All-in-one gadget sees the invisible to accurately spot problem wounds

When Captain Kirk stepped out with a tricorder in hand in the very first episode of Star Trek in 1966, the data-sensing, -scanning and -analyzing gadget seemed to be a rather useful but very far-in-the-future piece of technology.Continue ReadingCategor… Continue reading All-in-one gadget sees the invisible to accurately spot problem wounds

Invisible QR codes embed object data into infrared tags

Barcodes and QR codes feel like they’re everywhere nowadays, but they don’t have to be. Scientists at MIT have developed an invisible tagging system called BrightMarker, which embeds fluorescent tags into objects that can be viewed and tracked through … Continue reading Invisible QR codes embed object data into infrared tags

Fluorescent Filament Makes Object Identification Easier

Four images in as many panes. Top left is a fuchsia bottle with a QR code that only shows up on the smartphone screen held above it. Top right image is A person holding a smartphone over a red wristband. The phone displays a QR code on its screen that it sees but is invisible in the visible wavelengths. Bottom left is a closeup of the red wristband in visible light and the bottom right image is the wristband in IR showing the three QR codes embedded in the object.

QR codes are a handy way to embed information, but they aren’t exactly pretty. New work from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have a new way to …read more Continue reading Fluorescent Filament Makes Object Identification Easier

Colorful new paints block heat for cooler summers and warmer winters

Heating and cooling account for huge portions of our energy consumption and environmental impact, so systems that can passively control indoor climate are important. Now scientists at Stanford have created a new type of paint that blocks heat from ente… Continue reading Colorful new paints block heat for cooler summers and warmer winters

Op-Amp Challenge: Interactive Analog LED Wave Array

A while back, [Chris Lu] was studying how analog circuits, specifically op-amps can be used to perform mathematical operations and wondered if they could be persuaded to solve differential equations, …read more Continue reading Op-Amp Challenge: Interactive Analog LED Wave Array

Astronomers witness an apocalypse from across the galaxy

Astronomers have witnessed an apocalypse from across the galaxy, as a planet crashed into its host star. It’s an event that’s long been assumed to happen in many star systems – including our own someday – but this is the first time it’s ever been seen … Continue reading Astronomers witness an apocalypse from across the galaxy

Astronomers spot nearest star-destroying black hole

Astronomers have detected a supermassive black hole ripping a passing star to shreds. Not only was this cataclysm closer to Earth than ever seen before, but its location and light emissions were unusual, hinting at a large unseen population of these ev… Continue reading Astronomers spot nearest star-destroying black hole