Mixed reality (MR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies merge the real world with computer-generated elements, allowing users to interact with their surroundings in more engaging ways. In recent years, these technologies have enhanced education and specialized...
Consumer & Gadgets
An architecture that gives users full control of their smartphones
In recent years, many smartphone users have become concerned about the privacy of their data and the extent to which companies might have access to this data. As things stand today, the applications that users can run on their phone and what they can do with these...
Study explores how visual effects in videogames help players to make sense of game worlds
Visual effects (VFX) can help to make videogames more engaging and immersive for players. However, they are often also designed to support players, for instance, by pointing them to specific locations or highlighting helpful game features.
Adding energy cost information to energy-efficiency class labels could affect refrigerator purchases
To guide consumers in their choice of electrical appliances and devices, over a decade ago the European Union introduced an energy efficiency labeling scheme. This scheme gives potential buyers an idea of much electrical energy is consumed by different devices, so...
An attacker can steal sensitive user data over the phone using smart speakers
In recent years, voice assistants such as Siri, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Cortana have become increasingly popular. People in many countries worldwide communicate with these artificial intelligence (AI) agents on a daily basis, asking them to search for...
A quantum metrology protocol for locating noncooperative targets in 3-D space
Radar technology, which stands for radio detection and ranging, has been around for several decades and has a wide range of real-world applications. Radar is currently used to detect targets or other objects in many settings. For instance, it is employed during...
A quantum memory that operates at telecom wavelengths
To create large quantum networks, researchers will first need to develop efficient quantum repeaters. A key component of these repeaters are quantum memories, which are the quantum-mechanical equivalents of more conventional computer memories, such as random-access...
New Survey Data Reveals a Generational Shift in Distributor Preference
In recent surveys, young engineers ranked Amazon as their first choice for purchasing electrical components. We set out to investigate why.
A new technique for the 3-D printing multimaterial devices
Three-dimensional printing techniques could potentially be used to fabricate a variety of objects with complex geometries, including electronic components. Most 3-D printing approaches developed so far, however, have merely proved effective for producing...
A design strategy to produce stable and high-energy aqueous zinc-manganese dioxide batteries
The global demand for rechargeable batteries has grown exponentially over the past decade or so, as they are needed to power the increasing numbers of portable electronic devices such as smart phones, laptops, tablets, smart watches and fitness trackers. To work most...