By analyzing such parameters as the force applied by key presses and the time interval between them, a new self-powered non-mechanical intelligent keyboard could provide a stronger layer of security for computer users. The self-powered device generates electricity when a user's fingertips contact the multi-layer plastic materials that make up the device.

Research by scientists attached to the EC's Graphene Flagship has revealed a superfluid phase in ultra-low temperature 2D materials, creating the potential for electronic devices which dissipate very little energy.

Natural materials have extraordinary mechanical properties, which are based on sophisticated arrangements and combinations of multiple building blocks. One key aspect of today's materials research therefore is to develop bio-inspired materials reaching to the properties of natural materials – or even exceeding those in certain functionalities. The Walther group at DWI now prepared a nacre-inspired nanocomposite that combines exceptional mechanical properties with glass-like transparency and a high gas- and fire-barrier (Nature Communications, 2015).

Spherical gold particles are able to 'drill' a nano-diameter tunnel in ceramic material when heated. This is an easy and attractive way to equip chips with nanopores for DNA analysis, for example. Nanotechnologists of the University of Twente published their results in Nano Letters.

Strong materials, such as concrete, are usually heavy, and lightweight materials, such as rubber (for latex gloves) and paper, are usually weak and susceptible to tearing and damage. Julia R. Greer, professor of materials science and mechanics in Caltech's Division of Engineering and Applied Science, is helping to break that linkage.

Radar that 'sees' through walls has raised privacy concerns, said the BBC on Tuesday. At least 50 US police forces are believed to be equipped with radar devices that can send signals through walls. The radar device, known as Range-R, is a radar motion detector. Range-R sends out radio waves that can detect the slightest movements, including breathing, from as much as 50 feet away. The story circulated widely among news sites this week, after Brad Heath, an investigative reporter at USA Today, wrote how the agencies had the radars enabling them to look through the walls to see if anyone was inside. Range-R was developed to assist US forces fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, said the BBC, later taken up by law enforcement agencies. USA Today said those agencies included the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service and began deploying the radar systems more than two years ago. L-3 CyTerra describes its Range-R as "a highly sensitive handhe! ld radar system designed to detect and measure the distance to moving and near-stationary personnel through walls constructed of common building materials."

Jaguar Land Rover is developing a range of new technologies that would use colours, sounds and touch inside the car to alert drivers to potential hazards and prevent accidents involving bicycles and motorbikes.

Research probing the complex science behind the formation of "dendrites" that cause lithium-ion batteries to fail could bring safer, longer-lasting batteries capable of being charged within minutes instead of hours.

Imagine a world where mosquito-sized robots fly around stealing samples of your DNA. Or where a department store knows from your buying habits that you're pregnant even before your family does.

As many as one in five fish are landed outside of national or international regulations. These high numbers are not due to stray boats but are the result of industrial-scale pirate operations. The value of this trade could exceed more than $20bn (17bn euros) a year, according to some estimates. New Scientist said up to 9000 kilograms of seafood is stolen from the ocean every second. A satellite watchroom in Harwell, Oxfordshire, UK, is on the lookout for illegal fishing.

LG Electronics Inc. said it will start selling a new curved smartphone next week in its latest effort to bring the curve to a mass market.

Google is planning to sell wireless phone service directly to consumers using the networks of Sprint and T-Mobile, according to reports published Wednesday.

Netflix is ramping up efforts to conquer the world with its streaming video service, even as competition is heating up in the growing market for Internet television.

Letting small drones fly for profit in US airspace would give a big lift to the development of unmanned aerial vehicles of all sizes, a Congressional committee heard Wednesday.

Apple has purchased the startup Semetric, gaining music analytics and other valuable data gathered by the British company.

Microsoft upped its bid to capture the hearts and minds of technology consumers Wednesday with Windows 10, announcing everything from free upgrades for the majority of Windows users to support for nascent holographic display technology.

It's taken them a while to get there, but TV makers now seem to think that the way to improve the boob tube - and sell more sets at higher prices - is by having it display a better-looking picture.

I guess we're just getting used to seeing really big phones.

Looking at a painting no longer means simply looking at a painting.

It's the Facebookification of financial investing. From social networking platforms that allow young investors to follow each other's stock-picking mojo, to websites for first-timers hungry for a piece of the Silicon Valley venture capital pie, to mobile apps that let 20-something hipsters find equally hip financial planners, the millennial generation is embracing new tech tools to put their newfound wealth to work.

Japanese prosecutors said Thursday that executives in charge of the Fukushima nuclear plant will not be charged, setting up a possible showdown with a citizens' panel that wants someone brought to book for the disaster.

From the Heartbleed bug that infected many popular websites and services, to the Target security breach that compromised 40 million credit cards, malicious hackers have proved to be detrimental to companies' financial assets and reputations. To combat these malevolent attackers, or "black hats," a community of benign hackers, i.e., "white hats," has been making significant contributions to cybersecurity by detecting vulnerabilities in companies' software systems and websites and communicating their findings. Researchers at Penn State's College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) are studying white hat behaviors and how the talents of the white hat community can be most effectively used.

When a powerful earthquake devastated China's Sichuan province in 2008, the disaster was too catastrophic for authorities to stay on top of events as they unfolded.

