Category Technology/Electronics

Measuring a Tiny Quasiparticle is a major step forward for Semiconductor Technology

PL spectra of BN encapsulated monolayer WSe2 at 4.2 K. Credit: Nature Communications (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16934-x

A team of researchers led by Sufei Shi, an assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has uncovered new information about the mass of individual components that make up a promising quasiparticle, known as an exciton, that could play a critical role in future applications for quantum computing, improved memory storage, and more efficient energy conversion.

Published today in Nature Communications, the team’s work brings researchers one step closer to advancing the development of semiconductor devices by deepening their understanding of an atomically thin class of materials known as transitional metal dichal...

Read More

Graphene Smart Textiles developed for Heat Adaptive Clothing

Graphene Smart Textiles The University of Manchester
Using electro-optical tunability of graphene, adaptive optical textiles were made with electrically controlled reflectivity and emissivity covering the infrared and near-infrared wavelengths.

New research on the two-dimensional (2D) material graphene has allowed researchers to create smart adaptive clothing which can lower the body temperature of the wearer in hot climates.

A team of scientists from The University of Manchester’s National Graphene Institute have created a prototype garment to demonstrate dynamic thermal radiation control within a piece of clothing by utilising the remarkable thermal properties and flexibility of graphene. The development also opens the door to new applications such as, interactive infrared displays and covert infrared communication on textile.

T...

Read More

Intel, Google, UC Berkeley AI team Trains Robot to do sutures

The next time you go to a hospital for surgery, the surgeon’s assistant may be a robot.

In a collaboration between Google Brain, Intel Corporation and the University of California, Berkeley, researchers have ‘trained’ robots to mimic surgical procedures through the use of instructional videos.

UC Berkeley professors have previously used YouTube videos as a guide for robots to learn various motions such as jumping or dancing, while Google has trained robots to understand depth and motion. The team applied that knowledge to their latest project, Motion2Vec, in which videos of actual surgical procedures are used for instruction...

Read More

Turning Faces into Thermostats: Autonomous HVAC system could provide more Comfort with Less Energy

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

As lockdown requirements ease, COVID-19 is changing the way we use indoor spaces. That presents challenges for those who manage those spaces, from homes to offices and factories.

Not least among these challenges is heating, ventilation and cooling (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning—HVAC), which is the largest consumer of energy in American homes and commercial buildings. There’s a need for smarter, more flexible climate control that keeps us comfortable without heating and cooling entire empty buildings.

Now, a group of researchers at the University of Michigan has developed a solution that could provide more efficient, more personalized comfort, completely doing away with the wall-mounted thermostats we’re accustomed to...

Read More