Category Physics

Researchers created a nanofilm that can store data holographically and is environmentally stable. Here, Shencheng Fu carries out experiments with the new film. Credit: Northeast Normal University

New holographic data storage medium could enable wearable technology that captures and stores detailed 3D images. New nanoparticle-based films that are more than 80 times thinner than a human hair may provide materials that can holographically archive more than 1,000 times more data than a DVD in a 10-by-10-centimeter piece of film...

Gif of the device in action. Probes inject positive and negative charges in the light emitting device, which is transparent under the campanile outline, producing bright light. Credit: Javey lab

UC Berkeley engineers have built a bright-light emitting device that is millimeters wide and fully transparent when turned off. The light emitting material in this device is a monolayer semiconductor, just 3 atoms thick. The device opens the door to invisible displays on walls and windows – displays that would be bright when turned on but see-through when turned off – or in futuristic applications such as light-emitting tattoos, according to the researchers...

Researchers have developed multifunctional origami structures, which they then fabricated into 4D printed objects. The design principle mimics the structure of an earwig’s wing. When open, the earwig wing expands 10X larger than when closed – one of the highest folding ratios in the animal kingdom. The large wing area allows the insect to fly, while the compact way the wings retracts enables the creature to tunnel underground without damaging its wings. The wing design has another unique feature; however, in its open, locked state the wing remains stiff with no need for muscle power to provide stability. With just one “click,” the wing folds into itself completely, without muscular actuation.

Researchers at ETH Zurich and Purdue University have been studying the secret of the earwig’s ori...

Flexible ultrasound patch can be stretched and twisted without compromising its electronic functions. Photo credit: Hongjie Hu

Researchers have developed a stretchable, flexible patch that could make it easier to perform ultrasound imaging on odd-shaped structures, such as engine parts, turbines, reactor pipe elbows and railroad tracks – objects that are difficult to examine using conventional ultrasound equipment. The ultrasound patch is a versatile and more convenient tool to inspect machine and building parts for defects and damage deep below the surface. A team of researchers led by engineers at the University of California San Diego published the study in the Mar. 23 issue of Science Advances.

The new device overcomes a limitation of today’s ultrasound devices, which are difficult to ...