Sports analytics–tracking how fast the ball is moving or how players move across the field–is becoming a key component of how coaches make decisions and fans view games. Data for these analytics is currently sourced through cameras in stadiums and courts and is incredibly expensive to acquire. In an effort to make big data analytics […]
Now You Can ‘Build Your Own’ Bio-Bot
For the past several years, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have been developing a class of walking “bio-bots” powered by muscle cells and controlled with electrical and optical pulses. Now, Rashid Bashir’s research group is sharing the recipe for the current generation of bio-bots. Their how-to paper is the cover article in Nature […]
Illinois Team Advances GaN-on-Silicon for Scalable High Electron Mobility Transistors
A team of researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has advanced gallium nitride (GaN)-on-silicon transistor technology by optimizing the composition of the semiconductor layers that make up the device. Working with industry partners Veeco and IBM, the team created the high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) structure on a 200 mm silicon substrate with […]
Machine-Learning Discovery And Design Of Membrane-Active Peptides For Biomedicine
There are approximately 1,100 known antimicrobial peptides (AMP) with diverse sequences that can permeate microbial membranes. To help discover the “blueprint” for natural AMP sequences, researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of California, Los Angeles, have developed a new machine learning approach to discover and design alpha-helical membrane active peptides […]
New Method for Making Green LEDs Enhances Their Efficiency and Brightness
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign have developed a new method for making brighter and more efficient green light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Using an industry-standard semiconductor growth technique, they have created gallium nitride (GaN) cubic crystals grown on a silicon substrate that are capable of producing powerful green light for advanced solid-state lighting. […]
Light Helps The Transistor Laser Switch Faster
Light and electrons interact in a complex dance within fiber optic devices. A new study by University of Illinois engineers found that in the transistor laser, a device for next-generation high-speed computing, the light and electrons spur one another on to faster switching speeds than any devices available. Milton Feng, the Nick Holonyak Jr. Emeritus […]
Novel Nanotechnology Technique Makes Table-top Production Of Flat Optics A Reality
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a simplified approach to fabricating flat, ultra-thin optics. The new approach enables simple etching without the use of acids or hazardous chemical etching agents. “Our method brings us closer to making do-it-yourself optics a reality by greatly simplifying the design iteration steps,” explained Kimani Toussaint, […]
Research Reveals Mechanism For Direct Synthesis Of Hydrogen Peroxide
From the polyurethane that makes our car seats to the paper made from bleached wood pulp, chlorine can be found in a variety of large-scale manufacturing processes. But while chlorine is good at activating the strong bonds of molecules, which allows manufacturers to synthesize the products we use on a daily basis, it can be […]
Research Using CO2 Keeps Even Small Fry Invasive Carp At Bay
University of Illinois researcher Cory Suski has already shown that bubbling high concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) into water is a deterrent to invasive Asian carp adults. The gas makes them feel ‘woozy’ and they choose to swim away. His recent research shows that fish the size of an eyelash also experience negative consequences following […]
Controlling Thermal Conductivities Can Improve Energy Storage
Controlling the flow of heat through materials is important for many technologies. While materials with high and low thermal conductivities are available, materials with variable and reversible thermal conductivities are rare, and other than high pressure experiments, only small reversible modulations in thermal conductivities have been reported. For the first time, researchers at the University […]