Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and their collaborators have developed a technique that allows them to speed up or slow down human heart cells growing in a dish on command—simply by shining a light on them and varying its intensity. The cells are grown on a material called graphene, which […]
A Wearable System To Monitor The Stomach’s Activity Throughout The Day
A team of researchers has developed a wearable, non-invasive system to monitor electrical activity in the stomach over 24 hours–essentially an electrocardiogram but for the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract. Applications include monitoring GI activity for patients outside of a clinical setting, which cuts down costs. Monitoring for longer periods of time also increases the likelihood of […]
Computers Aid Discovery Of New, Inexpensive Material To Make LEDs With High Color Quality
A team led by engineers at the University of California San Diego has used data mining and computational tools to discover a new phosphor material for white LEDs that is inexpensive and easy to make. Researchers built prototype white LED light bulbs using the new phosphor. The prototypes exhibited better color quality than many commercial […]
New ‘4-D Goggles’ Allow Wearers to be ‘Touched’ by Approaching Objects
A team of researchers at UC San Diego and San Diego State University has developed a pair of “4-D goggles” that allows wearers to be physically “touched” by a movie when they see a looming object on the screen, such as an approaching spacecraft. The device was developed based on a study conducted by the […]
Researchers Develop Thin, Transparent And Lightweight Touchscreen Pressure Sensor Arrays
Touchscreens on mobile handheld devices can detect if and where a user is touching the screen, but standard technology cannot determine how much pressure is being exerted. Now, researchers at the University of California San Diego and the University of Texas at Austin have demonstrated a new technology for ‘force sensing’ that can be added […]
New Application for Acoustics Helps Estimate Marine Life Populations
Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego were part of an international team that for the first time used hydroacoustics as a method for comparing the abundance of fishes within and outside marine protected areas (MPAs). They found that the abundance of fishes was four times greater in Mexico’s […]
Smartphone Case Offers Blood Glucose Monitoring On The Go
Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a smartphone case and app that could make it easier for patients to record and track their blood glucose readings, whether they’re at home or on the go. Currently, checking blood sugar levels can be a hassle for people with diabetes, especially when they have […]
Speedy Collision Detector Could Make Robots Better Human Assistants
Electrical engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a faster collision detection algorithm that uses machine learning to help robots avoid moving objects and weave through complex, rapidly changing environments in real time. The algorithm, dubbed “Fastron,” runs up to 8 times faster than existing collision detection algorithms. A team of engineers, […]
This Soft Robotic Gripper Can Screw In Your Light Bulbs For You
How many robots does it take to screw in a light bulb? The answer: just one, assuming you’re talking about a new robotic gripper developed by engineers at the University of California San Diego. The engineering team has designed and built a gripper that can pick up and manipulate objects without needing to see them […]
This Soft Robotic Gripper Can Screw In Your Light Bulbs For You
How many robots does it take to screw in a light bulb? The answer: just one, assuming you’re talking about a new robotic gripper developed by engineers at the University of California San Diego. The engineering team has designed and built a gripper that can pick up and manipulate objects without needing to see them […]