Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

Improving urban planning with virtual reality      (via sciencedaily.com) 

What should the city we live in look like? How do structural changes affect the people who move around it? Cartographers use virtual reality tools to explore these questions before a great deal of money is spent on building measures. Using the Unity3 game engine, they recreate scenarios in 3D where people can experience potential changes through immersion. They were able to prove that the physical reaction to this experience is measurable.

Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Analogous to algae: Scientists move toward engineering living matter by manipulating movement of microparticles      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A team of scientists has devised a system that replicates the movement of naturally occurring phenomena, such as hurricanes and algae, using laser beams and the spinning of microscopic rotors.

Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

New material could hold key to reducing energy consumption in computers and electronics      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A University of Minnesota Twin Cities team has, for the first time, synthesized a thin film of a unique topological semimetal material that has the potential to generate more computing power and memory storage while using significantly less energy.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

Researchers develop approach that can enable inexpensive mass manufacturing of micro-LED displays      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research describes a continuous roller printing approach that can precisely transfer thousands of microscopic semiconductor devices in a single shot. This method paves the way to creating large-scale arrays of optical components and could be used to rapidly manufacture micro-LED displays.

Engineering: Biometric Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Researchers visualize activity of CRISPR genetic scissors      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have developed a new method to measure the smallest twists and torques of molecules within milliseconds. The method makes it possible to track the gene recognition of CRISPR-Cas protein complexes, also known as 'genetic scissors', in real time and with the highest resolution. With the data obtained, the recognition process can be accurately characterized and modeled to improve the precision of the genetic scissors.

Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Towards crack-resistant nanoparticle-based latex films      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Synthetic latex films are widely used across many fields, but they usually contain harmful additives to enhance their strength. In a recent study, researchers have developed a new class of latex films composed of rotaxane-crosslinked acrylic nanoparticles. These films exhibit remarkable mechanical properties, including excellent crack-propagation resistance without any additives, and are easily recyclable, paving the way for more environmentally friendly materials.

Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Bound states in the continuum is possible in the acoustoelastic coupling      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Professor Junsuk Rho's research team at POSTECH reveals a physical phenomenon for vibration focusing and energy storage

Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Making headway in precision therapeutics with novel fully organic bioelectronic device      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have announced that they have developed the first stand-alone, conformable, fully organic bioelectronic device that can not only acquire and transmit neurophysiologic brain signals, but can also provide power for device operation.

Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Light-activated molecular machines get cells 'talking'      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have used light-activated molecular machines to induce cell-to-cell calcium signaling, revealing a powerful new strategy for drug design. This technology could lead to improved treatments for people with heart problems, digestive issues and more.

Engineering: Nanotechnology Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Chemists create the microspine with shape-transforming properties for targeted cargo delivery at microscale      (via sciencedaily.com) 

With the goal of advancing biomimetic microscale materials, the research team has developed a new method to create microscale superstructures, called MicroSpine, that possess both soft and hard materials which mimic the spine structure and can act as microactuators with shape-transforming properties. This breakthrough was achieved through colloidal assembly, a simple process in which nano- and microparticles spontaneously organize into ordered spatial patterns.

Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: Quantum Computing
Published

Researchers grow precise arrays of nanoLEDs      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new platform enables researchers to 'grow' halide perovskite nanocrystals with precise control over the location and size of each individual crystal, integrating them into nanoscale light-emitting diodes.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

Testing real driverless cars in a virtual environment      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed new software to aid in the development, evaluation and demonstration of safer autonomous, or driverless, vehicles. Called the Vehicle-in-Virtual-Environment (VVE) method, it allows the testing of driverless cars in a perfectly safe environment.

Energy: Batteries Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Nanosheet technology developed to boost energy storage dielectric capacitors      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A research group has used nanosheet technology to develop a dielectric capacitor for advanced electronic and electrical power systems. Innovations in energy storage technology are vital for the effective use of renewable energy and the mass production of electric vehicles. The capacitor has the highest energy storage density recorded. It has a short charging time, high output, long life, and high temperature stability, making it a major advancement in technology.

Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Chemists discover why photosynthetic light-harvesting is so efficient      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Chemists have measured the energy transfer between photosynthetic light-harvesting proteins. They discovered that the disorganized arrangement of light-harvesting proteins boosts the efficiency of the energy transduction.

Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Researchers demonstrate single-molecule electronic 'switch' using ladder-like molecules      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have demonstrated a new material for single-molecule electronic switches, which can effectively vary current at the nanoscale in response to external stimuli. The material for this molecular switch has a unique structure created by locking a linear molecular backbone into a ladder-type structure. A new study finds that the ladder-type molecular structure greatly enhances the stability of the material, making it highly promising for use in single-molecule electronics applications.

Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Chemists develop new method to create chiral structures      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In trying to produce artificial chirality in the lab, chemists have found that the distribution of a magnetic field is itself chiral.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Mathematics: Modeling Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

Turning old maps into 3D digital models of lost neighborhoods      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Imagine strapping on a virtual reality headset and 'walking' through a long-gone neighborhood in your city -- seeing the streets and buildings as they appeared decades ago. That's a very real possibility now that researchers have developed a method to create 3D digital models of historic neighborhoods using machine learning and historic Sanborn Fire Insurance maps.

Engineering: Graphene Engineering: Nanotechnology Offbeat: Computers and Math
Published

'Electronic skin' from bio-friendly materials can track human vital signs with ultrahigh precision      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have used materials inspired by molecular gastronomy to create smart wearables that surpassed similar devices in terms of strain sensitivity. They integrated graphene into seaweed to create nanocomposite microcapsules for highly tunable and sustainable epidermal electronics. When assembled into networks, the tiny capsules can record muscular, breathing, pulse, and blood pressure measurements in real-time with ultrahigh precision.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Squid-inspired soft material is a switchable shield for light, heat, microwaves      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

With a flick of a switch, current technologies allow you to quickly change materials from being dark to light, or cold to hot, just by blocking or transmitting specific wavelengths. But now, inspired by squid skin, researchers report a soft film that can regulate its transparency across a large range of wavelengths -- visible, infrared and microwave -- simultaneously. They demonstrated the material in smart windows and in health monitoring and temperature management applications.

Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Nanophotonics: Coupling light and matter      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a metasurface that enables strong coupling effects between light and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs).