Computers

Robots are widely used to build cars, paint airplanes and sew clothing in factories, but the assembly of microscopic components, such as those for biomedical applications, has not yet been automated. Lasers could be the solution. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces have used lasers to create miniature robots from bubbles that lift, drop and … [Read more...] about Lasers create miniature robots from bubbles

Researchers say they have been able to greatly improve the readout of data from digital memories -- thanks to a phenomenon known as 'quantum entanglement'. The research team, which included researchers from the Italian Institute of Metrological Research (INRIM) and the University of York, say the findings could have major applications for digital storage devices, including … [Read more...] about Researchers improve data readout by using ‘quantum entanglement’

Scientists from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) and The University of Western Australia (UWA) have set a world record for the most stable transmission of a laser signal through the atmosphere. In a study published today in the journal Nature Communications, Australian researchers teamed up with researchers from the French National Centre for Space … [Read more...] about Record-breaking laser link could help us test whether Einstein was right

Mount Sinai researchers have published one of the first studies using a machine learning technique called "federated learning" to examine electronic health records to better predict how COVID-19 patients will progress. The study was published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research -- Medical Informatics on January 18. The researchers said the emerging technique holds … [Read more...] about Researchers build models using machine learning technique to enhance predictions of COVID-19 outcomes

Scientists at the University of Bonn have built hair-thin optical fibre filters in a very simple way. They are not only extremely compact and stable, but also colour-tunable. This means they can be used in quantum technology and as sensors for temperature or for detecting atmospheric gases. The results have been published in the journal Optics Express. Optical fibers not much … [Read more...] about Innovations through hair-thin optical fibers

In nature, many things have evolved that differ in size, color and, above all, in shape. While the color or size of an object can be easily described, the description of a shape is more complicated. In a study now published in Nature Communications, Jacqueline Nowak of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology and her colleagues have outlined a new and improved way … [Read more...] about Mathematical framework enables accurate characterization of shapes

It's cool to be small. Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have miniaturized the optical components required to cool atoms down to a few thousandths of a degree above absolute zero, the first step in employing them on microchips to drive a new generation of super-accurate atomic clocks, enable navigation without GPS, and simulate quantum … [Read more...] about Bringing atoms to a standstill: Miniaturizing laser cooling

With Japan's society rapidly aging, there has been a sharp increase in patients who experience motor dysfunctions. Rehabilitation is key to overcoming such ailments. A researcher from Tohoku University has developed a new virtual reality (VR) based method that can benefit rehabilitation and sports training by increasing bodily awareness and?improving motor control. His research … [Read more...] about Using VR training to boost our sense of agency and improve motor control

Vaccinating older adults for COVID-19 first will save substantially more U.S. lives than prioritizing other age groups, and the slower the vaccine rollout and more widespread the virus, the more critical it is to bring them to the front of the line. That's one key takeaway from a new University of Colorado Boulder paper, published today in the journal Science, which uses … [Read more...] about Why older adults must go to the front of the vaccine line: Study shows speeding up roll-out, prioritizing 60-plus could save 65,000 US lives in three months

Contemporary robots can move quickly. "The motors are fast, and they're powerful," says Sabrina Neuman. Yet in complex situations, like interactions with people, robots often don't move quickly. "The hang up is what's going on in the robot's head," she adds. Perceiving stimuli and calculating a response takes a "boatload of computation," which limits reaction time, says Neuman, … [Read more...] about Designing customized ‘brains’ for robots: A new system devises hardware architectures to hasten robots’ response time