Ten years into the future. That’s about how far UC Santa Barbara electrical and computer engineering professor John Bowers and his research team are reaching with the recent development of their mode-locked quantum dot lasers on silicon. It’s technology that not only can massively increase the data transmission capacity of data centers, telecommunications companies and […]
Toward A Secure Electrical Grid
Not long ago, getting a virus was about the worst thing computer users could expect in terms of system vulnerability. But in our current age of hyper-connectedness and the emerging Internet of Things, that’s no longer the case. With connectivity, a new principle has emerged, one of universal concern to those who work in the […]
Researchers Develop A Fast, Low-voltage Actuator For Soft And Wearable Robotics
In the world of robotics, soft robots are the new kids on the block. The unique capabilities of these automata are to bend, deform, stretch, twist or squeeze in all the ways that conventional rigid robots cannot. Today, it is easy to envision a world in which humans and robots collaborate—in close proximity—in many realms. […]
Shrinking The Synthesizer
Only a few decades ago, finding a particular channel on the radio or television meant dialing a knob by hand and then making small adjustments to hone in on the right signal. That’s no longer the case, thanks to something called a radio-frequency synthesizer, which generates accurate signal frequencies. While radio frequency control has long […]
Reinventing The Inductor
A basic building block of modern technology, inductors are everywhere: cellphones, laptops, radios, televisions, cars. And surprisingly, they are essentially the same today as in 1831, when they were first created by English scientist Michael Faraday. The particularly large size of inductors made according to Faraday’s design are a limiting factor in delivering the miniaturized […]
Bridging the Gap Between Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen
As we work to toward more sustainable ways of powering our lifestyles, there is a quest to bridge the gap between the carbon dioxide-emitting fossil fuels we rely on for our most basic needs, and the cleaner, but not yet economically feasible alternative technologies. To that end, a group at UC Santa Barbara has explored […]
X-ray Eyes in the Sky: Drones and WiFi for 3-D Through-Wall Imaging
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara professor Yasamin Mostofi’s lab have given the first demonstration of three-dimensional imaging of objects through walls using ordinary wireless signal. The technique, which involves two drones working in tandem, could have a variety of applications, such as emergency search-and-rescue, archaeological discovery and structural monitoring. “Our proposed approach has enabled unmanned […]
Trace Metal Recombination Centers Kill LED Efficiency
Using cutting-edge first-principles calculations, researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) have demonstrated the mechanism by which transition metal impurities – iron in particular – can act as nonradiative recombination centers in nitride semiconductors. The work highlights that such impurities can have a detrimental impact on the efficiency of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based […]
Will Pedestrians Walk Freely in a World of Self-Driving Cars?
Imagine an urban neighborhood where most of the cars are self-driving. What would it be like to be a pedestrian? Actually, pretty good, according to Adam Millard-Ball, assistant professor of environmental studies at UC Santa Cruz. In fact, pedestrians might end up with the run of the place. In a new study published online Wednesday […]
Pedestrians Walk Freely In A World Of Self-Driving Cars
Imagine an urban neighborhood where most of the cars are self-driving. What would it be like to be a pedestrian? Actually, pretty good, according to Adam Millard-Ball, assistant professor of environmental studies at UC Santa Cruz. In fact, pedestrians might end up with the run of the place. In a new study published online Wednesday […]