Technology in the news – Articles from 2010

2012 onwards | 2011 | 2010

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The New York Times, 4 October
KOSAKA, Japan — Two decades after global competition drove the mines in this corner of Japan to extinction, Kosaka is again abuzz with talk of new riches.
The treasures are not copper or coal. They are rare-earth elements and other minerals that are crucial to many Japanese technologies and have so far come almost exclusively from China, the global leader in rare earth mining.
Science Daily, 5 October
Research published October 4 by materials engineers from the University of Leeds could help pave the way towards 100% lead-free electronics.
The work, carried out at the UK's synchrotron facility, Diamond Light Source, reveals the potential of a new artificial material to replace lead-based ceramics in countless electronic devices, ranging from inkjet printers and digital cameras to hospital ultrasound scanners and diesel fuel injectors.
The National Business Review, 6 October
The Designers Institute of New Zealand has given accolades to the buildings voted the most well-designed of the year at its annual Best Design Awards.
The awards, established in 1988, recognise the best design in products, graphics and interactive designs.
Stuff.co.nz, 6 October
Grenades are not exactly synonymous with life-saving, but they have inspired a young Sydney designer to create an award-winning device that could save swimmers from drowning.
Discussion starters:
• Technological products: performance properties and material selection
• Characteristics of Technological Outcomes: Fitness for purpose in its widest sense
TV3 News video, 6 October
The waka Te hono ki Aotearoa has made its way from its construction base in Northland to the Museum Volkenkunde in the Netherlands to be part of the Mana Maori exhibition. The waka, which was specially commissioned by the museum for the six-month exhibition in Leiden will then travel around Europe, supporting New Zealand events, before travelling to Gallipolli for the centenary of Anzac Day in 2015.
Discussion starters:
• Characteristics of Technology: historical positioning; social and cultural influences
• Specialist knowledge and skills: construction technologies
seeing (data), 8 October
My jaw dropped when I saw this video of researchers at Tokyo University creating holographic images that “feel” like physical objects. The technology uses ultrasonic waves to create a sensation of pressure on the hands of people interacting with the hologram. When inaudible sound waves emitted by a set of ultrasonic transducers interfere, they can create a focal point that is perceived as a solid object.
Science Daily, 10 October
Dr. Long Que, assistant professor of electrical engineering at Louisiana Tech University, has reported success in designing and fabricating a device that allows microscale electronic devices to harvest their own wasted energy.
The work was described in a paper published in the September edition of Applied Physics Letters, co-authored by students Pushparaj Pathak, Tianhua Zhang, Yuan He, and Shashi Yadav.
TV3 Campbell Live video, 11 October
In New Zealand, we eat a staggering 40 million packets of two-minute noodles each year - nothing on China, who consumes 40 billion packets each year. But did you realise that some two-minute noodle varieties have the same fat content as a double cheeseburger? And enough salt to match the maximum you're supposed to eat in an entire day?
Discussion starters:
• Technological products: material formulation; labeling information
Radio New Zealand News, 11 October
A Canadian economist and bio-energy expert says new advances in technology and demand for greener products could transform New Zealand's forestry industry.
The head of resource economics and bioenergy at the Canadian Forestry Service, Rory Gilsenan is in New Zealand this week.
TVNZ News, 12 October
New Zealand design company The Formary has conceived and designed a revolutionary new fabric called WoJo which blends New Zealand Laneve wool with fibre from Starbucks recycled jute coffee sacks.
Discussion starters:
• Technological products: relationship between the properties of materials and their performance capability
• Nature of Technology: ethical sourcing; environmental stewardship
NY Times online, 12 October
A video camera is attached to a weather balloon and sent more than 30km into the stratosphere. The camera returned safely to the ground with the help of a small parachute in a round trip taking about 90 minutes. A seven minute edited account of the voyage, posted on the video-sharing site Vimeo, has become a viral success, attracting more than one million views since it was first uploaded
Discussion starters:
• Technological Products: Relationship between the properties of materials and their performance capabilities; safety regulations
• Nature of Technology: regulatory requirements; safety considerations
Stuff.co.nz, 13 October
Whether you smother it on or just want to smother it altogether, Marmite is as much a part of Kiwi culture as buzzy bees or pavlova. But where does this black, sticky stuff come from?
Discussion starters:
• Processing Technologies: preservation, packaging , safe transportation and storage of products; quality assurance;
NZ Herald, 13 October
Monitoring gear developed in New Zealand is being used to help doctors assess the vital signs of the miners trapped in the Chilean mine.
Zephyr Technology began developing smart sensor fabric harnesses to monitor the wearer's physiological status in a Pakuranga garage seven years ago and the equipment is now used by US special forces troops, Swat teams and firefighters.
NY Times online, 14 October
More buyers ask about how to connect an iPhone to a car or about the latest collision avoidance systems than they do about how quickly a car goes from zero to 60. So automakers are pumping up the technology.
Discussion starters:
• Characteristics of Technological Outcomes: convergence of technologies
TV3 Campbell Live, 14 October
Auckland is ploughing ahead with the country's biggest ever roading project - The Western Route. However, the small community of Waterview says they're paying a very high price for the new motorway – breathing it in. Waterview will have a giant ventilation stack in its back yard, right next to a school.
Discussion starters:
• Characteristics of Technology: socio-cultural impacts and influences
• Technological modeling: functional and practical reasoning – how to make it happen / should we make it happen

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