Dec 03, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) The human brain processes complex information while consuming merely the power of a dim light bulb. This remarkable efficiency stems from synapses, the connections between brain cells that can strengthen or weaken based on patterns of electrical signals. These synapses allow the brain to form...
Smallest walking robot makes microscale measurements
Dec 02, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Cornell researchers in physics and engineering have created the smallest walking robot yet. Its mission: to be tiny enough to interact with waves of visible light and still move independently, so that it can maneuver to specific locations – in a tissue sample, for instance...
Infrared detectors made from quantum dots
Dec 03, 2024 (Nanowerk News) What do motion detectors, self-driving cars, chemical analyzers and satellites have in common? They all contain detectors for infrared (IR) light. At their core and besides readout electronics, such detectors usually consist of a crystalline semiconductor material. Such materials are challenging to manufacture: They often...
Photonic processor could enable ultrafast AI computations with extreme energy efficiency
Dec 02, 2024 (Nanowerk News) The deep neural network models that power today’s most demanding machine-learning applications have grown so large and complex that they are pushing the limits of traditional electronic computing hardware. Photonic hardware, which can perform machine-learning computations with light, offers a faster and more energy-efficient alternative....
Temporary tattoo printed directly on the scalp offers easy solution for measuring brainwaves
Dec 02, 2024 (Nanowerk News) For the first time, scientists have invented a liquid ink that doctors can print onto a patient’s scalp to measure brain activity. The technology, presented in Cell Biomaterials ("On-scalp printing of personalized electroencephalography e-tattoos"), offers a promising alternative to the cumbersome process currently used for...
Evidence of primordial black holes may be hiding in planets, or even everyday objects here on Earth
Dec 02, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Imagine the formation of a black hole and you’ll probably envision a massive star running out of fuel and collapsing in on itself. Yet the chaotic conditions of the early universe may have also allowed many small black holes to form long before the first...
Researchers demonstrate self-assembling electronics
Dec 02, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Researchers have demonstrated a new technique for self-assembling electronic devices. The proof-of-concept work was used to create diodes and transistors, and paves the way for self-assembling more complex electronic devices without relying on existing computer chip manufacturing techniques. The work is published in Materials Horizons...