Technology
press releases.

Technology3 Jan 2024

New study taps artificial intelligence to streamline the crowdsourcing of ideas

INFORMS Journal Marketing Science Study Key Takeaways: Crowdsourcing generates thousands of ideas for new products. AI can immediately help screen out bad ideas and narrow the field to the best ones in crowdsourcing to improve efficiency. Ultimately, AI could identify the best ideas or even design good ideas. BALTIMORE, MD, January 3, 2024 – New research has found a way to leverage the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to more efficiently screen out bad ideas to focus on only good ideas in the crowdsourcing process within ideation. More specifically, the research has arrived at a simple model ...

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Technology3 Jan 2024

Researchers create first functional semiconductor made from graphene

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have created the world’s first functional semiconductor made from graphene, a single sheet of carbon atoms held together by the strongest bonds known. Semiconductors, which are materials that conduct electricity under specific conditions, are foundational components of electronic devices. The team’s breakthrough throws open the door to a new way of doing electronics. Their discovery comes at a time when silicon, the material from which ...

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Technology3 Jan 2024

On-demand conformation of an artificial cytoskeleton

Peptide nanotubes are tubular-shaped structures formed by the controlled stacking of cyclic peptide components. These hollow biomaterials show inner and outer faces, allowing the control over their properties. Led by Juan R. Granja, researchers from the Center for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CiQUS) presented a novel kind of cyclic peptide that, when light-irradiated, induces the formation or desegregation of nanotubes on demand. At the appropriate wavelength, the peptide switches from a folded to a flat conformation. When the planar conformation is ...

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Technology3 Jan 2024

Can artificial intelligence (AI) improve musculoskeletal imaging?

(Boston)—While musculoskeletal imaging volumes are increasing, there is a relative shortage of subspecialized musculoskeletal radiologists to interpret the studies. Is AI the solution? “With the ongoing trend of increased imaging rates and decreased acquisition times, a variety of AI tools can support musculoskeletal radiologists by providing more optimized and efficient workflows,” says corresponding author Ali Guermazi, MD, PhD, chief of radiology at VA Boston Healthcare System and professor of radiology and medicine at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. In a new article in the journal Radiology, BU researchers provide ...

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Technology3 Jan 2024

Non-toxic quantum dots pave the way towards CMOS shortwave infrared image sensors for consumer electronics

Invisible to our eyes, shortwave infrared (SWIR) light can enable unprecedented reliability, function and performance in high-volume, computer vision first applications in service robotics, automotive and consumer electronics markets. Image sensors with SWIR sensitivity can operate reliably under adverse conditions such as bright sunlight, fog, haze and smoke. Furthermore, the SWIR range provides eye-safe illumination sources and opens up the possibility of detecting material properties through molecular imaging. Colloidal quantum ...

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Technology3 Jan 2024

Deep learning for phase recovery

Light, as an electromagnetic field, has two essential components: amplitude and phase. However, optical detectors, usually relying on photon-to-electron conversion (such as charge-coupled device sensors and the human eye), cannot capture the phase of the light field because of their limited sampling frequency. Fortunately, as the light field propagates, the phase delay also causes changes in the amplitude distribution; therefore, we can record the amplitude of the propagated light field and then calculate the corresponding phase, called phase recovery. Some common phase ...

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Technology2 Jan 2024

Is oxygen the cosmic key to alien technology?

In the quest to understand the potential for life beyond Earth, researchers are widening their search to encompass not only biological markers, but also technological ones. While astrobiologists have long recognized the importance of oxygen for life as we know it, oxygen could also be a key to unlocking advanced technology on a planetary scale. In a new study published in Nature Astronomy, Adam Frank, the Helen F. and Fred H. Gowen Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University ...

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Technology29 Dec 2023

Artificial design and biosynthesis of a single-domain catenated dihydrofolate reductase

This study is led by Prof. Wen-Bin Zhang (College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University & Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence) and Dr. Jing Fang (College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University). A single-domain protein catenane refers to two mechanically interlocked polypeptide rings that fold synergistically into a compact and integrated structure, which is extremely rare in nature. This design was achieved by rewiring the connectivity between secondary motifs to introduce artificial entanglement, and synthesis was readily accomplished through a series of programmed streamlined ...

