Hoverboards and certain cell phones powered by lithium-ion batteries occasionally go up in flames. Scientists now have a new plan for squelching these fires before they flare out of control: incorporating a flame retardant in the battery that’s released if temperatures get too toasty.
Within lithium-ion batteries, ions travel between positive and negative electrodes through a liquid called an electrolyte. But commonly used electrolytes are highly flammable. And if a short circuit in the battery produces enough heat, the electrolyte can ignite.
Troops in remote regions around the world often struggle to operate with limited networks for data sharing and communication—an encumbrance that is amplified when U.S. troops need to share classified or otherwise secure data with each other and coalition partners. The usual process for sharing such information requires an end-to-end connection to secure servers via a dedicated digital “pipe” approved for the specific security level of data being transmitted. If that tactical network is overloaded or if a glitch causes a break in the digital chain, the message or data is typically lost and the process must be repeated until a connection is completed, potentially hindering the mission in fast-moving tactical situations. Additionally, the current computers and infrastructure needed to manage multiple levels of U.S. classified and coalition information are too bulky for tactical use in the field and can take months or longer to deploy.
To overcome this challenge, DARPA announced its Secure Handhelds on Assured Resilient networks at the tactical Edge (SHARE) program. SHARE aims to create a system where information at multiple levels of security classification could be processed on a single handheld device using a resilient secure network that links devices without needing to route traffic through secure data centers. This capability would be able to operate over existing commercial and military networks while maintaining the security of sensitive information and safety of operations.
“Troops forward deployed today have to have multiple laptops or devices that are approved to communicate at various levels of classification,” said Joe Evans, DARPA program manager.
Smart dust is a name given to extremely small computing particles, RFID chips, or other very small technologies.
A popular article from Extreme Tech describes it in the headline: “Smart dust: A complete computer that’s smaller than a grain of sand.” An article from War is Boring is titled “Future Military Sensors Could Be Tiny Specks of ‘Smart Dust’ New technologies allow for extremely small—and ubiquitous—military sensors.” A paper from University of California, San Diego describes smart dust:
A little cyber-trickery is a good thing when it comes to battling network adversaries.
The Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) tapped into that notion today as it awarded a $750,000 grant to security systems developer Galios to develop a cyber deception system that will “dramatically reduce the capabilities of an attacker that has gained a foothold on a network.”
Specifically, Galios will develop its Prattle system for the Air Force. Galios describes Prattle as a system that generates traffic that misleads an attacker that has penetrated a network: making them doubt what they have learned, or to cause them to make mistakes that increase their likelihood of being detected sooner.
For all my friends in Dubai or travelling to Dubai; wish I could go.
EyeLock LLC will be exhibiting its suite of iris authentication technology at Intersec Dubai 2017, on January 22–24 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Dubai.
Featuring EyeLock’s proprietary software, security, algorithms and optics, the iris authentication technology delivers secure, reliable and user-friendly capabilities, according to the company.
EyeLock’s technology analyzes more than 240 unique iris characteristics to deliver dual-eye authentication, an unmatched security architecture and anti-spoofing technology.
It will be amazing how this advances with Quantum.
Once injected into the body, a new material can repeatedly release small bursts of local anesthetic when zapped by low-intensity, near-infrared light for one minute (Nano Lett. 2016, DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b03588). The material’s developers, who have tested it in rats, say the on-demand system could make pain management safer and more effective, and give patients more control.
