Call it a tempest in a D-cup.
British rocket scientists are focusing their technological know-how on a problem that weighs heavily on women’s shoulders: getting more comfort and support out of their brassieres.
According to a report in the Electronic Telegraph, researchers at Loughborough University developed their design for the undergarment based on analysis of the stress to a woman’s body as gravity acts upon her breasts as she stands and moves around.
The analysis resulted from data generated via Electron Speckle Pattern Interfermometry, a technique where scientists bounce laser beams off objects and into the eye of a camera to create a 3D image of the surfaces on a computer. This technique is currently used to study load distribution in rocket engines and on bridges.
Because each point on the surface of the object is recorded by the laser, the computer can capture the movement of each point as the object moves. From this tracking, researchers can measure the rates of change in the movements of the points and thus calculate the stress that forces such as gravity impose on an object.
And the study of women’s breasts has revealed the source of discomfort resulting from straps and bands cutting into skin: the cup. Bra cups need to be retooled to handle their loads more efficiently.
Tyrer, who will present his findings Friday at the annual congress of the Institute of Physics in Brighton, is keeping the details of the design of the perfect bra close to his, er, vest. Nevertheless, he claims his band of researchers will be able to outdo even Wonderbra by creating an undergarment that women will scarcely notice.
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__Intel Demos Merced Chip:__Though it was just a simulation, Intel demonstrated its next-generation processor, Merced - still a vague term that looks more like a misspelling of the car company than Intel's hot next-generation chip. Presenting at the German computer trade show, CeBIT, the company also demonstrated a series of new processors due out over the next 18 months.
The new chips include a ramped-up version of the Pentium II for servers and workstations due out later this year. That chip will reportedly run at 400 MHz, topping the current 333MHz Pentium. A new generation of 32-bit Pentiums is scheduled for release by early 1999, which will be followed by the company's 64-bit family of processors, the first member of which will be the Merced. Initial versions of the Merced are expected to run at 600 MHz, using a 0.18-micron silicon fabrication process, thinner than the 0.25-micron process used now.
Reuters contributed to this report.
