— Biocompatible graphene transistor array reads cellular signals — Researchers have demonstrated, for the first time, a graphene-based transistor array that is compatible with living biological cells and capable of recording the electrical signals…
— Researchers find some smartphone models more vulnerable to attack — New research from North Carolina State University shows that some smartphones specifically designed to support the Android mobile platform have incorporated additional features that…
— MIT: New algorithm may improve defensive driving — In 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2.3 million automobile crashes occurred at intersections across the United States, resulting in some 7,000…
— Researchers use CT to recreate Stradivarius violin — Using computed tomography (CT) imaging and advanced manufacturing techniques, a team of experts has created a reproduction of a 1704 Stradivarius violin. Three-dimensional images of…
— Terminator-style info-vision takes step towards reality — The streaming of real-time information across your field of vision is a step closer to reality with the development of a prototype contact lens that could potentially provide the wearer…
— Scientists invent long-lasting, near infrared-emitting material — Materials that emit visible light after being exposed to sunlight are commonplace and can be found in everything from emergency signage to glow-in-the-dark stickers. But until now,…
— Team of researchers develop world's lightest material — A team of researchers from UC Irvine, HRL Laboratories and the California Institute of Technology have developed the world's lightest material - with a density of 0.9 mg/cc - about…
— Humans can control a cursor with power of thought — The act of mind reading is something usually reserved for science-fiction movies but researchers in America have used a technique, usually associated with identifying epilepsy, for…
— Nanoparticles improve solar collection efficiency — Using minute graphite particles 1000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, mechanical engineers at Arizona State University hope to boost the efficiency - and profitability…
WHOI expertise, technology, tapped for search for Air France Flight 447
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is part of an international sea search operation formed to locate the deep-sea wreck site of Air France Flight 447 and to retrieve the flight recorders from the Airbus A 330.
Susan Avery, president and director of WHOI, said that the Institution 'is honoured to be part of this mission.' A private, independent organisation dedicated to marine research, engineering and higher education, 'WHOI brings to the undersea search operation the necessary technologies, the required talent and the familiarity with working in these types of seafloor terrains to help bring this search to a successful close,' Avery added.
The search is expected to last for approximately one month.
The new recovery mission will include the use of three autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), the REMUS 6000s, vehicles designed and operated by WHOI. Two of the vehicles are owned by the Waitt Institute for Discovery; the third is owned by IFM-GEOMAR of Germany.
These autonomous undersea vehicles are designed to operate in depths up to 6,000 metres (19,685 feet or 3.73 miles). As each vehicle covers an area in a 'mowing' type pattern, it employs side-scan sonar to survey up to 600 metres to its left and right. Capable of staying underwater for up to 20 hours at a time, REMUS then returns to the ship, where scientists immediately download its data. If the data contains evidence of any debris or other items of interest undersea, a REMUS 6000 will be dispatched to gather more detailed, up-close images using high-resolution cameras located on the bottom of the vehicle.
The AUVs will be operated from the Norwegian ship, the M/V Seabed Worker, which will also be equipped with the Triton XLX remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The mission will also employ the M/V Anne Candies, out of New Orleans, which will carry the towed side-scan sonar Orion and the CURV21 ROV, both operated for the US Navy by Phoenix International.
David Gallo, WHOI director of special projects and WHOI project leader, said he is confident, 'given the necessary time and resources' that the aircraft will be found. He estimates the investigators, using the AUVs in tandem, will be able to search about 30 square miles a day.
WHOI researchers are experienced in conducting deep-sea forensic investigations. In 1997, a team from WHOI responded to a request from the British government and European Commission to assist in solving the circumstances surrounding the loss of the British bulk ore carrier, Derbyshire. Following the successful conclusion of that investigation, Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair sent a thank-you note to Bill Clinton that praised the WHOI team and stated that without their participation, the mystery would not have been solved.
And in 1985, a WHOI-led team located the wreck of the RMS Titanic.
'Few institutions are as well equipped as WHOI for this mission,' said Gallo. 'The Mid-Ocean Ridge is a feature that we have been exploring for more than 30 years. The terrain will be extremely rugged and the search will be difficult, but this is something that we have been doing as a part of our mission to explore and understand the global oceans.'
The Bureau d'Enquetes et d'Analyses, BEA, the French Bureau of investigation and analysis for civil aviation safety is leading the safety investigation and is responsible for all phases of the operation.
Or subscribe for our Newsletter, a free e-mail publication. It is published practically every day.
A look into the interior of molecules
Apple presents the new iPhone 4
From butterflies' wings to bank notes - how nature's colours could cut bank fraud
GTRI researchers design and test microfabricated planar ion traps