Category Technology/Electronics

Smart Fabric Converts Body Heat into Electricity

Black strip of fibre is coated with MXene that allows the fabric to absorb sunlight and body heat and convert it to energy.
Credit
University of Waterloo

Breakthrough in smart fabric for sensing and energy harvesting. Researchers have developed a smart fabric that can convert body heat and solar energy into electricity, potentially enabling continuous operation with no need for an external power source. Different sensors monitoring temperature, stress, and more can be integrated into the material.

Imagine a coat that captures solar energy to keep you cozy on a chilly winter walk, or a shirt that can monitor your heart rate and temperature.Picture clothing athletes can wear to track their performance without the need for bulky battery packs.

University of Waterloo researchers have d...

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The Mother of all Motion Sensors

1) Sandia National Laboratories’ four-channel, silicon photonic single-sideband modulator chip, measuring 8 millimeters on each side and marked with a green Sandia thunderbird logo, sits inside packaging that incorporates optical fibers, wire bonds and ceramic pins. (Photo by Craig Fritz) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image. 2)Sandia National Laboratories scientist Jongmin Lee, left, prepares a rubidium cold-atom cell for an atom interferometry experiment while scientists Ashok Kodigala, right, and Michael Gehl initialize the controls for a packaged single-sideband modulator chip. (Photo by Craig Fritz) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image.

Quantum sensing milestone draws closer exquisitely accurate, GPS-free navigation...

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AI Accurately Diagnoses Genetic Condition from Facial Photographs

population
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A Yale School of Medicine team reports in a new study that an artificial intelligence (AI) model was able to reliably diagnose people living with Marfan syndrome from a simple facial photograph.

Marfan syndrome is a genetic disorder, affecting about 1 in 3,000 people, which impacts the body’s connective tissues. “Patients living with Marfan syndrome are usually very tall and thin,” said John Elefteriades, MD, professor of surgery at Yale School of Medicine and senior author of the study. “They have long faces and are prone to spine and joint issues. However, many are not diagnosed.”

Marfan syndrome increases the risk for aortic dissection, where the aorta splits suddenly after becoming enlarged...

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Researchers develop Next-Generation Cooling Material to Increase Summer Cooling Efficiency Without Electricity

Radiation-cooling liquid crystal materials, a partner to the king of summer, air conditioning
(Left) Schematic depicting the molecular arrangement and light-matter interaction in the cooling material: a photonic crystal based on spiral liquid crystals. (Right) Actual photographs of the materials in a variety of colors. Full-domain color is achieved by controlling the amount of additives (i.e., chiral dopants). Credit: Korea Institute of Science and Technology

Dr. Jin Gu, Kang and his team at the Nanophotonics Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) have developed a colorful radiation-cooling liquid crystal material that can cool without external power while simultaneously emitting color. The work is published in the Chemical Engineering Journal.

Radiative cooling is a powerless cooling technology that releases infrared radiation as heat throug...

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