Odyssey Telecommunications [.pdf]
http://descanso.jpl.nasa.gov/DPSummary/odyssey_telecom.pdf
As part of a series of design and performance summaries of several different NASA spacecraft, this 78-page report addresses the communications systems of the Mars Odyssey, which is orbiting the red planet. Beginning with an overview of Odyssey's mission objectives and phases, the report then delves into specifics of X-Band and UHF telecommunication. Odyssey is equipped with technology that allows it to send and receive information from Earth (via the Deep Space Network) and eventually from vehicles on the surface of Mars. All previous articles in this series are available from the Deep Space Communications and Navigation Systems Center of Excellence (DESCANSO) home page. [CL]
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Peephole Displays: Pen Interaction on Spatially Aware Handheld Computers [.pdf, .avi]
http://www.sims.berkeley.edu/~ping/peep/
Drawing on previous work in the area of spatially aware displays, a researcher at the University of California at Berkeley has devised a novel method of interacting with touch screens of handheld computers. Especially for applications like drawing, the displays of these devices can be prohibitively small. By augmenting handhelds with position tracking equipment, users have a "larger virtual workspace" with which to manipulate the pen or pointing device. An April 2003 conference paper summarizing this research is available at this Web site along with a video clip demonstrating Peephole Displays. [CL]
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Centibots: The 100 Robots Project [.pdf, .zip, .mov, .avi]
http://www.ai.sri.com/centibots/
Involving two universities and two research organizations, this multi-tiered project is "aimed at developing new technology to support the coordinated deployment of as many as 100 robots for missions such as urban surveillance." One of the most significant tasks concerns the problem of designing the robots to efficiently work together as a team. Many technical details of the project are given, as well as a short list of downloadable papers and presentations. Information about completed and scheduled experiments, along with many pictures and a couple video clips, are available on this Web site. [CL]
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IEEE Working Group Areas [.pdf, .ppt]
http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is one of the most active organizations in developing standards for emerging technologies. At this site, visitors can learn about many different working groups and the process of implementing new standards. Each working group's homepage has an overview of the purpose and scope of the particular standards project, and some offer reports and documentation for public download. The IEEE is involved in many different technical areas, as is immediately apparent when looking at the list of projects. Power and Energy and Information Technology are the two most prominent areas of standards development, but others range from broadcast technology to the voting system. [CL]
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Internet Quarantine: Requirements for Containing Self-Propagating Code [.pdf, .ps, .gz]
http://www.caida.org/outreach/papers/2003/quarantine/
Appearing at the INFOCOM conference in April 2003, this research paper provides insight into critical factors necessary to contain outbreaks of self-propagating code on the Internet. Citing the outbreak of the Code-Red worm in 2001 as an example, the authors justify the need for better methods of quickly controlling the spread of malicious code and minimizing damage. A couple scenarios for the deployment of a containment systems are identified, and their simulated effectiveness for dealing with a worm outbreak are discussed. The paper serves as a good starting point for anyone interested in learning about the technical issues associated with self-propagating code, and can also be useful for Internet security professionals who need to evaluate current containment systems or implement new ones. [CL]
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Design and Demonstration of an Advanced On-Board Processor for the Second-Generation Precipitation Radar [.pdf]
http://www.fpga-guru.com/files/PR2Aero4.pdf
The on-board processor of a prototype NASA satellite is described in this technical paper from 2003. A Next-Generation Precipitation Radar, the satellite will require a processor capable of meeting "the challenging requirements for measuring precipitation from space." Many engineers and technology professionals who work with field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) will find this report of interest, as it describes a remarkable processing system that uses FPGAs to satisfy the requirements of the satellite. The innovations used in the system's design push the limits of FPGA technology, as is shown by the authors. [CL]
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Hybrid Electric Vehicle Team [.pdf]
http://hev.cornell.edu/
The Hybrid Electric Vehicle Team at Cornell University has been active for over a decade, and it has consistently performed well at competitions. The team's homepage has a chronology of all vehicles with which it has worked. Images and brief synopses attest to the effort that went into each one, as well as what characteristics made each stand out. Additionally, an informative section on electric and hybrid electric vehicles describes the motivation for the team's work and some of the design challenges that still need to be considered. Several publications and newsletters are available for download, showcasing some of the recent accomplishments of the team. [CL]
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Power Evaluation of a Handheld Computer [.pdf]
http://www.hpl.hp.com/research/papers/2003/handheld.pdf
In this case study from researchers at Hewlett-Packard, the power characteristics of a handheld computer were evaluated. The purpose of the study was to shed some light on how battery operated handhelds consume power under representative workloads, possibly leading to more efficient "low-power design and power management." Experimental procedures and results are presented for extensive battery lifetime analyses over several benchmarks. The authors state that this research can be used as a starting point for hardware and software designers of handheld devices to more effectively gauge battery performance. [CL]
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