Technology
press releases.

Technology1 Aug 2024

Enhancing automatic image cropping models with advanced adversarial techniques

Image cropping is an essential task in many contexts, right from social media and e-commerce to advanced computer vision applications. Cropping helps maintain image quality by avoiding unnecessary resizing, which can degrade the image and consume computational resources. It is also useful when an image needs to conform to a predetermined aspect ratio, such as in thumbnails. Over the past decade, engineers around the world have developed various machine learning (ML) models to automatically crop images. These models aim to crop an input image in a way that preserves its most relevant parts. However, ...

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Technology31 Jul 2024

Smell reports reveal the need to expand urban air quality monitoring, say UBC researchers

Ever wondered if your neighbourhood odour could be impacting your health? University of British Columbia researchers have uncovered surprising insights into the Vancouver region's “smellscape” using data from the Smell Vancouver app. Analyzing 549 reports from one year of app data, they discovered that “rotten” and “chemical” odours dominated, making up about 65 per cent of submissions. These unpleasant smells were linked to self-reported health issues like headaches and anxiety, leading some residents to change their behaviours, like closing windows even in stifling-hot weather. “The ...

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Technology31 Jul 2024

Method prevents an AI model from being overconfident about wrong answers

CAMBRIDGE, MA — People use large language models for a huge array of tasks, from translating an article to identifying financial fraud. However, despite the incredible capabilities and versatility of these models, they sometimes generate inaccurate responses. On top of that problem, the models can be overconfident about wrong answers or underconfident about correct ones, making it tough for a user to know when a model can be trusted. Researchers typically calibrate a machine-learning model to ensure its level of confidence lines up with ...

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Technology31 Jul 2024

Downwind states face disproportionate burden of air pollution

A recent Supreme Court decision to block a federal rule curbing interstate air pollution further complicates efforts to reduce emissions and adds to an already disproportionate burden on “downwind” states, according to researchers at the University of Notre Dame. “Toxic air pollution is really not as well known by the general public as you would hope, given its impact on human health,” said Paola Crippa, assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences. ...

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Technology31 Jul 2024

ATMs and other digital self-serve devices fail to meet accessibility needs

Most self-service interactive devices — kiosks, ATMs and other digital interfaces — don't measure up to the accessibility needs of Canadians who report to have a disability, a new study has found. In partnership with the CSA Group (Canadian Standards Association), University of Waterloo researchers interviewed people with lived experiences of disability and received an overwhelming consensus that most self-serve devices have little to no accessibility features or they have trouble finding ...

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Technology31 Jul 2024

SwRI awarded $35.7 million to support cryptologic systems for U.S. Navy

SAN ANTONIO — July 31, 2024 —Southwest Research Institute will provide engineering and equipment support for advanced cryptologic technology for shipboard and airborne platforms as part of a $35.7 million contract with the U.S. Navy. The five-year contract will deliver services from June 2024 through June 2029, with the option for the U.S. Navy to add $14 million and extend the contract through 2031. SwRI develops electronic warfare (EW) technology to detect, intercept and disrupt a range of signals on the electromagnetic spectrum, supporting efforts to thwart ...

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Technology31 Jul 2024

Chameleon testbed secures $12 million in funding for phase 4: Expanding frontiers in computer science research

Chameleon, led by Senior Scientist Kate Keahey from Argonne National Laboratory, has been a cornerstone of CS research and education for nearly a decade. The platform has served over 10,000 users, contributing to more than 700 research publications. Chameleon has now secured an additional $12 million in funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to roll out its next four-year phase. With this new funding, Chameleon will continue to innovate and support its growing community, enabling groundbreaking discoveries in CS systems research. ABOUT CHAMELEON: A PLATFORM FOR INNOVATION Chameleon is a large-scale, deeply reconfigurable experimental ...

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Technology31 Jul 2024

Innovative tissue analysis: Pioneering controllable histotomy with magnetic microneedle array robots

In a pioneering development for the biomedical field, a research team led by Yuanjin Zhao from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, China, has published a research article in Engineering. The article, titled “Controllable Histotomy Based on Hierarchical Magnetic Microneedle Array Robots,” introduces a novel technique for tissue slicing and cultivation that could revolutionize the way primary tissues are handled in clinical settings. The in vitro cultivation of patient-derived tissues is crucial for accurate diagnosis, precision medication, individualized therapy, and tissue engineering. However, current tissue slicing and cultivation techniques often fall ...

