PSD

News & Updates

  • by Greg Uyeno
    Brain science can be messy, even when no one’s skull is getting opened up. The common noninvasive technique of electroencephalography (EEG) reads electrical activity of the brain through the scalp. Many EEG setups involve conductive gel and a tangle of electrodes and wires that contribute to noisy data, producing so-called motion artifacts when the person […]
  • by Eliza Strickland
    Many people who have spinal cord injuries also have dramatic tales of disaster: a diving accident, a car crash, a construction-site catastrophe. But Chloë Angus has quite a different story. She was home one evening in 2015 when her right foot started tingling and gradually lost sensation. She managed to drive herself to the hospital, […]
  • by Dina Genkina
    Quantum sensors take the biggest roadblock for quantum computers—unwanted interference, or noise—and turn it into a strength. Noise wrecks quantum computers because the quantum states they use for computation are affected by the slightest disturbances from the environment. But quantum sensors use those disturbances to detect minuscule changes in magnetic and electric fields. Amanda Stein, […]
  • by Liam Critchley
    Scientists and engineers have long touted graphene for use in electronic devices due to its excellent electrical conductivity, optical transparency, mechanical strength, and its ability to conduct heat and to remain stable under high temperatures. Graphene’s use in electronics at the commercial level, however, is still limited. That’s in part because it’s much harder to […]
  • by Michelle Hampson
    This article is part of our exclusive IEEE Journal Watch series in partnership with IEEE Xplore.Bats’ skill with echolocation—pinpointing prey on the wing and in the dark—has long been a source of inspiration for scientists and engineers, resulting in advances that include novel medical devices for the visually impaired and sophisticated radar systems. Now researchers […]
  • by Matthew S. Smith
    Modern technology collects vast amounts of data from sensors, with one estimate projecting global data from Internet of Things devices at about 73 zettabytes (or 73 trillion gigabytes) in 2025. And as more data are collected, the infrastructure required to store, transfer, and run compute on that data also grows. But what if, instead of […]
  • by Alfred Poor
    The ability to detect a nearby presence without seeing or touching it may sound fantastical—but it’s a real ability that some creatures have. A family of African fish known as Mormyrids are weakly electric, and have special organs that can locate a nearby prey, whether it’s in murky water or even hiding in the mud. […]
  • by Edd Gent
    Farming in India is tough work—and it’s only getting tougher. Water shortages, a rapidly changing climate, disorganized supply chains, and difficulty accessing credit make every growing season a calculated gamble. But farmers like Harish B. are finding that new AI-powered tools can take some of the unpredictability out of the endeavor. (Instead of a surname, […]
  • by Liam Critchley
    Odors are all around us, and often disperse fast—in hazardous situations like wildfires, for example, wind conditions quickly carry any smoke (and the smell of smoke) away from its origin. Sending people to check out disaster zones is always a risk, so what if a robot equipped with an electronic nose, or e-nose, could track […]
  • by Kohava Mendelsohn
    Volcanic eruptions can be fast, deadly, and destructive. That’s why every bit of data counts when predicting them.Sensing company INFICON, based in Bad Ragaz, Switzerland, has developed the first portable helium sensor that can withstand a harsh volcanic environment. They’ve deployed it to monitor Vulcano and Stromboli, two volcanic islands in Italy. The hope is […]