Page 58 - GCN, Oct/Nov 2017

t
Tech we hope to see in the public sector
Sensors that never sleep
Power is a serious constraint for smart sensor networks. Devices that aren’t wired must be miserly with battery power, which limits their ability to, well, sense. A Northeastern University team, however, has developed a “plasmonically enhanced micromechanical photoswitch” that can monitor for a specific infrared signature — think vehicle exhaust, a brush fire or human body heat — for years without drawing on battery power. Only when that infrared signature flips the switch does the sensor power up and transmit.
Coding for quantum
The hardware for quantum computing is advancing quickly, and now Microsoft is moving to address the software side. The company has created a yet-unnamed programming language for working with qubits and rolled it into the Visual Studio toolkit along with a quantum computing simulator. Widespread access to quantum computing power is likely still years away, but the goal is to have developers ready when it arrives.
Image credits (clockwise): NASA, Northeastern University, Microsoft
WishLis
A lifesaver in luggage form
Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response technology can detect a human heartbeat through 30 feet
of rubble. Developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab and the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate, FINDER is now licensed to two companies — R4 and the SpecOps Group. Both had systems deployed in Mexico City after the recent 7.1 magnitude earthquake there.
What technologies do you think GCN readers should see? Tell us on Twitter: @GCNtech #GCNwishlist.