Month: August 2022

A machine learning model for image classification using synthetic data can be as good as one that is trained with real data, according to a study. It takes a lot of data to train machine learning models to recognize damage in satellite images following natural disasters. These data can be difficult to find. If you have the […]

All telegraph networks around the world failed on September 1, 1859. Telegraph operators reported experiencing electrical shocks and telegraph paper burning. They were also able to use equipment with batteries. In the evenings, the aurora borealis (sometimes called the northern lights) could be seen as far south and as far as Colombia. This phenomenon is usually only visible at […]

The breakthrough in reactor walls has made nuclear fusion possible. This engineering advancement is paving the way for future reactors. England’s scientists have established a new record in terms of the amount of energy produced by a sustained, controlled fusion reaction. Certain media outlets have called the “breakthrough” creation of 59 megajoules (of energy) at the […]

Design is also designed to conserve space and preserve memory in the event of power failure. The transistor, one of the most important inventions of the 20th Century, is getting a new twist. It could feed the world’s growing appetite for digital memory and cut up to 5% from its energy-hungry diet. After years of […]

Imagine if you could fly from New York to Los Angeles in less than seven hours. Maglev trains could make it possible. Maglev, which is shorthand for magnetic levitation, trains can be traced back to Brookhaven National Laboratory’s pioneering technology. In the late 1960s, Brookhaven’s James Powell and Gordon Danby received the first patent for a magnetically-levitated […]

Surveillance cameras are subject to an identity problem due to the inherent tension between privacy and utility. These tiny, powerful devices are popping up everywhere. Machine learning tools have automated video content analysis on a large scale. However, with increasing surveillance, there are no legal enforceable rules to limit privacy invasions. Security cameras are capable of […]

German researchers have developed a tandem solar panel that achieves 24 percent efficiency. This is measured by the percentage of photons converted to electricity (i.e. electrons). This is the world’s highest-ever combination of organic and perovskite absorbers. Professor Thomas Riedl, from the University of Wuppertal, developed the solar cell with the help of researchers from the Institute of […]

A new design could allow high-quality wide angle cameras to fit into smartphones. Researchers have created a compact camera that captures wide angle images with high quality using a variety of metalenses, flat nanopatterned surfaces that manipulate light. The new method eliminates the need for bulky, heavy lenses for this type imaging. This could allow wide-angle […]

A new heat engine that has no moving parts is as efficient as a steam turbine Engineers at MIT and NREL have created a heat engine that has no moving parts. The engine converts heat into electricity at over 40% efficiency, which is a higher performance than traditional steam turbines. The heat engine, a thermophotovoltaic cell […]

A rapid antigen test can quickly and easily tell someone if they are positive for COVID-19. Because antibody-based tests don’t have high sensitivity, they may not detect viral loads low in the early stages. Researchers from ACS Sensors have developed a rapid test to detect SARS-CoV-2 using molecularly imprinted nanoparticles rather than antibodies. This new test is more sensitive than […]