If a robot is sent to disable a roadside bomb — or delicately handle an egg while cooking you an omelet — it needs to be able to sense when objects are slipping out of its grasp. Yet to date it’s been difficult or impossible for most robotic and prosthetic hands to accurately sense the […]
UW Shatters Long-Range Communication Barrier for Near-Zero-Power Devices
University of Washington researchers have demonstrated for the first time that devices that run on almost zero power can transmit data across distances of up to 2.8 kilometers — breaking a long-held barrier and potentially enabling a vast array of interconnected devices. For example, flexible electronics — from knee patches that capture range of motion […]
UW Shatters Long-Range Communication Barrier For Near-Zero-Power Devices
University of Washington researchers have demonstrated for the first time that devices that run on almost zero power can transmit data across distances of up to 2.8 kilometers — breaking a long-held barrier and potentially enabling a vast array of interconnected devices. For example, flexible electronics — from knee patches that capture range of motion […]
Global Corporations And Cleantech Startups Begin Testing Innovations At Washington’s Open-Access Clean Energy Facility
Global corporations, U.S. solar companies, and Washington startupshave signed up to test their cleantech at the Washington Clean Energy Testbeds, created by the University of Washington (UW) Clean Energy Institute (CEI), during the facility’s first six months of operation. Companies using the Testbeds include Microsoft, Washington’s PureSolar, and several UW spinout companies. This diverse group of customers and UW’s […]
Computer Scientists Use Music To Covertly Track Body Movements, Activity
As smartphones, tablets, smart TVs and other smart devices become more prevalent in our lives, computer scientists have raised concerns that these network-enabled devices, if not properly secured, could be co-opted to steal data or invade user privacy. Now researchers at the University of Washington have demonstrated how it is possible to transform a smart […]
Fast, Cheap Method to Make Supercapacitor Electrodes
Supercapacitors are an aptly named type of device that can store and deliver energy faster than conventional batteries. They are in high demand for applications including electric cars, wireless telecommunications and high-powered lasers. But to realize these applications, supercapacitors need better electrodes, which connect the supercapacitor to the devices that depend on their energy. These […]
Team Develops Fast, Cheap Method To Make Supercapacitor Electrodes
UW team develops fast, cheap method to make supercapacitor electrodes for electric cars, high-powered lasers. Supercapacitors are an aptly named type of device that can store and deliver energy faster than conventional batteries. They are in high demand for applications including electric cars, wireless telecommunications and high-powered lasers. But to realize these applications, supercapacitors need […]
First Battery-Free Cellphone Makes Calls By Harvesting Ambient Power
University of Washington researchers have invented a cellphone that requires no batteries — a major leap forward in moving beyond chargers, cords and dying phones. Instead, the phone harvests the few microwatts of power it requires from either ambient radio signals or light. The team also made Skype calls using its battery-free phone, demonstrating that […]
To Connect Biology With Electronics, Be Rigid, Yet Flexible
The problem is a fundamental incompatibility in communication styles. That conclusion might crop up during divorce proceedings, or describe a diplomatic row. But scientists designing polymers that can bridge the biological and electronic divide must also deal with incompatible messaging styles. Electronics rely on racing streams of electrons, but the same is not true for […]
Scientists Discover a 2-D Magnet
Magnetic materials form the basis of technologies that play increasingly pivotal roles in our lives today, including sensing and hard-disk data storage. But as our innovative dreams conjure wishes for ever-smaller and faster devices, researchers are seeking new magnetic materials that are more compact, more efficient and can be controlled using precise, reliable methods. A […]