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January 2016 Issue

Get Ready for the World’s First Cyborg Olympics

At the Zurich games, people with disabilities will use robotics to go for the gold

8 min read

Features

In-depth articles from top experts, Spectrum editors, and contributors

DNA Manufacturing Enters the Age of Mass Production

Synthetic-biology startups adopt technologies from the computer industry

3 min read

Norway Pioneers the Digital Radio Future, Abandoning FM

The world watches as Norway makes the switch from analog to digital

3 min read

Can HPE’s “The Machine” Deliver?

A 320-terabyte prototype, expected in 2016, will showcase the company’s bid to reinvent computing

4 min read

Seabed-Mining Robots Will Dig for Gold in Hydrothermal Vents

Nautilus Minerals will test its gear on the ocean floor in 2016

4 min read

Virtual Reality App: Takes Over Your Social Life

Meeting people, not playing games, will make Virtual Reality popular

4 min read

China’s Comac to Challenge Boeing and Airbus

The company’s C919 airliner is slated to begin flight tests soon

3 min read

Armada of Martian Probes Will Study the Planet, Inside and Out

Five intrepid spacecraft will make their way to the Red Planet in 2016

6 min read

Will the U.S. Finally Get a Unified Power Grid?

The long-delayed Tres Amigas superstation would help move up to 20 gigawatts of electricity around the continent

4 min read

Elon Musk’s Hyperloop Proposal Gains Momentum

Before building a vacuum train tube from L.A. to San Francisco, proponents must succeed with an 8-kilometer test track

8 min read

$100 Million Breakthrough Listen Initiative Starts Searching for E.T.

The latest search for extraterrestrial intelligence will seek out radio and laser signals from other worlds

3 min read

Are Yahoo and Google Really Serious About E-mail Encryption?

Despite big promises, these tech giants probably won’t champion end-to-end encryption

4 min read

News

Insight and analysis on the latest advances in technology

Two Steps Closer to a Quantum Internet

Einstein’s “spooky action at a distance” can reach as far as low earth orbit, and twisted light could boost quantum communication bandwidth

4 min read

Power Problems Threaten to Strangle Exascale Computing

Three possible solutions: specialized architectures, millivolt switches, and 3-D memory

4 min read

Taiwan Neglects Supercomputing

The chip leader’s fastest machine has slipped off the list of the 500 most powerful supercomputers

3 min read

Is Real Wireless Phone Charging Nearly Here?

Some companies say they’ll show big advances in 2016

3 min read

Opinion

Spectrum editors and columnists comment on major tech trends

The Engineer’s Dilemma Resurfaces in Volkswagen’s Emissions Scandal

Codes of ethics abound. Does groupthink override them?

2 min read

The Deaths of Elephants

Statistics show how the demand for ivory has led to the devastation of elephant populations in Africa

3 min read

Planning for Greatness

Should we try for great leaps over incremental advances?

2 min read

Departments

Articles on DIY projects, engineering careers, and tech history

Radiation-Proof Robot’s Terrifying Safety Demonstration

In 1962, the U.S. Air Force’s monster Beetle manipulator threatened budgets, sanity, and women

1 min read

Teen Girls Will Create Games to Play on a Philadelphia Skyscraper

A STEM outreach effort will encourage girls to code by giving them a huge canvas

3 min read

Review: NYC’s Computing History on Display

The Silicon City exhibition at the New York Historical Society presents a golden age for computers in the Big Apple

3 min read

Build Your Own Home Security System

Scare intruders away with a ridiculously loud alarm

4 min read

Explore more issues

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January 2016 Issue

At the Zurich games, people with disabilities will use robotics to go for the gold

Cynthia Breazeal’s home robot wants to be your family’s new best friend

Synthetic-biology startups adopt technologies from the computer industry

The world watches as Norway makes the switch from analog to digital

A 320-terabyte prototype, expected in 2016, will showcase the company’s bid to reinvent computing

Nautilus Minerals will test its gear on the ocean floor in 2016

Meeting people, not playing games, will make Virtual Reality popular

The company’s C919 airliner is slated to begin flight tests soon

Five intrepid spacecraft will make their way to the Red Planet in 2016

The long-delayed Tres Amigas superstation would help move up to 20 gigawatts of electricity around the continent

Before building a vacuum train tube from L.A. to San Francisco, proponents must succeed with an 8-kilometer test track

The latest search for extraterrestrial intelligence will seek out radio and laser signals from other worlds

Despite big promises, these tech giants probably won’t champion end-to-end encryption

Einstein’s “spooky action at a distance” can reach as far as low earth orbit, and twisted light could boost quantum communication bandwidth

Three possible solutions: specialized architectures, millivolt switches, and 3-D memory

The chip leader’s fastest machine has slipped off the list of the 500 most powerful supercomputers

Some companies say they’ll show big advances in 2016

Codes of ethics abound. Does groupthink override them?

Statistics show how the demand for ivory has led to the devastation of elephant populations in Africa

Should we try for great leaps over incremental advances?

In 1962, the U.S. Air Force’s monster Beetle manipulator threatened budgets, sanity, and women

A STEM outreach effort will encourage girls to code by giving them a huge canvas

The Silicon City exhibition at the New York Historical Society presents a golden age for computers in the Big Apple

Making the Internet bloom in the desert

Scare intruders away with a ridiculously loud alarm

Explore more issues

Download this issue