ICT dominates emerging tech grants
ICT companies have dominated the latest round of Commercialising Emerging Technologies (Comet) grants announced by the federal government, says Computerworld.
Of nine companies awarded $70 400 each (for a total of $633 600), five are directly related to ICT.
Funding recipients include Airscape Technology, which designed a rich client for standard mobile phones enabling them to run applications which currently only run on smartphones. The application uses Java Virtual Machine and aims to present enterprise-grade applications.
Terahertz airport scanners could ID explosives
For more than 30 years, scientists have been trying to harness the power of terahertz radiation, according to Science Daily.
Tucked between microwaves and infrared rays on the electromagnetic spectrum, terahertz rays can penetrate clothing, plastic, and human tissue, but they're thought to be safer than X-rays.
Since they're absorbed to different degrees by different molecules, they can also tell chemicals apart: a terahertz scanner at an airport checkpoint, for example, could determine whether a vial in a closed suitcase contained aspirin, methamphetamines or an explosive.
Five tech to transform govt
Input, a market research company focusing on the government sector, has identified five technology trends it says will transform the federal government, reports eWeek. They include cloud computing, virtualisation, service-oriented architecture, open source software and geospatial technologies.
According to statement on Input's November report, 'Emerging technology markets in the US federal government, 2009-2014,' these technological areas are "poised for increased federal government adoption over the next five years as cost-saving initiatives drive investment in these solutions".
Based on the study, Input officials said the company "projects the federal cloud computing market to grow from $370 million in 2009 to $1.2 billion in 2014 at a 27% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). The virtualisation market is poised to increase from $800 million to $1.4 billion over the next five years (12% CAGR)".
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