Category Technology/Electronics

This tiny radio — whose building blocks are the size of two atoms — can withstand extremely harsh environments and is biocompatible, meaning it could work anywhere from a probe on Venus to a pacemaker in a human heart. Credit: Eliza Grinnell/Harvard SEAS

Harvard engineers have made the world’s smallest radio receiver – built out of an assembly of atomic-scale defects in pink diamonds. This tiny radio—whose building blocks are the size of two atoms—can withstand extremely harsh environments and is biocompatible, meaning it could work anywhere from a probe on Venus to a pacemaker in a human heart. The research was led by Marko Loncar, Tiantsai Lin Professor of Electrical Engineering at SEAS, and his graduate student Linbo Shao.

This tiny radio — whose building blocks are the size of two ...

Intricately-shaped pulses of light pave a speedway for the accelerated dynamics of quantum particles, enabling faster switching of a quantum bit. Credit: Image courtesy Peter Allen

Speeding up control over quantum states in atomic and nanoscale systems could lead to leaps for the emerging field of quantum technology. An international collaboration between physicists recently demonstrated a new framework for faster control of a quantum bit. Their experiments on a single electron in a diamond chip could create quantum devices that are less prone to errors when operated at high speeds.

To understand their experiment, one can look to the ultimate setting for speed in classical dynamics: the oval racetracks at the Indianapolis or Daytona 500...

Evan Reed, assistant professor of Materials Science & Engineering at Stanford, and graduate student Austin Sendek are using artificial intelligence to develop safer batteries. Credit: L.A. Cicero/Stanford News Service

Scientists have spent decades searching for a safe alternative to the flammable liquid electrolytes used in lithium-ion batteries. Stanford University researchers have identified nearly 2-dozen solid electrolytes that could someday replace the volatile liquids used in smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices. The results, based on techniques adapted from artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, are published in the journal Energy & Environmental Science.

“Electrolytes shuttle lithium ions back and forth between the battery’s positive and negative electrodes...

Research subjects at the University of Minnesota fitted with a specialized noninvasive brain cap were able to move the robotic arm just by imagining moving their own arms. Credit: University of Minnesota

Researchers have made a major breakthrough that allows people to control a robotic arm using only their minds. The research has the potential to help millions of people who are paralyzed or have neurodegenerative diseases. “This is the first time in the world that people can operate a robotic arm to reach and grasp objects in a complex 3D environment using only their thoughts without a brain implant,” said Bin He, University of Minnesota biomedical engineering professor. “Just by imagining moving their arms, they were able to move the robotic arm.”

The noninvasive technique, EEG based brai...