The Commission of the European Communities has proposed extensive revisions to the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) and RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) Directives, a move that requires the attention of all electronics manufacturers producing products destined for the European market. These two directives have been in effect since 2004 and essentially … [Read more...]

The U.S. Army Logistics Innovation Agency (LIA) has awarded two firms a contract to install and demonstrate a satellite-based Next-Generation, Wireless Communications (NGWC) tracking, security, and monitoring capability on containerized shipments of arms, ammunition, and explosives. Specifically, ARINC, Inc. and Impreva Labs, Inc. have developed an NGWC that is HERO (hazards of … [Read more...]

One of twenty projects planned for the initial phase of a newly proposed collaborative arrangement among European metrologists will be to study the reliability of measurements of RF absorption by the human body. This study will be just one of many projects to be carried out by a Joint European Research Programme proposed by the European Commission. Under Article 169 of the EC … [Read more...]

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded a $11 million grant for UC Berkeley’s Center for Integrated Precision and Quantum Measurement. The new facility is expected to contribute to basic research into fundamental physics and to the development of practical nanotechnology. UC Berkeley will match the grant with $8.7 million in funding for the center. … [Read more...]

The UK’s Christ College Cambridge has marked the 150 anniversary of its distinguished alumnus Sir Jagadis Chandra Bose. A native of India who came up in 1882, Bose is remembered for his pioneering work in such disparate fields as electromagnetic waves and plant life. Special features of the celebration included the unveiling of a bust of Bose, a lecture by George Sudarshan on … [Read more...]

Researchers at Intel Laboratories have published a report indicating progress on building a silicon-based Avalanche Photo-Detector (APD) that would offer lower costs and improved performance as compared to previous photo-detector designs. Photonics might replace copper circuits carrying electrons with components using photons of light to transmit signals. With successful … [Read more...]

Researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) and Norfolk State University have discovered a way to prevent loss of light as it passes through metamaterials, thus opening the door to many important new optical, electronic, and communication technologies. Photonic metamaterials are engineered composite materials with unique electromagnetic properties and have attracted … [Read more...]