University of California

System Helps Robots Better Navigate Emergency Rooms

Computer scientists have developed a more accurate navigation system that will allow robots to better negotiate busy clinical environments in general and emergency departments more specifically. The researchers have also developed a dataset of open source videos to help train robotic navigation systems in the future.

Multidisciplinary Team Developing an Immersive Avatar System

A multidisciplinary team developing an immersive avatar system that enables remote human connection has advanced to the semifinals for the $10 million ANA Avatar XPRIZE competition.

Robotic Seafloor Survey Completed

An expedition led by UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography mapped more than 36,000 acres of seafloor between Santa Catalina Island and the Los Angeles coast in a region previously found to contain high levels of the toxic chemical DDT in sediments and the ecosystem. The survey identified an excess of 27,000 targets with high confidence to be classified as a barrel, and an excess of 100,000 total debris objects on the seafloor.

Largest Solar Farm at an Australian University

The Microgrid at Deakin provides a unique opportunity to make a positive contribution in the collective fight against climate change while also conducting high-value research to benefit Australian communities.

Tiny Wireless Implant Detects Oxygen Deep Within the Body

Engineers have created a tiny wireless implant that can provide real-time measurements of tissue oxygen levels deep underneath the skin. The device, which is smaller than the average ladybug and powered by ultrasound waves, could help doctors monitor the health of transplanted organs or tissue and provide an early warning of potential transplant failure.

3D Printed Porous Carbon Aerogels for Space Exploration

Exploration of extremely cold environments, from Earth's polar regions to the moon and Mars, requires technology that can rapidly store and deliver electricity at ultralow temperatures. NASA's Perseverance rover, for example, needs heaters to keep the rover's battery system from freezing in Martian temperatures averaging about -81 F (-62 C).

Scientists Create Model of an Early Human Embryo from Skin Cells

In a discovery that will revolutionize research into the causes of early miscarriage, infertility and the study of early human development - an international team of scientists has generated a model of a human embryo from skin cells.

Merck KGaA (Cultured Meat)

Merck

Sewage-Handling Robots Help Predict COVID-19 Outbreaks

In earlier days of the COVID-19 pandemic, before diagnostic testing was widely available, it was difficult for public health officials to keep track of the infection's spread, or predict where outbreaks were likely to occur. Attempts to get ahead of the virus are still complicated by the fact that people can be infected and spread the virus even without experiencing any symptoms themselves.

Wearable Microgrid Uses the Human Body to Power Small Gadgets

Nanoengineers have developed a "wearable microgrid" that harvests and stores energy from the human body to power small electronics. It consists of three main parts: sweat-powered biofuel cells, motion-powered devices called triboelectric generators, and energy-storing supercapacitors. All parts are flexible, washable and can be screen printed onto clothing.

Weakness is Strength for this Low-Temperature Battery

Nanoengineers have discovered new fundamental insights for developing lithium metal batteries that perform well at ultra-low temperatures; mainly, that the weaker the electrolyte holds on to lithium ions, the better. By using such a weakly binding electrolyte, the researchers developed a lithium metal battery that can be repeatedly recharged at temperatures as low as -60 degrees Celsius—a first in the field.

Using AI to Hunt for Breast Cancer

With the help of microscopy and artificial intelligence, the "E-Morph" test reliably identifies substances that can have oestrogen-like or even opposing effects, according to research

Brain Organoids Grown In Lab Mature Much Like Infant Brains

A new study finds that three-dimensional human stem cell-derived brain organoids can mature in a manner that is strikingly similar to human brain development.

Machine Learning to Track Disease Carrying Mosquitoes

Using genetic and environmental data, research team maps landscape connectivity in mosquitoes that are known vectors for dengue, chikungunya and Zika.

Robot Controlled and Powered by Pressurized Air

Engineers have created a four-legged soft robot that doesn't need any electronics to work. The robot only needs a constant source of pressurized air for all its functions, including its controls and locomotion systems.

New Skin Patch Brings Us Closer to Wearable, All-In-One Health Monitor

Engineers have developed a soft, stretchy skin patch that can be worn on the neck to continuously track blood pressure and heart rate while measuring the wearer's levels of glucose as well as lactate, alcohol or caffeine. It is the first wearable device that monitors cardiovascular signals and multiple biochemical levels in the human body at the same time.

Oura

Oura is a Finnish company that have commercialized the Oura Ring, a smart wearable with multiple sensors for health tracking.

3D Printing Polymers

Researchers have developed the first 3D-printable "bottlebrush" elastomer. The new material results in printed objects that have unusual softness and elasticity — mechanical properties that closely resemble those of human tissue.