This week on radio, Tim Thwaites is talking about personal helicopters; pruney fingers; screwed up beetles; rig recycling; and more… [continue reading…]

A new technology to stop falls before they happen could helping the elderly stay in their own homes longer

Researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have developed a simple way of predicting the likelihood of an elderly person falling in the near future, allowing action to reduce the chances of it happening. [continue reading…]

This week on radio, Tim Thwaites is talking about snake ointment; stool pigeon crows; buzzing belts; virtual pop stars; and more… [continue reading…]

A minor modification to your car could reduce fuel consumption by over seven per cent.

The Deakin University invention uses waste heat to reduce friction by warming the engine oil. A prototype has been built and tested and the inventors are now talking to the car manufacturers and developing an aftermarket conversion kit. [continue reading…]

Welcome to my first bulletin in 2011 for people around the country with an interest in physics. 2010 was another big year for physics in Australia with the 50th anniversary of the laser, celebrated by a lecture tour organised by the Australian Optical …

Wednesday 8 December 2010

Today’s stories from the physics conference in Melbourne include:

Tomorrow’s technology pioneers recognised today

• From the laser to quantum optics
  Prof Kostya (Ken) Ostrikov (Kostya.Ostrikov@csiro.au), a CSIRO scientist who set the ground rules for constructing new materials atom by atom using collections of charged particles known as plasmas;
• Teleportation
  Prof Hans-Albert Bachor (hans.bachor@anu.edu.au) from the Australian National University (ANU) whose work on the graininess or particle nature of light is leading to new technologies such as quantum encryption and teleportation;
• Laser controllers
  A/Prof Robert Scholten (scholten@unimelb.edu.au), a University of Melbourne physicist who has established a thriving and profitable business which makes and exports laser controllers; and
• Acoustics of music
  Prof Joe Wolfe (j.wolfe@unsw.edu.au) of the University of New South Wales, an expert on the acoustics of music whose multimedia learning resources are accessed about 60,000 times a day.

Also:
Diamond dust adds sparkle to medical imaging
Electronic paper makes itself
Bionic valves without the batteries
Invisible fibres disappearing soon
Acquiring a better feel for disease
Healthy and unhealthy brain states – what role does electrical conductivity play?
Is that a diamond in your eye? [continue reading…]

In 2011 Australia will hold one of the world’s largest meetings of earth scientists. They will explore all the physical aspects of our planet, from deep in the Earth’s core to our place in space.

Given recent natural disasters—such as the Pakistan floods, Black Saturday bushfires, Hurricane Katrina, the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, 2010 Chile earthquake, Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano—the Earth seems ever more restless and destructive, and the impact on human life and infrastructure is increasingly heavy.

So it is important to understand how the Earth works—which means the 25^th General Assembly of the International Union of Geophysics and Geodesy in Melbourne from 28 June to 7 July 2011 will be a focus of attention, not only for the 3,000 delegates expected to attend, but for many others besides. [continue reading…]

This week on radio, Tim Thwaites is talking about ditching fingers for bean bags; evolving to beat climate change; the downside of space tourism; running before breakfast; and more…

[continue reading…]

This week on radio, Tim Thwaites is talking about artificial skin; the optical illusions of bowerbirds; tractor beams; earthquakes; and more [continue reading…]