Technology
press releases.

Technology19 Jul 2023

Learning from superheroes and AI: UW researchers study how a chatbot can teach kids supportive self-talk

At first, some parents were wary: An audio chatbot was supposed to teach their kids to speak positively to themselves through lessons about a superhero named Zip. In a world of Siri and Alexa, many people are skeptical that the makers of such technologies are putting children’s welfare first. Researchers at the University of Washington created a new web app aimed to help children develop skills like self-awareness and emotional management. In Self-Talk with Superhero Zip, a chatbot guided pairs of siblings ...

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Technology18 Jul 2023

WVU researchers develop hydrogen technology to curtail greenhouse gases from food, beverage industry

Engineers and scientists at West Virginia University are developing an advanced hydrogen flexible boiler to help decarbonize the food and beverage industry and eventually eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. The technology, proposed by Hailin Li, professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, will supply thermal energy by burning clean fuel rather than traditional fossil fuels. Researchers will also work with Morgantown businesses ...

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Technology18 Jul 2023

Cameron Whitehead wins U.S. Department of Energy’s 2023 CyberForce® Conquer the Hill — Reign Edition Competition

Unleashing the power of cybersecurity: 2023 CyberForce® Conquer the Hill — Reign Edition competition set the stage for virtual showdown. In an exciting showdown of talent and skill, Cameron Whitehead of University of Central Florida emerged as the champion of U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) 2023 CyberForce® Conquer the Hill — Reign Edition Competition. This virtual event, organized by DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory, involved 144 individual participants from collegiate institutions across ...

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Technology18 Jul 2023

New geometric deep learning model for detecting stroke lesions

Ischemic stroke, which occurs when a blood vessel in the brain gets blocked by a clot, is among the leading causes of death worldwide. Fortunately, surgeons now have access to advanced imaging techniques that allow them to visualize the interior of a patient’s brain during a stroke. This helps them pinpoint the location of the clot and analyze the extent of damage to the brain tissue. Computed tomography-perfusion (CT-P) is one of the most useful imaging modalities in the early stages of an acute stroke. However, it is challenging to accurately identify ...

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Technology18 Jul 2023

Will artificial intelligence (AI) end civilization? Lero researchers seek public's views on AI and software

Will artificial intelligence (AI) end civilisation? Researchers at Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software and University College Cork, are seeking help determining what the public believes and knows about AI and software more generally. Psychologist Dr Sarah Robinson, a senior postdoctoral researcher with Lero, is asking members of the public to take part in a ten-minute anonymised online survey to establish what peoples’ hopes and fears are for AI and software in general. “As the experts debate, little attention is given to what the public thinks – and the debate is raging. Some ...

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Technology18 Jul 2023

Unveiling synchronization preferences of quantum thermal machines

Researchers from the Center of Theoretical Physics of Complex Systems within the Institute for Basic Science (PCS-IBS) made an important discovery that describes the relationship between synchronization and thermodynamics in quantum systems. The question of how order arises from disorder has captivated humanity for centuries. One fascinating example of such emergence is synchronization, where multiple oscillators initialized randomly could end up oscillating in harmony. Synchronization exists in our everyday lives, e.g. the sound of clapping hands or the simultaneous flashing of fireflies. Remarkably, scientists have discovered ...

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Technology18 Jul 2023

Prof. Chilai Chen’s team developed the first deep-sea mass spectrometer of China and successfully tested at deep sea

The study is led by Prof. Chilai Chen (Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences). The detection of dissolved gases in the deep sea is of great significance in exploring the origin and early evolution of life, understanding the interaction between the Earth's spheres, studying the geological profile of the Earth, searching for underwater oil, gas, and mineral resources, and researching global climate change. Changes in the concentrations of dissolved oxygen and nitrogen can indirectly or directly reflect the activity patterns ...

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Technology18 Jul 2023

Simulating damage propagation in composite materials through a novel computational method to realize high-quality CFRPs

Structural materials with useful mechanical properties have applications in a diverse range of fields. A reliable way to enhance the properties of structural materials is to make them lighter without compromising their strength. Carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs) are perhaps the most prominent example of this approach. These plastics are made up of tiny, yet extremely strong threads of carbon atoms held together by a plastic matrix. Owing to their low weight, high durability, and exceptional mechanical performance, CFRP laminates are being incorporated into state-of-the-art ...

