Research
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Researchers reconstruct 3D environments from eye reflections
Researchers at the University of Maryland have turned eye reflections into (somewhat discernible) 3D scenes. The work builds on Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF), an AI technology that can reconstruct environments from 2D photos. Although the eye-reflection approach has a long way to go before it spawns any practical applications, the study provides a fascinating glimpse into a technology that could eventually reveal an environment from a series of simple portrait photos.
Harvard’s synthetic heart valve is designed to grow in step with the human body
Researchers have developed a promising synthetic heart valve that may eventually be used for growing children. Harvard’s Wass Institute and John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) created what they call FibraValve. This implant can be manufactured in minutes using a spun-fiber method that lets them shape the valve’s delicate flaps on a microscopic level — ready to be colonized by the patient’s living cells, developing with them as they mature.
Scientists observe elusive missing step in photosynthesis’ final stage
Researchers at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have shed new light on the final step of photosynthesis. They observed in atomic detail how Photosystem II, a protein complex found in plants, undergoes a transformation that leads to the loss of an extra oxygen atom. Scientists believe the discoveries will help provide a roadmap for optimizing clean energy sources.
This OLED screen can fill with liquid to form tactile buttons
Swiping and tapping on flat screens is something we’ve learned to deal with in smartphones, tablets and other touchscreen gizmos, but it doesn’t come close to the ease of typing on a hardware keyboard or playing a game with a physical controller. To that end, researchers Craig Shultz and Chris Harrison with the Future Interfaces Group (FIG) at Carnegie Mellon University have created a display that can protrude screen areas in different configurations. It’s a concept we’ve seen before, but this version is thinner, lighter and more versatile.
Drones may better navigate unfamiliar surroundings with the help of liquid neural networks
Brain-inspired algorithms are able to help drones better navigate unfamiliar space than other approaches, according to MIT researchers.
Meta has open-sourced an AI project that turns your doodles into animations
Meta built a tool that can animate your doodles. Now, it hopes developers will use the code and a dataset of images to create richer experiences.
Twitter is shutting down its free API, here's what's going to break
Once Twitter shuts off free access to its API, thousands of apps, research projects, bots and other services will stop functioning
Echolocation could give small robots the ability to find lost people
Researchers from the University of Toronto are developing a simple and cost-effective echolocation system for small robots.
Researchers created a sticky drone to collect environmental DNA from forest canopies
Swiss researchers trialed a method that uses a drone with an attached cage to collect environmental DNA from high treetops.
DARPA wants AR goggles to help soldiers with complex tasks
A new DARPA research project is demoing a system that displays AI-generated instructions in AR headsets to guide soldiers through complicated tasks.
Teens don’t seem super concerned about social media’s effects on their lives
How do today's teenagers view social media's role in their lives? A survey released today paints a significantly less dire picture than you may expect.
Soft robotic device stimulates muscles, sparks hope for ALS and MS patients
Harvard researchers see a potential remedy for muscle atrophy in a new "mechanically active adhesive" that stretches and contracts the muscles of those unable to do so themselves.
VR-controlled robots are being designed to treat injured soldiers
UK researchers envision a future where medical technicans send telepresence robots into harm's way.
UK police fail to use facial recognition ethically and legally, study finds
Use of live facial recognition (LFR) by UK police forces "fail[s] to meet the minimum ethical and legal standards," according to a study.
Scientists may have found an affordable way to destroy forever chemicals
A team of scientists may have found a safe and affordable way to destroy “forever chemicals.”
Researchers built a low-cost camera system that recreates sound from vibrations
A CMU team says the system can recreate audio from a speaker by looking at a nearby bag of Doritos.
Amazon is opening a center for quantum networking research
Researchers will work on technology that may lead to the creation of global quantum networks.
Dyson's been secretly working on robots that do household chores
Dyson has revealed that it has an entire division that's secretly been developing robot prototypes that do household chores.
Microsoft reportedly censors searches for politically sensitive Chinese personalities
The censorship even applies to searches in the US and Canada, researchers say.
It's still really easy to game Facebook's algorithm
Meta’s accounting of the most popular content on Facebook continues to be a confusing mess to untangle.