Technology Quarterly
Hot rocks and high hopes
Geothermal power: Deriving energy from subterranean heat is no longer limited to volcanic regions. By drilling deep wells into the ground, it can be made to work almost anywhere. Just watch out for the earthquakesSep 2nd 2010
Also in this Technology Quarterly
Memory upgrade
Software: A novel approach to generating images of suspects uses a range of tricks to achieve a dramatic improvement in accuracySep 2nd 2010
An online medic
Emergency medicine: Field medicine, for soldiers and civilians alike, gets smarter as medical monitoring technology improvesSep 2nd 2010
Powering up
Jet engines: A nifty new engine design promises to improve combustion efficiency, thus cutting fuel consumption and reducing emissionsSep 2nd 2010
A suit that can sing and hear
Materials: Optical fibres made of piezoelectric materials can turn sound into subtle electrical signals, and vice versaSep 2nd 2010
Gently does it
Motoring: Spies on the dashboard can teach people to drive more economically—and tick them off if they fail to do soSep 2nd 2010
Ruses to cut printing costs
Office technology: All kinds of technological tricks are being used to reduce the cost and environmental impact of office printersSep 2nd 2010
Correct me if I'm wrong...
Software: A new approach to speech recognition gives users the chance to fix misunderstandings without having to repeat themselvesSep 2nd 2010
Fast-track testing
Magnetic levitation: The same technology used to make trains go fast can help identify unwanted substances in food and waterSep 2nd 2010
Schrödinger's cat and mouse
Computing: Quantum cryptography is unbreakable in theory. But like any security system, in practice it is only as safe as its weakest linkSep 2nd 2010
Putting your money where your mouse is
Crowdfunding: Artists, musicians and writers are using the internet to aggregate lots of small donations to fund their workSep 2nd 2010
Untangling the social web
Software: From retailing to counterterrorism, the ability to analyse social connections is proving increasingly usefulSep 2nd 2010
How to rewire the nervous system
Biomedicine: Doctors are rerouting nerves to give patients more natural control of prosthetic arms and bring paralysed limbs back to lifeSep 2nd 2010
Power to the people
Technology and development: A growing number of initiatives are promoting bottom-up ways to deliver energy to the world’s poorSep 2nd 2010
The virtual curmudgeon
Jaron Lanier, a pioneer of virtual-reality technology, has more recently become an outspoken critic of online social mediaSep 2nd 2010
Offer to readers
Sep 2nd 2010
Technology extras
COLUMN: Tech.view
Hydrogen tries again
Has the lightest and most abundant stuff in the universe found a new role in energy?
Earlier Quarterlies
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Previous Quarterly
Power from thin air
Wireless technology: It is already possible to send electricity without wires. Can devices be powered using ambient radiation from existing broadcasts?Jun 10th 2010
Dawn of the Frankenfish
Food science: Fast-growing genetically modified trout and salmon could soon be the first transgenic animals on the tableJun 10th 2010
Munching machines
Robotics: A vegetarian robot that forages for fuel and runs on steam power would have a range of military and civilian usesJun 10th 2010
Return of the blob
Robotics: Amoebas have provided the inspiration for new, squishy kinds of robot capable of squeezing into confined spacesJun 10th 2010
Metal, heal thyself
Materials science: Researchers have devised an ingenious way for the damaged surfaces of metals to repair themselves when they come to harmJun 10th 2010
Making the bodywork
Materials science: A special kind of carbon composite bodywork could also store energy and double as a battery in an electric carJun 10th 2010
I'll huff and I'll puff...
Materials science: Straw has a terrible reputation as a building material. This is unfair, say its growing band of defendersJun 10th 2010
Loose clicks sink ships
Computer security: The sounds of individual keystrokes can be distinguished, making it possible to eavesdrop on computer usersJun 10th 2010
Peek-a-boo
Security technology: A new approach to airport security tests travellers’ recognition of incriminating stimuliJun 10th 2010
Nods and winks
Computer etiquette: Teaching computers to recognise nods and other human gestures could be useful in educational softwareJun 10th 2010
Stay on target
Computing: Software that disables bits of your computer to make you more productive sounds daft, but may help keep distractions at bayJun 10th 2010
And now, the electricity forecast
Energy: New forecasting techniques make wind power more predictable and thus more practical for widespread useJun 10th 2010
From Gollum to “Avatar”
Inside story: The technology of “performance capture”, which allows actors to control computer-generated characters using their movements and facial expressions, has made rapid progress in the past decadeJun 10th 2010
High voltage
Transport: As electric cars make steady progress on land, battery- powered aircraft of various kinds are quietly taking to the airJun 10th 2010
Peril on the sea
Naval warfare: As anti-ship missile and torpedo technologies improve, a new seaborne arms race could be on the horizonJun 10th 2010
Mr Segway's difficult path
Dean Kamen is best known as the inventor of the Segway scooter. His career illustrates the difficulty of turning innovative ideas into realityJun 10th 2010
Offer to readers
Jun 10th 2010
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