Category Physics

1. This prototype glove includes soft sensors that are capable of registering movement of each finger individually. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University 2. The silicone-textile hybrid sensors are highly flexible and resilient, making them excellent candidates for sensing body movement. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University

Hybrid silicone-fabric sensor detects fine motor movements by flexing with the body. Wearable technologies – from heart rate monitors to virtual reality headsets – are exploding in popularity in both the consumer and research spaces, but most of the electronic sensors that detect and transmit data from wearables are made of hard, inflexible materials that can restrict both the wearer’s natural movements and the accuracy of the data collected...

They played a key role in demonstrating the unusual behavior of carbon: Tim Schleif (left) and Joel Mieres Perez (right). Credit: © RUB, Marquard

Chemists at Ruhr-Universität Bochum have found evidence that carbon atoms cannot only behave like particles but also like waves. This quantum-mechanical property is well-known for light particles such as electrons or hydrogen atoms. However, researchers have only rarely observed the wave-particle duality for heavy atoms, such as carbon. “Our result is one of few examples showing that carbon atoms can display quantum effects,” says Sander. Specifically, carbon atoms can tunnel. They thus overcome an energetic barrier, although they do not actually possess enough energy to do that.

Wolfram Sander explains the paradox: “It’s as though a tiger has ...

Bioinspired supramolecular fibers drawn from a multiphase self-assembled hydrogel. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2017; 201705380 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1705380114

A team of architects and chemists from the University of Cambridge has designed super-stretchy and strong fibres which are almost entirely composed of water, and could be used to make textiles, sensors and other materials. The fibres, which resemble miniature bungee cords as they can absorb large amounts of energy, are sustainable, non-toxic and can be made at room temperature...

The watchstrap contains piezoresistive fibers produced on a 3D printer. The wrist movements are transmitted to steer the drone. Credit: Image courtesy of Empa

Moving things with a wave of the hand: thanks to Empa technology this dream could soon become real. A sensor made of electroconductive piezo-resistive fibers integrated in a wristband measures wrist movements and converts them into electrical signals, which can be read by a terminal device and interpreted. This can be used to steer drones or other electronic devices without a remote control. A wave to the left: the drone moves to the left. A wave to the right: the drone turns right. Clench your hand into a fist and it lands gently on the table.

Although motion sensors are nothing new, until now movements were primarily recorded using...