Technology

How do Directional Connections Shape Complex Dynamics in Neuronal Networks?

Cyborg insects integrate living organisms with electronic control units, enabling programmable behavior and superior adaptability to complex terrains compared to conventional robots. While progress has been made in single-cyborg control, coordinating multi-cyborg systems remains challenging due to variability in individual insect responses to control inputs. To address this, this research team developed a novel swarm navigation algorithm specifically designed for cyborg insects and succeeded in making them reach a goal in a group on an obstructed soft terrain.

Groundbreaking cerium oxide-based thermal switches achieve remarkable performance, transforming heat flow control with sustainable and efficient technology.

A team from Osaka University has reported a Raman microscopy technique that produced images up to eight times brighter than those achieved with conventional Raman techniques. Imaging of frozen biological samples reduced the noise introduced by the motion of material over long acquisition times. The technique is expected to broaden understanding in many areas of the biological sciences by allowing high-quality images and chemical information to be captured without the need for staining.

Accidental clogging in geothermal wells reveals need for monitoring to ensure long-term usability

To discover Hong Kong citizens' awareness and acceptance of gerontechnology, the Lingnan University Institute for Policy Studies’ Jockey Club Gerontechnology and Smart Ageing in Place (GTSA) Project recently held a public opinion survey. The results show that overall awareness of gerontechnology is on an upward trend, but 40% of respondents believe that current government subsidies for the purchase of gerontech products are insufficient, and 90% of respondents would like the government to expand the Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme to cover the purchase of gerontech products.

Use of automated system in upper extremity paralysis care proves beneficial for patients and medical staff

A future where lightweight car parts can be made with a 3D printer is here, thanks to multi-material additive manufacturing research conducted at Tohoku University.

This annual event will bring together innovators, researchers, and industry leaders from around the world to spotlight groundbreaking advancements in sustainable energy and green technology.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are an AI model trained on ‘plant-speak’, how greedy groundwater use is making cities sink, and a lidar system that could find a needle in a very large haystack.

Experts from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, team up with their Indian counterparts to make IIT Hyderabad’s stunning new campus a reality

Venice of the Pacific, Membrane transformers, Diverse meals, Nano dots and spirals & Extinct swimmers. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

Hiroshima University, in partnership with four Japanese institutions and five global collaborators, has launched the “Global Research Initiative on Wireless Terahertz (GROW-THz).” Backed by the JST ASPIRE program with ¥500 million in funding over five years, this project aims to advance next-generation ultra-high-speed wireless communication technologies, strengthen international research networks, and foster intellectual mobility, including the long-term overseas placement of doctoral students for up to one year.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how to make a mouse from a single-celled organism, stimulating tastebuds in VR and how moving water actually ends up moving the planet.

Creating and controlling quantum dots via electrical methods, is likely to lead to new frontiers in the quest to develop stable and efficient qubits. Exploring how zinc oxide can be used in electrically defined quantum dots, researchers have unearthed some surprising phenomenon.

This unobtrusive, leaf-mounted sensor saves time and improves productivity by remotely monitoring the health of plants in real-time.

To understand the practical challenges of indoor augmented reality applications on smartphones, researchers from Osaka University conducted 113 hours of extensive experiments and case studies over 316 patterns to determine the factors that degrade localization accuracy in real-world indoor environments. Landmarks for vision systems, LiDAR, and the IMU were evaluated. To solve the identified problems, the researchers suggest radio-frequency–based localization as a potential solution for practical augmented reality applications.

- DGIST’s Professor Jaedong Lee and UNIST’s Professor Noejung Park Achieve Breakthrough in Quantum Information Technology, Paving the Way for the Era of Quantum Computers - Research Findings Published in Nano Letters

Researchers at Osaka University have developed the world’s first compact, tunable-wavelength blue semiconductor laser, a breakthrough in far-ultraviolet light technology. Utilizing a novel periodically slotted structure, tunable single-mode oscillation was successfully demonstrated. The laser is suitable for pumping compact second harmonic generation devices, and far-ultraviolet light emitted from the combination enables safe, continuous sterilization and disinfection. Its compact, long-lasting design makes it ideal for integration into household appliances, with wide-ranging potential to enhance indoor health and safety.

A new method streamlines the design and effectiveness of ligands used in chemical reactions in catalysis and drug delivery.

Researchers from Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo have combined techniques to determine the location of hydrogen in titanium hydride nanofilms

Phase-transformable membrane featuring liquid-glass-crystal states achieves precise CO₂/H₂ selectivity and enhanced gas permeability through modular design with metal-organic polyhedra

Researchers have developed a platinum-nickel core-shell catalyst for oxygen reduction reactions. The design improves efficiency and stability, addressing key challenges in catalyst performance, and could open the door to breakthroughs in renewable energy research.

Hokkaido University and Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. signed a partnership agreement in June 2022 to address various social issues in Hokkaido and lead the creation of a sustainable society. As part of this collaboration, Hokkaido Air System Co., Ltd. will equip one of its aircraft with an external camera to commence the world's first regular flight-based red tide monitoring starting in the summer of 2025.

In a pivotal move ahead of COP29, Applied Microbiology International (AMI) has partnered with leading global scientific organisations to issue a unified call to action, spotlighting microbial solutions as pivotal in combating climate change. In a strategic publication, released in multiple high-impact scientific journals at once, the joint paper advocates for the establishment of a global science-driven climate task force. This initiative aims to expedite the deployment of microbiome technologies, providing stakeholders worldwide with access to effective and immediate solutions

King of nanomaterials, Old but new, Probing stardust properties, Two-in-one, The good grain & Brain-inspired electronic skin. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

Osaka University and NEC Corporation will showcase a research result at the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis (SC24) scheduled to be held from November 17 to 22, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. The experiment to be conducted will transfer huge research data between servers using a 100 Gbps line between Japan and the United States. One file of huge research data stored in the storage of one server is transferred to the other server at high speed. In the preliminary evaluation, we have confirmed that the transfer of 1TB of data can be completed in 87 seconds (effective 92.0Gbps) over a short distance. This experiment will confirm the performance of the long-distance transfer between Japan and the U.S.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are a new hidden planet, an ancient ocean on Mars, and a flavorsome new species.

Surgical field expansion plate allows surgeons more independence

Plesiosaurs once roamed Earth’s waters, using four equal flippers to propel their elongated bodies through the water. Fossils from these Mesozoic marine reptiles do not preserve the muscle tissue needed to explain how they maneuvered. Yet a group of researchers have harnessed a bio-inspired control system, creating a plesiosaur-like robot that reveals key insights into how they once traversed the oceans. The model could be used in the future to shed light on the movement of other extinct animals.