Technology News

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) today announced a major step toward creating one of the world’s fastest scientific networks to accelerate research in fields ranging from advanced energy solutions to particle physics. Known as the Advanced Networking Initiative (ANI), the effort represents a $62 million multi-year investment by the DOE Office of Science in next-generation networking technology. “As science becomes increasingly data-driven and global in scale, it’s critical that we create an infrastructure that will enable our scientists to collaborate and compete successfully in the search for solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges in energy,” said DOE Office of Science Director William F. Brinkman. “The Advanced Networking Initiative is the kind of investment that will help secure and maintain America’s scientific pre-eminence and improve the quality of life for all of us.”

Researchers at the University of Washington and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center have tested a wireless power system for ventricular assist devices. Using the wireless system means no power cord poking through the skin, dramatically reducing the risk of infection and improving the patient’s quality of life. Researchers envision a vest that could hold an external transmitter coil connected to a power cord or battery. A small receiver coil implanted under the patient’s skin would connect to a battery that holds enough power for about two hours, meaning the patient could be completely free for short periods of time to take a bath or go for a swim (current users of heart pumps cannot do either). Longer term, the researchers imagine additional power transmitters placed under a patient’s bed or chair, allowing patients to sleep, work or exercise at home unencumbered.