Technology

Devices that can see shortwave infrared light, which is invisible to the naked eye, could soon become cheaper and more accessible to a broader consumer base.

A nanoparticle’s size is fine-tuned to offer high-resolution images before and during surgical procedures.

Inspired by the woodpecker’s ability to strike trees with its beak rapidly and repeatedly without injury, engineers in Malaysia have used computer simulations to find ways to improve the design of composite beams used in impact-prone structures.

Device designers at the University of Tokyo are developing cheap and accessible ways to monitor and explore the sea.

A reimagined robot hand combines strength with flexibility and resilience, sidestepping problems with existing designs.

An innovative sample preparation method for cellular proteomics and protein structural analysis

The SupercomputingAsia Conference recognised key HPC pioneer-leaders with its annual SCA22 Awards. The winning teams from Asia, Australia and the US were also announced at the awards ceremony for the international Data Mover Challenge 2021 (DMC21) competition.

Scientists demonstrate an optical trapping technique using nanotextured black silicon that can efficiently trap polymer chains. By adjusting the laser intensity, these “optical tweezers” can control the florescence color emitted through a local concentration of a perylene-modified polymer solution. From a low intensity blue to high intensity orange, this reversible and fully remote technology can almost reach the entire RGB spectrum.

A Japanese research team created a new way to sort living cells suspended in fluid using an all-in-one operation in a lab-on-chip that required only 30 minutes for the entire separation process.

The compact, lightweight device generates electricity when shaken and can power 100 LEDs.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are an android child, "unhackable" internet, a cancer-fighting nanoparticle from corn, and less-than-green practices by some oil companies.

On the occasion of the One Ocean Summit taking place in the French city of Brest, UNESCO has announced that at least 80% of the seabed will be mapped by 2030, compared to 20% currently, with the support of its Member States and the private sector.

On 16-17 February 2022, the 6th annual EDUtech Philippines 2022 will once again bring together the Philippines’ entire education ecosystem to discuss new strategies, pedagogies and innovations to bring 21st century quality education to all in the Philippines.

Researchers have developed an innovative catalyst for the synthesis of propylene, which has potential benefits for the chemical industry and carbon recycling.

Researchers are working to overcome challenges in order to bring wearable, electric, wound-healing devices to clinical practice.

Just like explorers need maps, scientists require guides to better understand and advance new technology. A neuromorphic device, which can mimic the neural cells in our brain, has lacked such a guideline and created headaches for scientists trying to understand their operational mechanisms. That is until now after a research group created a map that provides rational design guidelines for neuromorphic devices, paving the way for advancements in brain-inspired computers.

Researchers from Osaka City University have shown in mice models of Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies, that the intranasal administration of rifampicin and resveratrol in combination is safer and improves cognitive function more than rifampicin alone. The research results are expected to lead to the development of safe and effective nasal spray for the prevention of dementia.

Abdus Suttar Khan (c. 1941 – 31 January 2008) was a Bangladeshi engineer who spent a significant part of his career conducting aerospace research with NASA, United Technology and Alstom

Scientists predict that continued global warming under current trends could lead to an elevation of the sea level by as much as five meters by the year 3000 CE.

In a study published in Nature Energy this month, researchers led by Kyoto University’s Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) describe how nanodiamond-reinforced composite membranes can purify hydrogen from its humid mixtures, making the hydrogen generation processes vastly more efficient and cost-effective.

Okara, a soybean byproduct, can now be 3D printed without any additives, boosting food sustainability efforts.

Inspired by the ‘Game of Life’ SUTD researchers are applying cellular automation to efficiently model phase change materials with multiple optical phases for next-generation photonics devices.

A prototype MRI machine that can be built at low cost and produces high quality neuroimaging is reported in Nature Communications. The machine can help provide access to MRI across low- and middle-income countries, as well as at the point of care.

ITEX 2021 is back with a line-up of innovative inventions as the region’s top inventors vie for investor attention to commercialise their products

Biophysicists in Japan have found ways to make and manipulate capsule-like DNA structures that could be used in the development of artificial molecular systems. Such systems could function, for example, inside the human body.

An engineering project team, has been awarded the Institution of Engineers - Singapore, Prestigious Engineering Achievement Awards 2021 in the Research & Development Category. The award was for their work on Replication & Repair of Hot Air Thermal Defects on Composite Aero-Structures.

The University launches Node for Inclusive Fintech (NiFT) as thought leader in fintech sector that champions inclusivity issues to meet the United Nation’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Creating a broader and more dynamic marketplace for Inventions and Innovations

In a continuing effort to improve upon previous work, a research team at the Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, have applied their recently developed Bayesian phase difference estimation quantum algorithm to perform full configuration interaction (full-CI) calculations of atoms and molecules without simulating the time evolution of the wave function conditional on an ancillary qubit. Superior to conventional methods in terms of parallel execution of quantum gates during quantum computing, this new algorithm is expected to be much easier to implement in actual quantum computers.

A new agreement between Japan’s Research Organization for Information Science and Technology (RIST) and National Supercomputing Centre (NSCC) Singapore opens the path for Singapore researchers to regularly access and request for supercomputing resources from the world’s most powerful supercomputer, Japan’s Fugaku system. In the first such arrangement of its kind outside of Japan, Singapore researchers can now apply for available resources through an annual Call for Projects to Fugaku, which will be coordinated by NSCC and RIST.