Show Notes 21 February 2025
Story 1: Scientists develop a compact camera that can identify objects at the speed of light
Source: Digital Camera World Story by Leonie Helm
See the research paper here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adp0391
See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfgzAGpwHv4
- Two leading professors at the University of Washington have been conducting fascinating research into how to create a compact camera where the lens is replaced by engineered optics that can identify objects at light speed, while still capturing crisp, clear images.
- Their research involves a new type of compact camera engineered for computer vision – a type of artificial intelligence that enables computers to recognize objects in images and video.
- Their research prototype uses optics for computing, significantly reducing power consumption and allowing the camera to identify objects at the speed of light, representing a new approach to the field of computer vision.
- Side note: When someone mentions “using optics for computing,” they’re talking about employing light (photons) instead of electricity (electrons) to perform computational tasks. This approach is known as optical computing or photonic computing. The idea is to use light’s properties, such as its speed and capacity to carry massive amounts of data, to improve the performance of computers.
Here are a few potential benefits of optical computing:
- Speed: Light travels faster than electricity, potentially leading to faster data processing.
- Bandwidth: Light can carry more information than electrical signals, which might result in higher data transfer rates.
- Energy Efficiency: Optical systems could be more energy-efficient than traditional electronic systems.
- Instead of using a traditional camera lens made out of glass or plastic, the camera relies on layers of 50 meta-lenses – which are flat, lightweight optical components using microscopic nanostructures to manipulate the light.
- Side note – A metalens (or meta-lense) is an advanced optical technology that uses metasurfaces to focus light. Unlike traditional curved lenses, metalenses are flat and thin, which makes them ideal for compact systems like smartphone cameras and augmented reality (AR) devices.
- Metalenses consist of millions of tiny nanostructures called meta-atoms that manipulate light at a subwavelength scale. These meta-atoms can control the phase, amplitude, and polarization of light, allowing metalenses to perform complex wavefront engineering in a single, flat optic.
- The advantages of metalenses include their compact size, lightweight nature, and superior optical performance compared to traditional lenses. They have potential applications in various fields, including imaging, sensing, and consumer electronics.
- These meta-lenses developed by the team at the University of Washington fit into a compact, optical computing chip. The meta-lenses also function as an optical neural network, which is an artificial intelligence computer system based on [how] the human brain works.
- Because the optics rely on incoming light to operate, rather than electricity, the power consumption is greatly reduced. Another advantage is that because the computation takes place at the speed of light, the system can classify more than 200 images faster than neural networks that use conventional [camera] hardware.
Story 2: This Solar-Powered Reactor Sucks CO2 From the Air and Turns It into Fuel
Source: Gizmodo.com Story by Margherita Bassi
See the research paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-025-01714-y
- My comment – All around the world scientists are working on ways to capture CO2 from the atmosphere. And the most exciting research, in my opinion, has to do with not just burying CO2 once it’s captured, but turning it into useful products or fuel. This news is a great example of this trend.
- Carbon capture and storage…is a possible means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The problem is that most carbon capture technologies are powered by burning fossil fuels—not to mention the fact that the CO2 captured in the process needs to be stored somewhere, such as deep underground. But a new reactor could solve all of that.
- Researchers at the University of Cambridge have built a solar-powered reactor that converts atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) into a gas that could one day fuel vehicles, power off-the-grid dwellings, and even produce pharmaceutical products.
- The researchers say they were inspired by photosynthesis and claim that their technology can be scaled up more easily than earlier solar-powered devices [designed to capture CO2].
- A chemist on the University of Cambridge team noted, “What if instead of pumping the carbon dioxide underground, we made something useful from it? CO2 is a harmful greenhouse gas, but it can also be turned into useful chemicals without contributing to global warming.”
- The new reactor is completely solar-powered, meaning it requires no cables or batteries. At night, it filters CO2 from the air—similar to how a sponge soaks up water, according to the researchers.
- During the day, sunlight heats up the collected CO2, which absorbs the Sun’s infrared radiation while a semiconductor powder absorbs the ultraviolet radiation. A mirror on the reactor concentrates the sunlight for greater efficiency in the system.
