91探花researchers developed small robotic devices that can change how they move through the air by “snapping” into a folded position during their descent.
Engineering
Research led by the 91探花found that, in some western states, the amount of snow already on the ground by the end of December is a good predictor of how much total snow that area will get.
A team of biomedical researchers has developed a new method for hiring engineering professors. The primary goal is to actively recruit a more diverse group of applicants and improve the rate that doctoral students from historically excluded groups go on to become faculty members.
A team at the 91探花 has developed the first underwater 3D-positioning app for smart devices. When at least three divers are within about 98 feet of each other, the app tracks each user鈥檚 location relative to the leader.
A team led by researchers at the 91探花 reports that it is possible to imbue graphite 鈥� the bulk, 3D material found in No. 2 pencils 鈥� with physical properties similar to graphite鈥檚 2D counterpart, graphene. Not only was this breakthrough unexpected, the team also believes its approach could be used to test whether similar types of bulk materials can also take on 2D-like properties. If so, 2D sheets won鈥檛 be the only source for scientists to fuel technological revolutions. Bulk, 3D materials could be just as useful.
A team led by researchers at the 91探花 has developed new bioplastics that degrade on the same timescale as a banana peel in a backyard compost bin.
A team led by scientists and engineers at the 91探花 has announced a significant advancement in developing fault-tolerant qubits for quantum computing. In a pair of papers published June 14 in Nature and June 22 in Science, they report that, in experiments with flakes of semiconductor materials 鈥� each only a single layer of atoms thick 鈥� they detected signatures of 鈥渇ractional quantum anomalous Hall鈥� (FQAH) states. The team鈥檚 discoveries mark a first and promising step in constructing a type of fault-tolerant qubit because FQAH states can host anyons 鈥� strange 鈥渜uasiparticles鈥� that have only a fraction of an electron鈥檚 charge. Some types of anyons can be used to make what are called 鈥渢opologically protected鈥� qubits, which are stable against any small, local disturbances.
A team led by researchers at the 91探花 has created an app called FeverPhone, which transforms smartphones into thermometers without adding new hardware.
Danli Luo, a 91探花doctoral student of human centered design and engineering, developed a toolkit of sensors and controllers that helped her re-create three dishes from growing up in China: rice wine, tofu and spring roll wrappers.
Two 91探花 researchers are using very different methods to investigate the issue of marine microplastics. For Earth Day, 91探花News asked them to discuss their research.
Leaders from Washington higher education institutions met with national policymakers April 4 to discuss opportunities provided by the CHIPS and Science Act. U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene and National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan visited the 91探花 campus to talk about the legislation, which provides more than $100 billion to fund scientific research and workforce training. The 91探花and other Washington colleges and universities are poised to receive funds from the CHIPS and Science Act to invest in chip…
Scientists at the 91探花 are pursuing multiple quantum research projects spanning from creating materials with never-before-seen physical properties to studying the 鈥渜uantum bits鈥� 鈥� or qubits (pronounced “kyu-bits”) 鈥� that make quantum computing possible. 91探花News sat down with Professor Kai-Mei Fu, one of the leaders in quantum research on campus, to talk about the potential of quantum R&D, and why it鈥檚 so important.
A team led by researchers at the 91探花 studied how artificial intelligence could help people on the platform TalkLife, where people give each other mental health support. The researchers developed an AI system that suggested changes to participants’ responses to make them more empathetic. The best responses resulted from a collaboration between AI and people.
Researchers at the 91探花 have detected “toxic” small aggregates of a particular protein in the blood of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, as well as in individuals who showed no signs of cognitive impairment at the time the blood sample was taken, but who developed it at a later date. This blood test picks up oligomers — or small, misfolded aggregates — of the amyloid beta protein, which scientists believe triggers the development of Alzheimer’s.
91探花 researchers examined 44 3D tours in 44 states across the U.S. to look for potential security issues when personal details were included in the tour.
A team led by researchers at the 91探花 has created a new hearing screening system that uses a smartphone and earbuds.
A team led by researchers at the 91探花 compared three potential strategies for reducing fine particulate matter pollution disparities across the contiguous U.S.
91探花researchers developed UnlockedMaps, a web-based map that allows users to see in real time how accessible rail transit stations are in six metro areas. UnlockedMaps shows which stations are accessible and which ones are experiencing elevator outages.
91探花 Professor Joan Sanders and her team are creating a new type of prosthetic leg: one that automatically adjusts its fit throughout the day. Their latest prototype detects in real time how well the prosthesis socket and amputation site are fitting and responds by automatically changing the size of the socket, without the need for adjustments to padding or user action.