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Technology29 Dec 2023

Breakthrough in organic semiconductor synthesis paves the way for advanced electronic devices

A team of researchers led by Professor Young S. Park at UNIST’s Department of Chemistry has achieved a significant breakthrough in the field of organic semiconductors. Their successful synthesis and characterization of a novel molecule called “BNBN anthracene” has opened up new possibilities for the development of advanced electronic devices. Organic semiconductors play a crucial role in improving the movement and light properties of electrons in carbon-centered organic electronic devices. The team’s research focused on enhancing the chemical diversity of these semiconductors by replacing carbon-carbon (C−C) ...

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Technology29 Dec 2023

Korean Artificial Sun, KSTAR, installation of a tungsten divertor for long pulse operations

The Korean artificial sun, KSTAR, has completed divertor upgrades, allowing it to operate for extended periods sustaining high-temperature plasma over the 100 million degrees. The Korea Institute of Fusion Energy announced the successful installation of the newly developed tungsten divertor for KSTAR. KSTAR, now equipped with the new divertor, commenced a plasma experiment on the 21st of December 2023. The divertor, a crucial plasma-facing component installed at the bottom of the vacuum vessel in a magnetic fusion device known as a Tokamak, manages the exhaust of ...

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Technology28 Dec 2023

Developing nanocatalysts to overcome limitations of water electrolysis technology

Green hydrogen can be produced through water electrolysis technology, which uses renewable energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen without emitting carbon dioxide. However, the production cost of green hydrogen is currently around $5 per kilogram, which is two to three times higher than gray hydrogen obtained from natural gas. For the practical use of green hydroten, the innovation in water electrolysis technology is required for the realization of hydrogen economy, especially for Korea where the utilization ...

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Technology26 Dec 2023

Prediction of 2-year cognitive outcomes in very preterm infants using machine learning methods

About The Study: The findings of this prognostic study of cognitive outcomes at 2-year follow-up among 1,000 infants born very preterm suggest that predictive modeling in neonatal care could enable early and targeted intervention for very preterm infants most at risk for developing cognitive impairment. Authors: Andrea K. Bowe, M.B., M.P.H., of University College Cork in Cork, Ireland, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.49111) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, ...

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Technology26 Dec 2023

Artificial intelligence predicts the influence of microplastics on soil properties

Plastic waste and its buildup in nature has become a major environmental concern in recent times. While plastic pollution in the oceans is undoubtedly a concern, the presence of plastics in soils around the world is also known to cause severe environmental and health issues. As plastics fragment into smaller pieces known as microplastics (MPs) in the soil through natural and anthropogenic processes, they drastically alter soil properties. Moreover, they are also absorbed by plants, potentially entering human ...

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Technology22 Dec 2023

Live Christmas trees affect indoor air chemistry, NIST researchers find

Every holiday season, Americans buy nearly 30 million live Christmas trees. Many families enjoy not only having a live tree inside their homes but also smelling the fresh fragrance it creates. That smell comes from chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, little is known about how much is emitted and whether they have any health impacts. “Our nose is a good chemical sensor,” said Dustin Poppendieck, an environmental engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). “We know that these trees are emitting something, ...

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Technology22 Dec 2023

Images hidden in noise revealed by a quantum-inspired method

Researchers at the University of Warsaw's Faculty of Physics with colleagues from Stanford University and Oklahoma State University have introduced a quantum-inspired phase imaging method based on light intensity correlation measurements that is robust to phase noise. The results of the research have been published in the prestigious journal “Science Advances”. The new imaging method can operate even with extremely dim illumination and can prove useful in emerging applications such as in infrared and X-ray interferometric imaging and quantum and matter-wave ...

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Technology22 Dec 2023

Robots versus humans: Which would children trust more when learning new information?

In this digital age, children are exposed to overwhelming amounts of information online, some of it unverified and increasingly generated by non-human sources, such as AI-driven language models. As children grow older, the ability to assess a source’s reliability is an important skill in cultivating critical thinking. Children aged three to five years display selective trust based on the informant’s past accuracy when faced with both humans and robots, according to a study published in the journal Child Development titled, ‘Younger, not older, ...

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Technology22 Dec 2023

AI tool aids in screening for nerve disorder

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), in collaboration with Aster-CMI Hospital, have developed an AI tool that can identify the median nerve in ultrasound videos and detect carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The study was published in IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control. CTS arises when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the hand, is compressed at the carpal tunnel part of the wrist, resulting in numbness, tingling or pain. It ...