- Side note: Semiconductor powder consists of finely ground particles of semiconductor materials, such as silicon, gallium arsenide, or other compounds. These materials exhibit electrical properties that fall between those of conductors and insulators, making them crucial for the functioning of electronic devices.
- Semiconductor powders are typically used in various applications, including:
- Fabrication of thin films: Used in creating layers for microelectronics and solar cells.
- Additive manufacturing: Used in advanced manufacturing techniques like 3D printing.
- Research and development: Employed in developing new semiconductor devices and materials.
- The absorption by the semiconductor powders initiates a chemical reaction in the reactor that converts the CO2 into synthesis gas, or syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2) that is an important ingredient in the production of many fuels and chemicals.
- The University of Cambridge team is currently researching how to convert this solar syngas into liquid fuels that could one day sustainably power vehicles like cars and planes.
Story 3: Engineers develop a soft robot that crawls, climbs, and shape-shifts to move in new directions
Source: TechXplore.com Story from Seoul National University
Link: https://techxplore.com/news/2025-02-soft-robot-climbs-shifts.html#google_vignette
***Note the video embedded in the article
See also the research paper here: https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-physical-science/fulltext/S2666-3864(25)00047-5
- A new type of soft robot can crawl like a worm, climb cables, and suddenly snap into a completely different shape to move in a new direction—all controlled by a single air input. This breakthrough, developed by researchers at Seoul National University in South Korea, introduces a fundamentally new way for soft robots to move and adapt to their surroundings.
- Soft robots, made from flexible materials, are known for their ability to bend and stretch. However, until now, they struggled to precisely control motion and required complex systems with multiple inputs to perform different tasks.
- This new robot solves these challenges by using a snap-through mechanism, similar to how a toy jumping popper suddenly flips inside out or how a Venus flytrap quickly closes around its prey.
Toy Jumping Poppers
- The researchers designed a Snap Inflatable Modular Metastructure that allows the robot to both smoothly deform and rapidly snap into a new configuration—using just one air source.
- To demonstrate the power of this system, the team built two robotic designs:
- Crawling and climbing robot—This robot crawls across surfaces like an earthworm by expanding and contracting its body. Unlike existing soft robots, it can also grip and climb cables, making it useful for navigating difficult environments.
- Self-reconfiguring robot—This robot moves forward by bending, but then, with a sudden snap, it expands into a larger shape, enabling it to change direction and navigate complex terrain. This ability to move in different directions on demand has never been demonstrated in soft robotics before.
- With its ability to crawl, climb, and snap into new forms, this technology from Seoul National University could lead to rescue robots that navigate through debris, medical robots that move inside the human body, and deployable structures that change shape on demand.
Story 4: New assistive device enhances grasping for people with spinal cord injuries
Source: UC Berkeley Engineering News Page Story by Marni Ellery
- More than 15 million people worldwide are living with spinal cord injury, which can affect their sensory and motor functions below the injury level. …this can mean paralysis affecting their limbs and limited voluntary finger and wrist flexion, making it difficult to grasp large, heavy objects.
- Now, a team of UC Berkeley engineers from the Embodied Dexterity Group has developed a wearable device to enhance grasping functionality in this population.
- Dubbed the Dorsal Grasper, this assistive device leverages voluntary wrist extension and uses supernumerary robotic fingers on the back of the hand to facilitate human-robot collaborative grasping.
- Side note – A supernumerary is someone or something that is extra or beyond what is necessary. In general use, it refers to an additional or surplus item or person. In anatomy, a supernumerary part is an additional body part, such as a sixth finger. The term comes from Latin and literally means “over the number.”
- Test subjects found that they could easily grasp objects anywhere they could reach their arm, without having to rotate their bodies, which can cause wheelchair users to lose their balance.
- The team designed what they call collaborative grasping.
- People with tetraplegia [also known as quadriplegia] will often retain the ability to extend the wrist backward but don’t have the ability to flex it forward….
- And people can be strong in their wrist, in extension….
- The team wanted to enhance that capability [to extend the wrist backward] by enabling grasping, but in such a way that the person is an active partner in the grasp.
- Another unique feature is the device’s use of robotic fingers to grasp with the back of the hand.
