Tech Universe: Thursday 24 March

The RQ-4 Global Hawk drone. Photo / U.S. Air Force

DRONES ON DRUGS: The Pentagon has been authorised to fly uncrewed surveillance flights over Mexico looking for drug traffickers and their networks. The RQ-4 Global Hawk drone flies up to 18 Km high. Its equipment includes synthetic aperture radar, electro-optical and medium-wave infrared sensors. The drone can survey about 100,000 square Km of territory in a day. Authorities claim to have captured at least 20 high-profile drug traffickers already. Let's face it: we're all being watched, all the time, one way or another. More at the New York Times and a RQ-4 Global Hawk Factsheet.

MOBILE SERVICE STATION - IN SPACE: Satellites in orbit need fuel for minor course adjustments. Once a satellite's out of fuel or breaks down it becomes space junk. The Canadian company MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates plans to build and launch a robotic repair and refuelling satellite to take care of fixes and refuelling. It would move between satellites, servicing them and even towing them out of the way if they are defunct. If it's broke, do fix it. Details and video at Space.

ROLLER SOLAR: It's a bit like a roller blind: the OS retractable solar power system, the GSR-110B, is a 3Kg box that contains a sheet of solar cells. Pull out the sheet, as you'd pull down a roller blind or projector screen, and it gathers enough power on a sunny day to run a netbook for a couple of hours. This could be essential equipment for emergencies, or maybe camping trips or outdoor events. A genius idea. More at DigInfo and video on YouTube.

ALL-IN-ONE SOLDIERS: The British Solar Soldier project hopes to kit soldiers out in uniforms whose fabric has thermoelectric devices and solar cells woven into it. Today's soldiers may carry 45 to 70Kg of equipment, all needing or supplying power. The Project aims to reduce the weight of battery packs by 50% by combining solar photovoltaic cells, thermoelectric devices and leading-edge energy storage technology. The novel fabric could reduce weight, allow longer range action and reduce the infra-red visibility of soldiers at night. Hey, why stop at clothing? How about genetically engineered photovoltaic skin? More at EPSRC.

OUT OF THE FOG: If you wear glasses you'll know the fogging problem as you come inside on a cold day. Researchers from Quebec City's Université Laval reckon they have a solution: the world's first permanent anti-fog coating. It's a polyvinyl alcohol, a hydrophilic compound that disperses individual droplets of condensation. The coating's applied on top of a base of 4 layers of silicon molecules that bond to one another and the alcohol and keep it permanently in place. Ah, fog-free forever; pass the alcohol. More at GizMag.

- Miraz Jordan knowit.co.nz