Manufacturing Bits: March 14


Sonic screwdrivers and tricorders Inspired by two famous TV shows, the Australian National University (ANU) has developed a futuristic handheld device that combines molecular MRI and mass spectrometry for use in chemical analysis of objects. The device was inspired by the sonic screwdriver from Doctor Who and the tricorder from Star Trek. The sonic screwdriver is a tool used in Doctor Who, ... » read more

Where Is Gene Roddenberry When You Need Him?


As we chatted the other day, my colleague Scott Lewis said something so deceptively simple that it made us stop in our tracks. “We need another Gene Roddenberry,” he said. The Star Trek creator in the 1960s introduced the world to an array of futuristic technologies (the tricorder, wireless ear sets and so on) that in effect became our collective electronics product roadmap. We have m... » read more