Engineering: Robotics Research Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Brain recordings capture musicality of speech -- with help from Pink Floyd      (via sciencedaily.com) 

For those with neurological or developmental disorders compromising speech, brain machine interfaces could help them communicate. But today's interfaces are slow and, from electrodes placed on the scalp, can detect letters only. The speech generated is robotic and affectless. Neuroscientists have now shown that they can reconstruct the song a person is hearing from brain recordings alone, holding out the possibility of reconstructing not only words but the musicality of speech, which also conveys meaning.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

A wearable ultrasound scanner could detect breast cancer earlier      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In hopes of improving the survival rate for breast cancer patients, researchers designed a wearable ultrasound device that could allow women to detect tumors when they are still in early stages.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

A quick look inside a human being      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Physicists have succeeded in making a new imaging technique ready for use on humans. Radioactive markers and radiation are not necessary for this.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Controlling signal routing in quantum information processing      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Routing signals and isolating them against noise and back-reflections are essential in many practical situations in classical communication as well as in quantum processing. In a theory-experimental collaboration, a team has achieved unidirectional transport of signals in pairs of 'one-way streets'. This research opens up new possibilities for more flexible signaling devices.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Acoustics researchers decompose sound accurately into its three basic components      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Any sound can now be perfectly replicated by a combination of whistles, clicks, and hisses, with implications for sound processing across the media landscape.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels Energy: Nuclear
Published

Public support hydrogen and biofuels to decarbonize global shipping      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research into public attitudes towards alternative shipping fuels shows public backing for biofuel and hydrogen. The study also found that nuclear was preferred to the heavy fuel oil (HFO) currently used in the global shipping industry, although both were perceived negatively. Ammonia had the least public support.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Robotic glove that 'feels' lends a 'hand' to relearn playing piano after a stroke      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new soft robotic glove is lending a 'hand' and providing hope to piano players who have suffered a disabling stroke or other neurotrauma. Combining flexible tactile sensors, soft actuators and AI, this robotic glove is the first to 'feel' the difference between correct and incorrect versions of the same song and to combine these features into a single hand exoskeleton. Unlike prior exoskeletons, this new technology provides precise force and guidance in recovering the fine finger movements required for piano playing and other complex tasks.

Computer Science: Encryption Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

How secure are voice authentication systems really?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Computer scientists have discovered a method of attack that can successfully bypass voice authentication security systems with up to a 99% success rate after only six tries.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Researchers use ultrasound to control orientation of small particles      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Acoustic waves may be able to control how particles sort themselves. While researchers have been able to separate particles based on their shape -- for example, bacteria from other cells -- for years, the ability to control their movement has remained a largely unsolved problem, until now. Using ultrasound technology and a nozzle, researchers have separated, controlled and ejected different particles based on their shape and various properties.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Wind farm noise exposure doesn't wake people up from their slumber more than road traffic noise      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Short exposure to wind farm and road traffic noise triggers a small increase in people waking from their slumber that can fragment their sleep patterns, according to new research. But importantly, the new study also shows that wind farm noise isn't more disruptive to sleep than road traffic, which was a little more disruptive at the loudest audio level but not at more common levels. Sleep researchers have studied the impact of exposure to wind farm noise during sleep in three new scientific publications to better understand its impact.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

When soft spheres make porous media stiffer      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Porous media such as concrete physically represent a spherical packing of different components -- in this case cement, rock and water. The mechanical properties of such mixtures are still difficult to calculate due to their discretized nature. A team has now been able to investigate an unexpected property of mixtures of granular media consisting of soft and stiff spherical particles. For this purpose, a combination of ultrasound investigations and X-ray computed tomographic imaging was employed, allowing a three-dimensional (3D) characterization and evaluation. The discovery could contribute to safer future building in earthquake zones.

Biology: Cell Biology Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Clean, sustainable fuels made 'from thin air' and plastic waste      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have demonstrated how carbon dioxide can be captured from industrial processes -- or even directly from the air -- and transformed into clean, sustainable fuels using just the energy from the Sun.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

A 'spy' in the belly      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

To ensure that wounds remain tightly sealed in the abdomen after surgery, researchers have developed a patch with a sensor function. The polymer patch warns before the occurrence of dangerous leaks on sutures in the gastrointestinal tract take hold, while closes the areas on its own. A new material now enables a fast, easy and non-invasive leak diagnosis.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound Physics: General
Published

Actively reducing noise by ionizing air      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists show that a thin layer of plasma, created by ionizing air, could be promising as an active sound absorber, with applications in noise control and room acoustics.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound Physics: General Physics: Optics
Published

Source-shifting metastructures composed of only one resin for location camouflaging      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Acoustic source-shifters make observers mis-perceive the location of sound by reproducing a sound emanating from a location different from the actual location of a sound source. Researchers have now developed a design approach to produce high-performance source-shifters using a common polymer for location camouflage. Utilizing inverse design based on topology optimization, this development could pave the way for advanced augmented reality and holography technology.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General
Published

Hydrogen battery: Storing hydrogen in coal may help power clean energy economy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The quest to develop hydrogen as a clean energy source that could curb our dependence on fossil fuels may lead to an unexpected place -- coal. Scientists have found that coal may represent a potential way to store hydrogen gas, much like batteries store energy for future use, addressing a major hurdle in developing a clean energy supply chain.

Energy: Fossil Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Researchers examine cooling power plants with brackish groundwater      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Nontraditional water sources can be deployed to help cope with climate-induced water risks and tackle the increasing water demand for decarbonization of fossil fuel-fired power plants, but that could increase the cost of electricity generation by 8 percent to 10 percent.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

A giant leap forward in wireless ultrasound monitoring for subjects in motion      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Engineers have developed the first fully integrated wearable ultrasound system for deep-tissue monitoring, including for subjects on the go.