Will Russia and China Build an SCO-Based Joint Missile Defense System
Moscow (Sputnik) Jul 26, 2016 -
Russia and China may create a unified missile defense system for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. That's the conclusion of experts speaking at a forum dedicated to the US deployment of the THAAD anti-ballistic missile system in South Korea. What would the Russian-Chinese system look like? Sputnik investigates.
On Monday, experts in Moscow and Beijing spoke via video conference on the ...
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Artificial muscle for soft robotics: Low voltage, high hopes
Boston MA (SPX) Jul 22, 2016 -
Soft robots do a lot of things well but they're not exactly known for their speed. The artificial muscles that move soft robots, called actuators, tend to rely on hydraulics or pneumatics, which are slow to respond and difficult to store.
Dielectric elastomers, soft materials that have good insulating properties, could offer an alternative to pneumatic actuators but they currently require ...
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Unconventional quasiparticles predicted in conventional crystals
Princeton NJ (SPX) Jul 22, 2016 -
An international team of researchers has predicted the existence of several previously unknown types of quantum particles in materials. The particles - which belong to the class of particles known as fermions - can be distinguished by several intrinsic properties, such as their responses to applied magnetic and electric fields. In several cases, fermions in the interior of the material show thei ...
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Quantum drag
Iowa City IA (SPX) Jul 22, 2016 -
Friction and drag are commonplace in nature. You experience these phenomena when riding in an airplane, pairing electrical wiring, or rubbing pieces of sandpaper together.
Friction and drag also exist at the quantum level, the realm of atoms and molecules invisible to the naked eye. But how these forces interact across materials and energy sources remain in doubt.
In a new study, Uni ...
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New Yale-developed device lengthens the life of quantum information
New Haven CT (SPX) Jul 22, 2016 -
Yale University scientists have reached a milestone in their efforts to extend the durability and dependability of quantum information.
For the first time, researchers at Yale have crossed the "break even" point in preserving a bit of quantum information for longer than the lifetime of its constituent parts. They have created a novel system to encode, spot errors, decode, and correct error ...
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Australian physicists revisit spin-bowling puzzle
London, UK (SPX) Jul 22, 2016 -
Latest calculations reveal why small variations in the rotation of the ball applied by slow bowlers in cricket can cause batsmen big problems even before deliveries have pitched on the ground
Spin bowlers in cricket are masters at making the ball loop slowly through the air to confuse batsmen. Legends of the game know the magic combinations of top-spin, side-spin and off-spin necessary to ...
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Minimalist swimming microrobots
Washington DC (SPX) Jul 22, 2016 -
When scaling down robots to the micrometer scale for tiny tasks such as incising tissue and puncturing retinal veins, minimalism is key. To make smaller, simpler microrobots, researchers at Drexel University have developed a fabrication method which utilizes the minimum geometric requirements for fluid motion - consisting of just two conjoined microparticles coated with bits of magnetic debris. ...
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