Speed check

A hidden trap that detects how fast vehicles are going just by listening to them as they pass could catch speeding drivers unawares, reports the New Scientist. The system, being developed by the University of Tennessee and the Battelle Institute in Oak Ridge, uses microphones hidden by the roadside to measure the speed of passing vehicles. It does not emit telltale radiation, unlike radar or laser-based devices, so dashboard detectors can’t pick it up.

Computer coach

An Indiana University scientist has has created a computer model of football as it is played in the National Football League (NFL). The computer model, which is called, ZEUS runs on a laptop, perfect for a football sideline, and it’s designed to do what a coach can’t ? calculate the consequences of a decision before he calls the next play. Another application of the model is that it can convert a player’s performance to net wins per season, a great aid to managers who must work within a salary cap, according to Eurekalert.