Chemically fueled improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are one of the deadliest hazards to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and incidents like the Oklahoma City bombing and the Sarin gas attack in Tokyo have demonstrated that civilians, too, can be the targets of chemicals and explosives. Now two organizations with Massachusetts roots are collaborating to offer … Continue reading “QinetiQ, Thermo Scientific Collaborate to Equip Explosive-Sniffing Robots with Smart Sensors”
Author: Jukka Perttu
Jukka Perttu is a journalist for Helsingin Sanomat in Finland. He is currently an Innovation Journalism Fellow at Stanford University and is working for Xconomy during his fellowship.
MIT Spinoff Levant Power On Track to Produce Energy-Boosting Shock Absorbers For Cars, Tanks, and Trains
With gasoline prices on the rise and carbon dioxide emissions threatening to bring about global climate disaster, MIT spinoff startup Levant Power is trying to help drivers cut fuel consumption—by turning their shock absorbers into a source of energy. A car going down a bumpy road vibrates. Springs absorb the vibrations, and shock absorbers damp … Continue reading “MIT Spinoff Levant Power On Track to Produce Energy-Boosting Shock Absorbers For Cars, Tanks, and Trains”
Pietzo’s Bikes Electrify Massachusetts Commuters
Millions of commuters suffer daily in traffic jams. Cars burn expensive, non-renewable gasoline and pollute our air while producing tons of carbon dioxide that threaten to bring about disastrous global climate change. But relief is coming, promises Pietzo, a year-old startup in Bedford, MA. The medicine is inexpensive, and can actually save money and offer … Continue reading “Pietzo’s Bikes Electrify Massachusetts Commuters”
QD Vision’s Quantum Dots Warm Up the Market for LED Lighting
Everyone knows that traditional incandescent lamps are inefficient and energy-wasting. But LEDs, one of the technologies vying to take their place, produce light that feels harsh and cold by comparison, leading many customers to shy away from them. Watertown, MA-based QD Vision thinks it can use its “quantum dot” technology to solve both problems—energy waste … Continue reading “QD Vision’s Quantum Dots Warm Up the Market for LED Lighting”
Terrafugia Says Flying Car Likely to Take Off in Massachusetts, But Might Land Elsewhere
Terrafugia, the Woburn, MA-based company out to produce the first practical flying car—or street legal airplane, to use the company’s term— said today it plans to build its first commercial vehicle next year in the Bay State. But CEO Carl Dietrich also said that while the company hopes to stay in Massachusetts and create hundreds … Continue reading “Terrafugia Says Flying Car Likely to Take Off in Massachusetts, But Might Land Elsewhere”