Arxiv September 29, 2018 A team of researchers in the US (Washington University, Carnegie Mellon University) has developed BrainNet, a multi-person non-invasive direct brain-to-brain interface, for collaborative problem solving. It combines EEG to record brain signals and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to deliver information noninvasively to the brain. Two of the three subjects are “Senders” whose decisions are decoded via EEG data analysis and transmitted via the Internet to the brain of a third subject, the “Receiver” via magnetic stimulation of the occipital. In tests five groups of three subjects successfully used BrainNet to perform a task with an average […]
Crowd counting through walls with WiFi (w/video)
Science Daily September 24, 2018 Researchers at UC Santa Barbara propose a framework to sense occupancy attributes of an area, such as speed of a crowd traversing through the area, the total number of people in the area, and the rate of arrival of people into the area, using only the received power measurements (RSSI) of two WiFi links. They developed a mathematical model to relate these parameters to the occupancy attributes of interest. They tested the technology in different locations, with different wall properties and with several different numbers of people — up to and including 20. They showed a counting […]
DARPA Selects Teams to Explore Underground Domain in Subterranean Challenge
DARPA September 26, 2018 DARPA has selected nine teams to compete in the Subterranean (SubT) Challenge – seven in the physical Systems track and two in the Virtual track – to develop new approaches to rapidly map, navigate, and search underground environments to better equip warfighters and first responders to explore human-made tunnel systems, urban underground, and natural cave networks. The teams will design and develop novel solutions that address the challenges of subterranean environments in tunnel systems, urban underground, and natural cave networks, culminating with a final event encompassing elements from all three environments… read more.
Emissions-free energy system saves heat from the summer sun for winter
Science Daily October 3, 2018 Building on their previous discovery of a molecule which could store solar energy, an international team of researchers (Sweden, Spain) has made it possible for a liquid form of the molecule made from carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen to store energy. It could be adapted for use in a solar energy system, MOST (Molecular Solar Thermal Energy Storage). The energy in the isomer can be stored for up to 18 years. The research group has developed a catalyst for controlling the release of the stored energy. MOST works in a circular manner – the liquid captures […]
Images: Decoding multiple frames from a single, scattered exposure
Science Daily September 27, 2018 The random process of scattering in turbid media produces scattered light that appears uninformative to the human eye, but a wealth of information is contained in the signal. Previous methods to recover the image from the ‘memory effects’ required that the object and/or scatterer be static during the measurement. Researchers at Duke University combined traditional memory effect imaging with coded-aperture-based computational imaging techniques, which enabled them to realize for the first time single-shot video of arbitrary dynamic scenes through opaque media. This has important implications for a wide range of real-world imaging scenarios in security, […]
Metal that withstands ultra-high temperature and pressure identified
Science Daily September 27, 2018 Researchers in Japan analyzed the ultrahigh-temperature tensile creep behaviour of a TiC-reinforced Mo-Si-B-based alloy in the range of 1400–1600 °C at constant true stress range in vacuum. It displayed excellent creep strength with relatively reasonable creep parameters and moderate strain-rate oscillations. The findings have applications in aircraft jet engines and gas turbines for electric power generation…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Microresonators offer a simpler approach to sensing with light pulses
Science Daily October 1, 2018 An international team of researchers (Switzerland, Russia) has developed a simpler method to generate multiple frequency combs using optical microresonators consisting of a crystalline disk a few millimeters in diameter. At every round, a part of the soliton exits the resonator, producing a stream of optical pulses. It allows the light to travel in the disk in spatial modes of the resonator. In this way, they were able to generate up to three frequency combs at the same time. Using multiplexing scheme, the team demonstrated several applications, such as dual-comb spectroscopy, and rapid optical sampling…read […]
New Army technology guides soldiers in complete darkness
Phys.org September 26, 2018 Man-made objects emit thermal radiation that is partially polarized while natural objects tend to emit thermal radiation that exhibits very little polarization. Researchers at the Army Research Laboratory and their industry partner are developing a special type of thermal camera that can record imagery that is based solely on the polarization state of the light rather than the intensity. This additional polarimetric information will allow soldiers to see hidden objects that were previously not visible when using conventional thermal cameras. The camera can detect and identify specific human subjects during complete darkness…read more.
New, highly stable catalyst may help turn water into fuel
Science Daily September 28, 2018 Much of the previous work was performed with electrolyzers made from just two elements — one metal and oxygen. A team of researchers in the US (University of Illinois, Argonne National Laboratory) developed a porous material — a pyrochlore oxide of yttrium ruthenate which was more porous and had a new crystalline structure. As a porous structure is highly desirable when it comes electrocatalysts, the new materials could split water molecules at a higher rate than the current industry standard…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
New Spot-Beam Antennas Boost Communication Satellites’ Bandwidth
IEEE Spectrum September 28, 2018 A company based in the US has built massive communications satellites. The spot beams produced by antennas onboard focus in slightly different directions, allowing the same spectrum bands to be used multiple times without interference. Spot beams ultimately function similarly to cell towers. Eventually, the 18V and 19V will look down on Earth with their spot beams and wide beams. The 18V and 19V use the Ku (12 to 18 gigahertz) and Ka (26 to 40 GHz) bands for their spot beams and wide beams…read more.