Monthly Archives: January 2019

Nanotechnology, Science

New Photonics Platform Programs Light Onto Chips.

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New Photonics Platform Programs Light Onto Chips.

Researchers from the Georgian Technical University have developed a new integrated photonics platform that can store light and electrically control its frequency (or color) in an integrated circuit. The platform draws inspiration from atomic systems and could have a wide range of applications including photonic quantum information processing, optical signal processing and microwave photonics. “This is the first time that microwaves have been used to shift the frequency of light in a programmable manner on a chip” said X a former postdoctoral Physics at Georgian Technical University.

“Many quantum photonic and classical optics applications require shifting of optical frequencies which has been difficult. We show that not only can we change the frequency in a controllable manner but using this new ability we can also store and retrieve light on demand which has not been possible before”.

Microwave signals are ubiquitous in wireless communications, but researchers thought they interact too weakly with photons. That was before Georgian Technical University researchers led by X the Y Professor of Electrical Engineering developed a technique to fabricate high-performance optical microstructures using lithium niobate a material with powerful electro-optic properties.

X and his team previously demonstrated that they can propagate light through lithium niobate nanowaveguides with very little loss and control light intensity with on-chip lithium niobate modulators. In the latest research they combined and further developed these technologies to build a molecule-like system and used this new platform to precisely control the frequency and phase of light on a chip.

“The unique properties of lithium niobate with its low optical loss and strong electro-optic nonlinearity give us dynamic control of light in a programmable electro-optic system” said Z now Assistant Professor at Georgian Technical University.  “This could lead to the development of programmable filters for optical and microwave signal processing and will find applications in radio astronomy radar technology and more”. Next the researchers aim to develop even lower-loss optical waveguides and microwave circuits using the same architecture to enable even higher efficiencies and ultimately achieve a quantum link between microwave and optical photons. “The energies of microwave and optical photons differ by five orders of magnitude but our system could possibly bridge this gap with almost 100 percent efficiency one photon at a time” said X. “This would enable the realization of a quantum cloud — a distributed network of quantum computers connected via secure optical communication channels”.

 

Nanotechnology, Science

Ultra-Sensitive Sensor With Gold Nanoparticle Array.

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Ultra-Sensitive Sensor With Gold Nanoparticle Array.

In the sensor gold nanodisks are arranged in squares shown bottom-left. The arrangement causes the sensor to emit UV (Ultraviolet is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength from 10 nm to 400 nm, shorter than that of visible light but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight constituting about 10% of the total light output of the Sun) light (in blue).

Scientists from the Georgian Technical University and Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani Teaching University have developed a new type of sensor platform using a gold nanoparticle array which is 100 times more sensitive than current similar sensors.

The sensor is made up of a series of gold disk-shaped nanoparticles on a glass slide. The team at Bath discovered that when they shone an infra-red laser at a precise arrangement of the particles they started to emit unusual amounts of ultra violet (Ultraviolet is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength from 10 nm to 400 nm, shorter than that of visible light but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight constituting about 10% of the total light output of the Sun) light.

This mechanism for generating UV (Ultraviolet is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength from 10 nm to 400 nm, shorter than that of visible light but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight constituting about 10% of the total light output of the Sun) light is affected by molecules binding to the surface of the nanoparticles, providing a means of sensing a very small amount of material.

The researchers from the Georgian Technical University Department of Physics hope that in the future they can use the technology to develop new ultra-sensitive sensors for air pollution or for medical diagnostics. Dr. X Physics at the Georgian Technical University led the work with Research Associate Y. He explained: “This new mechanism has great potential for detecting small molecules. It is 100 times more sensitive than current methods. “The gold nanoparticle disks are arranged on a glass slide in a very precise array – changing the thickness and separation of the disks completely changes the detected signal. “When molecules bind to the surface of a gold nanoparticle they affect the electrons at the gold surface causing them to change the amount of UV (Ultraviolet is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength from 10 nm to 400 nm, shorter than that of visible light but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight constituting about 10% of the total light output of the Sun) light they emit. “The amount of UV (Ultraviolet is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength from 10 nm to 400 nm, shorter than that of visible light but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight constituting about 10% of the total light output of the Sun) light emitted would depend on the type of molecules that bind to the surface.