It is traded on special stock exchanges and is accepted not only by various online shops, but also by thousands of brick-and-mortar stores across the globe: the virtual currency Bitcoin. The users benefit from its advantages: Since it does not require a central bank, the transactions can be concluded more quickly and with reduced charges. Moreover, many Bitcoin users appreciate more anonymity while paying. Nevertheless, its popularity is also resulting in thefts with increasing frequency. Computer scientists in Saarbrücken have now presented an approach that enhances anonymity and can be applied without long waits.

In cooperation with eleven road construction companies, the University of Twente is working on improving asphalt roads in the Netherlands. By using new technology during the asphalt paving process, the resulting road quality is 10 to 30 per cent higher. The improved life span of the road in turn naturally means less maintenance and, therefore, less nuisance. What's more, it becomes easier to plan road maintenance work, leading to decreased traffic congestion. The UT findings have by now been put to use during more than 50 asphalt paving projects in the Netherlands.

We have spent years promoting the need for change in our approach to internet infrastructure, forcing politicians to recognise it as a serious issue. So it's great to see Barack Obama tackling the issue in his State of the Union address.

The evolution of professional tennis has always been linked to the changing technology of the day. For example, the decline of the wooden racket lead to the whole new power-based style of play we enjoy today.

Siemens is developing a system that helps blind and visually impaired people walk safely through cities. In cooperation with the Technical University of Braunschweig and several partners, Siemens is working on a comprehensive assistance system for visually impaired people. The system is the result of a research project titled InMoBS. Among other things, the solution relies on the data transmitted between the traffic infrastructure and blind people's mobile devices. Critical situations occur at intersections, for example. Although walk signals usually emit a beeping sound to inform visually impaired people, but they don't know how long the light is green or where exactly it is safe to walk. To provide such information, Siemens enabled smartphones for its car2x technology, which is used to transmit data between cars and traffic infrastructures.

A new program will make it easier to combine different modes of transport. Siemens is developing a service for predicting the availability of carsharing vehicles at a given location at specific times. The forecasting tool will be incorporated into the integrated SiMobility Connect mobility platform, which links carsharing firms, public transport companies, taxis, and bike-rental services. Customers will then be able to use just one app to plan all segments of their trip and immediately see which combinations of transport modes are most advantageous at the moment or at a later time. The goal is to make the planning of inter-modal journeys (combinations of different forms of transport) more effective in order to combat growing traffic congestion in metropolitan areas. The new software also incorporates car-sharing users whose cars do not have a permanent parking space.

IT researchers working at the University of Twente have developed a programming language making the massive costs associated with designing hardware more manageable. Chip manufacturers have been using the same chip design techniques for twenty years now. The current process calls for extensive testing after each design step - a massively expensive state of affairs. The newly developed, so-called functional programming language makes it possible to prove, in advance, that a design transformation is a hundred per cent error-free.

The message from the yearly CES consumer electronics extravaganza was clear: the list of gadgets that can be connected to the "internet of things" is growing rapidly. These smart-home technologies have the potential to save homeowners energy – but that may not be the primary feature attracting consumers.

Civil Engineers at Queen's University Belfast in collaboration with pre-cast concrete specialists Macrete Ireland have developed the world's longest 'flat pack' arch bridge.

At a cozy watering hole in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, bartender Kathy Conway counted four different phone chargers behind the bar. Call it the scourge of the red zone, call it battery anxiety. Smartphone users are tired of begging to charge devices behind bars or hunting for hidden electrical outlets in airports and train stations. Where, oh where, is a better battery?

From the robot that washes your clothes to the robot that marks homework: the future world of artificial intelligence wowed the Davos elite Thursday, but the rosy picture came with a warning.

Two months after the ride-hailing app Uber was introduced in Denmark, the country's transport minister has said the service likely will be banned because it violates Danish law.

In the first study of its kind, researchers at the University at Buffalo have found evidence that the incredible spread of email phishing scams may be due to phishers' increased use of "information-rich" emails that alter recipients' cognitive processes in a way that facilitates their victimization.

A new model of the impact of California's existing and proposed policies on its greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals suggests that the state is on track to meet 2020 goals, and could achieve greater emission reductions by 2030, but the state will need to do more to reach its 2050 climate goals.

An email scam which targets businesses with bogus invoices has netted more than $214 million from victims in 45 countries in just over one year, an FBI task force said Thursday.

Responding to recent incidents in which airliners vanished, U.S. accident investigators recommended Thursday that all passenger planes making long flights over water carry improved technology that will allow them to be found more readily in the event of a crash.

Twitter is updating its feeds to give users a recap of tweets missed while not connected to the messaging platform.

The U.S. government's auto safety agency wants to add two automatic emergency braking devices to its list of recommended safety features for new-car buyers.

Ford opened a new research center in Silicon Valley on Thursday, stepping up the company's efforts on connected vehicles, autonomous driving and ways to use big data.

When Courtney Lorentz's 6-year-old daughter brought home an iPad from school last fall, the Deerfield, Ill., mom wanted assurance that the thoughts, ideas and personal information her daughter typed into the device would not follow her for years to come - or be sold to marketing companies for a quick buck.

Shazam has closed a $30 million round of funding that values the music app at more than $1 billion.

T-Mobile says it will offer deals on new smartphones to customers with bad or no credit, regardless of how they pay, and charge no interest.

A journalist also known as an informal spokesman for the hacker group Anonymous was sentenced to five years in prison Thursday in a case which rallied activists for press freedom, his supporters said.