Bridging optics and electronics

Researchers have developed a simple spatial light modulator made from gold electrodes covered by a thin film of electro-optical material that changes its optical properties in response to electric signals.

2w

Making self-driving cars human-friendly

Automated vehicles could be made more pedestrian-friendly thanks to new research which could help them predict when people will cross the road. Scientists investigating how to better understand human behavior in traffic say that neuroscientific theories of how the brain makes decisions can be used in automated vehicle technology to improve safety and...

3w

Ultra-short flashes of light illuminate a possible path to future beyond-CMOS electronics

Researchers have demonstrated that ultra-short pulses of light, down to 34 millionths of a billionth of a second, elicit the same response as continuous illumination. The experiment harnessed interactions between real and virtual states to 'switch' the electronic state of an atomically-thin (2D) material, tungsten-disulfide, aiding the search for future...

3w

Virtual care with remote monitoring catches drug errors and reduces patient pain

The study looked at patient outcomes from virtual care and remote automated monitoring (RAM) -- video calls with nurses and doctors, and self-monitoring of vital signs using wearable devices. Half of 905 post-surgery patients at nine sites in Hamilton, Kingston, London, Ottawa and Edmonton in Canada were randomized to use technology at home -- a cellular...

4w

Virtual reality affects children differently than adults

Immersive virtual reality disrupts the child's default coordination strategy, scientists show, something that should be taken into account when developing virtual reality rehabilitation protocols for children.

4w

Soft pressure sensor breakthrough solves field's most challenging bottleneck

Researchers solved one of the biggest problems with existing wearable pressure sensors: even the slightest amount of pressure, something as light as a tight long sleeve shirt over a sensor, can throw them off track -- and they did it by innovating a first-ever hybrid sensing approach that allows the device to possess properties of the two predominant...

4w

Capturing light: New ergonomic photodetector for the trillion-sensor era

Light-to-frequency conversion circuits (LFCs) are often used to overcome setbacks faced by conventional ultra-low power light sensors. However, use of LFCs can lead to chip area wastage and poor performance of photosensors. Researchers have now developed a highly photosensitive LFC with improved chip area economy, high tuneability, and superior compatibility...

4w

Pioneering software can grow and treat virtual tumors using AI designed nanoparticles

The EVONANO platform allows scientists to grow virtual tumors and use artificial intelligence to automatically optimize the design of nanoparticles to treat them. The ability to grow and treat virtual tumors is an important step towards developing new therapies for cancer. Importantly, scientists can use virtual tumors to optimize design of nanoparticle-based...

Sep 2021

Augmented reality helps tackle fear of spiders

Researchers have developed an augmented reality app for smartphones in order to help people reduce their fear of spiders. The app has already shown itself to be effective in a clinical trial, with subjects experiencing less fear of real spiders after completing just a few training units with the app at home.

Sep 2021

A universal system for decoding any type of data sent across a network

A new silicon chip can decode any error-correcting code through the use of a novel algorithm known as Guessing Random Additive Noise Decoding (GRAND).

Sep 2021