System Bits: May 19


Foundation for quantum computer In theory, quantum computers are capable of simulating the interactions of molecules at a level of detail far beyond the capabilities of even the largest supercomputers today, which are expected to revolutionize chemistry, biology and materials science. However, the development of quantum computers has been limited by the ability to increase the number of quantu... » read more

System Bits: May 12


Optomechanical tuning A new method developed by Rice University researchers for tuning the light induced vibrations of nanoparticles through slight alterations to the surface to which the particles are attached could open doors for new applications of photonics from molecular sensing to wireless communications. The researchers at Rice’s Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP) collaborated wit... » read more

System Bits: May 5


Fight counterfeiting with fingerprint chips Given that no two human fingerprints are exactly alike, an MIT spinout uses random variations in silicon chips as authentication identifiers for consumer products. Silicon chips are similar as manufacturing processes cause microscopic variations in chips that are unpredictable, permanent, and effectively impossible to clone. MIT spinout Verayo ... » read more

System Bits: April 28


Transistor encasing for better device performance ECE Illinois researchers have discovered a more effective method for closing gaps in atomically small wires. Led by Professor Joseph W. Lyding and graduate student Jae Won Do, the team reported this new transistor technology comprised of carbon nanotube wires shows promise in replacing silicon because it can operate 10 times as fast and is ... » read more

System Bits: April 21


DARPA's Research DARPA's Semiconductor Technology Advanced Research Network, aka Starnet, unveiled its research plans for 2015 and 2016. Topping the list in 2015 is an investigation into the feasibility of using advanced 2D materials for ultra low-power devices, along with the fab methodology, modeling and simulation tools necessary to make it all work. The fiscal 2015 research will look a... » read more

System Bits: April 7


Ultra-efficient magnetic-field detector In a development that could lead to miniaturized, battery-powered devices for medical and materials imaging, contraband detection, and even geological exploration, MIT researchers have developed a new, ultrasensitive magnetic-field detector they say is 1,000 times more energy-efficient than its predecessors. Magnetic-field detectors, or magnetometers,... » read more

System Bits: March 31


Virtual nose reduces video game simulator sickness While virtual reality games often cause simulator sickness – inducing vertigo and sometimes nausea — new research by Purdue University points to a potential strategy to ease the affliction: adding a virtual nose. They explained that a number of physiological systems control the onset of simulator sickness including a person's overall se... » read more

System Bits: March 24


A better band-aid UC Berkeley engineers are working on a bandage that can detect bedsores before they are visible - while recovery from them is still possible. Leveraging flexible electronics advancements, the researchers collaborated with colleagues at UC San Francisco to create their “smart bandage” that uses electrical currents to detect early tissue damage from pressure ulcers as th... » read more

System Bits: March 17


Symmetry in graphene growth According to Rice University researchers, what lies beneath growing islands of graphene is important to its properties. The team analyzed patterns of graphene – a single-atom-thick sheet of carbon – grown in a furnace via chemical vapor deposition and discovered that the geometric relationship between graphene and the substrate, the underlying material on whi... » read more

System Bits: March 10


Surviving entanglement breakdown Researchers at MIT have discovered that preserving the fragile quantum property known as entanglement isn’t necessary to reap benefits. By way of background, the MIT team reminded that the promise of quantum information processing, i.e., solving problems that classical computers can’t, as well as perfectly secure communication depends on a phenomenon cal... » read more

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