of breast cancer can mean the difference between life and death for the significant proportion of western women affected by the disease. Small clumps of calcium salts – microcalcifications – are often the earliest signs of breast cancer, and appear in 25% of mammograms. Oxford researchers have developed a new method to identify more reliably these clusters.

Calcifications appear as bright spots or clusters of spots; small clustered whorled calcifications ar

Robots are a long way from being as sophisticated as the movies would have you believe.

Sure they can crush humans at chess. But they can’t beat us at soccer

With the nation still feeling the effects of the recent hurricanes, Dr. Shari Dunn-Norman, associate professor of geological and petroleum engineering in the geological sciences and engineering department at the University of Missouri-Rolla, can offer an expert insight into the oil production standstill due to platform and pipeline repair taking place in the Gulf of Mexico.

“The problem is that the hurricanes hit major deepwater production platforms and pipelines that combine flow from mult

University of Surrey staff and students are taking part in the rebuilding of Concorde 202. They will be reassembling some key parts of Concorde’s engine air intakes on campus over the next few months. The work coincides with the imminent arrival of contractors at Brooklands Museum who will be joining the wings and fuselage back together. The parts being refurbished by UniS volunteers will then be attached to the aircraft.

Concorde is a unique and special aircraft, an unrivalled avia

UCLA chemists report the discovery of a remarkable new nanoscale phenomenon: An ordinary camera flash causes the instantaneous welding together of nanofibers made of polyaniline, a unique synthetic polymer that can be made in either a conducting or an insulating form. The discovery, which the chemists call “flash welding,” is published in the November issue of the journal Nature Materials.

Numerous applications potentially could result from this research in such areas as chemi

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have uncovered another possible clue to the causes of high-temperature superconductivity, a phenomenon in which the electrical resistance of a material disappears below a certain temperature. In a superconducting compound, they found evidence of a rarely seen arrangement of “holes” – locations where electrons are absent. The results appear in the October 28, 2004, issue of Nature.

The researchers wer

A new technology is being developed that can turn raw sewage into raw power. The device, called a microbial fuel cell, not only treats wastewater, but also provides a clean energy source with the potential for enormous financial savings, according to scientists at Pennsylvania State University.

Although power output is still relatively low, they say the technology is improving rapidly and eventually could be used to run a small wastewater treatment plant, which would be especiall

St. Petersburg physicists have developed a plant that allows to cut sapphire crystals into almost ideally smooth plates being fractions of millimeter thick. The approach suggested by the researchers fundamentally differs from the traditional one. They suggest that sapphire should not be sawn by a saw, but split by laser.

It is quite common that a title like “A plant for laser scribing of sapphire wafers” would surprise an ordinary person but it sounds like music for specialists

Spotless surfaces are of prime importance in the plastics and metal processing industries, as dust and dirt can impair the function and adhesive properties of parts. A portable measuring device, the KombiSens, can detect both types of contamination.

Greasy fingerprints on wineglasses, ketchup on the table, crumbs on the floor – anyone with a clean disposition would be disgusted. But spotless surfaces are not the prerogative of housework maniacs; they are essential in numerous sec

No one wants food that has gone mouldy – least of all when they have only just purchased the product. But consumers are not exactly wild about food preservatives either. Packaging researchers are now introducing coated films to fight the battle of the bacteria.

At first glance, food packaging and an operating theater don’t have much in common. But when you look at the elaborate procedures that are used in sterilising packaging materials, the operating theatre analogy is not so far