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

A precision arm for miniature robots      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Until now, microscopic robotic systems have had to make do without arms. Now researchers have developed an ultrasonically actuated glass needle that can be attached to a robotic arm. This lets them pump and mix minuscule amounts of liquid and trap particles.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Tracking radiation treatment in real time promises safer, more effective cancer therapy      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Radiation, used to treat half of all cancer patients, can be measured during treatment for the first time with precise 3D imaging. By capturing and amplifying tiny sound waves created when X-rays heat tissues in the body, medical professionals can map the radiation dose within the body, giving them new data to guide treatments in real time. It's a first-of-its-kind view of an interaction doctors have previously been unable to 'see.'

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Team writes letters with ultrasonic beam, develops deep learning based real-time ultrasonic hologram generation technology      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A team has developed a 'deep learning-based ultrasound hologram generation framework' technology that can freely configure the form of focused ultrasound in real time based on holograms. It is expected to be used as a basic technology in the field of brain stimulation and treatment that requires precision in the future.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

A type of simple, DIY air filter can be an effective way to filter out indoor air pollutants      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A study found that inexpensive, easy-to-assemble Corsi-Rosenthal boxes can help reduce exposure to indoor air pollutants. The air filters have already been shown to reduce particles carrying the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Brain flexibility may hasten hearing improvements from cochlear implants      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Kickstarting the brain's natural ability to adjust to new circumstances, or neuroplasticity, improves how effectively a cochlear implant can restore hearing loss, a new study in deaf rats shows. The investigation, researchers say, may help explain the extreme variation in hearing improvements experienced by implant recipients.

Geoscience: Landslides
Published

Study shows landbuilding, site of freshwater diversion      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Supporters of the large-scale Mississippi River sediment diversions currently being planned by the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority got a boost to their case recently when scientists published an analysis of two existing freshwater diversions on the state's coastline, one of which shows a significant amount of land having formed over the past 17 years.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

An exotic interplay of electrons      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Water that simply will not freeze, no matter how cold it gets -- a research group has discovered a quantum state that could be described in this way. Experts have managed to cool a special material to near absolute zero temperature. They found that a central property of atoms -- their alignment -- did not 'freeze', as usual, but remained in a 'liquid' state. The new quantum material could serve as a model system to develop novel, highly sensitive quantum sensors.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Landslides
Published

Landslide risk remains years after even a weak earthquake      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Satellite observations have revealed that weak seismic ground shaking can trigger powerful landslide acceleration -- even several years after a significant earthquake.

Geoscience: Landslides
Published

Satellites cast critical eye on coastal dead zones      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have found a new and better way to use remote sensing to understand where coastal dead zones are and predict changes.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Wireless earphones as inexpensive hearing aids      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Some commercial earbuds can perform as well as hearing aids. The result could help a large proportion of people with hearing loss access more affordable sound amplification devices.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Landslides
Published

Using 1980s environmental modeling to mitigate future disasters: Could Japan's 3/11 disaster have been prevented?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

On March 11, 2011, multiple catastrophes in Japan were triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake, including the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. This event, also known as the 3/11 disaster, is what is known as a compound disaster. Now that over a decade has passed since this event, researchers are investigating how to prevent the next compound disaster.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Landslides
Published

Report outlines plans for major research effort on subduction zone geologic hazards      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Subduction zones, where one tectonic plate slides beneath another, produce the most devastating seismic, volcanic, and landslide hazards on the planet. A new report presents an ambitious plan to make major advances in understanding subduction zone hazards by bringing together a diverse community of scientists in a long-term collaborative effort, deploying new instrumentation in subduction zones, and developing more sophisticated and accurate models.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Want to fire up the dance floor? Play low-frequency bass      (via sciencedaily.com) 

To find out how different aspects of music influence the body, researchers turned a live electronic music concert into a lab study. By introducing levels of bass over speakers that were too low to hear and monitoring the crowd's movements, scientists found that people danced 11.8 percent more when the very low frequency bass was present.

Engineering: Biometric Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Automatic speaker recognition technology outperforms human listeners in the courtroom      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The forensic-voice-comparison system, based on state-of-the-art automatic-speaker-recognition technology, outperformed all the listeners.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Using sound to model the world      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed a machine-learning technique that captures and models the underlying acoustics of a scene from a limited number of sound recordings. The system can accurately simulate what any sound, like a song, would sound like if a person were to walk around to different locations in a scene.

Geoscience: Landslides
Published

Physics of disaster: How mudslides move      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A devastating fire followed by an intense rainstorm triggered mudslides in Southern California in 2018 that claimed 23 lives. New findings elucidate the physics behind the deadly disaster that may inform predictive models of future mudslides.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Capturing and analyzing subtle combination tones produced by violins      (via sciencedaily.com) 

When two musical notes are played simultaneously, the human ear can perceive weak additional tones called combination tones. While less perceivable, objective combination tones are also generated by some musical instruments. Researchers have now used violins to explore these rarely studied objective combination tones. They found that the combination tones produced by higher-quality violins were much stronger and clearly audible and powerful air resonance and violin sound quality are linked. The higher-quality violins produced a stronger air resonance due to several factors, including structural material and crafting techniques.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

How low-cost earbuds can make newborn hearing screening accessible      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have created a newborn hearing screening system that uses cheap earbuds and a smartphone instead of an expensive commercial device.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Skin-attachable auditory sensor that functions even in noisy environments      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A research team has developed a skin-attachable auditory sensor, which recognizes human voices in noisy environments and when users wear facemasks. The new sensor will be useful in microphones that facilitate communication in disaster situations and for healthcare devices that diagnose respiratory diseases.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Landslides
Published

Seismic sensing reveals flood damage potential      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Rapidly evolving floods are a major and growing hazard worldwide. Currently, their onset and evolution is hard to identify using existing systems. However, seismic sensors already in place to detect earthquakes could be a solution to this problem. Researchers show that a seismometer can sense a flood, such as the devastating one that hit Germany in July 2021, up to 1.5 km away. This could act as an early warning to save lives and lessen damage. They also found that being able to measure the 'seismic footprint' of the flood provides information on its magnitude, velocity and trajectory in real time, which could be used for future flood protection.