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Technology30 Jul 2024

Bright prospects for engineering quantum light

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — Computers benefit greatly from being connected to the internet, so we might ask: What good is a quantum computer without a quantum internet? The secret to our modern internet is the ability for data to remain intact while traveling over long distances, and the best way to achieve that is by using photons. Photons are single units (“quanta”) of light. Unlike other quantum particles, photons interact very weakly with their environment. That stability also makes them extremely appealing for carrying quantum information over long distances, a process that requires maintaining a delicate state of entanglement for an extended ...

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Technology30 Jul 2024

Grainger Engineers to lead Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, shape the future of quantum computing

Today, The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign joined other partners from around the state in officially announcing its leadership role in the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park. The project – a quantum-focused research and development campus in Chicago – will be managed by a University of Illinois-led organization on behalf of the State of Illinois and Governor J.B. Pritzker. Advances in quantum information science and engineering, together with next generation microelectronics, promise to transform computing, which underpins much of how our modern society operates. Grainger Engineering Associate Dean for Research ...

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Technology30 Jul 2024

NYU Tandon School of Engineering and Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur announce seven joint research projects launching their new partnership

NYU Tandon School of Engineering and Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) have unveiled their inaugural roster of collaborative research projects, the first such initiatives under the broad partnership that NYU and IIT Kanpur established last year. The seven projects, jointly led by researchers from each institution, aim to advance innovations across vital scientific fields including cybersecurity, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and wireless communications. NYU and IIT Kanpur announced their initial partnership agreement in September 2023, ...

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Technology30 Jul 2024

Researchers develop general framework for designing quantum sensors

Researchers from North Carolina State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have designed a protocol for harnessing the power of quantum sensors. The protocol could give sensor designers the ability to fine-tune quantum systems to sense signals of interest, creating sensors that are vastly more sensitive than traditional sensors. “Quantum sensing shows promise for more powerful sensing capability that can approach the fundamental limit set by the law of quantum mechanics, but the challenge lies in being able to direct ...

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Technology30 Jul 2024

Who is more polarized about AI—the tech community or the general public?

The tech community is more strongly divided in how they feel about artificial intelligence (AI) than the general public according to a study of Reddit discourse following the launch of ChatGPT. Researchers from the University of Rochester led by Jiebo Luo, a professor of computer science and the Albert Arendt Hopeman Professor of Engineering, used ChatGPT and natural language processing techniques to analyze the themes and sentiments of 33,912 comments in 388 unique subreddits in the roughly six months following the generative AI tool’s launch in November 2022. The findings appear in Telematics and Informatics. Reddit is an online social ...

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Technology30 Jul 2024

Using the term ‘artificial intelligence’ in product descriptions reduces purchase intentions

PULLMAN, Wash. – Companies may unintentionally hurt their sales by including the words “artificial intelligence” when describing their offerings that use the technology, according to a study led by Washington State University researchers. In the study, published in the Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, researchers conducted experimental surveys with more than 1,000 adults in the U.S. to evaluate the relationship between AI disclosure and consumer behavior. The findings consistently showed products described as using artificial intelligence were less popular, according to Mesut Cicek, clinical assistant professor of marketing and lead author ...

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Technology29 Jul 2024

Wayne State University’s new assistant vice president for technology commercialization announced

DETROIT – Taunya A. Phillips has been named the assistant vice president for Technology Commercialization in the Division of Research & Innovation at Wayne State University. Phillips will lead revitalization efforts of the technology transfer and commercialization office that includes increasing the protection and commercialization of intellectual property developed at Wayne State, as well as promoting innovation and entrepreneurship efforts in support of the university’s strategic goals and Prosperity Agenda. Her guidance will aid the university’s efforts and commitment to propelling Michigan’s competitiveness in 21st century commerce and cultivating a campus ...

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Technology29 Jul 2024

Study tracks exposure to air pollution through the day

There are significant differences in how much people are exposed to air pollution, according to a new study co-authored by MIT scholars that takes daily mobility into account. The study, based in the Bronx, New York, does not just estimate air pollution exposure based on where people live or work, but uses mobile data to examine where people go during a typical day, building a more thorough assessment of the environment’s impact on them. The research finds exposure to particulate matter 2.5 microns or bigger rises by about 2.4 percent when daily travel patterns are taken into account. “One of the main strengths of the study is that we ...

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Technology29 Jul 2024

Optical fibers fit for the age of quantum computing

A new generation of specialty optical fibres has been developed by physicists at the University of Bath in the UK to cope with the challenges of data transfer expected to arise in the future age of quantum computing. Quantum technologies promise to provide unparalleled computational power, allowing us to solve complex logical problems, develop new medicines and provide unbreakable cryptographic techniques for secure communications. However, the cable networks used today to transmit information across the globe are likely to be sub-optimal for quantum communications, due to the solid cores of their optical fibres. Unlike regular optical ...

