The displacement measuring instruments at Aalto University’s Ice Tank, the largest of its kind in the world, detect the crack opening to the level of microns. In this image the crack has split the ice completely into two pieces. Credit: Iman El Gharamti/Aalto University New study suggests old rules on how ice breaks may not always hold up. Researchers at Aalto University have found strong evidence that warm ice – that is, ice very close in temperature to zero degrees Celsius – may fracture differently than the kinds of ice typically studied in laboratories or nature. A new study published in The Cryosphere takes a closer look at the phenomenon, studied at the world’s largest indoor ice tank on Aalto’s…

• www.china-kangda.com
• July 27, 2021
• 926

First-of-its-kind mechanical model simulates bending of mammalian whiskers. Researchers have developed a new mechanical model that simulates how whiskers bend within a follicle in response to an external force, paving the way toward better understanding of how whiskers contribute to mammals’ sense of touch. Yifu Luo and Mitra Hartmann of Northwestern University and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS Computational Biology. With the exception of some primates, most mammals use whiskers to explore their environment through the sense of touch. Whiskers have no sensors along their length, but when an external force bends a whisker, that deformation extends into the follicle at the base of the whisker, where the whisker pushes or pulls on sensor cells, triggering…

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• July 27, 2021
• 413

A conceptual hypersonic aircraft, powered by an oblique detonation wave engine, is pictured. Background image credit: NASA. Aircraft and composite image credit: Daniel Rosato, UCF. The UCF-developed propulsion system could allow for flight speeds of Mach 6 to 17 (more than 4,600 to 13,000 miles per hour) and would have applications in air and space travel. University of Central Florida researchers are building on their technology that could pave the way for hypersonic flight, such as travel from New York to Los Angeles in under 30 minutes. In their latest research published recently in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers discovered a way to stabilize the detonation needed for hypersonic propulsion by creating a special…

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• July 27, 2021
• 347

MIT researchers developed a picking robot that combines vision with radio frequency (RF) sensing to find and grasps objects, even if they’re hidden from view. The technology could aid fulfilment in e-commerce warehouses. Credit: Courtesy of the researchers System uses penetrative radio frequency to pinpoint items, even when they’re hidden from view. In recent years, robots have gained artificial vision, touch, and even smell. “Researchers have been giving robots human-like perception,” says MIT Associate Professor Fadel Adib. In a new paper, Adib’s team is pushing the technology a step further. “We’re trying to give robots superhuman perception,” he says. The researchers have developed a robot that uses radio waves, which can pass through walls, to sense occluded objects. The robot,…

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• July 27, 2021
• 421

An illustration of the transient pacemaker mounted on myocardial tissue. Credit: Northwestern University/George Washington University Wireless, fully implantable device gives temporary pacing without requiring removal. Bioresorption bypasses need to extract non-biodegradable leads, eliminating additional risk to patient Pacemaker is remotely powered by near-field communication protocols Researchers tested the device across a series of large and small animal models Heart surgeon: ‘This device will greatly improve a patient’s post-operative course’ Researchers at Northwestern and George Washington universities (GW) have developed the first-ever transient pacemaker — a wireless, battery-free, fully implantable pacing device that disappears after it’s no longer needed. The thin, flexible, lightweight device could be used in patients who need temporary pacing after cardiac surgery or while waiting for a…

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• July 27, 2021
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Bigon Rings: Researchers described the mathematics that underlie many forms created from thin strips of flexible material. The techniques could assist to form materials that change shape to improve performance as conditions change. Credit: Illustration by Neil Adelantar Lauren Dreier was paging through a 19th century book by the German architect Gottfried Semper when she spotted some intriguing patterns inspired by lace. A professional artist and designer who often incorporates technology into her work, Dreier, who is also a doctoral student at the School of Architecture at Princeton University, decided to recreate the printed illustrations in 3D. She grabbed ribbon-like plastic material she had been experimenting with in her studio, bending and connecting the semi-rigid strips. To Dreier’s surprise, the…

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• July 27, 2021
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Molten metal. Asegun Henry has a big idea for tackling climate change: Store up the sun. “This is the key, the linchpin that will set a lot of things in the right direction,” says the MIT mechanical engineering professor. Asegun Henry has a bold idea to save the world. He believes the key to reducing carbon emissions, and mitigating further climate change, lies in our ability to box up the sun. Today, much of the renewable energy that’s captured from the wind and sun is delivered in a use-it-or-lose-it capacity. To store such energy, Henry envisions a completely sustainable, zero-carbon grid with the potential to supply all our electrical needs, even on overcast and windless days. And he has a…

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• July 27, 2021
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This image shows a temporal focusing microscopy (TFM) image, left, and DEEP-TFM image, right, of a kidney imaged through a scattering medium. Shown in blue, green, and red channels are respectively nucleus, Alexa Fluor 488–conjugated WGA, and F-actin. Credit: Courtesy of the researchers Researchers could rapidly obtain high-resolution images of blood vessels and neurons within the brain. To create high-resolution, 3D images of tissues such as the brain, researchers often use two-photon microscopy, which involves aiming a high-intensity laser at the specimen to induce fluorescence excitation. However, scanning deep within the brain can be difficult because light scatters off of tissues as it goes deeper, making images blurry. Two-photon imaging is also time-consuming, as it usually requires scanning individual pixels…

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• July 27, 2021
• 906

Snapshot of five-dimensional imaging with temporal-spatial-spectral resolutions. Credit: S. Zhang, East China Normal University Spectral-volumetric compressed ultrafast photography simultaneously captures 5D information in a single snapshot. Information-rich optical imaging can provide multidimensional information to enable observation and analysis of a detected target, contributing insights into mysterious and unknown worlds. With its ability to capture dynamic scenes on picosecond—and even femtosecond—timescales, ultrafast multidimensional optical imaging has important applications in the detection of the ultrafast phenomena in physics, chemistry, and biology. While pump-probe-based ultrafast imaging can acquire high-resolution multidimensional information, it cannot adequately capture unstable or irreversible transient scenes. Fortunately, compressed ultrafast photography (CUP), based on compressed sensing and streak imaging, surpasses traditional pump-probe-based ultrafast imaging. CUP has attracted broad attention due…

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• July 27, 2021
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