“Modern life relies on satellite sytems but they are alarmingly vulnerable to attack as they orbit the Earth. Patricia Lewis explains why defending them from hostile forces is now a primary concern for states”
This study is bunk! And, here is the reason why: first, the robot was setup as a robot repeseanting as part of the facilities service where visitors/ people where at and followed the “facilities” robot as their escort in the building, much like you would do if I or someone else was wearing a building security jacket and badge who told you to follow us. So, this is very misleading study.
If you were in a burning building and a robot appeared to rescue you, would you follow it?
Next to Quantum and Biocomputing, this is one of my favorites. Cloak material to avoid radar. Unfortunatley, we cannot have access to the material for our autos; but it would be nice to have on my car sometimes when I am running late and having to drive quickly somewhere.
Two separate teams of engineers, both conducting research into meta-materials (composites not found in nature) with the intent of developing a flexible, stretchable and tunable meta-skin, are sharing their discoveries with the world. Although the two developments revolve around the same premise—manipulating electromagnetic waves so that the surface that banquets an object becomes invisible—a few exciting differences between the teams’ approaches sets their research apart.
Continue reading “Meta-Materials Bring Us Another Step Closer to an Invisibility Cloak” »
Digital CMOS camera with QE technology with improved photon detection capabilities — now this should interest to many medical departments, researchers, and even for security checkpoint screening.
Hamamatsu Corporation has again raised the bar in scientific CMOS camera performance with the 2016 version of the ORCA-Flash4.0 V2. The increased quantum efficiency (QE), now at a peak of 82%, increases the likelihood of detecting the faintest of signals, helping to answer the question “Is it there?” And, for brighter samples, higher QE translates into shorter exposure times without sacrificing image quality. The ORCA-Flash4.0 V2 opens up new possibilities for imaging in low conditions and improves signal to noise at all light levels.
Since its introduction and evolution, the ORCA-Flash4.0 series has become the favorite scientific CMOS camera of investigators everywhere, powering cutting-edge imaging research in every field from biology and chemistry to astrophysics and nanotechnology. The widespread appeal is due to the vast array of high-performance features: low read noise, large field of view, high dynamic range and fast frame rates. The newly enhanced QE of the “Flash V2” only serves to increase the power and versatility of this game-changing camera.
“There may well be approaches that don’t require Apple to build a custom firmware to defeat some of the iPhone’s security measures.”
Much of the encryption world today depends on the challenge of factoring large numbers, but scientists now say they’ve created the first five-atom quantum computer with the potential to crack the security of traditional encryption schemes.
In traditional computing, numbers are represented by either 0s or 1s, but quantum computing relies on atomic-scale units, or “qubits,” that can be simultaneously 0 and 1 — a state known as a superposition that’s far more efficient. It typically takes about 12 qubits to factor the number 15, but researchers at MIT and the University of Innsbruck in Austria have found a way to pare that down to five qubits, each represented by a single atom, they said this week.
Using laser pulses to keep the quantum system stable by holding the atoms in an ion trap, the new system promises scalability as well, as more atoms and lasers can be added to build a bigger and faster quantum computer able to factor much larger numbers. That, in turn, presents new risks for factorization-based methods such as RSA, used for protecting credit cards, state secrets and other confidential data.
Continue reading “MIT’s new 5-atom quantum computer could make today’s encryption obsolete” »
Interesting Question to ask.
The battle between the FBI and Apple over the unlocking of a terrorist’s iPhone will likely require Congress to create new legislation. That’s because there really aren’t any existing laws which encompass technologies such as these. The battle is between security and privacy, with Silicon Valley fighting for privacy. The debates in Congress will be ugly, uninformed, and emotional. Lawmakers won’t know which side to pick and will flip flop between what lobbyists ask and the public’s fear du jour. And because there is no consensus on what is right or wrong, any decision they make today will likely be changed tomorrow.
This is a prelude of things to come, not only with encryption technologies, but everything from artificial intelligence to drones, robotics, and synthetic biology. Technology is moving faster than our ability to understand it, and there is no consensus on what is ethical. It isn’t just the lawmakers who are not well-informed, the originators of the technologies themselves don’t understand the full ramifications of what they are creating. They may take strong positions today based on their emotions and financial interests, but as they learn more, they too will change their views.
Continue reading “As Technology Barrels Ahead—Will Ethics Get Left in the Dust?” »
Glad to see this article get published because it echoes many of the concerns established around China and Russia governments and their hackers having their infrastructures on Quantum before US, Europe, and Canada. Computer scientists at MIT and the University of Innsbruck say they’ve assembled the first five quantum bits (qubits) of a quantum computer that could someday factor any number, and thereby crack the security of traditional encryption schemes.
Shor’s algorithm performed in a system less than half the size experts expected.
