Category Technology/Electronics

University of Illinois engineer Milton Feng and his team have introduced an upgrade to transistor lasers that could boost computer processor speeds. Credit: Photo by L. Brian Stauffer

Engineers are unveiling an upgrade to the transistor laser that could be used to boost computer processor speeds – the formation of two stable energy states and the ability to switch between them quickly. Modern computers are limited by a delay formed as electrons travel through the tiny wires and switches on a computer chip. To overcome this electronic backlog, engineers would like to develop a computer that transmits information using light, in addition to electricity, because light travels faster than electricity.

Having two stable energy states, or bistability, within a transistor allows the device to for...

First autonomously controlled ‘capsule robot’ explores colon

Researchers cite future role in improving acceptance, accuracy of colonoscopy. New research shows that an 18-mm magnetized capsule colonoscope, which can be paired with standard medical instruments, successfully performed intricate maneuvers inside the colon while guided by an external magnet attached to a robotic arm. Researchers believe this technology will reduce the potential discomfort of colonoscopies and lead to more people undergoing the life-saving screening test. Researchers hope the capsule robot, which is inserted rectally, could be used safely and effectively in the future on humans to identify and remove pre-cancerous lesions and tumors detected during colonoscopy.

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The Cito prototype rotates, hinges, translates, rises and orbits to add convenience for smartwatch users. Credit: Jun Gong

To make digital smartwatches more convenient for their users, researchers at Dartmouth College and University of Waterloo have produced a prototype watch face that moves in 5 different directions. With the ability to rotate, hinge, translate, rise and orbit, the model dramatically improves functionality and addresses limitations of today’s fixed-face watches. The concept, named Cito, will be presented on May 10 at the ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in Denver, Colorado.

Most smartwatch research primarily addresses how users can more easily input information...

A team of researchers, led by the University of Minnesota, have discovered a new nano-scale thin film material with the highest-ever conductivity in its class.

A new nano-scale thin film material with the highest-ever conductivity in its class has been found by a team of researchers, led by the University of Minnesota. The new material could lead to smaller, faster, and more powerful electronics, as well as more efficient solar cells. Besides high conductivity, it also has a wide bandgap, which means light can easily pass through the material making it optically transparent. In most cases, materials with wide bandgap, usually have either low conductivity or poor transparency.

“The high conductivity and wide bandgap make this an ideal material for making optically transparent conducting fil...