Technology Quarterly
Power from thin air
Wireless technology: It is already possible to send electricity without wires. Can devices be powered using ambient radiation from existing broadcasts?Jun 10th 2010
Also in this Technology Quarterly
Dawn of the Frankenfish
Food science: Fast-growing genetically modified trout and salmon could soon be the first transgenic animals on the tableJun 10th 2010
Munching machines
Robotics: A vegetarian robot that forages for fuel and runs on steam power would have a range of military and civilian usesJun 10th 2010
Return of the blob
Robotics: Amoebas have provided the inspiration for new, squishy kinds of robot capable of squeezing into confined spacesJun 10th 2010
Metal, heal thyself
Materials science: Researchers have devised an ingenious way for the damaged surfaces of metals to repair themselves when they come to harmJun 10th 2010
Making the bodywork
Materials science: A special kind of carbon composite bodywork could also store energy and double as a battery in an electric carJun 10th 2010
I'll huff and I'll puff...
Materials science: Straw has a terrible reputation as a building material. This is unfair, say its growing band of defendersJun 10th 2010
Loose clicks sink ships
Computer security: The sounds of individual keystrokes can be distinguished, making it possible to eavesdrop on computer usersJun 10th 2010
Peek-a-boo
Security technology: A new approach to airport security tests travellers’ recognition of incriminating stimuliJun 10th 2010
Nods and winks
Computer etiquette: Teaching computers to recognise nods and other human gestures could be useful in educational softwareJun 10th 2010
Stay on target
Computing: Software that disables bits of your computer to make you more productive sounds daft, but may help keep distractions at bayJun 10th 2010
And now, the electricity forecast
Energy: New forecasting techniques make wind power more predictable and thus more practical for widespread useJun 10th 2010
From Gollum to “Avatar”
Inside story: The technology of “performance capture”, which allows actors to control computer-generated characters using their movements and facial expressions, has made rapid progress in the past decadeJun 10th 2010
High voltage
Transport: As electric cars make steady progress on land, battery- powered aircraft of various kinds are quietly taking to the airJun 10th 2010
Peril on the sea
Naval warfare: As anti-ship missile and torpedo technologies improve, a new seaborne arms race could be on the horizonJun 10th 2010
Mr Segway's difficult path
Dean Kamen is best known as the inventor of the Segway scooter. His career illustrates the difficulty of turning innovative ideas into realityJun 10th 2010
Offer to readers
Jun 10th 2010
Technology extras
TECHNOLOGY MONITOR: Quantum cryptography
Light fantastic
Secure cryptography is only as safe as its weakest link
COLUMN: Tech.view
Hydrogen tries again
Has the lightest and most abundant stuff in the universe found a new role in energy?
Earlier Quarterlies
Subscribe
Subscribe to the print edition
Or buy a Web subscription for full access online
Technology Quarterly PDFs cost $4.95. They are not included in a subscription
Previous Quarterly
Bombs away 
Military technology: Elaborate new devices designed to defeat makeshift explosives struggle to gain the upper hand in Iraq and AfghanistanMar 4th 2010
The many voices of the web
The internet: New combinations of human and computer translation are making web pages available in foreign languagesMar 4th 2010
Flat pack
Transport: A collapsible shipping container could help reduce the environmental impact of transporting goodsMar 4th 2010
Rolling out the changes
Transport: Manufacturers are using a variety of chemical additives and new materials to reduce the environmental impact of tyresMar 4th 2010
Smarting from the wind
Energy: Turbines equipped with sensors can now “see” the wind before it arrives, and then take appropriate actionMar 4th 2010
Crash, bang, cushion
Aviation: How a collapsible mechanical cushion, borrowed from a space capsule, could help protect a crashing helicopterMar 4th 2010
Hey little hen
Biotechnology: A new way to determine the sex of a chicken embryo before it hatches should save money and improve animal welfareMar 4th 2010
The bigger picture
Video on the internet: Why are public broadcasters experimenting with the “peer-to-peer” technology beloved of online pirates?Mar 4th 2010
Well received
Telecommunications: Making antennas from liquid metals should mean robust receptionMar 4th 2010
Bright sparks
Innovation Awards: We invite nominations for our annual prizes recognising successful innovatorsMar 4th 2010
The net generation, unplugged
Technology and society: Is it really helpful to talk about a new generation of “digital natives” who have grown up with the internet?Mar 4th 2010
Snapping a good camera
Photography: A promising new class of digital cameras is emerging between small, basic compact models and bulky, elaborate single-lens reflex onesMar 4th 2010
Plumbing the depths
Inside story: A recent wave of advances is enabling oil companies to detect and recover offshore oil in ever more difficult placesMar 4th 2010
A quantum leap for lighting
Consumer electronics: Tiny semiconductor crystals, called quantum dots, enable new forms of energy-efficient lightingMar 4th 2010
Stealing the heat
Energy: The idea of recycling paper, glass, metal and plastics has become commonplace. New technologies allow heat to be recycled, tooMar 4th 2010
A step in the right direction
Hugh Herr lost his lower legs as a teenager. He has since gone on to become a leading light in the development of artificial limbsMar 4th 2010
Offer to readers
Mar 4th 2010
Advertisement