- Today, robotic wearables often fit around the person’s fingers, which creates a tension between what the person and the robot each want to do.
- With supernumerary grasping, both the person and robot are free to act as they see fit.
- And while grasping with the back of the hand may look a little silly, the UC Berkeley team believes it has great advantages that could one day allow the Dorsal Grasper to be an accessible and effective device.
Honorable Mentions
Story: A spine-zapping implant helped 3 people with a muscle-wasting disease walk better
Source: AP News Service Story by Lauran Neergaard
- WASHINGTON (AP) — Three people with a muscle-destroying disease destined to worsen got a little stronger – able to stand and walk more easily – when an implanted device zapped their spinal cord.
- On Wednesday [Feb. 5], researchers reported what they called the first evidence that a spine-stimulating implant already being tested for paralysis might also aid neurodegenerative diseases like spinal muscle atrophy – by restoring some muscle function, at least temporarily.
- “These people were definitely not expecting an improvement,” said Marco Capogrosso, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh who led the research. Yet over the month-long pilot study, “they were getting better and better.”
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Story: Scientists Invent Device That Straps to Any Car’s Tailpipe, Transforming Exhaust Into Electricity
Source: Futurism.com Story by Frank Landymore
Link: https://futurism.com/the-byte/device-tailpipe-exhaust-electricity
- The combustion engines in gas-powered cars can produce a lot of power by burning dead dinosaurs, but they’re surprisingly inefficient at it, with most of the energy they consume — an estimated three quarters of it — getting lost as heat off the engine and through the tailpipe.
- That raises an obvious question: what if you could recover some of those wasted thermal emissions and put them to use, recapturing the lost power to greatly increase vehicles’ efficiency?
- It’s an idea that scientists have long been chasing, with limited progress as far as practical implementations go in vehicles, in part due to cost-effectiveness challenges.
- But now, a team of researchers say they’ve created a device that can do just that — turn exhaust heat into electricity — with a relatively simple design that can be added to an existing car’s tailpipe, or even the exhaust vents of other vehicles like helicopters.
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Story: Photon-powered quantum battery breakthrough could boost solar cell efficiency
Source: Interesting Engineering Story by Aman Tripathi
Link: https://interestingengineering.com/energy/photon-powered-quantum-battery
- Scientists have achieved a significant breakthrough in the field of energy storage. A team at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has successfully developed a working prototype of a quantum battery.
- This exciting development brings the technology closer to real-world applications, with potential implications for various industries, including solar cells.
- Traditional batteries store energy through chemical reactions. Quantum batteries, on the other hand, operate on the principles of quantum mechanics.
- They harness the energy of photons, which are elementary particles of light. This fundamental difference allows quantum batteries to exhibit unique properties and advantages over conventional batteries.
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Story: New holistic Apple Health Study launches today [February 14] in the Research app
Source: Apple Newsroom
- On February 14 Apple launched its Apple Health Study, which aims to further understand how technology — including iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods — can play a role in advancing and improving physical health, mental health, and overall wellbeing.
- Available in the Research app, the study will also explore relationships between various areas of health, such as mental health’s impact on heart rate, or how sleep can influence exercise.
- The study is being conducted in collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a leading research hospital and a major teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.
- In medical research, discoveries are often limited by the number of participants who can be recruited, the amount of data that can be captured, and the duration of a given study — but Apple devices expand the possibilities.
- The Apple Health Study builds on learnings from the Apple Women’s Health Study, the Apple Hearing Study, and the Apple Heart and Movement Study, which combined have more than 350,000 participants across the U.S.
- Apple’s new longitudinal, virtual study aims to understand how data from technology — including Apple and third-party devices — can be used to predict, detect, monitor, and manage changes in participants’ health.
- Additionally, researchers will explore connections across different areas of health.
- The study spans a number of health and disease areas, including activity, aging, cardiovascular health, circulatory health, cognition, hearing, menstrual health, mental health, metabolic health, mobility, neurologic health, respiratory health, sleep, and more.
- The Apple Health Study is currently open for enrollment through the Research app for participants who live in the U.S., meet the minimum age requirements, and complete the informed consent process.
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