News Briefs

Bedford, Mass.-based Spire Corp., a supplier of photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturing equipment and production lines worldwide, has contracted with Unison Co. Ltd. of Chonan-City, Korea, to provide an advanced PV module production line. Spire has started work on the equipment for the line, capable of producing over 15 MW per year, with delivery scheduled for early 2006. . . . Eastman Kodak Co. of Rochester, N.Y., has obtained FDA approval for enhancements to its mammography computer-aided detection (CAD) system, launched 10 months ago. The company says the first update to its CAD system software increases the system's sensitivity to microcalcification clusters while reducing the number of false positive markers. . . . Southborough, Mass.-based Protonex Technology Corp., a manufacturer of fuel cell power systems for portable and remote applications, has signed an agreement with defense company Northrop Grumman Laser Systems of Los Angeles, Calif., to develop a portable power fuel cell system for the US Air Force. The companies recently demonstrated a prototype of the system, based on a 30 W portable power system fueled by chemical hydride, for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.