Lean, Mean, & Green
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Contents | Zoom in | Zoom outFor navigation instructions please click here Search Issue | Next Page THE MAGAZINE OF TECHNOLOGY INSIDERS LEAN, MEAN, & GREEN CAN AN ULTRA- PERFORMANCE CAR BE SUPERCLEAN? CHECK OUT THE SPECS ON THESE FOUR SUPERCARS Porsche Spyder 918 WHY GOVERNMENT REGULATORS MAKE A MESS OF ALLOCATING RADIO SPECTRUM CAUGHT! SOFTWARE THAT DETECTS STOLEN SOFTWARE U.S.A. $3.99 CANADA $4.99 DISPLAY UNTIL 3 NOVEMBER 2010 __________SPECTRUM.IEEE.ORG Contents | Zoom in | Zoom outFor navigation instructions please click here Search Issue | Next Page I A S Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page BEF MaGS The force is with you Use the power of CST STUDIO SUITE, the No 1 technology for electromagnetic simulation. Y Get equipped with leading edge The extensive range of tools integrated in EM technology. CST’s tools enable you CST STUDIO SUITE enables numerous to characterize, design and optimize applications to be analyzed without leaving electromagnetic devices all before going into the familiar CST design environment. This the lab or measurement chamber. This can complete technology approach enables help save substantial costs especially for new unprecedented simulation reliability and or cutting edge products, and also reduce additional security through cross verification. design risk and improve overall performance and profitability. Y Grab the latest in simulation technology. Choose the accuracy and speed offered by Involved in mobile phone development? You CST STUDIO SUITE. can read about how CST technology was used to simulate this handset’s antenna performance at www.cst.com/handset. If you’re more interested in filters, couplers, planar and multi-layer structures, we’ve a wide variety of worked application examples live on our website at www.cst.com/apps. CHANGING THE STANDARDS CST of America®, Inc. | To request literature, call (508) 665 4400 | www.cst.com I A S Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page BEF MaGS I A S Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page BEF MaGS volume10.10 47 number 10 north american UPDATE 11 LASER URANIUM ENRICHMENT MAKES A COMEBACK Some say the controversial technology poses proliferation risks. By Sandra Upson 13 PAINLESS SMART-GRID SAVINGS 16 THE UAV DATA GLUT 17 ASIMO-KICKING ROBOTS 18 THE BIG PICTURE Computer scientists convert algebra into works of art. 26 36 OPINION 7 SPECTRAL LINES Taste the magic of one extraordinary Web server. By David Schneider 10 FORUM A reader reminds us of the advantages of molten-salt nuclear reactors. 25 TECHNICALLY SPEAKING Wherein a wordsmith tracks, inventories, and records the words we use for tracking, inventorying, and recording. By Paul McFedries DEPARTMENTS 4 BACK STORY 42 How a close encounter with the Goodyear Blimp launched a career. COVER: TAVIS COVER STORY COBURN THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE 6 CONTRIBUTORS FROM TOP LEFT: DAN PAGE; TAVIS COBURN; LOCKHEED MARTIN 20 HANDS ON 36 GREEN SUPERCARS Your boss won’t spring for a Frugal with fuel, gentle on the greenhouse gases, and brimming with US $15 000 telepresence robot? power: Meet the new beasts of the autobahn. By Lawrence Ulrich Neither will ours. Make one yourself— for about $1000. By David Schneider 26 THE GREAT SPECTRUM FAMINE 22 TOOLS & TOYS The hunger for wireless links to the Internet is fast exceeding what The wait for inexpensive, easy-to-use e-readers is over. By Joshua J. Romero the airwaves can provide. By Mitchell Lazarus 23 PROFILE 32 SOFTWARE V. SOFTWARE In a bomb-damaged city, a bioengineer creates new visualizations of damaged Computer forensics tools can help sort out even the toughest cases of arteries. By Michael Dumiak software copyright infringement. By Bob Zeidman 24 GEEK LIFE 42 AIRSHIPS AHOY It’s getting harder to fi nd work in virtual The oldest aviation technology is reborn in new designs for high- worlds. By Mark Anderson altitude, long-endurance, and heavy-lift airships. By Ron Hochstetler 68 THE DATA The long recession hasn’t put a damper on wind energy. By Steven Cherry __________ SPECTRUM.IEEE.ORG OCTOBER 2010 • IEEE SPECTRUM • NA 1 I A S Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page BEF MaGS I A S Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page BEF MaGS NI LabVIEW Limited Only by Your Imagination Drivers for hundreds of sensors FPGA-based embedded from LIDAR to GPS hardware for drive-by-wire systems Image processing and acquisition libraries Multicore algorithms Standard communication for real-time navigation including JAUS and control and Ethernet support RF LabVIEW graphical programming PRODUCT PLATFORM software and modular NI hardware, such NI LabVIEW graphical Medical as CompactRIO and PXI, are helping and textual programming engineers develop fully autonomous NI CompactRIO embedded control hardware Robotics robotics systems, including unmanned NI LabVIEW Real-Time Module vehicles designed to compete in DARPA NI LabVIEW FPGA Module Multicore Grand Challenge events. >> Find out what else LabVIEW can do at ni.com/imagine/robotics 866 337 5041 ©2009 National Instruments. All rights reserved. CompactRIO, LabVIEW, National Instruments, NI, and ni.com are trademarks of National Instruments. Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies. 0177 I A S Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page BEF MaGS I A S Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page BEF MaGS volume10.10 47 number 10 north american SPECTRUM._____________ GREEN TECH PATENT SCORECARDS IEEE.ORG__________ IEEE SPECTRUM has partnered AVAILABLE 1 OCTOBER with 1790 Analytics to bring you Video: Searching for our annual patent scorecards. On 15 October, we’ll debut our patent Europe’s Banned Bulbs scorecards for green tech. We’ll Across Europe, nighttime looks a tell you who has the most valuable patent portfolios in batteries, clean coal, fuel cells, and little different these days. That’s more. 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Measurements for resource library by motor vehicle event data Semiconductor and Other Texas Instruments: recorders, also called Materials Characterization http://spectrum.ieee.org/ black boxes, are becoming Contains over 25% Renewable Resources Sponsored by Keithley ______________static/ti-resource-library increasingly important. IEEE SPECTRUM (ISSN 0018-9235) is published monthly by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. All rights reserved. © 2010 by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., 3 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016-5997, U.S.A. The editorial content of IEEE Spectrum magazine does not represent official positions of the IEEE or its organizational units.anadian C Post International Publications Mail (Canadian Distribution) Sales Agreement No. 40013087. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses