Word: detecting
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Most electronic noses have sensors that can detect the presence of a suspicious chemical by measuring the disturbance it causes in sound waves across a small quartz crystal. But just like a dog's nose, those electronic sniffers aren't able to determine whether the substance is cocaine or a compound with similarly sized molecules, such as caffeine. Stubbs addressed that problem by coating the sensor with an antibody that was similar in structure to cocaine. As a result, if cocaine were present in a room, it would attach to the antibody molecules and set off an electrical signal. Initial...
...tiny motes will have a transforming effect on how we monitor the world. "It's going to be a hugely revolutionary technology," he says. Already, he has performed an experiment for the U.S. Army in which a mere eight motes were dropped from a plane and used to detect a fleet of vehicles on the ground. Homeland Security will start using smart dust this summer in a pilot project to protect ports in Florida. And Honeywell has started using motes in supermarkets to make giant refrigerators more energy efficient. Says Pister: "There's a potential to do for the physical...
...postdoctoral training, he was put to work in a dank bomb shelter that had been converted into a lab. His task was to use an atomic force microscope to get a "snapshot" of the DNA molecule. All he seemed to be getting, though, was a headache. The microscope, which detects the con-tours of molecules by dragging a flexible sliver of coated silicon over them, was malfunctioning. After puzzling through his problem for months, Thundat realized one rainy day during a rare midday foray outdoors that the microscope's probe was warping as it sponged up moisture from...
...dependence on vulnerable supply lines, cut fuel consumption 20% and generate enough hydrogen to be self-sufficient in electrical power for up to five hours with the engine turned off. Fuel cells are also quieter and cooler than traditional portable generators and therefore are harder for the enemy to detect. "Aside from the need for additional power, we occasionally need to go into what's called silent watch," says an Army official at the Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, Mich., who requested anonymity. Fuel cells last longer than the batteries that currently support such operations. The devices...
...Kanagawa Institute of Technology in Japan, is a computer-controlled system that uses air pressure to augment your strength. In tests, a 100-lb. woman wearing one was able to lift a 150-lb. man. As you bend your arms and legs to start lifting, sensors on the suit detect which muscles are being used and activate a battery-powered air pump, which in turn inflates a series of air bags on the suit. As the bags inflate, they provide added support for your back, arms and legs. INVENTOR Keijiro Yamamoto AVAILABILITY 2005, $15,000 to $20,000 TO LEARN...