Interactive virtual reality emerges as a new tool for drug design against COVID-19

Scientists have demonstrated a new virtual reality technique which should help in developing drugs against the SARS-CoV-2 virus -- and enable researchers to share models and collaborate in new ways. The innovative tool will help scientists around the world identify anti-viral drug leads more rapidly.

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Stretchable 'skin' sensor gives robots human sensation

Cornell University researchers have created a fiber-optic sensor that combines low-cost LEDs and dyes, resulting in a stretchable ''skin'' that detects deformations such as pressure, bending and strain. This sensor could give soft robotic systems - and anyone using augmented reality technology - the ability to feel the same rich, tactile sensations...

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Sensor for smart textiles survives washing machine, cars and hammers

If the smart textiles of the future are going to survive all that we throw at them, their components are going to need to be resilient. Now, researchers have developed an ultra-sensitive, seriously resilient strain sensor that can be embedded in textiles and soft robotic systems. It could be used in everything from virtual reality simulations and sportswear...

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Virtual reality forests could help understanding of climate change

The effects of climate change are sometimes difficult to grasp, but now a virtual reality forest, created by geographers, can let people walk through a simulated forest of today and see what various futures may hold for the trees.

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Two motivational artificial beings are better than one for enhancing learning

Researchers have found that offline consolidation of a motor task was enhanced by praise delivered by robots, whether they were presented on a screen or were physically present. Further, simultaneous praise from two agents had a stronger effect than praise from just one, regardless of whether the agents were physically present or virtual. Such effects...

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Virtual Reality health appointments can help patients address eating disorders

Research has revealed that Virtual Reality (VR) technology can have significant impact on the validity of remote health appointments for those with eating disorders, through a process called Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET).

Oct 2020

3D hand pose estimation using a wrist-worn camera

Researchers have developed a wrist-worn device for 3D hand pose estimation. The system consists of a camera that captures images of the back of the hand, and is supported by a neural network called DorsalNet which can accurately recognize dynamic gestures.

Oct 2020

New virtual reality software allows scientists to 'walk' inside cells

Virtual reality software which allows researchers to 'walk' inside and analyze individual cells could be used to understand fundamental problems in biology and develop new treatments for disease.

Oct 2020

'Universal law of touch' will enable new advances in virtual reality

Seismic waves, commonly associated with earthquakes, have been used by scientists to develop a universal scaling law for the sense of touch. A team used Rayleigh waves to create the first scaling law for touch sensitivity.

Oct 2020

When bots do the negotiating, humans more likely to engage in deceptive techniques

Researchers found that whether humans would embrace a range of deceptive and sneaky negotiating techniques was dependent both on the humans' prior negotiating experience in negotiating as well as whether virtual agents where employed to negotiate on their behalf. The findings stand in contrast to prior studies and show that when humans use intermediaries...

Oct 2020