systems

Artificial intelligence that enhances remote monitoring of water bodies -- highlighting quality shifts due to climate change or pollution -- has been developed by researchers at the University of Stirling. A new algorithm -- known as the 'meta-learning' method -- analyses data directly from satellite sensors, making it easier for coastal zone, environmental and industry … [Read more...] about Artificial intelligence to monitor water quality more effectively

A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, mass vaccinations have begun to raise the tantalizing prospect of herd immunity that eventually curtails or halts the spread of SARS-CoV-2. But what if herd immunity is never fully achieved -- or if the mutating virus gives rise to hyper-virulent variants that diminish the benefits of vaccination? Those questions underscore the need for … [Read more...] about Speeding new treatments: Team creates powerful computational tool to help researchers rapidly screen molecules for anti-COVID properties

Anyone with children knows that while controlling one child can be hard, controlling many at once can be nearly impossible. Getting swarms of robots to work collectively can be equally challenging, unless researchers carefully choreograph their interactions -- like planes in formation -- using increasingly sophisticated components and algorithms. But what can be reliably … [Read more...] about Simple robots, smart algorithms

Scientists from the Theory Department of the Fritz-Haber Institute in Berlin and Technical University of Munich use machine learning to discover suitable molecular materials. To deal with the myriad of possibilities for candidate molecules, the machine decides for itself which data it needs. How can I prepare myself for something I do not yet know? Scientists from the Fritz … [Read more...] about Toward new solar cells with active learning

Researchers from Osaka University, Japan and the University of Adelaide, Australia have worked together to produce the new multiplexer made from pure silicon for terahertz-range communications in the 300-GHz band. "In order to control the great spectral bandwidth of terahertz waves, a multiplexer, which is used to split and join signals, is critical for dividing the information … [Read more...] about Silicon chip will drive next generation communications

Social media may make it easier for people to engage online, but I does not provide certain benefits of real-life human interactions, says a Michigan State University researcher. "Problematic social media use has been associated with depression, anxiety and social isolation, and having a good social support system helps insulate people from negative mental health," said Dar … [Read more...] about Need to vent? Turn to real-life support, not social media: Research finds social support provided over social media does not improve mental health for excessive social media users

The human world is, increasingly, an urban one -- and that means elevators. Hong Kong, the hometown of physicist Zhijie Feng (Boston University),* adds new elevators at the rate of roughly 1500 every year...making vertical transport an alluring topic for quantitative research. "Just in the main building of my undergraduate university, Hong Kong University of Science and … [Read more...] about When will your elevator arrive? Two physicists do the math

"Image" is everything in the $20 billion market for AR/VR glasses. Consumers are looking for glasses that are compact and easy to wear, delivering high-quality imagery with socially acceptable optics that don't look like "bug eyes." University of Rochester researchers at the Institute of Optics have come up with a novel technology to deliver those attributes with maximum … [Read more...] about A new way to make AR/VR glasses