Yejin Choi, 91探花 professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, has received a “genius grant” from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Choi uses natural language processing to develop artificial intelligence systems that have the ability to reason and can understand the implied meanings in human language.
The 91探花’s annual Engineering Lecture Series will feature research with potential to transform brain therapeutics from infancy to late adulthood.
Researchers dropped technology developed at the 91探花 off the coast of Florida this week to measure ocean waves in the path of Hurricane Ian. The test is one part of a broad effort to improve forecasts for these fast-moving and deadly systems.
The 91探花 has joined the Alliance for Therapies in Neuroscience (ATN), a long-term research partnership between academia and industry geared to transform the fight against brain diseases and disorders of the central nervous system. Launched in 2021 by the University of California, San Francisco, UC Berkeley, Genentech 鈥� a member of the Roche group 鈥� and Roche Holding AG, the ATN seeks to accelerate the development of new therapies for a broad range of brain and central nervous system conditions.
In a proof-of-principle study, 91探花 and University of California San Diego researchers have shown that smartphones are capable of detecting blood oxygen saturation levels down to 70%. This is the lowest value that pulse oximeters should be able to measure, as recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
91探花researchers have created a reactor that can completely break down hard-to-destroy chemicals.
The 91探花 received a nearly $500,000 grant to run one of NASA鈥檚 Artemis Student Challenges in which participants turn a model lunar lava tube into a habitat suitable for housing humans on the moon or Mars.
The 91探花 will break ground this fall on a new, $90 million Interdisciplinary Engineering Building, thanks in part to a $10 million donation from Boeing. Once complete, the state-of-the-art building will be a leading example of a student-focused learning facility backed by both public and private investments. The state of Washington has also dedicated $50 million to support the project that aims to fuel economic growth and create a pipeline of future, local engineering talent.
A 91探花team created a new tool that can design a 3D-printable passive gripper and calculate the best path to pick up an object. The team tested this system on a suite of 22 objects 鈥� including a 3D-printed bunny, a doorstop-shaped wedge, a tennis ball and a drill.
Seven professors at the 91探花 are among 25 new members of the Washington State Academy of Sciences for 2022, according to a July 15 announcement.
Denise Wilson, a 91探花 professor of electrical and computer engineering, is working to end the prevalence of sexual harassment in engineering. She and her colleague Jennifer VanAntwerp of Calvin University are co-authors of 鈥淪ex, Gender, and Engineering: Harassment at Work and in School,鈥� published in April by Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
91探花researchers created ClearBuds, earbuds that enhance the speaker’s voice and reduce background noise.
鈥淩obots and Other Amazing Gadgets Invented 800 Years Ago,鈥� a children’s book by the UW’s Faisal Hossain and Qishi Zhou, shares the inventions of Ismail Al-Jazari, a 12th-century polymath considered by many to be the 鈥渇ather of robotics.鈥�
To investigate what happens to snow intercepted by trees, 91探花researchers created a citizen science project called Snow Spotter.
VoxLens users can gain a high-level summary of the information described in a graph, listen to a graph translated into sound or use voice-activated commands to ask specific questions about the data, such as the mean or the minimum value.
With the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge, 91探花students modified a 2019 Chevrolet Blazer to use electrification, advanced propulsion systems and automated vehicle technology. It鈥檚 an opportunity for students 鈥� across four years 鈥� to take a car from design to a consumer-ready product.
Three researchers in the 91探花 College of Engineering are exploring ways to make electronics more Earth-friendly.
Researchers have discovered that light 鈥� from a laser 鈥� can trigger a form of magnetism in a normally nonmagnetic material. This magnetism centers on the behavior of electrons 鈥渟pins,鈥� which have a potential applications in quantum computing. Scientists discovered that electrons within the material became oriented in the same direction when illuminated by photons from a laser. By controlling and aligning electron spins at this level of detail and accuracy, this platform could have applications in quantum computing, quantum simulation and other fields. The experiment, led by scientists at the 91探花, the University of Hong Kong and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, was published April 20 in Nature.
The first-of-its-kind center has received a $6 million renewal grant from the National Science Foundation.
New research from the Infant Brain Imaging Study (IBIS) Network, which includes the 91探花, finds that the amygdala, an area of the brain critical for interpreting emotions, grows too rapidly in infants who go on to develop autism.
Inspired by how dandelions use the wind to distribute their seeds, a 91探花 team has developed a tiny sensor-carrying device that can be blown by the wind as it tumbles toward the ground.