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Technology18 Jul 2023

National study aims to assist water utilities

A University of Texas at Arlington civil engineering researcher is leading a nationwide study to find and assess innovative technologies for monitoring water assets. Mohammad Najafi, associate professor of civil engineering, is using a $410,000 grant from the Water Research Foundation for the project. “We hope to streamline water asset monitoring so water utilities can make timely decisions and optimize their maintenance activities,” Najafi said. “We will investigate the utilization of existing and innovative asset-monitoring technologies—such as drones, sensors, fiber optics and more—for both horizontal and vertical assets. Considerations ...

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Technology17 Jul 2023

New NIST measurements aim to advance and validate portable MRI technology

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines can clearly view non-bony parts of the body — soft tissue such as the brain, muscles and ligaments — as well as detect tumors, making it possible to diagnose many diseases and other conditions. However, the powerful magnets in conventional MRI machines make them expensive and bulky, confining them mainly to hospitals and other large facilities. As an alternative solution, companies are developing new portable versions that have lower-strength magnetic fields. These new models can potentially expand the ways in which MRI is used. For instance, low-field MRI systems could be deployed in ambulances ...

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Technology17 Jul 2023

Rice engineers’ storage technology keeps nanosurfaces clean

HOUSTON – (July 17, 2023) – Rice University engineers have created containers that can keep volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from accumulating on the surfaces of stored nanomaterials. The portable and inexpensive storage technology addresses a ubiquitous problem in nanomanufacturing and materials science laboratories and is described in a paper published this week in the American Chemical Society journal Nano Letters. “VOCs are in the air that surrounds us every day,” said study corresponding author Daniel Preston, an assistant professor in Rice’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. “They ...

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Technology17 Jul 2023

Robotics: New skin-like sensors fit almost everywhere

“Detecting and sensing our environment is essential for understanding how to interact with it effectively,” says Sonja Groß. An important factor for interactions with objects is their shape. “This determines how we can perform certain tasks,” says the researcher from the Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI) at TUM. In addition, physical properties of objects, such as their hardness and flexibility, influence how we can grasp and manipulate them, for example. Artificial hand: interaction with the robotic system The ...

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Technology17 Jul 2023

New study uncovers taxonomic breakthrough in the common ophiuroid Ophiothrix angulata (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea)

Ophiothrix angulata, a widely recognized and prevalent ophiuroid species in the Western Atlantic, has long been the subject of taxonomic debate due to its remarkable morphological diversity. A new study just published in PeerJ Life & Environment has shed light on the species' taxonomy, revealing a significant scientific breakthrough. Led by a team of researchers from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Universidad Católica del Maule and Florida Natural History Museum, the comprehensive study aimed to assess species delimitation ...

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Technology14 Jul 2023

UVA engineer innovates a liquid safety cushioning technology

The discovery that football players were unknowingly acquiring permanent brain damage as they racked up head hits throughout their professional careers created a rush to design better head protection. One of these inventions is nanofoam, the material on the inside of football helmets. Thanks to mechanical and aerospace engineering associate professor Baoxing Xu at the University of Virginia and his research team, nanofoam just received a big upgrade and protective sports equipment could, too. This newly invented design integrates nanofoam with “non-wetting ionized liquid," a ...

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Technology14 Jul 2023

ROSE: a revolutionary, nature-inspired soft embracing robotic gripper

Ishikawa, Japan -- Although grasping objects is a relatively straightforward task for us humans, there is a lot of mechanics involved in this simple task. Picking up an object requires fine control of the fingers, of their positioning, and of the pressure each finger applies, which in turn necessitates intricate sensing capabilities. It’s no wonder that robotic grasping and manipulation is a very active research area within the field of robotics. Today, industrial robotic hands have replaced humans in various complex and hazardous ...

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Technology13 Jul 2023

Researchers establish criterion for nonlocal quantum behavior in networks

A new theoretical study provides a framework for understanding nonlocality, a feature that quantum networks must possess to perform operations inaccessible to standard communications technology. By clarifying the concept, researchers determined the conditions necessary to create systems with strong, quantum correlations. The study, published in Physical Review Letters, adapts techniques from quantum computing theory to create a new classification scheme for quantum nonlocality. This not only allowed the researchers to unify ...

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Technology13 Jul 2023

Controlling quantum randomness from the vacuum

A team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has achieved a milestone in quantum technologies, demonstrating for the first time the control of quantum randomness. The team of researchers focused on a unique feature of quantum physics known as "vacuum fluctuations". You might think of a vacuum as a completely empty space without matter or light. However, ...