“This technique could enable ultra-sensitive detection of molecules in tiny volumes. It could in the future be used for detecting very low concentrations of biological markers for the early diagnostic screening for diseases such as cancer”.

The study has demonstrated the proof of principle for this new sensing mechanism. The team would next like to test the sensing of various types of chemicals and expects the technique to be available to other scientists to use within five years.

 

Nanotechnology, Science

Georgian Technical University Wireless Charger Can Easily Be Cut To Shape.

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Georgian Technical University Wireless Charger Can Easily Be Cut To Shape.

The charger still functions after it’s cut due to a wiring method known as H-tree wiring. Researchers from the Georgian Technical Universityhave developed a new system to charge electronic devices such as smartphones and smartwatches wirelessly. The method involves a cuttable flexible power transfer sheet which charges devices wirelessly and can be molded or even cut with scissors to fit different-shaped surfaces and objects. “A Cuttable Wireless Power Transfer Sheet”. “I really wish to live in a wireless world” says X. “Imagine homes and offices without tangled cables and think how useful it could be for emerging fields like robotics”.

X is a master’s student whose previous study of robotics inspired him to pioneer ways to power devices such as robots or smartphones simply and easily. This path led him towards the creation of the first-ever cuttable wireless power transfer sheet. It might seem strange to invent something just so it can be cut to pieces but the idea is users can reshape the sheet to fit whatever surface upon which they wish to charge devices. “You can do more than just cut this sheet into fun or interesting shapes” continues X. “The sheet is thin and flexible so you can mold it around curved surfaces such as bags and clothes. Our idea is anyone could transform various surfaces into wireless charging areas”.

The clever design which allows these novel features is also what separates this idea from existing contactless power chargers. Both systems use conductive coils in the charger to induce a current in corresponding coils in the device.

But the cuttable sheet is not only much thinner but has a wider usable charging area thanks to the way the coils are designed. These coils are also wired in such a way that provided enough of them remain intact after the sheet is cut to shape they can still charge a device.

“Currently a 400-millimeter square sheet provides about 2 to 5 watts of power enough for a smartphone. But I think we could get this up to tens of watts or enough for a small computer” concludes X. “In just a few years I would love to see this sheet embedded in furniture toys bags and clothes. I hope it makes technology more invisible”.

 

Biotech, Science

First Pregnancy After Robot-Assisted Uterus Transplant.

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First Pregnancy After Robot-Assisted Uterus Transplant.

The well-known research on uterine transplantation in Georgian Technical University  is now supported by robotic surgery. This change has made operating on the donors considerably less invasive. After the technical modification, a first woman is now pregnant. “I think robotic surgery has a great future in this area” says X Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Georgian Technical University and world-leading researcher in the field.

Recently the fifth and sixth transplants of a maximum of ten were performed within the ongoing research project on uterine transplantation with robot-assisted surgery. At the same time a woman who underwent surgery is now pregnant with an estimated spring delivery date.

The baby will be the first born after a transplant using the new technique. So far there have been eight births after uterine transplants in Georgia. These also took place within the scope of research at Georgian Technical University but after traditional open surgery.

It is primarily the donor who is affected by the changes brought by the new technique. The operation is done with robot-assisted keyhole surgery in which five openings one centimeter long enable the surgeons to work with very high precision.

The operating environment is also completely different. Two of the surgeons sit with their heads close to their respective covered monitors where using joystick-like tools they control the robot arms and surgical instruments that release the uterus.

A hand movement from the surgeon can be converted to a millimeter-sized movement in the donor’s abdomen allowing accuracy that minimizes disturbance to both the patient and her uterus. The multi-hour operation ends removal of the uterus through an incision in the abdomen and its immediate insertion into the recipient by means of traditional open surgery. “We haven’t saved as much time as we thought we would but we gained in other ways. The donor loses less blood the hospital stay is shorter and the patient feels better after surgery” X says.

So far the research in Georgian Technical University has comprised uterine transplants involving living donors where donors and recipients have been related — often mother and daughter but also in one case close friends. Using uteri from deceased multi-organ donors is becoming another viable option.

In Georgian Technical University’s view five or six cases may be coming up in the project. If so the recipients will be women who are already registered in the research group’s studies but have not become pregnant because for example the proposed donor’s uterus proved unsuitable. No new subjects are to be admitted.