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Technology22 Dec 2023

Stinky, bitter, and painful: A novel insect repellent attacks multiple sensory pathways

Okazaki, Japan – crop damage in agriculture and the transmission of vector-borne diseases by insect pests have become worldwide threat nowadays. Chemical treatments such as insecticides and repellents have been a major strategy against insect pests for centuries. Due to limited understanding of mechanisms of insect avoidance behavior, however, development of insect repellents has been delayed. To discover compounds that effectively repel insect pests, it is important to focus on key molecules associated with sensory, particularly aversive, responses. In this study, researchers ...

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Technology22 Dec 2023

Scientists develop ‘flying dragon’ robot to fight fires from a distance

Imagine a flying dragon that doesn’t spout fire, but instead extinguishes it with blasts of water. Thanks to a team of Japanese researchers, this new kind of beast may soon be recruited to firefighter teams around the world, to help put out fires that are too dangerous for their human teammates to approach. The blueprint of this novel firefighter robot, called the Dragon Firefighter, has now been published in Frontiers in Robotics and AI. And as it has been published as Open Science, roboticists around the world may freely ...

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Technology21 Dec 2023

JCEHP supplement aims to disrupt assumptions about continuing professional development

December 7, 2023 —The Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions (JCEHP) has published a supplement, "Conceptual Advances in Continuing Professional Development in the Health Professions," in which scholars of continuing professional development (CPD) creatively examine prevailing assumptions and propose new theoretical frameworks and empirical insights. Publication of the supplemental issue is supported by the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education (SACME). JCEHP, the official journal of the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, ...

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Technology21 Dec 2023

How technology and economics can help save endangered species

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A lot has changed in the world since the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was enacted 50 years ago in December 1973. Two researchers at The Ohio State University were among a group of experts invited by the journal Science to discuss how the ESA has evolved and what its future might hold. Tanya Berger-Wolf, faculty director of Ohio State’s Translational Data Analytics Institute, led a group that wrote on “Sustainable, trustworthy, human-technology partnership.” Amy Ando, professor and chair of the university’s Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics, ...

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Technology21 Dec 2023

Can cryptocurrencies be legal tender? A case study from El Salvador

In El Salvador, preference for cash and privacy fears deterred the widespread adoption of Bitcoin as an everyday currency, researchers report. The findings suggest that policies incentivizing cryptocurrency adoption as legal tender will likely fail unless populations are financially literate and already trust digital currencies. The introduction of digital currencies is one of the most important developments in monetary economics in the last decade. Unlike traditional digital currencies, which rely on central authorities such as governments or banks governed by regulations ...

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Technology21 Dec 2023

Advanced computational tool for understanding quantum materials

Researchers at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME), Argonne National Laboratory, and the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia have developed a new computational tool to describe how the atoms within quantum materials behave when they absorb and emit light. The tool will be released as part of the open-source software package WEST, developed within the Midwest Integrated Center for Computational Materials (MICCoM) by a team led by Prof. Marco ...

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Technology21 Dec 2023

Better prosthetics: $3M to develop more natural robotic leg control

Dec. 21, 2023 Contact: Nicole Casal Moore, 734-709-1651, ncmoore@umich.edu Images and videos Better prosthetics: $3M to develop more natural robotic leg control An effort to create a control model that moves seamlessly between different activities like standing, walking and climbing stairs is renewed by the National Institutes of Health ANN ARBOR—A smoother experience for robotic prosthetic leg users is the aim of a University of Michigan project that has received renewed support from the National Institutes of Health. The R01 grant ...

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Technology21 Dec 2023

KIMM develops real-time multimodal tactile detection system applicable to robots and wearable devices

A tactile perception system capable of providing human-like multimodal tactile information to objects like robots and wearable devices that require tactile data in real time has been developed. The research team led by Research Director Hyuneui Lim of the Nano-Convergence Manufacturing Systems Research Division and Principle Researcher Youngdo Jung of the Department of Nature-Inspired System and Application of the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (Chairman Seog-hyeon Ryu, hereinafter referred to as the “KIMM”), an institute under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Science and ICT, developed a real-time and ...

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