Technology and the built world

Direct-broadcast satellite television in Latin America and the Caribbean

Direct-broadcast satellite television in Latin America and the Caribbean delivers pay TV to home dishes, growing from 2 million households in 1998 to about 31 million by 2014.

Direct-drive wind turbine

A direct-drive wind turbine is a wind turbine whose generator is coupled directly to the rotor hub without a gearbox, improving reliability but requiring a larger, low-speed generator.

Direct-methanol fuel cell

A direct-methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is a fuel cell that converts liquid methanol directly into electricity, pursued for portable and remote power despite methanol crossover limiting its performance.

Direct-sequence spread spectrum

Direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) is a technique that spreads each data bit over a much wider bandwidth using a pseudo-random code, underpinning CDMA and GPS.

The direct-shift gearbox (DSG, German Direkt-Schalt-Getriebe), sold by Audi as S-tronic, is Volkswagen Group's dual-clutch automated manual transmission using two clutches for fast shifts, first mass-produced in 2003.

Direct-to-chip liquid cooling

Direct-to-chip liquid cooling (D2C), also called cold plate cooling, circulates liquid coolant through plates mounted on CPUs and GPUs, replacing air for high-power AI hardware.

Direct-to-consumer automobile selling in the United States

Direct-to-consumer automobile selling in the United States lets manufacturers like Tesla sell cars through their own stores, but state franchise laws restrict it in much of the country.

Direct-to-device satellite connectivity

Direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity, also called direct-to-cell, is a service architecture enabling standard smartphones to reach areas terrestrial networks do not cover.

Direct-to-film printing

Direct-to-film printing is a digital textile decoration process that prints a design onto film, coats it with hot-melt adhesive powder, and heat-presses it onto fabric.

Direct-to-home television in India

Direct-to-home television in India, also known as DTH in India, delivers satellite TV directly to a subscriber's dish and set-top box, first launched as Dish TV in 2003.

Direct-use geothermal

Direct-use geothermal is the use of geothermal energy for heating without first converting it to electricity, through wells tapping 80–300 °F waters for buildings and industry.

Direct3D

Direct3D, the 3D graphics API of Microsoft DirectX (D3D11, D3D12), draws primitives and runs compute shaders on Windows GPUs; HLSL shaders, DXGI presentation, Agility SDK updates, Vulkan translation layers.

Directed air flow gecko adhesion (microstructured dry adhesive)

Directed air flow gecko adhesion is a microstructured dry adhesive of silicone microwedges that grips smooth surfaces under directional shear, tested on Stanford's climbing robot StickyBot.

Directed energy deposition

Directed energy deposition (DED) is a metal additive manufacturing process in which a laser, electron beam, or arc melts powder or wire as it is deposited.

Directed self-assembly

Directed self-assembly (DSA) is a nanofabrication technique in which block copolymers amplify lithographic guide patterns into finer nanostructures, used as a resolution-enhancement step in semiconductor patterning.

Directed-energy weapon

A directed-energy weapon (DEW) is a weapon using concentrated electromagnetic energy instead of kinetic energy to destroy targets. Types include high-energy lasers and high-power microwave weapons, first fielded by the US Navy in 2014.

DirectInput

DirectInput, also known as DInput, is a Microsoft DirectX API for reading input from the mouse, keyboard, joysticks, and force-feedback devices, built for Windows games and simulations.

Direction finding

Direction finding (DF), also called radio direction finding or DFing, measures the bearing of an arriving radio signal; intersecting bearings from two or more stations locate a transmitter.

Direction générale de l'armement

The Direction générale de l'armement (DGA, Directorate General for Armament) is the French defense procurement agency, created by Charles de Gaulle in 1961 to equip the French armed forces.

Direction générale de l'Aviation civile

The Direction générale de l'Aviation civile (DGAC) is the French state administration responsible for civil aviation safety, air traffic management, and market regulation, created by decree in 1976.

Direction of arrival estimation

Direction of arrival (DOA) estimation determines the directions from which radio or acoustic signals arrive at a sensor array, underpinning radar, sonar, and wireless beamforming.

Directional array

A directional array combines the signals of two or more antenna elements with controlled amplitudes and phases to concentrate energy in some directions and suppress it in others.

Directional boring

Directional boring, also called horizontal directional drilling (HDD), is a trenchless method for installing underground pipes, conduits, and cables, used beneath rivers, roads, and railroads.

Directional modulation

Directional modulation (DM) is a physical-layer security technique that uses an antenna array to transmit clean data to a target receiver, distorting symbols elsewhere to defeat passive eavesdropping.

Directional overcurrent relay

A directional overcurrent relay, ANSI device 67, combines overcurrent and directional elements so it trips only for fault current above pickup flowing in a preset direction.

Directional solidification

Directional solidification is a casting technique that controls heat flow so a material solidifies in one direction, forming aligned columnar grains or a single crystal.

Directive on the legal protection of computer programs

The Software Directive, adopted in 1991 as Directive 91/250/EEC and codified in 2009, requires European Union Member States to protect computer programs by copyright as literary works.

Directly modulated laser

A directly modulated laser applies the data signal directly to a semiconductor laser's current, offering low cost and power for short-reach fiber links like data centers.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (India)

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, or Indian DGCA, is the regulatory body for civil aviation in India, primarily responsible for safety and headquartered in New Delhi.