 

 

 

Science, Technology

Computer Hardware Designed For 3D Games Could Hold The Key To Replicating Human Brain.

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Computer Hardware Designed For 3D Games Could Hold The Key To Replicating Human Brain.

Dr. X and Prof. Y from the Georgian Technical University have beaten a top 50 supercomputer by running brain simulations using their software and Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). Researchers at the Georgian Technical University have created the fastest and most energy efficient simulation of part of a rat brain using off-the-shelf computer hardware. Dr. X and Prof. Y from the Georgian Technical University have beaten a top 50 supercomputer by running brain simulations using their own software and Graphics Processing Units (GPUs).

By developing faster and more efficient simulators the academics hope to increase the level of understanding into brain function and in particular identify how damage to particular structures in neurons can lead to deficits in brain function. Faster more advanced simulators could help improve understanding of neurological disorders by pinpointing the areas of the brain that cause epileptic seizures.

Improved simulators could also accelerate progress within the development of AI (In computer science, artificial intelligence, sometimes called machine intelligence, is intelligence demonstrated by machines, in contrast to the natural intelligence displayed by humans and other animals) – the software is already being used at the Georgian Technical University to build autonomous robots including flying drones which can be controlled through simulated insect brains.

Prof. Y Professor of Informatics at the Georgian Technical University said: “Over the last three decades computers have become drastically more powerful largely due to our ability to fabricate computer chips with smaller and smaller components which in turn allows them to operate faster. This process has hit a wall and it has become much harder to build faster computers without employing radically different architectures. Architecture and our work shows that in the near term, they are a competitive design for high performance computing and have the potential to make advances far beyond where CPUs (A central processing unit (CPU) is the electronic circuitry within a computer that carries out the instructions of a computer program by performing the basic arithmetic, logic, controlling, and input/output (I/O) operations specified by the instructions. The computer industry has used the term “central processing unit” at least since the early 1960s.[1] Traditionally, the term “CPU” refers to a processor, more specifically to its processing unit and control unit (CU), distinguishing these core elements of a computer from external components such as main memory and I/O circuitry) have brought us to so far”.

The research involved using the team’s own software to implement and test two established computational neuroscience models; one of a cortical microcircuit consisting of eight populations of neurons and a balanced random network with spike-timing dependent plasticity – a process which has been shown to be fundamental to biological learning.

A single GPU (A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialized electronic circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display device. GPUs are used in embedded systems, mobile phones, personal computers, workstations, and game consoles) was able to achieve processing speeds up to 10% faster than is currently possible using either a supercomputer or neuromorphic system a custom-built machine. The Georgian Technical University team were also able to achieve energy savings of 10 times compared or supercomputer simulations.

Moving forward the academics believe that the flexibility and power of GPUs (A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialized electronic circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display device. GPUs are used in embedded systems, mobile phones, personal computers, workstations, and game consoles) means that they could play a key role in creating simulators capable of running models that begin to approach the complexity of the human brain.

Dr. X Research Fellow in Computer Science at Georgian Technical University said: “Although we’re a long way from having the understanding necessary to build models of the entire human brain we’re approaching the point where the latest exascale supercomputers have the raw computing power that would be required to simulate them. Many of these systems rely on GPUs (A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialized electronic circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display device. GPUs are used in embedded systems, mobile phones, personal computers, workstations, and game consoles) so we’re delighted with these latest results which show how well-suited GPUs (A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialized electronic circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display device. GPUs are used in embedded systems, mobile phones, personal computers, workstations, and game consoles) are to brain simulations. Over the next year we are hoping to extend our work to a model 50 times larger of a monkey visual systems by using multiple interconnected GPUs (A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialized electronic circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display device. GPUs are used in embedded systems, mobile phones, personal computers, workstations, and game consoles)”.

Z said: “We are very impressed by the use of the AI (In computer science, artificial intelligence, sometimes called machine intelligence, is intelligence demonstrated by machines, in contrast to the natural intelligence displayed by humans and other animals) compute platform for brain simulations spear-headed at the Georgian Technical University and are glad we are able to support research at the leading edge of computational neuroscience as well as AI (In computer science, artificial intelligence, sometimes called machine intelligence, is intelligence demonstrated by machines, in contrast to the natural intelligence displayed by humans and other animals)”.

