A microscopic trampoline could help engineers to overcome a major hurdle for quantum computers, researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) report in a new study. Scientists at JILA, a joint institute of CU Boulder and NIST, have developed a device that uses a small plate to […]
Future Electric Cars Could Recharge Wirelessly While You Drive
Electric vehicles may one day be able to recharge while driving down the highway, drawing wireless power directly from plates installed in the road that would make it possible to drive hundreds — if not thousands — of miles without having to plug in. While the idea may sound like science fiction, University of Colorado […]
New Malleable ‘Electronic Skin’ Self-Healable, Recyclable
University of Colorado Boulder researchers have developed a new type of malleable, self-healing and fully recyclable “electronic skin” that has applications ranging from robotics and prosthetic development to better biomedical devices. Electronic skin, known as e-skin, is a thin, translucent material that can mimic the function and mechanical properties of human skin. A number of […]
Soft, Self-Healing Devices Mimic Biological Muscles
In the basement of the Engineering Center at the University of Colorado Boulder, a group of researchers is working to create the next generation of robots. Instead of the metallic droids you may be imagining, they are developing robots made from soft materials that are more similar to biological systems. Such soft robots contain tremendous […]
New Engineered Material Can Cool Roofs, Structures with Zero Energy Consumption
A team of University of Colorado Boulder engineers has developed a scalable manufactured metamaterial — an engineered material with extraordinary properties not found in nature — to act as a kind of air conditioning system for structures. It has the ability to cool objects even under direct sunlight with zero energy and water consumption. When […]
Study First to Quantify Impact of Oil and Gas Emissions on Denver’s Ozone Problem
The first peer-reviewed study to directly quantify how emissions from oil and gas activities influence summertime ozone pollution in the Colorado Front Range confirms that chemical vapors from oil and gas activities are a significant contributor to the region’s chronic ozone problem. Summertime ozone pollution levels in the northern Front Range periodically spike above 70 […]
Ultrafast Microscope Used To Make Slow-motion Electron Movie
University of Colorado Boulder researchers have demonstrated the use of the world’s first ultrafast optical microscope, allowing them to probe and visualize matter at the atomic level with mind-bending speed. The ultrafast optical microscope assembled by the research team is 1,000 times more powerful than a conventional optical microscope, said CU-Boulder physics Professor Markus Raschke, […]
Nanoscale Pillars Could Improve Conversion of Heat to Electricity
University of Colorado Boulder scientists have found a creative way to radically improve thermoelectric materials, a finding that could one day lead to the development of improved solar panels, more energy-efficient cooling equipment, and even the creation of new devices that could turn the vast amounts of heat wasted at power plants into more electricity. […]