Engineering Research and Development SmartBrief

February 5, 2013

News for Engineering Professionals

Innovation

Boeing to begin work on stretched version of 787, source says
Boeing plans to begin assembling the stretch version of its 787, the 787-9, in the next few weeks, a source says. The new version would carry around 40 additional passengers, and would use the same battery system as the 787. American City Business Journals/Chicago (2/5) , The Wall Street Journal (2/2)

Curiosity rover prepares for first drilling on Mars
NASA's Mars rover is set to begin drilling into a rock in the planet's "John Klein" outcrop once it passes a series of hardware tests. The Curiosity rover's first-ever drilling will go just 0.8 inches into the ground, not deep enough to collect samples but enough to test whether the rock's material behaves as expected. Space.com (1/30)

Researchers team up on innovations using tiny LEDs
Several British university research teams will work together over the next four years on technology that could enable development of a 1 Gbps broadcast network from micro LEDs. They also hope to use the tiny LEDs as pixels in huge light displays. The new technology is being called "li-fi." The Register (U.K.) (2/4)

Ship specially designed to install supersize offshore wind turbines
This slide show lets viewers see how two offshore wind turbines developed by Siemens are being shipped and installed. A vessel has been specifically built to ship the turbines. Each turbine, whose blades are almost 197 feet long, is expected to produce six megawatts of power. MIT Technology Review online (2/1)

Halliburton promotes environmentally friendly fracking fluid
Halliburton has developed CleanStim, a non-toxic fluid for use in hydraulic fracturing. This is part of the oil and natural gas industry's efforts to allay environmental concerns associated with the drilling technique. CleanStim offers "an extra margin of safety to people, animals and the environment in the unlikely occurrence of an incident," according to the company. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (2/3)

Devices to monitor subsidence during tunnel building in Seattle
Extensometers, crack gauges, automated survey machines, liquid level sensors, satellite-based interferometric radars and tiltmeters are just some of the technology tools being used to monitor signs of subsidence during the boring of Seattle's Highway 99 tunnel. Two hundred buildings above the tunnel route will be equipped with monitoring devices and about 700 devices will be added to sidewalks and streets. The Seattle Times (2/1)

News Affecting Your Business

Manufacturing growth accelerates in the U.S.
The Institute for Supply Management said its index of U.S. factory activity rose from 50.2 in December to 53.1 in January, its highest reading in nine months. The index for new orders jumped from 49.7 to 53.3. Reuters (2/1)

Technology and Trends

Cambridge develops 3DIC with spintronics technology
Cambridge University has come up with a 3D chip incorporating spintronics, which uses the spin of electrons to store or transmit data. The 3DIC has three layers, each only a few atoms deep, and can move data in horizontal and vertical directions, this article notes. Electronics Weekly (U.K.) (2/1)

Industry giants battle for cloud dominance
Cloud computing is the latest tech battleground, with Google and Microsoft taking aim at segment leader Amazon. "The great tech wars are expanding into nearly every area of business, and cloud services are the latest battlefield. Amazon has captured the hearts and minds of developers, but Google and Microsoft are gaining ground," says Bill Coughran of Sequoia Capital. The Wall Street Journal (2/3)

SmartQuote

To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, subtract things every day."

--Laozi,
Chinese philosopher

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