Optical fibres, the cornerstone technology for high-speed data transfer, can be given a significant performance boost by hollowing out their centre, researchers from Southampton University have discovered. Optical fibres, which are made of silica glass, have long been the transmission medium of choice for high-speed optical communications as well as for other uses such as … Read more
Velodyne Lidar, which makes one of the most crucial sensors for driverless cars, has announced a new $500 (£380) lidar array with no moving parts that could drastically lower the cost of bringing automation to vehicles. The high cost of lidar sensors, which act as the eyes of a self-driving car, has been one of … Read more
Engineers in the US have developed a way to improve the imaging capability of existing radar sensors – a system that could enable self-driving cars to ‘see’ what’s up ahead regardless of the weather. Inclement weather conditions pose a challenge for the development of self-driving cars. These vehicles rely on technology such as LiDAR and … Read more
Researchers at Osaka University have developed a label-free method for identifying respiratory viruses, based on dips in electrical current as they pass through silicon nanopores. The method could form the basis of a rapid new Covid-19 test. Efforts to restrict the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic have emphasised rapid, widespread … Read more
A new system to assess the structural health of bridges using AI and an array of sensors is being developed by a team at the University of Texas at Arlington. Modern bridges are typically built with weight-in-motion systems including sensors that measure vibrations, strain and deflection. By measuring the bridge’s response to these elements, they … Read more