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Technology26 Jul 2024

AI method radically speeds predictions of materials’ thermal properties

CAMBRIDGE, MA — It is estimated that about 70 percent of the energy generated worldwide ends up as waste heat. If scientists could better predict how heat moves through semiconductors and insulators, they could design more efficient power generation systems. However, the thermal properties of materials can be exceedingly difficult to model. The trouble comes from phonons, which are subatomic particles that carry heat. Some of a material’s thermal properties depend on a measurement called the phonon ...

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Technology26 Jul 2024

Study: When allocating scarce resources with AI, randomization can improve fairness

CAMBRIDGE, MA – Organizations are increasingly utilizing machine-learning models to allocate scarce resources or opportunities. For instance, such models can help companies screen resumes to choose job interview candidates or aid hospitals in ranking kidney transplant patients based on their likelihood of survival. When deploying a model, users typically strive to ensure its predictions are fair by reducing bias. This often involves techniques like adjusting the features a model uses to make decisions or calibrating the scores it generates. However, researchers from MIT and Northeastern University argue that these fairness ...

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Technology26 Jul 2024

Wencai Liu earns 2024 IUPAP Early Career Scientist Prize in Mathematical Physics

Dr. Wencai Liu, an associate professor of mathematics at Texas A&M University, has been selected to receive the 2024 International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) Early Career Scientist Prize in Mathematical Physics in recognition of his exceptional achievements and future potential in mathematical physics. Liu is one of three scientists worldwide honored with the prize, one of 19 celebrating the contributions of early career physicists within the subfields of each commission comprising the IUPAP, which was founded in 1976 to promote research in mathematical physics. Each prize consists of a certificate, medal and a monetary award. Liu ...

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Technology26 Jul 2024

UMBC scientists work to build “wind-up” sensors

An international team of scientists, including two researchers who now work in the Center for Advanced Sensor Technology (CAST) at UMBC, has shown that twisted carbon nanotubes can store three times more energy per unit mass than advanced lithium-ion batteries. The finding may advance carbon nanotubes as a promising solution for storing energy in devices that need to be lightweight, compact, and safe, such as medical implants and sensors. The research was published recently in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. Sanjeev Kumar Ujjain, from CAST, was a lead researcher on the work. He started the project while at Shinshu University, in Nagano, Japan, and continued after arriving ...

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Technology26 Jul 2024

New understanding of fly behavior has potential application in robotics, public safety

RENO, Nevada — Why do flies buzz around in circles when the air is still? And why does it matter? In a paper published online July 26, 2024 by the scientific journal Current Biology, University of Nevada, Reno Assistant Professor Floris van Breugel and Postdoctoral Researcher S. David Stupski respond to this up-until-now unanswered question. And that answer could hold a key to public safety — specifically, how to better train robotic systems to track chemical leaks. “We don’t currently have robotic systems to track odor or chemical plumes,” van Breugel said. “We don’t know how to efficiently find the ...

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Technology26 Jul 2024

Determining maximum allowable current of an RBS using a directed graph model and greedy algorithm

The central principle of the proposed MAC determination method is to connect the batteries within an RBS in parallel to the maximum possible extent, thereby maximizing the output current. To achieve this universally and automatically, the overall process is divided into the 4 steps shown in Fig. 1. First, a directed graph model is established for the subsequent computations. The nodes in the directed graph correspond to the connection points of components in the actual RBS. The edges in the directed graph correspond to the batteries, switches, and external electrical loads in the actual ...

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Technology26 Jul 2024

Developed a 21-language, fast and high-fidelity neural text-to-speech technology that works on smartphones

Highlights -Developed a 21-language, fast and high-fidelity neural text-to-speech technology -The developed model can synthesize one second of speech at high speed in only 0.1 seconds using a single CPU core, which is about eight times faster than the conventional methods -The developed model can realize fast synthesis with a latency of 0.5 seconds on a smartphone without network connection -The technology is expected to be introduced into speech applications, such as multilingual speech translation and car navigation Abstract The Universal Communication Research Institute of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT, President: TOKUDA Hideyuki, ...

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Technology26 Jul 2024

Researchers develop state-of-the-art device to make artificial intelligence more energy efficient

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (07/25/2024) — Engineering researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have demonstrated a state-of-the-art hardware device that could reduce energy consumption for artificial intelligent (AI) computing applications by a factor of at least 1,000. The research is published in npj Unconventional Computing, a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Nature. The researchers have multiple patents on the technology used in the device. With the growing demand of AI applications, researchers have been looking ...

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