Category Physics

Augmented Reality Headset Enables Users to See Hidden Objects

A black and yellow augmented reality headset with a black and white-speckled background.
An augmented reality headset combines computer vision and wireless perception to automatically locate a specific item that is hidden from view, perhaps inside a box or under a pile, and then guide the user to retrieve it.
Credits:Image: Courtesy of the researchers, edited by MIT News

The device could help workers locate objects for fulfilling e-commerce orders or identify parts for assembling products. MIT researchers have built an augmented reality headset that gives the wearer X-ray vision.

The headset combines computer vision and wireless perception to automatically locate a specific item that is hidden from view, perhaps inside a box or under a pile, and then guide the user to retrieve it.

The system utilizes radio frequency (RF) signals, which can pass through common material...

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Breakthrough in Tin-Vacancy Centers for Quantum Network Applications

Breakthrough in tin-vacancy centers for quantum network applications
Credit: Tokyo Tech

Quantum entanglement refers to a phenomenon in quantum mechanics in which two or more particles become linked such that the state of each particle cannot be described independently of the others, even when they are separated by a large distance. The principle, referred to by Albert Einstein as “spooky action at a distance,” is now utilized in quantum networks to transfer information. The building blocks of these networks—quantum nodes—can generate and measure quantum states.

Among the candidates that can function as quantum nodes, the Sn-V center in diamond (a defect where a tin (Sn) atom replaces a carbon atom, resulting in an interstitial Sn atom between two carbon vacancies) has been shown to have suitable properties for quantum network applications.

The...

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First Transient Electronic Bandage Speeds Healing by 30 percent

The device fits easily into the palm of a hand.
The device fits easily into the palm of a hand.

Northwestern University researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind small, flexible, stretchable bandage that accelerates healing by delivering electrotherapy directly to the wound site.

In an animal study, the new bandage healed diabetic ulcers 30% faster than in mice without the bandage.

The bandage also actively monitors the healing process and then harmlessly dissolves—electrodes and all—into the body after it is no longer needed. The new device could provide a powerful tool for patients with diabetes, whose ulcers can lead to various complications, including amputated limbs or even death.

The research will be published online in the Feb. 22 issue of the journal Science Advances...

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A New Chip for Decoding Data Transmissions demonstrates Record-breaking Energy Efficiency

Four line rays, starting with a tangled ball and gradually untying to a straight line, are shown on a blue background with white dots.
Caption:This new decoder chip uses a universal decoding algorithm that MIT researchers previously developed, which can unravel any error correcting code. It has broken the record for energy-efficient decoding, performing between 10 and 100 times better than other hardware.
Credits:Image: Christine Daniloff, MIT

Imagine using an online banking app to deposit money into your account. Like all information sent over the internet, those communications could be corrupted by noise that inserts errors into the data.

To overcome this problem, senders encode data before they are transmitted, and then a receiver uses a decoding algorithm to correct errors and recover the original message...

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