Next Big Future July 27, 2018 China had far faster growth without innovation. China had less patents and fewer innovative services. All the high growth Asian countries copied technology from foreign countries and were successful in adopting the technology. Later after they are rich enough accusations of theft become internalized… read more.
New materials undergo solid-liquid phase transitions at room temperature
Phys.org July 26, 2018 A team of researchers in the US (University of Colorado, Boulder, NIST) designed two new polymers, one which starts as a solid and can be converted into liquid, and the other which starts as a liquid and can be converted into a solid. The solid and liquid polymers both switch phase when irradiated by UV light with a 365-nm wavelength for about five minutes. However, the light affects the two materials differently. Using light instead of temperature or pressure to control the phase changes makes it possible to exert exquisite spatial control over these phase changes, […]
Optical neural network demo
Science Daily July 28, 2018 Researchers at NIST stacked waveguides made of silicon nitride to form a three-dimensional grid with 10 inputs or “upstream” neurons each connecting to 10 outputs or “downstream” neurons, for a total of 100 receivers. They created software to automatically generate signal routing, with adjustable levels of connectivity between the neurons. Laser light was directed into the chip through an optical fiber routing each input to every output group, following a selected distribution pattern for light intensity or power. To evaluate the results, researchers made images of the output signals. The output was highly uniform, with […]
Researchers generate optical skyrmions
Phys.org July 27, 2018 An international team of researchers (Israel, Albania) generated skyrmions using the electrical field of electromagnetic waves. They demonstrated that in contrast to “regular” light waves, whose electrical fields usually point along a specific direction an electric field can take on a “skyrmion” shape and simultaneously face in all directions and they are robust against various defects in the material hosting the electromagnetic waves. The discovery could enable future replication of this effect in a wide range of systems and materials, including liquids, nanoparticle systems and even cold atomic gasses. It might also lay the ground for […]
Superflexible aerogels are highly efficient absorbents, thermal insulators, and pressure sensors
Phys.org July 26, 2018 Researchers in Japan have introduced extremely elastic aerogels that are easy to process and can be produced at low cost. Their success relies on a doubly cross-linked organic-inorganic network structure with adjustable network density. The delicate structures are highly elastic. They can be bent, rolled, twisted, and cut into desired shapes. The more densely crosslinked versions exhibit high thermal insulation, surpassing conventional materials like polyurethane foam. When exposed to a mixture of hexane and water, they exclusively absorb the hexane, which can subsequently be removed by squeezing the material like a sponge or by evaporation. This […]
Top 10 Science and Technology Innovations for the Week of July 26, 2018
01. Scientists use excitons to take electronics into the future 02. Organic Mega Flow Battery transcends lifetime, voltage thresholds 03. Researchers move closer to completely optical artificial neural network 04. Scientists develop new materials that move in response to light 05. A single photon detection system for the spectrum range up to 2300 nm 06. Using spin current to convert mechanical vibrations into electricity 07. Protecting autonomous grids from potentially crippling GPS spoofing attacks 08. A phonon laser operating at an exceptional point 09. New particle formation found to occur in heavily polluted air 10. Uncovering the interplay between two […]
Accelerating the Exploration of Promising Artificial Intelligence Concepts
DARPA July 7, 2018 Artificial Intelligence Exploration (AIE) will constitute a series of unique funding opportunities that use streamlined contracting procedures and funding mechanisms to achieve a start date within three months of an opportunity announcement. Researchers will then work to establish the feasibility of new AI concepts within 18 months of award. The agency’s diverse portfolio of fundamental and applied AI research programs is aimed at shaping a future in which AI-enabled machines serve as trusted, collaborative partners in solving problems of importance to national security… read more. BAA
Current noises of Majorana fermions
Phys.org July 23, 2018 To detect Majorana fermions researchers in China used non-equilibrium Green’s function method, analyzed the current across a topological Josephson junction and related current noises, revealing the relation between the existence of Majorana fermions and non-equilibrium current noise. In condensed matter physics, zero-energy Majorana fermions obey non-abelian statistics, and can be used in fault-tolerant topological quantum computation… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Impact of AI and Mobile Internet compared to Growth of China and India 2013-2025
Next Big Future July 20, 2018 Applications of the 12 technologies discussed in the report, Disruptive technologies: Advances that will transform life, business, and the global economy could have a potential economic impact between $14 trillion and $33 trillion a year in 2025. Technologies detailed in the report have been gestating for years and are familiar. A review in 2018 is that most of these are heading to the high end of the estimated impact. The overall GDP impact is less positive since there is quite a lot impact of technology is taking existing business from other technology. The report […]
New particle formation found to occur in heavily polluted air
Phys.org July 20, 2018 An international team of researchers (China, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, USA – industry, Carnegie Mellon University) investigated new particle formation (NPF) in Shanghai and were able to observe both precursor vapors (H2SO4) and initial clusters at a molecular level. High NPF rates were observed to coincide with several familiar markers suggestive of H2SO4–dimethylamine –water nucleation, including sulfuric acid dimers and H2SO4-DMA clusters. NPFs can lead to cloud formation of a type that traps heat. According to the researchers it is likely having a bigger impact on global warming than has been thought. They suggest climate change models […]