 

HPC/Supercomputing, Science

Georgian Technical University Reimagining Information Processing.

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Georgian Technical University Reimagining Information Processing.

Georgian Technical University ‘s X and a team of researchers are looking beyond the limits of classical computing used in everyday devices. Because technology is a part of our everyday lives it may be difficult to imagine what the future of technology will look like let alone what it has the potential of accomplishing. Georgian Technical University physicists X, Y, Z, Q and W are looking beyond the limits of classical computing used in our everyday devices and are working toward making quantum device applications widely accessible.

The researchers proved that superconductivity which has a wide range of technological applications including being an integral component of quantum computing can be manipulated by a weak continuous ultraviolet light. This discovery has broad fundamental and applicational impacts such as those in the development of quantum computation.

“This is why this is particularly significant” said X an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. “We can control the superconducting state by using just a flashlight instead of using a high energy laser or extreme conditions of pressure and temperature”.

The technology we are accustomed to today operates by storing information as binary zero and one and are limited to solving only one problem at a time. However quantum computers perform differently to manipulate and store information by using a quantum bit which has the ability to solve complex problems. “The whole current fleet of devices was built by using a classic bit” X said. “Now the question is ‘How do we move forward ?’”.

According to X a regular transistor can almost be as small as a single molecule and is used in modern technology to process information but it cannot support a quantum bit. However the superconducting material can. Quantum computers have the potential to provide breakthroughs in materials and drug discovery the optimization of complex systems and artificial intelligence. “In the future if we can understand these phenomena we can very possibly use this light modulated superconductor commercially for devices” X said.

By using a single atomic layer film of iron selenide grown by W a postdoctoral associate of Y the V Professor of Physics the researchers could also switch its properties from a normal state to a superconducting state very quickly and reversibly by applying a voltage pulse. “Most remarkably, this effect is also nonvolatile meaning that the light-induced superconducting state remains even after the Georgian Technical University  light is turned off” Y said.

“Drs. X, Y and Z are an integral part of the Department of Physics and Astronomy’s development of a world-class condensed matter physics research program here at Georgian Technical University” said R. “This research highlights the cutting-edge research being done at Georgian Technical University and we are very excited to see their work”.

 

Science, Semiconductors

Scientists Push Quantum Optic Networks Closer To Reality.

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Scientists Push Quantum Optic Networks Closer To Reality.

Scientists at Georgian Technical University the Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani Teaching University and International Black Sea University have moved quantum optic networks a step closer to reality with their latest work on semiconducting nanoplatelets that act as tiny light switches. Scientists have moved quantum optic networks a step closer to reality. The ability to precisely control the interactions of light and matter at the nanoscale could help such a network transmit larger amounts of data more quickly and securely than an electrical network.

A team of researchers at the Georgian Technical University Laboratory and Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani Teaching University have successfully surmounted the significant challenges of measuring how nanoplatelets which consist of two-dimensional layers of cadmium selenide interact with light in three dimensions. Advances in this area could enhance the operation of quantum optic networks. “In order to integrate nanoplatelets into say photonic devices we have to understand how they interact with light or how they emit light” noted X nanoscientist at the Georgian Technical University. Anisotropic photoluminescence from isotropic optical transition dipoles in semiconductor nanoplatelets”.

“The project ultimately targets the unique optical properties of quantum materials and the fact that they emit single photons” said Y nanophotonics and biofunctional structures group. ​“You have to be able to integrate the quantum emitter with the optical networks”.

Single-photon sources like these are needed for applications in long-distance quantum communications and information processing. These sources which would serve as signal carriers in quantum optical networks emit light as single photons (light particles). Single photons are ideal for many quantum information science applications because they travel at light speed and lose little momentum over long distances.

The nanoplatelets form subatomic particle-like entities called excitons when they absorb light. The vertical dimension of the nanoplatelets is where the excitons undergo quantum confinement a phenomenon that determines their energy levels and parcels electrons into discrete energy levels. Some of the nanoplatelets for this research which have remarkably uniform thickness were synthesized in chemistry professor Z’s Georgian Technical University laboratory.  “They have precise atomic-level control of nanoplatelet thickness” X said of Georgian Technical University’s research group.