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Technology13 Jul 2023

Schmidt Marine Technology Partners announces recipients of $3.5 million global sustainable fisheries initiative

SAN FRANCISCO—Schmidt Marine Technology Partners, a program of the Schmidt Family Foundation, has awarded $3.5 million in grants to ten organizations and universities in seven countries for the development of new tools and innovations that will improve the sustainability of global fisheries, the program announced today. “Tens of millions of jobs around the world depend on fisheries, and seafood is the primary protein source for 3 billion people,” said Wendy Schmidt, president and co-founder of the Schmidt Family Foundation. “The innovators chosen to receive these grants are ensuring that fishers and ...

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Technology13 Jul 2023

New material could hold key to reducing energy consumption in computers and electronics

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. The researchers were also able to closely study the material, leading to some important findings about the physics behind its unique properties. The study is published in Nature Communications, a peer-reviewed scientific journal that covers the natural sciences and engineering. As evidenced by the United States’ recent CHIPS and Science Act, there is a growing need to increase semiconductor manufacturing ...

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Technology13 Jul 2023

Multisensory information detection by using multi-channel electrocorticography film that can place over a wide area of the cerebral cortex

Overview Associate Professor Hiroto Sekiguchi (Department of Electrical and Electronic Information Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology) and Assistant Professor Susumu Setogawa and Associate Professor Noriaki Ohkawa (Comprehensive Research Facilities for Advanced Medical Science, Dokkyo Medical University; Assistant Professor Setogawa is currently a Specially Appointed Assistant Professor at University Public Corporation Osaka) have developed a flexible electrocorticography (Note 1) film for simultaneous detection of multisensory information (Note 2) from multiple regions of the cerebral cortex by placing neural ...

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Technology12 Jul 2023

NSF CAREER award invests in the future of stable computing

Every night, uncounted numbers of devices across the globe update their operating systems (OS), and everyday users log on expecting fast, secure connections and services to keep their increasingly online lives moving forward. But as artificial intelligence and other more complex systems come online, the foundation of all them is teetering. Every aspect of society — from government and industry to education and entertainment — relies on devices with stable operating systems. And every OS relies on ...

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Technology12 Jul 2023

Robot team on lunar exploration tour

On the Moon, there are raw materials that humanity could one day mine and use. Various space agencies, such as the European Space Agency (ESA), are already planning missions to better explore Earth’s satellite and find minerals. This calls for appropriate exploration vehicles. Swiss researchers led by ETH Zurich are now pursuing the idea of sending not just one solitary rover on an exploration tour, but rather an entire team of vehicles and flying devices that complement each other. The researchers equipped three ANYmal – a type of legged robot developed ...

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Technology12 Jul 2023

Could AI-powered robot “companions” combat human loneliness?

AUKLAND, NZ and DURHAM, N.C. – Companion robots enhanced with artificial intelligence may one day help alleviate the loneliness epidemic, suggests a new report from researchers at Auckland, Duke, and Cornell Universities. Their report, appearing in the July 12 issue of Science Robotics, maps some of the ethical considerations for governments, policy makers, technologists, and clinicians, and urges stakeholders to come together to rapidly develop guidelines for trust, agency, engagement, and real-world efficacy. It also proposes a new way to measure whether a companion robot is helping someone. “Right now, all the evidence ...

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Technology12 Jul 2023

Birmingham start-up awarded funding for technology that generates water out of air

NovNat Tech Ltd, a visionary new company based in the Unit 9 incubator at the Birmingham Research Park, has secured funding from Innovate UK to develop a novel technology that can generate water out of air. NovNat Tech is offering solutions to one of the most critical problems of today and the future, the global water scarcity crisis, and is developing a first of its kind ‘atmospheric water harvester’ to help address the global water shortage. The harvest uses a proprietary material that has already been ...

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Technology12 Jul 2023

Better and faster design of organic light-emitting materials with machine learning and quantum computing

Over the past decade, organic luminescent materials have been recognized by academia and industry alike as promising components for light, flexible and versatile optoelectronic devices such as OLED displays. However, it is a challenge to find suitably efficient materials. To address this challenge, a joint research team has developed a novel approach combining a machine learning model with quantum-classical computational molecular design to accelerate the discovery of efficient OLED emitters. This research was published May 17 in Intelligent Computing, a Science Partner Journal. The ...

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