Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math
Published

Displays controlled by flexible fins and liquid droplets more versatile, efficient than LED screens      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Flexible displays that can change color, convey information and even send veiled messages via infrared radiation are now possible, thanks to new research. Engineers inspired by the morphing skins of animals like chameleons and octopuses have developed capillary-controlled robotic flapping fins to create switchable optical and infrared light multipixel displays that are 1,000 times more energy efficient than light-emitting devices.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Robotic glove that 'feels' lends a 'hand' to relearn playing piano after a stroke      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new soft robotic glove is lending a 'hand' and providing hope to piano players who have suffered a disabling stroke or other neurotrauma. Combining flexible tactile sensors, soft actuators and AI, this robotic glove is the first to 'feel' the difference between correct and incorrect versions of the same song and to combine these features into a single hand exoskeleton. Unlike prior exoskeletons, this new technology provides precise force and guidance in recovering the fine finger movements required for piano playing and other complex tasks.

Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

New single-photon Raman lidar can monitor for underwater oil leaks      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers report a new single-photon Raman lidar system that operates underwater and can remotely distinguish various substances. They also show that the new system can detect the thickness of the oil underwater up to 12 m away, which could be useful for detecting oil spills.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Volcanoes Paleontology: Climate
Published

Research reveals sources of CO2 from Aleutian-Alaska Arc volcanoes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have wondered what happens to the organic and inorganic carbon that Earth's Pacific Plate carries with it as it slides into the planet's interior along the volcano-studded Ring of Fire. A new study suggests a notable amount of such subducted carbon returns to the atmosphere rather than traveling deep into Earth's mantle.

Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Volcanoes Paleontology: Climate
Published

Climate change will increase impacts of volcanic eruptions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Volcanic disasters have been studied since Pompeii was buried in 79 A.D., leading the public to believe that scientists already know why, where, when and how long volcanoes will erupt. But a volcanologist said these fundamental questions remain a mystery.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

There may be good news about the oceans in a globally warmed world      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An analysis of oxygen levels in Earth's oceans may provide some rare, good news about the health of the seas in a future, globally warmed world. A study analyzing ocean sediment shows that ocean oxygen levels in a key area were higher during the Miocene warm period, some 16 million years ago when the Earth's temperature was hotter than it is today.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: General
Published

Stronger tape engineered through the art of cutting      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

What if you could make adhesives both strong and easily removable? This seemingly paradoxical combination of properties could dramatically change applications in robotic grasping, wearables for health monitoring, and manufacturing for assembly and recycling. A team has adapted kirigami, the ancient Japanese art of cutting paper, into a method for increasing the adhesive bond of ordinary tape by 60 times. Developing such adhesives may not by that far off through the latest research conducted by the team of Michael Bartlett, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech, and published in Nature Materials on June 22.

Biology: Botany Biology: General Computer Science: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Nature Paleontology: Climate
Published

AI reveals hidden traits about our planet's flora to help save species      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Machine learning can help extract important information from the huge numbers of plant specimens stored in herbaria, say scientists.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

Massive underwater plateau near Solomon Islands is younger and its eruption was more protracted than previously thought      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The Ontong Java Plateau, a volcanically-formed underwater plateau located in the Pacific Ocean north of the Solomon Islands, is younger and its eruption was more protracted than previously thought, new research suggests.

Archaeology: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Paleontology: Climate
Published

Climate change likely led to violence in early Andean populations      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Climate change in current times has created problems for humans such as wildfires and reduced growing seasons for staple crops, spilling over into economic effects. Many researchers predict, and have observed in published literature, an increase in interpersonal violence and homicides when temperatures increase. Violence during climatic change has evidence in history, anthropology researchers say.

Computer Science: General Engineering: Robotics Research Physics: General Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Metamaterials with built-in frustration have mechanical memory      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered how to design materials that necessarily have a point or line where the material doesn't deform under stress, and that even remember how they have been poked or squeezed in the past. These results could be used in robotics and mechanical computers, while similar design principles could be used in quantum computers.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Engineering: Robotics Research Physics: General
Published

Hybrid AI-powered computer vision combines physics and big data      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have laid out a new approach to enhance artificial intelligence-powered computer vision technologies by adding physics-based awareness to data-driven techniques. The study offered an overview of a hybrid methodology designed to improve how AI-based machinery sense, interact and respond to its environment in real time -- as in how autonomous vehicles move and maneuver, or how robots use the improved technology to carry out precision actions.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Four-legged robot traverses tricky terrains thanks to improved 3D vision      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a new model that trains four-legged robots to see more clearly in 3D. The advance enabled a robot to autonomously cross challenging terrain with ease -- including stairs, rocky ground and gap-filled paths -- while clearing obstacles in its way.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Exploration Space: General
Published

Mori3: A polygon shape-shifting robot for space travel      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

By combining inspiration from the digital world of polygon meshing and the biological world of swarm behavior, the Mori3 robot can morph from 2D triangles into almost any 3D object. The research shows the promise of modular robotics for space travel.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: General
Published

Greenhouse gas emissions at 'an all-time high' -- and it is causing an unprecedented rate of global warming, say scientists      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Human-induced warming, largely caused by the burning of fossil fuels, reached an average of 1.14°C for the most recent decade (2013 to 2022) above pre-industrial levels. This is up from 1.07°C between 2010 and 2019. Human-induced warming is now increasing at a pace of over 0.2°C per decade. The analysis also found that greenhouse gas emissions were 'at an all-time high', with human activity resulting in the equivalent of 54 (+/-5.3) gigatonnes (or billion metric tonnes) of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere on average every year over the last decade (2012-2021). Given the speed at which the global climate system is changing, the scientists argue that policymakers, climate negotiators and civil society groups need to have access to up-to-date and robust scientific evidence on which to base decisions.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Chatgpt designs a robot      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Poems, essays and even books -- is there anything the OpenAI platform ChatGPT can't handle? These new AI developments have inspired researchers to dig a little deeper: For instance, can ChatGPT also design a robot? And is this a good thing for the design process, or are there risks?

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: General Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Newborn baby inspires sensor design that simulates human touch      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As we move into a world where human-machine interactions are becoming more prominent, pressure sensors that are able to analyze and simulate human touch are likely to grow in demand.