News by Subject Technology & Engineering

Forget fingerprint computer identification or retinal scanning. A University at Buffalo-led team has developed a computer security system using the dimensions of your heart as your identifier. The system uses low-level Doppler radar to measure your heart, and then continually monitors your heart to make sure no one else has stepped in to run your computer. The technology will be presented next month at the 23rd MobiCom conference.

Granular systems such as gravel or powders can be found everywhere, but studying them is not easy. Researchers at ETH Zurich have now developed a method by which pictures of the inside of granular systems can be taken 10,000 times faster than before.

Scientists from Russia, Germany, and Venezuela investigated the evolution of the 2-D semiconductor GaSe exposed to air. They revealed that GaSe properties could be exploited in nanoelectronics when manufactured in a vacuum or inert atmosphere. This research opens up new prospects for the technological application of this promising 2-D material.

Where do cosmic rays come from? Solving a 50-year-old mystery, a collaboration of researchers has discovered it's much farther than the Milky Way.

UZH researchers have taught drones how to fly using an eye-inspired camera, opening the door to them performing fast, agile maneuvers and flying in low-light environments. Pos-sible applications could include supporting rescue teams with search missions at dusk or dawn.

A group of Drexel University researchers have created a fabric-like material electrode that could help make energy storage devices -- batteries and supercapacitors -- faster and less susceptible to leaks or disastrous meltdowns. Their design for a new supercapacitor, which looks something like a furry sponge infused with gelatin, offers a unique alternative to the flammable electrolyte solution that is a common component in these devices.

A study led by UChicago researchers, published Sept. 20 in Nature, describes an innovative method to make stacks of semiconductors just a few atoms thick. The technique offers scientists and engineers a simple, cost-effective method to make thin, uniform layers of these materials, which could expand capabilities for devices from solar cells to cell phones.