Encrypted messaging services, which prevent cyberattackers from reading the contents of messages exchanged by their users, have become increasingly popular over the past decade or so. While these services hide message content, malicious users can often use the network...
TECHXPLORE
Thin-film identification tags for transferring data to touchscreen devices
Today, countless electronic devices have touchscreens, including smart phones, tablets and smart home appliances. Touchscreen interfaces have become some of the most common means for users to communicate with and browse through their devices.
Training robots to identify object placements by ‘hallucinating’ scenes
With more robots now making their way into a number of settings, researchers are trying to make their interactions with humans as smooth and natural as possible. Training robots to respond immediately to spoken instructions, such as "pick up the glass, move it to the...
Inverted perovskite solar cells with a power conversion efficiency of 22.3%
Photovoltaic (PV) cells, which can generate energy from the sun, could be very useful in tackling the current environmental crisis. Perovskite PV cells, cells made of metal halide perovskite semiconductors, have recently proved to be particularly promising, as...
WayPtNav: A new approach for robot navigation in novel environments
Researchers at UC Berkeley and Facebook AI Research have recently developed a new approach for robot navigation in unknown environments. Their approach, presented in a paper pre-published on arXiv, combines model-based control techniques with learning-based perception.
Exploring the effects of exchange rate fluctuations on technological learning rates
When it comes to predicting the costs of new energy systems and technologies, researchers must consider learning rates, which are estimated measures of technological progress. In fact, technological advances are typically associated with higher technological...
Collaborative simultaneous localization and mapping technique uses available Wi-Fi networks
In recent years, research teams worldwide have developed new methods for simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). These techniques can be used to construct or update maps of a given environment in real time, while simultaneously tracking an artificial agent or...
A flexible sensor for biometric authentication and the measurement of vital signs
Conformable imagers are flexible electronic components that can be placed in direct contact with a human user's skin, recording his/her vital signs or other biological information. Over the past few years, these imagers have become widely used, particularly for...
A new design strategy to fabricate 2-D electronic devices using ultrathin dielectrics
2-D semiconductors could have very useful applications, particularly as channel materials for low-power transistors. These materials display very high mobility at extreme thicknesses, which makes them particularly promising alternatives to silicon in the fabrication...
Robotic architecture inspired by pelican eel: Origami unfolding and skin stretching mechanisms
Artificial intelligence and robotics architectures are often inspired by patterns occurring in nature, both in humans and animals. Patterns of movement observed in animals have been replicated in robots via a number of shape-changing mechanisms such as chemical...