Any device would also need to be packaged in a way that made it practical - on the scale of an ultrasound scanner, for example.

BBC: Laser 'lights up' cancer

Building on the craze for corporate jets--more than 550 are expected to be sold worldwide this year--manufacturers are busily exploring how to create a practical and affordable small-scale model that can let executives fly privately in excess of the sound barrier.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Travel Watch

As the world's largest democracy, India knows a great deal about large scale elections - and their practical difficulties.

BBC: World 'smug' at US fiasco