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Sandia, Compaq Smash World Record In Large Database Sorting

DOE/Sandia National Laboratories
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A government lab -- interested in better defense simulations and in providing tools to identify patterns of medical fraud as well as threats to on-line banking and communications systems -- teams with the largest maker of personal computers, Compaq -- interested in $15 billion data market -- to assemble an off-the-shelf computer called Kudzu that sorts information three times faster than the previous record (held by a supercomputer) at 2/3 the cost.

Funder: U.S. Dept. of Energy; Compaq Computers

"World's Smallest Combination Lock" Promises To Foil The Best Computer Hacker,Say Sandia Developers

DOE/Sandia National Laboratories
Peer-Reviewed Publication

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The “world’s smallest combination lock,” a minuscule mechanical device developed at Sandia National Laboratories, promises to build a virtually impenetrable computer firewall that even the best hacker can’t beat.

Funder: DOE

Program Encourages Use Of Renewable Energies In Mexico

DOE/Sandia National Laboratories
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A growing number of people in Mexico are using renewable energy technology to irrigate their land, light their houses, pump well water, and otherwise improve their lives, thanks to a Sandia National Laboratories cooperative program.

Funder: US Agency for International Development; Dept. of Energy

Sandia-Developed Tests Ensure Satellite Electronics Endure Long-Term Radiation Exposure

DOE/Sandia National Laboratories
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Fewer failures in satellites used for everything from communications to surveillance may be the result of bipolar electronics reliability tests developed by Sandia National Laboratories, a Department of Energy national security research lab, and a consortium headed by the Defense Special Weapons agency.

Funder: Defense Special Weapons Agency

Continuing Support For U.S. Nuclear Arsenal: National Study Conducted By University Of New Mexico Shows Public Believes US Faces Nuclear Threats

DOE/Sandia National Laboratories
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Though the Cold War has been over for more than seven years, most Americans continue to believe the U.S. remains at risk of nuclear conflict, and they support maintenance of a stockpile of nuclear weapons to ensure the safety of the country. These were among the many findings of a recently completed study of attitudes about nuclear weapons and national security conducted for Sandia National Laboratories by researchers at the Institute for Public Policy of the University of New Mexico.

Funder: Sandia National Laboratories

Microscopic Machines May Replace Quartz Crystals: Pollen-Grain-Sized Parts May Appear In Watches, TVs, Computers

DOE/Sandia National Laboratories
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A microelectromechanical device that functions as a clock source has been built in prototype at Sandia. The miniscule machines with moving parts the size of a pollen grain perform the same job as quarz crystals, the traditional technology used in timing devices in all digital electronics.

Funder: DOE

These Seashells Not Sold At The Seashore: Sandia, UNM Mimic Structure Of Seashells To Create Strong, Tough Coatings

DOE/Sandia National Laboratories
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Seashells have been valued for their beauty and utility for thousands of years. Now, in the journal Nature, Sandia scientists disclose a rapid and efficent method to self- assemble diverse materials into coatings that mimic seashell structures and are twice as strong as the same materials mixed randomly.

Journal: Nature
Funder: Sandia Laboratory Research and Development and National Science Foundation, DOE

Improved Oxygen Bath To Heal Wounds, Lessen Number Of Amputations: Sandia To Sign Agreement With Numotech To Help Create Home-Use Healing Facility

DOE/Sandia National Laboratories
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Sandia researchers are developing inexpensive sensors and pumps to make possible the home use of a relatively inexpensive oxygen bath, carefully calibrated, for the large number of elderly, paraplegics, diabetics, and burn and trauma victims, who suffer wounds, pressure ulcers or sores.

Testing 'Invisible' Machines: Sandia's Reliability Tests Advance Future Of Micromachine Systems

DOE/Sandia National Laboratories
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Work at Sandia National Laboratories to determine the reliability of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) may mean that one day soon, most electronics devices will contain the micron-size machines. Their use may expand and change the electronics industry if they prove to be highly reliable.

Funder: Department of Energy

Rapid Road Repair Vehcile Would Fix Potholes On The Fly

DOE/Sandia National Laboratories
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A Sandia lab technician who dreamed of a bus-sized vehicle that would fix potholes as it drove over them has received a patent on his idea. The vehicle would use scanners to see cracks in the road and be equipped with a global positioning system and cell phone to pinpoint and call in the location of really big cracks.