To interact with humans and assist them in their day-to-day life, robots should have both verbal and non-verbal communication capabilities. In other words, they should be able to understand both what a user is saying and what their behavior indicates, adapting their...
TECHXPLORE
A home energy management system to achieve optimal control of heat pumps and photovoltaics
Over the past few decades, researchers worldwide have developed a growing amount of systems that can produce renewable energy, such as solar, wind or hydroelectric energy. While some companies and individuals have already started adopting these technologies, a...
CLEANN: A framework to shield embedded neural networks from online Trojan attacks
With artificial intelligence (AI) tools and machine learning algorithms now making their way into a wide variety of settings, assessing their security and ensuring that they are protected against cyberattacks is of utmost importance. As most AI algorithms and models...
Study uncovers the role of exciton lifetimes in enabling highly efficient organic solar cells
Organic photovoltaics are a third-generation solar cell technology made of electron donor and electron acceptor materials instead of conventional semiconductor p-n junctions. The performance of this alternative solar cell technology has improved significantly over the...
Do explanations for data-based predictions actually increase users’ trust in AI?
In recent years, many artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics researchers have been trying to develop systems that can provide explanations for their actions or predictions. The idea behind their work is that as AI systems become more widespread, explaining why they...
Radiation-immune and repairable chips to fabricate durable electronics
To operate safely and reliably in outdoor environments, electronic devices should be resistant to a wide variety of external factors, including radiation. In fact, high-energy radiation can damage several components of field-effect transistors (FETs) commonly used to...
RoomShift: A room-scale haptic and dynamic environment for VR applications
Researchers at University of Colorado Boulder's ATLAS Institute have recently created RoomShift, a haptic and dynamic environment that could be used to support a variety of virtual reality (VR) experiences. This new haptic environment, introduced in a paper...
A 3D-printed tensegrity structure for soft robotics applications
Tensegrity is a design principle that has often been applied by artists, architects and engineers to build a wide range of structures, including sculptures, frames and buildings. This principle essentially describes the dynamics that occur when a structure maintains...
Commercial battery cells that can monitor their own chemical and thermal state
Battery technology can sometimes be unstable and volatile, two characteristics that impair its safety and reliability. Actively monitoring the chemical and thermal state of battery cells over time could help to detect changes that may cause incidents or malfunctions,...
Using deep learning to control the unconsciousness level of patients in an anesthetic state
In recent years, researchers have been developing machine learning algorithms for an increasingly wide range of purposes. This includes algorithms that can be applied in healthcare settings, for instance helping clinicians to diagnose specific diseases or...