Fiber Optic Cables To Detect Tunnels

Researchers from the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Technion, Israel Institute of Technology have developed an interesting technology to identify and locate the exact position of underground tunnels. This is very useful technology, especially in times of war, when underground tunnels are often used to smuggle prohibited goods and arms into warzones. In some places of the world, underground tunnels are even used to smuggle people across international borders.

Researchers from Technion have used the same kind of fiber optic cables in this technology that are commonly used for telecommunication systems across the world. This system is capable of pinpointing the position of any tunnel, no matter how narrow or wide it may be, at depths more than 60 feet below the surface of the ground. This system is so sensitive; it can locate and identify cracks and strains that are caused in the ground by the process of excavation.

The ground can be affected by a number of disturbances including water percolation and erosion. This unique system is able to create simple profiles for each variety of strain found in the ground and eliminates those that can be caused by natural causes. Using this process of elimination, it can identify the exact variety of strain caused in the ground due to excavation.

This system is based on an existing technology called BOTDR (Brillouin Optical Time Domain Reflectometry) that can measure ground distortion along 15 miles using one device. It then supplies a continuous profile of soil distortions to the device through a fiber optic cable which then performs the function of identifying those ground strain profiles that characterize the process of excavation.
The new technological wonder will be presented in Orlando, Florida, at the Defense, Security and Sensing Conference of SPIE (an international society advancing light-based research) in April 2009.

The Future Of Technology

Hey again, I’ve done some good posts today; I thought it would be best to keep it going while I have ideas running through my head. Anyway, I just had quick thought after thinking about the blog itself for a while. The answer itself was in what this blog is about; the future of technology. So I set out to find some good answers to what the future of technology holds and what we can expect to see. I have constructed this list with both personal and group views on the matter. As always you are all free to leave answers and comments with opinions or whatever. Have fun and let’s see if we can get a huge list together. Anyhow, here is mine check it out and see what you think!

1. Energy use and evololution - I see us creating new and better uses then fuel/oil. We have already started in fact; solar powered cars and battery powered items as well. I don’t think it will be long until we substitue fuel once and for all!
2. Possibly solar powered appliances for home use. So we could have roofs that absorb the solar power in order to give us the energy to run appliances around the house and offers. I also don’t think this is too far away as they have started to do this a little; I just want them to go through with it.
3. Better recycling plants - something that really annoys me is that all the waste goes straight to the dump or oceans where pollution is created. Surely there has to be a recycling factor for all the rubbish just being dumped. What if we could use old plastic bags and create new parts for say toys are something. Any little bit helps; especially considering it helps clean up the place!
4. Cars that run on micro-waves that are below the roads surface. This would allow drivers to have an automatic drive where they would only be allowed to go a certain distance before they had to stop. This would reduce power use with traffic lights and make for a much safer drive. Sure it would take a lot of time to introduce; but imagine how safe the roads would be and how much power could be saved.
5. Apart from all the above, there will of course be additions of flying cars, time machines, microscopic laptops, hover boards, holographic phone calls, robots, talking animals, life on other planets and so on. I recommend you all watch stuff like Futurama, Spy Kids and Back to the Future. Should give you all some more ideas on this kind of thing. Hope you all liked my coverage; feel free to add anything by commenting below.