[H]ardNews 4th Edition - Blair Tech Ed.

Rescuers Use Baseballs:

By implanting a microphone and transmitter inside a baseball, members of the university's acoustics program say they can listen for survivors in the pile while work is going on up above. "It's something that could be done very quickly at low risk to the rescuer -- he doesn't have to go out into a dangerous area and lay cables," said Thomas Gabrielson, associate professor of acoustics and a senior research associate at Penn State's Applied Research Laboratory. "If it doesn't come back, it's not a problem. These are cheap enough that if the pile breaks down, fine, you just leave it there."

Robotic Arm Tech:

Arm wrestlers of the world beware -- engineers are scheming to build a humanlike robotic arm capable of overpowering a living contender. NASA scientist Yoseph Bar-Cohen said he challenged the engineering community to develop a robotic arm that could defeat a human. Just do not expect to see any robo-wrestlers performing at a bar near you anytime soon. The technology remains years away.

Hynix 12” Fab Plans:

Hynix Semiconductor is set to kick off construction of its first 12-inch fab this year and expects to enter volume production in the fourth quarter of 2004 at the latest, stated a US-based Hynix board member in an interview with The Electronic Times. The company plans to move in equipment by the end of this year, said the board member, adding that 12-inch technology development at the South Korean DRAM maker is winding up and fundraising is flowing more smoothly than before.

90nm Coming Soon:

Volume production of 90nm designs will emerge in 2004 but the hurdles to get there are still significant, a panel of executives said Monday. The panel, assembled for a meeting of global electronics journalists here and chaired by EE Times senior editor Ron Wilson, navigated through the many pitfalls of ultra-deep submicron design and manufacture.