Sunlight could be used to recharge batteries. Photo / Thinkstock
A round-up of the latest technology news from around the globe.
TERAPIXEL PREVIEWS: Software from the University of Utah can create a preview image in seconds from huge gigapixel images. Without the specialised ViSUS software such previews could take hours to generate. ViSUS samples the image - like taking an opinion poll. One test created a usable preview in
2 seconds while traditional methods took 4 hours. Now they developers are aiming for terapixel images. Giga, tera, peta: we need a whole new maths vocabulary. More at ScienceDaily.
MORE FLOPS: China's Tianhe-1A supercomputer can handle 2,507 trillion calculations per second - that's 2.507 petaflops to you. That makes it the fastest supercomputer in the world. So fast you could use this with the ViSUS software to view images before they've even been captured. More at ThePeninsulaQatar.
I'M FINE, HOW ARE YOU?: India's Nishant aircraft is an uncrewed aerial vehicle that monitors its own structural health while flying. If problems are detected then corrections can be made without grounding the vehicle. Heh, repairs 'on the fly'. More at the IndiaTimes.
ELASTIC BATTERIES: Sunlight adds energy to a molecule called fulvalene diruthenium - like stretching a rubber band. Add a catalyst and the molecule releases its energy on demand. This could makepossible rechargeable batteries that heat buildings. The technique is reversible and stable, making it ideal, except for the extreme cost. Scientists hope to find other cheaper molecules that behave in the same way. Ruthless cost-cutting. More at WorldScience and video on YouTube.
TEST CUP: We're encouraged to do regular checks for suspicious lumps in our breasts, and have regular mammograms too. A new bowl-shaped portable scanner from the University of Manchester could make lump detection simpler and quicker. A sensor detects the difference in tissue contrasts at radio frequencies. It uses oil, milk or water in the bowl rather than a special gel as a matching substance. Presumably different form factors could let the scanner be used for other parts of the body too. More at ManchesterUniversity.
- Miraz Jordan knowit.co.nz
