Information Technology

Having vital location or map-based information at their fingertips could make the difference between life and death for rescue workers and emergency services working at the scene of a natural disaster or terrorist attack.

A research centre is being launched at The University of Nottingham to look at how the latest advances in computer software and mobile communications could help agencies to prepare for a major event, such as the 2012 Olympic Games, and plan their response should a

A far reaching analysis of the potential futures faced by Europe’s information communication technologies (ICT) sector in a global context is laying detailed and incisive groundwork for policy makers to improve Europe’s situation by guiding ICT developments over the medium to long term.

“FISTERA aimed to investigate long-term trends in ICT to make a foresight analysis of changes in information communication technologies and uses by 2020,” says Ramón Compañó, of the Institute fo

Today, most computer and consumer electronic devices require wires to record, play or exchange data. UWB (Ultra Wide Band) eliminates the need for such wires freeing people to perform activities such as remotely connecting their mobile PC to a printer, streaming audio from an MP3 player to speakers, or wirelessly transferring digital pictures to a photo print kiosk.

Tel Aviv-based Wisair develops UWB chipsets that facilitate the production of low cost, low power, and high bit-rate communica

The sheer number and variety of security protocols for Internet applications under development makes it difficult to be sure that any one protocol is 100 per cent secure from attack. Now an automated tool can systematically validate these security-sensitive protocols and applications.

“The AVISPA software tool enables a security protocol designer to input the protocol and the language he/she wishes to use, then feeds back information on this protocol including any known bugs or

The new technology developed by VTT, Technical Research Centre of Finland makes it possible to identify the user based on her or his physical movements such as walking style. This feature prevents unauthorised use of portable devices such as laptops or mobile phones. In the future, credit cards may also verify user’s identify based on their physical movements before approval of payment transactions.

For the user the new identification system offers the advantages of increased se

Metal detectors currently used for screening aircraft passengers could soon be supplanted by novel millimetre-wave cameras, able to detect even non-metallic concealed objects. The new system, named after a Brazilian bat, is based on technology developed for ESA spacecraft. Tadar is being demonstrated at this week’s Inter Airport Europe Exhibition in Munich.

Conventional metal detectors, such as those used to check passengers at airports, are limited in that they can on