Scientists create sensors to monitor diverse environments

October 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Taking a major step towards improved CMOS sensors for most in-car camera systems, scientists have developed a new process that could provide colours to these systems. The CMOS sensors are semiconductor chips that convert light signals into electrical pulses and are installed in most digital cameras.

October 5th, 2009 LONDON - In a new research, scientists in India and China have determined that glaciers in the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau that feed the river systems of almost half the world's people are melting faster because of the effects of clouds of soot from diesel fumes and wood fires. According to a report in the Guardian, the results of the research, to be announced this month in Kashmir, show for the first time that clouds of soot - made up of tiny particles of "black carbon" emitted from old diesel engines and from cooking with wood, crop waste or cow dung - are "unequivocally having an impact on glacial melting" in the Himalayas.

September 11th, 2009 LONDON - A user-friendly forearm crutch with an in-built sensor has been developed to monitor whether or not it is being used correctly. The new crutch is based on low-cost, off-the-shelf technology and sensors similar to those used in Nintendo Wii.

September 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A Princeton University-led team of scientists has turned the tables on a long-standing controversy to re-establish an old truth about nitrogen mixing in the oceans. For decades, scientists thought they had a handle on the workings of an intricate natural mechanism known as the nitrogen cycle, essential to maintaining life on Earth.

August 31st, 2009 WASHINGTON - MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) scientists in the US have developed a school of small robotic fish, which are equipped with sensors to monitor oil spills or other environmental contaminants. According to a report in Discovery News, the robofish, made with only handful of parts and a blend of polymers, can wiggle their way through water like trout and tuna.

August 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A team of scientists is exploring the fundamental basis for the unique sixth sense of fish to "touch" objects in their surroundings without direct physical contact, or to "see" in the dark, which could better equip robots to orient themselves in their environments with multiple sensors. The research work is being led by Professor Leo van Hermmen and his team in the physics department of the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) in Germany.

August 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists from Manoharbhai Patel Institute of Engineering and Technology, in Gondia, India have developed a novel fetal heart monitor that could save the lives of unborn infants in complicated pregnancies. Dr A.K. Mittra and colleagues have come up with a simple device that is based on a two-microphone system that can monitor fetal heart rate during the mother's rest times and sleep and send an alert to the woman and her physician.

August 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new research, a team of scientists is aiming to develop smart material systems inspired by the biology of fish. The remarkable ability of fish to maneuver in tight places, or to hover in one area efficiently, or to accelerate in a seemingly effortless fashion has researchers wondering if they can create smarter materials that emulate the biology of these vertebrates.

August 19th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Engineers at UC (University of California) Irvine are planning to outfit the local water system with sensors that monitor pipes after earthquakes and other disasters. The sensors will alert officials when and where pipes crack or break, hastening repair, thanks to nearly 5.7 million dollars over three years from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and several local water groups.

July 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In an effort to extend the sensory range of 'electronic noses' (e-noses), scientists from CSIRO's Food Futures Flagship have developed a system that would help compare their performance against the much-superior nose of the common house fly. "Although e-noses already have many uses - such as detecting spoilage in the food industry and monitoring air quality - they are not as discriminating as biological noses," said CSIRO scientist, Dr Stephen Trowell.

July 17th, 2009 BANGALORE - A malfunctioning star sensor of India's first lunar mission spacecraft Chandrayaan-I was set right by space scientists to ensure correct orientation, an official said here friday. "One of the star sensors, which gives the orientation of the spacecraft, was malfunctioning but our scientists have overcome this problem with innovative techniques of using antenna pointing mechanism and gyroscope on board the spacecraft to get the orientation information," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) direcvtor S.

July 1st, 2009 LONDON - Rescue teams are all set to get a run for their money, for scientists have now unveiled a pioneering robotic rat that could search through rubble and burning buildings for survivors - using only its whiskers. Called the Scratchbot, the robot used latest state-of-the-art technology to hunt through pitch black or smoke-filled rooms.

June 30th, 2009 LONDON - Pedestrians and cyclists in urban areas of the UK are being transformed into mobile pollution sensors, as part of a Government-backed scheme to monitor air quality. According to a report by Sky News, researchers, led by a team at Imperial College London, will trial three new types of sensors on people, vehicles and traffic islands to measure traffic emissions and noise pollution.

June 25th, 2009 LONDON - In a new study, scientists have found out that evolution in animals is faster in regions with warmer climates, which could help explain why the warm topics are so species-rich. According to a report by BBC News, researchers have found that among pairs of mammals of the same species, the DNA of those living in warmer climates changes at a faster rate.

June 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists are using sophisticated sensors to measure leaf wetness, soil moisture and temperature to help rehabilitate rainforest in the Springbrook World Heritage precinct in south-east Queensland, Australia. The CSIRO sensors are being used to uncover the microclimatic conditions favourable for rapid natural regeneration of degraded rainforest environments.