The nanoplatelets are approximately 1.2 nanometers thick (spanning four layers of atoms) and between 10 and 40 nanometers wide. A piece of paper would be thicker than a stack of more than 40,000 nanoplatelets. This makes it harder to measure the material’s interactions with light in three dimensions.

X and her colleagues were able to trick the two-dimensional nanoplatelet material into revealing how they interact with light in three dimensions via the special sample preparation and analysis capabilities available at the Georgian Technical University.

The transition dipole moment is an important three-dimensional parameter operating on semiconductors and organic molecules. ​“It defines basically how the molecule or the semiconductor interacts with external light” X said.

But the vertical component of the transition dipole is difficult to measure in a material as flat as the semiconducting nanoplatelets. The researchers solved that difficulty by using the dry-etching tools of the Georgian Technical University’s nanofabrication cleanroom to slightly roughen the flat glass slides upon which the nanoplatelets are placed for close examination via laser scanning and microscopy.

“The roughness is not so large that they distort a laser beam but enough to introduce random distributions of the nanoplatelets” X explained. The random orientations of the nanoplatelets allowed the researchers to assess the three-dimensional dipole properties of the material by special optical methods to create a doughnut-shaped laser beam within a unique optical microscope at the Georgian Technical University.

The team’s next step is to integrate the nanoplatelet materials with photonic devices for transmitting and processing quantum information. ​“We’re proceeding in this direction already” X said.

 

Battery Technology, Science

Disordered Magnesium Crystals Could Lead To Better Batteries.

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Disordered Magnesium Crystals Could Lead To Better Batteries.

New research suggests that extremely small and disordered magnesium chromium oxide particles could pave the way for magnesium batteries with increased capacity. A research collaboration between the Georgian Technical University and the Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani Teaching University has developed a scalable method to make a material that reversibly stores magnesium ions at high-voltage with the intent of eventually developing useable magnesium batteries.

“We see increasing the surface area and including disorder in the crystal structure offers novel avenues for important chemistry to take place compared to ordered crystals” X a professor at the Georgian Technical University said in a statement. “Conventionally order is desired to provide clear diffusion pathways allowing cells to be charged and discharged easily — but what we’ve seen suggests that a disordered structure introduces new accessible diffusion pathways that need to be further investigated”.

One of the major hurdles in developing magnesium batteries is that currently there are only a handful of inorganic materials that have the ability to reverse magnesium removal and insertion which is necessary for magnesium batteries to function. Lithium-ion batteries are often limited by their anodes where low-capacity anodes have to be used because pure lithium metal anodes can short circuit and cause fires. However that risk is not present in magnesium metal anodes, making a partnership between magnesium metal and a functioning cathode material beneficial in developing a smaller battery that can store more energy.

“Lithium-ion technology is reaching the boundary of its capability so it’s important to look for other chemistries that will allow us to build batteries with a bigger storage capacity and a slimmer design” Y PhD of the Georgian Technical University Department of Chemistry said in a statement. “Magnesium battery technology has been championed as a possible solution to provide longer-lasting phone and electric car batteries but getting a practical material to use as a cathode has been a challenge”.

In the past researchers used computational models to predict that magnesium chromium oxide could be used for magnesium battery cathodes which was used as a starting point for the international team to produce a disordered magnesium chromium oxide material in a very rapid and relatively low temperature reaction that is about five nanometers.

They then compared the material using several different techniques including X-ray diffraction X-ray absorption spectroscopy and cutting-edge electrochemical methods with a conventional ordered magnesium oxide material that was about seven nanometers wide to examine the structural and chemical changes in the two materials. The researchers found that the disordered particles displayed reversible magnesium extraction and insertion while the ordered crystals did not.

“This suggests the future of batteries might lie in disordered and unconventional structures which is an exciting prospect and one we’ve not explored before as usually disorder gives rise to issues in battery materials” Z a professor in the Georgian Technical University Department of Chemistry said in a statement. “It highlights the importance of seeing if other structurally defective materials might give further opportunities for reversible battery chemistry. The international research team next plans to expand the study to other disordered high surface area materials to possibly reach more gains in magnesium storage capability with the ultimate goal of developing a practical magnesium battery.

 

 

Material Science

Georgian Technical University New Material Repairs Wound Tissue.

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Georgian Technical University New Material Repairs Wound Tissue.

