There’s only so much an earthquake simulator running on a computer can tell you, and that’s why Simpson Strong-Tie partnered with industry researchers on three NEES (Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation) projects. The most elaborate of projects took many months to complete in Japan and turned into the world’s largest earthquake test. Called the NEES-Wood Capstone project, this full-scale, seven-story wood-framed building and was built with Performance-Based Design. Read more for a video and additional information.
Even drones designed for professionals don’t have the longest battery life, so whether it be shooting a movie scene or searching for survivors in an emergency situation, they need to be ultra precise. This means that obstacles, like windows, doors, rubble, etc., cannot deter them from reaching their intended destination. University of Zurich (UZH) researchers have developed an algorithm that can guide a quadrotor on the quickest trajectory possible. Read more for a video and additional information.
Photo credit: CNS Photo
China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation’s (CRRC) unveiled the world’s first high-speed maglev transportation system with a speed of 600 km/h (373 mph) in Qingdao, East China’s Shandong Province on Tuesday. This transportation system would fill the gap between bullet trains that run at around 350 km/h (217 mph) and airplanes that cruise at 800 km/h (497 mph). Once complete, it can transport passengers from Shenzhen to Shanghai in just 2.5-hours instead of the normal 10-hours. Read more for a video and additional information.
Sure, Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot appears to be dancing to the 1962 classic “Do You Love Me?” by the Contours, but to some, it appears to be someone in a suit. The reality is that it uses artificial intelligence combined with computer vision to sense their surroundings to perform pre-programmed dance routines. Monica Thomas is a professional choreographer and dancer responsible for some of these dances you see. Read more for a short video and additional information.
Photo credit: Medium
The previous internet speed record of previous record of 178Tbps set a year ago has just been obliterated by a team of researchers at Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT). They managed to transfer data at an astonishing 319Tbps by using advanced fiber optic technology with a 4-core optical fiber of 0.125 mm standard outer diameter. Read more for a short news segment and a bonus video.
Researchers at The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Facebook developed a “speech neuroprosthesis”, or brain-computer interface, that allowed a man with severe paralysis to communicate in sentences. How so? This interface translated the signals from his brain to the vocal tract directly into words that appear as text on a screen. This also marked the first time in over 16 years that he’d been able to communicate without having to use a head-mounted device. Read more for a video and additional information.
NASA’s Juno successfully completed its 34th flyby of Jupiter on June 7, 2021, while also flying closer by the ice-encrusted moon Ganymede than any spacecraft in more than two decades. So, the agency compiled the JunoCam images it captured into a breathtaking animation that provides a “starship captain” point of view of each flyby. These images were then orthographically projected onto a digital sphere and used to create the flyby animation. Read more for the video and additional information.
University of California San Diego engineers have developed a thin, flexible strip that can be worn on a fingertip and used to generate small amounts of electricity when a person’s finger sweats or presses on it. It can even generate power when the person is asleep or sitting still, which means this wearable can harness the energy extracted from human sweat even when a person is not moving. Read more for a video and additional information.
Researchers at the University of Brigham, led by Heather Flowe, have developed an Interactive Face Recognition System (I-FRS) that utilizies naturalistic 3D models of faces that enable the user to dynamically view faces from multiple angles. This technology greatly improves human face recognition and face-matching accuracy, compared to other methods currently used by criminal justice, border control, and law enforcement agencies. Read more for a video and additional information.
MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) researchers have developed a new algorithm to help a robot find efficient motion plans to ensure physical safety of its human counterpart. Whether it be putting a jacket on a human or another garment, this could potentially prove to be a powerful tool in expanding assistance for those with disabilities or limited mobility. Read more for a video and additional information.