Top Technologies of 2008

The editors look back at some of the most significant technological innovations during the past year according to readers.

Using quartz and sapphire components, high-powered lasers, and scientific cameras, researchers can see inside an operating engine, and that vision is proving to be a valuable aid for finding ways to reduce diesel emissions.

Researchers in the Energy Application Techniques Division at IFP (French Institute of Petroleum) in Rueil-Malmaison, France, use the optical engine as a tool to get visual data, to get quantitative data, and to better understand the physical processes that are occurring in an engine.