Tag: physical sciences
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System Analyzes Baby Cries to Detect Development Disorders
Engineers and clinicians at Brown University and Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island in Providence designed a system that can analyze a baby’s cry for signs of developmental problems or disorders. The findings of the Brown team are scheduled for publication in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research. The…
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Lightning Detection System Upgraded for Houston, Texas
A meteorologist at Texas A&M University in College Station developed an enhanced lightning detection system for the Houston region, one of the most lightning-prone areas in the U.S. Richard Orville, an atmospheric sciences professor, led the $1.2 million project, which was funded by National Science Foundation. Houston averages some 1,700 lightning strikes in the months…
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3-D Conductive Structures Built with Liquid Metal
Engineers at North Carolina State University in Raleigh developed techniques to build three-dimensional objects with electrical conductivity from liquid metal at room temperature. A team from the lab of chemical engineering professor Michael Dickey published its findings online last week in the journal Advanced Materials. The NC State researchers devised a series of methods using…
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Electronic Skin Material Devised to Detect Multiple Senses
Chemical engineers at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology developed a flexible sensor that can simultaneously detect touch, humidity, and temperature. The team led by Technion’s Hossam Haick published its findings in the June issue of the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (paid subscription required). The Technion team aimed to develop a flexible electronic sensor that would…
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Lighter, Stronger Metallic Bubble Wrap Developed
Engineers at North Carolina State University in Raleigh created a flexible metal foam material that’s lighter and stronger than sheet metal, but more heat and chemical resistant than plastic bubble wraps. The team of Advanced Materials Research Lab director Afsaneh Rabiei and doctoral candidate Di Miao presented their findings on 24 June at the Conference…
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Alternative Solar Cell Developer Adds $10M Venture Funding
Scifiniti, a developer of silicon-based solar materials in San Jose, California secured $10 million in series B venture financing, the second round of funding after initial start-up. Current investors Alloy Ventures, Firelake Capital, I2BF Global Ventures, and Peninsula Ventures took part in the round. The company’s first product is SmartWafer, an alternative photovoltaic solar cell…
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Challenge Seeks Point-of-Care Staph Bacteria Detector
A new challenge on InnoCentive asks for ways to quickly diagnose Staphylococcus aureus bacteria colonies in the nose and throat of patients with point-of-care devices. The competition, sponsored by the Cleveland Clinic, has a prize of $20,000 and a deadline for submissions of 27 August 2013. InnoCentive in Waltham, Massachusetts conducts open-innovation, crowd-sourcing competitions for…
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Wi-Fi Signals Configured as Multi-Room Motion Detector
Computer scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed a technique for harnessing Wi-Fi signals to track people’s movements in different rooms. Dina Katabi, a computer science professor at MIT, and graduate student Fadel Adib will discuss their research in August at the ACM Sigcomm conference in Hong Kong. Katabi and Adib use low-power Wi-Fi signals…
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Hydrogen Fuel Cells Found Feasible for Ships Docked in Port
An analysis by Sandia National Lab in Livermore, California indicates hydrogen fuel cells offer an economical and environmentally feasible alternative for powering commercial ships docked in seaports. Sandia Lab, a division of the U.S. Department of Energy, published the study, conducted for the department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, earlier this year. Ships docked…
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More Feasible CO2 Emission Control Technology Devised
Chemical engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology devised a lab-scale process that can more efficiently remove carbon dioxide from fossil-fuel emissions and work more readily with today’s power plants than current technologies. The team led by MIT’s Alan Hatton published its findings online earlier this month in the journal Energy and Environmental Science. Current emission-control…