With a new non-contact, 3-D fingerprinting system that projects patterns of light onto a finger and analyzes the 1000 pixels-per-inch image, University of Kentucky researchers can quickly create a more accurate print than those made with ink or sensor plates and significantly reduce incorrect matches and environmental problems.
Touchless Gesture User Interface technology developed by Elliptic Labs will allow control of devices with unrestricted hand movements.
One application would be waving your hand to change radio stations in a car, which is safer than searching for a button to push.
IBM recently filed a U.S. patent application for a morphing touchscreen keyboard interface that would automatically resize, reshape, and reposition keys based on a user’s typing style.
IBM proposes a system that would alter the size, shape, and location of keys to suit an individual’s physical anatomy, such as finger size, length, and range of motion. The user would first carry out a series of calibration exercises… read more
Researchers at Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea have developed a new method to produce graphene sheets with a diagonal dimension of 76 centimeters — an order of magnitude larger than previously managed.
It could result in cheap, transparent electrodes that can be used in flexible displays or photovoltaic cells.
Microsoft Research and UC Berkeley researchers have designed Pictionaire, a touchscreen table. A camera takes a digital snapshot of an object placed on the table and presents a digital version of the page on the table.
A team of experts in mechanics, materials science, and tissue engineering at Harvard have created an extremely stretchy and tough gel that may pave the way to replacing damaged cartilage in human joints or spinal disks.
Called a hydrogel, because its main ingredient is water, the new material is a hybrid of two weak gels that combine to create something much stronger.
This new gel can stretch… read more
The ability of carbon nanotubes to withstand repeated stress yet retain their structural and mechanical integrity is similar to the behavior of soft tissue, according to a new study from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
The materials could be used to create structures that mimic artificial muscles or interesting electro-mechanical systems, researchers said.
Researchers at Rice University and Lockheed Martin have found a way to make multiple high-performance anodes from a single silicon wafer for lithium-ion batteries.
The process uses simple silicon to replace graphite as an element in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, laying the groundwork for longer-lasting, more powerful batteries for applications such as commercial electronics and electric vehicles.
The research, led by… read more
LG Electronics has announced it has independently developed the first handset modem chip based on 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE)ƒxtechnology standards; ot can theoretically support wireless download speeds of 100Mbps and upload speeds of 50Mbps.
Northwestern University researchers have build a quantum logic gate–a fundamental component of a quantum computer–within an optical fiber, using entangled photon pairs.
The gate could be part of a circuit that relays information securely, over hundreds of kilometers of fiber, from one quantum computer to another. It could also be used on its own to find solutions to complicated mathematical problems.
Scientists are on the verge of decoding the special chemical language that bacteria use to “talk” to each other, British researchers report.
The research could lead to new treatments for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including “superbugs” that infect more than 90,000 people in the United States each year.
Northwestern University researchers may have found an alternative to CMOS (current computer processor chips) that would allow for highly efficient computer logic circuits that generate much less heat: an entirely new logic circuit family based on magnetic semiconductor devices that could lead to logic circuits up to 1 million times more power-efficient than today’s.
Background
Modern-day computers are based on logic circuits using semiconductor transistors.… read more
Korean scientists are reporting the first successful use of small molecules to transform human muscle cells into nerve cells. This advance could lead to new treatments for stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders.
An Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne scientist is working on more advanced versions of dye-sensitized solar cells that could be more robust and even cheaper to make than current versions, thanks to a new combination of electrolyte and dye.
Dye-sensitized solar cells solar cells are cheaper to make than conventional silicon photovoltaic panels. In principle, they could be used to make power-generating windows and building facades, and they could… read more