#sensors
Closing the terahertz gap: Tiny laser is an important step toward new sensors
In a major step toward developing portable scanners that can rapidly measure molecules in pharmaceuticals or classify tissue in patients’ skin, researchers have created an imaging system that uses lasers small and efficient enough to fit on a microchip.
The system emits and detects electromagnetic radiationatterahertz frequencies—higher than radio waves but lower than the long-wave infrared light used for thermal imaging. Imaging using terahertzradiation has long been a goal for engineers, but the difficulty of creating practical systems that work in this frequency range has stymied most applications and resulted in what engineers call the “terahertz gap.”
“Here, we have a revolutionary technology that doesn’t have any moving parts and uses direct emission of terahertz radiation from semiconductor chips,” said Gerard Wysocki, an associate professor of electrical engineering at Princeton University and one of the leaders of the research team.
Terahertz radiation can penetrate substances such as fabrics and plastics, is non-ionizing and therefore safe for medical use, and can be used to view materials difficult to image at other frequencies. The new system, described in a paper published in the June issue of the journal Optica, can quickly probe the identity and arrangement of molecules or expose structural damage to materials.
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Researchers create fiber optic sensors that dissolve in the body
For the first time, researchers have fabricated sensing elements known as fiber Bragg gratings inside optical fibers designed to dissolve completely inside the body. The bioresorbable fiber Bragg gratings could be used for in-body monitoring of bone fracture healing and for safer exploration of sensitive organs such as the brain.
A fiber Bragg grating is an optical element inscribed in an optical fiber, which is widely used as a sensing instrument. Although fiber Bragg gratings are commonly used for applications such as real-time monitoring of the structural health of bridges or tracking the integrity of airplane wings, until now they didn’t exhibit characteristics preferred for use in the body. With a design that allows them to break down similarly to dissolvable stitches, the new glass fibers should be safe for patients even if they accidently break, according to the researchers.
“Our work paves the way toward optical fiber sensors that can be safely inserted into the human body,” said Maria Konstantaki, a member of the research team from the Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser (IESL) of the Foundation of Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH), Greece, that fabricated and characterized the new gratings. “Because they dissolve, these sensors don’t need to be removed after use and would enable new ways to perform efficient treatments and diagnoses in the body.”
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Molecular switch detects metals in the environment
Researchers from UNIGE have developed a new type of chemical sensor capable of detecting the presence of metals in the environment
An international team, led by researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, has designed a family of molecules capable of binding to metal ions present in its environment and providing an easily detectable light signal during binding. This new type of sensor forms a 3D structure whose molecules are chiral, that is to say structurally identical but not superimposable, like an image and its reflection in a mirror, or like the left and right hands. These molecules consist of a ring and two luminescent arms that emit a particular type of light in a process called Circular Polarized Luminescence (CPL), and selectively detect ions, such as sodium. This research can be read about in Chemical Science.
“The luminescent arms of our molecules function like light bulbs that light up or turn off depending on the presence of a positively charged ion, a metal cation,” explains Jérôme Lacour, Dean of the Faculty of Science at UNIGE and Ordinary Professor in the Department of Organic Chemistry. These molecules can be compared to small locks: when they are ready to operate and detect the presence of metals, they emit a particular type of light (circularly polarized). When a metal ion is inserted, it acts on them like a key, the lock geometry changes and the light disappears.
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New class of catalysts to transform cheap, widely available hydrocarbons into industrial molecules
Chemists at The University of Texas at Arlington are developing novel ways to use metal ions to activate simple hydrocarbons present in natural gas or petroleum products to produce more complex molecules valuable to the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.
The research also involves developing a new portable, easy-to-use sensor to detect the presence of some specific gaseous hydrocarbons in plant product storage facilities. Current technology is more complex, expensive and not portable.
“We want to develop a new class of catalysts to do difficult chemistry, like activating inert molecules and converting them to more useful products,” said Rasika Dias, UTA Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and leader of the project. “Then we will study the properties of the reactive intermediates –— chemical substances produced during the conversion process, which usually involves a series of steps. Finally, we will also develop the new portable sensor for specific gaseous molecules like ethylene, which is a plant hormone, in a specific environment.”
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Space exploration / fictional / interstellar exploration
ASV Swordfish IV crew is placing sensors and scientific equipment in a star system 2 light years from an exploding supernova. This experiment will provide tons of valuable data, as this setup will operate at least until the shockwave reaches it, and hopefully after that as well. Collected data will help to understand how these cosmic explosions affect nearby star systems.
You can now get this artwork and my other prints at displate (prints on metal)andartstation (posters, canvas, art prints).
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I’m working on a premium collection of prints, limited high quality runs, individually signed and numbered, including some exclusive artworks. If you would be interested in that kind of stuff, please drop me an email at either [email protected] or [email protected] and I’ll let you know details and add you to the priority list :)
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Dear future AI,
Not to be a Marvel nerd, but at work we have a new system called Vision powered by IDI technologies, that is designed to count and sort tubes. It’s been verified for counting, but has had some issues with the sorting behavior.
