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    Category Physics

    Researchers produce First Laser Ultrasound Images of Humans

    December 23, 2019, Categories  Biology/Biotechnology, Physics, Health/Medical

    A new ultrasound technique uses lasers to produce images beneath the skin, without making contact with the skin as conventional ultrasound probes do. The new laser ultrasound technique was used to produce an image (left) of a human forearm (above), which was also imaged using conventional ultrasound (right).
    Image courtesy of the researchers

    Technique may help remotely image and assess health of infants, burn victims, and accident survivors in hard-to-reach place...

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    Solar Power from ‘the dark side’ Unlocked by a new formula

    December 21, 2019, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    alam-triangle
    Companies are moving toward installing more double-sided solar panels, such as this one functioning as the canopy of a Shell gas station in Atlanta, Georgia. A new formula reveals exactly how much more electricity double-sided panels can generate compared to conventional single-sided panels, helping to better inform how the panels are designed. (Lumos Solar photo)

    Engineers calculate the ultimate potential of next-generation solar panels. Most of today’s solar panels capture sunlight and convert it to electricity only from the side facing the sky. If the dark underside of a solar panel could also convert sunlight reflected off the ground, even more electricity might be generated.

    Double-sided solar cells are already enabling panels to sit vertically on land or rooftops and even ho...

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    Creating a Nanoscale On-Off Switch for Heat

    December 16, 2019, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics, Chemistry/Nanotechnology, Environment/Geology

    Microscopic view of a highly-ordered crystalline structure
    Source: College of Engineering
    Research assistant Wei Gong, master’s student Xiao Luo, and Associate Professor Sheng Shen of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.

    Researchers create a polymer thermal regulator that can quickly transform from a conductor to an insulator, and back again. This control of heat flow at the nanoscale opens up new possibilities in developing switchable thermal devices, solid-state refrigeration, waste heat scavenging, thermal circuits, and computing. This is the first time that this work has been demonstrated experimentally.

    Polymers are used to develop various materials, such as plastics, nylons, and rubbers...

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    Virtual Reality and Drones help to predict and protect Koala Habitat

    December 14, 2019, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    Using virtual reality and thermal imagery to improve statistical modelling of vulnerable and protected species. PLOS ONE, 2019; 14 (12): e0217809 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217809

    QUT researchers have used a combination of virtual reality (VR), aerial thermal-imaging and ground surveys to build a better statistical model for predicting the location of koalas and, ultimately, protecting their habitat.

    In the study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, researchers from QUT and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS) used the mashup of high-tech 360-degree imagery and heat-seeking drone cameras along with traditional techniques of ground surveys to develop a model that could be used to identify areas most likely to be home to koalas, which are ...

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