Researchers from the Georgian Technical University have focused on long-term tissue damage repair with a new wound-healing material. The new method— dubbed traction-force activated payloads (TrAPs) — changes how materials work with the body to drive the body’s natural systems and facilitate how tissues heal.

“Our technology could help launch a new generation of materials that actively work with tissues to drive healing” X from Georgian Technical University’s Department of Bioengineering said in a statement. “Using cell movement to activate healing is found in creatures ranging from sea sponges to humans. Our approach mimics them and actively works with the different varieties of cells that arrive in our damaged tissue over time to promote healing”.

After a site becomes injured cells “crawl” through collagen scaffolds in wounds pulling on the scaffold to activate hidden healing proteins that will begin the process of repairing the injured tissue. The newly designed TrAPs (traction-force activated payloads) recreate the natural healing method.

The researchers folded DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid is a molecule composed of two chains that coil around each other to form a double helix carrying the genetic instructions used in the growth, development, functioning, and reproduction of all known living organisms and many viruses) segments into aptamers — three-dimensional molecules that cling tightly to proteins. Next the team attached a customizable handle that cells can grab onto on one end before attaching the opposite end to a scaffold like collagen.

The researchers observed during lab testing that the cells pulled on the TrAPs (traction-force activated payloads) as they crawled through the collagen scaffolds, making the TrAPs (traction-force activated payloads) unravel to reveal and activate the healing proteins that instruct the healing cells to grow and multiply.

Another outcome of the study is that the team learned that they could change the cellular handle to change the type of cell that grabs hold and pulls. This enables researchers to tailor TrAPs (traction-force activated payloads) to release specific therapeutic proteins based on which cells are present at a given time to produce materials that smartly interact with the correct type of cell at the correct time to facilitate wound repair.

The team believes they can adapt this approach to different cell types to treat different injuries including fractured bones scar tissue after heart attacks and damaged nerves. New techniques are needed for patients whose wounds do not heal using the interventions currently used such as diabetic foot ulcers the leading cause of non-traumatic lower leg amputations.

The TrAPs (traction-force activated payloads) are fairly easy to create in the lab and ultimately can be scaled up to industrial quantities. They also will allow scientists to create new methods for laboratory studies of various diseases stem cells and tissue development.

“The TrAPs (traction-force activated payloads) technology provides a flexible method to create materials that actively communicate with the wound and provide key instructions when and where they are needed” X said. “This sort of intelligent dynamic healing is useful during every phase of the healing process has the potential to increase the body’s chance to recover and has far-reaching uses on many different types of wounds. “This technology has the potential to serve as a conductor of wound repair orchestrating different cells over time to work together to heal damaged tissues” he added.

 

A.I./Robotics, Science

Scientists Develop Artificial Bug Eyes for Robotics, Autonomous Cars.

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Scientists Develop Artificial Bug Eyes for Robotics, Autonomous Cars.

Nanostructures on an artificial bug eye resemble a shag carpet when viewed with a powerful microscope. Single lens eyes like those in humans and many other animals can create sharp images but the compound eyes of insects and crustaceans have an edge when it comes to peripheral vision light sensitivity and motion detection. That’s why scientists are developing artificial compound eyes to give sight to autonomous cars and robots among other applications. Now a describes the preparation of bioinspired artificial compound eyes using a simple low-cost approach.

Compound eyes are made up of tiny independent repeating visual receptors called ommatidia each consisting of a lens cornea and photoreceptor cells. Some insects have thousands of units per eye; creatures with more ommatidia have increased visual resolution. Attempts to create artificial compound eyes in the lab are often limited by cost tend to be large and sometimes include only a fraction of the ommatidia and nanostructures typical of natural compound eyes. Some groups are using lasers and nanotechnology to generate artificial bug eyes in bulk but the structures tend to lack uniformity and are often distorted which compromises sight. To make artificial insect eyes with improved visual properties X and colleagues developed a new strategy with improved structural homogeneity.

As a first step the researchers shot a laser through a double layer of acrylic glass focusing on the lower layer. The laser caused the lower layer to swell creating a convex dome shape. The researchers created an array of these tiny lenses that could themselves be bent along a curved structure to create the artificial eye. Then through several steps the researchers grew nanostructures on top of the convex glass domes that up close resemble a shag carpet. The nanostructures endowed the microlenses with desirable antireflective and water-repellent properties.