Researchers dress virtual avatars with digitally captured clothing
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) have developed technology to digitally capture clothing on moving people, turn it into a 3-D digital form, and dress virtual...
View ArticleFast, noninvasive technique for probing cells may reveal disease
The stiffness or elasticity of a cell can reveal much about whether the cell is healthy or diseased. Cancer cells, for instance, are known to be softer than normal, while asthma-affected cells can be...
View ArticleVR cricket game uses motion capture technology for full immersive experience
With the cricket season in full swing, cricket fans can try out their batting skills at home with a virtual reality game developed by Stickee Studios in collaboration with researchers at the University...
View ArticleHot spot at Hawaii? Not so fast
Through analysis of volcanic tracks, Rice University geophysicists have concluded that hot spots like those that formed the Hawaiian Islands aren't moving as fast as recently thought.
View ArticleWireless motion capture device with widespread applications in fitness, health
A new "Fitbit for biomechanics" designed by researchers from Deakin University's School of Engineering has potential for industries from healthcare to sport.
View ArticleMimicking the reflexive detection ability of the animal visual system for...
The detection of moving objects is one of the most fundamental and important mechanisms of the animal visual system, having evolved to quickly detect both predators and prey. Yet reproducing the...
View ArticleHelical locomotion in a granular medium by a 'sand robot'
Moving within granular media such as sand is a trick that occurs not only in science-fiction movies. The sandfish lizard, which lives in the desert, is also able to perform this task. In order to do...
View ArticleUsing four-dimensional electron microscopy to track diffusion of...
A team of researchers at Caltech has developed a way to capture on film the superfast propulsive motion of Brownian objects, particularly those at the nanoscale. In their paper published on the...
View ArticleAspirin tablets help unravel basic physics
Aspirin in form of small crystallites provides new insight into delicate motions of electrons and atomic nuclei. Set into molecular vibration by strong ultrashort far-infrared (terahertz) pulses, the...
View ArticleInside Job: He helps people secure their passwords with Keeper
What's it really like to work at Chicago startups and tech companies? Blue Sky's Inside Job lets people on the ground tell us in their own words.
View ArticleSensing with a twist: A new kind of optical nanosensor uses torque for signal...
The world of nanosensors may be physically small, but the demand is large and growing, with little sign of slowing. As electronic devices get smaller, their ability to provide precise, chip-based...
View ArticleSlowing the clockwork
Progress on the way to smart nanomachines: LMU chemists have modified the synthesis of a molecular motor so as to reduce the speed of its light-driven rotation, thus permitting the researchers to...
View ArticleOne-way track for microwaves based on mechanical interference
Devices that allow to route microwave signals are essential engineering tools. In particular, isolators, which let signals flow in one direction but block them in the other, are needed to protect...
View ArticleWhy it's important to examine how we teach and test physics to reduce gender...
We made something of a splash with our recent article suggesting that gender gaps in student performance in physics could result from gender differences in urination practice (standing versus sitting).
View ArticleAtomistic simulations go the distance on metal strength
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers have dived down to the atomic scale to resolve every "jiggle and wiggle" of atomic motion that underlies metal strength.
View ArticleResearchers discovered excessive social interaction reduced collective response
From schools of fish, to swarms of insects, to flocks of birds, many animals live and move in groups. They have no leader, no central coordinator, and yet manage to perform awe-inspiring coordinated...
View ArticleAssessing regional earthquake risk and hazards in the age of exascale
With emerging exascale supercomputers, researchers will soon be able to accurately simulate the ground motions of regional earthquakes quickly and in unprecedented detail, as well as predict how these...
View ArticleTeam identifies universality and specificity in protein motions
Although proteins have very different function functions, or specialties, in living cells, they share the general characteristics—the same universality—in their motions, say University of Oregon...
View ArticleResearchers developing autonomous snake-like robots to support...
A team of researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has received a three-year, $400,000 award from the National Science Foundation to create autonomous snake-like robots that can navigate...
View ArticleExperiments with levitated nanoparticles reveal role of friction at the...
Transitions occurring in nanoscale systems, such as a chemical reaction or the folding of a protein, are strongly affected by friction and thermal noise. Almost 80 years ago, the Dutch physicist...
View ArticlePhysicists' work deepens understanding of antipolar cation motions
University of Arkansas physicists studying antipolar cation motions found new features that deepen the knowledge on this intriguing effect. The study, by physics graduate student Kinnary Patel,...
View ArticleHigh-efficiency building bloopers revealed through occupant studies
Many researchers know that new high-efficiency buildings don't typically get used as intended. The numbers don't add up, and occupants can easily waste energy if they do not understand how to use the...
View ArticleNew computational method provides optimized design of wind up toys
A team of leading computer scientists has developed a novel computational system to aid the design and fabrication of wind-up toys, focusing on automating the intricate interior machinery responsible...
View ArticleA new way of plotting turbulent air movement illustrates the beauty in fluid...
Stir a vat of any liquid or gas and you get complex whirls of movement. Fluid dynamics, the study of the movement of liquids and gases, helps airplanes stay in the air, describes the way that blood...
View ArticleCitizen scientists help capture wild mammals on camera
Data collected by enthusiastic volunteers can be extremely useful for researchers, particularly when studying Britain's little understood mammals. At the 'Ecology Across Borders' conference in Ghent,...
View ArticleCutting-edge motion capture technology could transform creative industries
TotalCapture is a real-time, full-body mocap system that uses standard video cameras, along with inertial measurement units typically found in mobile phones. The new system requires no optical markers...
View ArticleScientists develop method to track human movements more accurately
Scientists have developed a data-driven method to better detect and track human movements for use in technologies such as at-home personal training videos or monitoring at-risk elderly patients.
View ArticleHubble probes the archeology of our Milky Way's ancient hub
For many years, astronomers had a simple view of our Milky Way's central hub, or bulge, as a quiescent place composed of old stars, the earliest homesteaders of our galaxy.
View ArticleIntel underfoot: Floor sensors rise as retail data source
The next phase in data collection is right under your feet.
View ArticleNew patented system could prevent motion sickness while riding in...
One of the selling points of autonomous vehicles is the chance for drivers to be more productive while traveling. But some, suffering from motion sickness, won't be able to take advantage of...
View Article