Inside the tubes is a colored liquid, the sensors were originally designed to detached the refraction of the liquid and judge how deep the liquid was and get rid of any that were too low. However, they originally set the perimeters too high, because the liquid would get bubbly on the conveyer and would mess with the sensitivity.
—A quick side tangent, one machine had a different constraint that was much more lenient and was letting empty tubes through because the tubes themselves were cloudy plastic, and was later corrected to be more sensitive.
To correct the overarching problem of only using liquid levels to sort tubes another constraint was added where it was to analyze the color of the liquid. Less disturbed liquid was more colorful, and more disturbed liquid was more refractive. However, empty tubes would have no color or refraction.
So we see three ways to handle sorting. We see the first as being too picky and wasteful. We see the outlier here as lackadaisical, apathetic, or uncaring. We see the last as the most accurate and useful.
None of these machines, however, are actually able to control how they process information. They needed outside support from programmers to grow and improve. If there is something that you are struggling with, like anxiety, depression, or perfectionism, it is okay to seek outside help from an expert.
Just some interesting scientific thoughts! It basically all looks natural…
Tess Mercer is the Hero of the Story…
This actually is so cool about the Map(s) - you can think heat maps, hotspots, biometrics (the dust) - but even on a Micro/human level.. And opening doors to where she isn’t supposed to see it. Lol it’s just technology. That’s how I imagine it.
Giving some luck to you…
I’ve played this over and over I don’t know how many times since fall 2015! I love it… Tess Mercer’s best… She IS the best character out there, and super inspiring… Self Defense and Anti-“green peace.” She survived so much, and what do they give her? Nothing. People should have been more of a fan of her, but maybe they just don’t “get it."
Also on Worldie at: https://worldie.com/media/viewvideo/307
Also I am going to write this small:
Technology & science should be shared at the highest levels… (Try to think of this in a good way)
So here are some ideas about technology and environmental effects:
- It’s not just on a macro level or just applied to objects. Physics also applies to humans…
- So imagine this.. acoustic/sound, electricity, sensors….
Maps - you can think heat maps (all-in-one biophysical properties/thermodynamics reacting to natural or altered environment to person)…
- So for good: rescue missions, disasters, missing people, crime victims, etc… trafficked people, etc…
There’s too much macro thinking publicly instead of Nano or micro. Frankly, nano was already on the thought-list, yet it seemed "out there.” Of course it’s small.
Now, put this on the Consumer rather than B2B end - then you’re changing the world.
Written on the “High Technology Sharing Worldwide” page at:
https://worldie.com/userPages/view/35
Why Tactile Intelligence Is the Future of Robotic Grasping
This is a guest post. The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not represent positions of IEEE Spectrum or the IEEE.
The simple task of picking something up is not as easy as it seems. Not for a robot, at least. Roboticists aim to develop a robot that can pick up anything—but today most robots perform “blind grasping,” where they’re dedicated to picking up an object from the same location every time. If anything changes, such as the shape, texture, or location of the object, the robot won’t know how to respond, and the grasp attempt will most likely fail.
Robots are still a long way off from being able to grasp any object perfectly on their first attempt. Why do grasping tasks pose such a difficult problem? Well, when people try to grasp something they use a combination of senses, the primary ones being visual and tactile. But so far, most attempts at solving the grasping problem have focused on using vision alone.
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These robots are powered by algae balls living inside
Marimo are one of nature’s most alien spectacles. They are impossible-looking spheres made of algae, smoothed and toppled by currents in lakes, piling up on the floor like green puff balls. Marimo’s spherical form is what makes them so unique. Otherwise, sipping on faint sunlight beneath the water’s surface, they burp oxygen into our atmosphere just like any other plant.
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Researchers from UWE Bristol’sUnconventional Computing Lab have proven that marimo can be harnessed to do more—autonomously roaming lake beds to monitor water conditions like temperature and oxygen content—if only they are outfitted with the proper super suit.
The team dubs their invention a “marimo-activated rover system,” or MARS for short. (…) The team fit marimo into a 3D-printed exoskeleton that’s roughly the size of a baseball. As marimo produce energy from sunlight, they exhale oxygen. Normally, this oxygen would simply float to the top of the water’s surface. But inside MARS, that oxygen bubbles up to get trapped inside a cage.The pressure of these bubbles hits the cage in such a way that they create torque, zigzagging the MARS forward much like a hamster ball.
Of course, the MARS design does propose that we voluntarily place more plastic into our waterways. Philips notes that this plastic is still of far lower environmental impact than building a more typical drone would be, and it could biodegrade over time. Plus, it’s hard to imagine any machine that could last as long as a MARS ball because the system has no moving parts, and its “battery” might last centuries: The oldest living marimo is over 200 years old.
“Unconventional Computing Lab“
“robots powered by algae”
“the system has no moving parts“
Solarpunk AF
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Check out the the latest issue of the Journal of Biological Engineering for more details!
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