New technology could remotely identify various types of plastics, offering a valuable tool for future monitoring and analysis of oceanic plastic pollution. Researchers have developed a new hyperspectral Raman imaging lidar system that can remotely detect and identify various types of plastics. This technology could help address the critical issue of plastic pollution in the ocean by providing better tools for monitoring and analysis. “Plastic pollution poses a serious threat to marine ecosystems and human livelihoods, affecting industries like fisheries,…
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has established a strong presence across industries, large and small. The “VoBaKI” research project has empowered small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with an innovative tool to independently champion the challenges of using artificial intelligence (AI). Rational and accessible solutions were developed to assist SMEs on their journey towards an AI future while collaborating with the FIR at RWTH Aachen University and the Institute of Ergonomics (IAW) at RWTH Aachen University and along with the support of numerous…
APECS Pilot Line starts Operation in the Framework of the EU Chips Act. The pilot line for “Advanced Packaging and Heterogeneous Integration for Electronic Components and Systems” (APECS) marks a major leap forward in strengthening Europe’s semiconductor manufacturing capabilities and chiplet innovation as part of the EU Chips Act created under the “Chips for Europe” initiative of the European Commission. Within APECS, the institutes collaborating in the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD) will work closely with European partners, to make…
Europe is investing heavily in the future of telecommunications, with four major 6G projects involving the University of Oulu launching in January 2025. Funded through the SNS JU (Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking), these initiatives represent a substantial EU commitment, with a total budget of €39.6 million across the projects. Collectively, the projects aim to tackle critical challenges in sustainability, resilience, collaboration, and human-centric innovation. SNS JU’s role in shaping Europe’s 6G development is significant. The SNS JU was…
Fraunhofer HHI and Partners Launch First Open-Source 5G FR2 MIMO Demonstrator. Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institut (HHI) and its partners, Allbesmart, National Instruments (NI), and TMYTEK, have unveiled the world’s first open-source 5G FR2 MIMO demonstrator. This cutting-edge test platform for 5G and future 6G technologies features high-bandwidth capabilities at 28 GHz, allowing users to explore advanced technologies such as joint communication and sensing. The use of multiple antennas enhances link stability and maximizes bitrates. The demonstrator was developed as part of the…
…with Hybrid Dual-Analog Beamforming for Multi-Users and Blockage Avoidance. In December 2024, the institutes Fraunhofer IAF and HHI as well as LG Electronics, building on their successes from 2022, have once again demonstrated their global leadership in sub-THz 6G wireless network technology: They have successfully executed the world’s first trial of D-band hybrid beamforming with dual-channel analog beamforming radio heads, showcasing a milestone in broadband data transmission at 160 GHz. This technological breakthrough presents advancements in maintaining robust links to…
New research demonstrates a brand-new architecture for scaling up superconducting quantum devices. Researchers at the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) have realized a new design for a superconducting quantum processor, aiming at a potential architecture for the large-scale, durable devices the quantum revolution demands. Unlike the typical quantum chip design that lays the information-processing qubits onto a 2-D grid, the team from the Cleland Lab has designed a modular quantum processor comprising a reconfigurable router as a…
International research team presents first electrically pumped continuous-wave semiconductor laser suitable for seamless silicon integration. Scientists from Forschungszentrum Jülich, FZJ, the University of Stuttgart, and the Leibniz Institute for High Performance Microelectronics (IHP), together with their French partner CEA-Leti, have developed the first electrically pumped continuous-wave semiconductor laser composed exclusively of elements from the fourth group of the periodic table – the “silicon group”. Built from stacked ultrathin layers of silicon germanium-tin and germanium-tin, this new laser is the first…
DFKI develops autonomous underwater robot to monitor marine biodiversity. Sustainable monitoring of the marine environment is crucial for the environmentally responsible operation of offshore wind farms and the protection of biodiversity. In the SeaMe project, RWE is collaborating with leading research partners to develop innovative technologies for comprehensive ecosystem monitoring. The goal is to replace costly, invasive, and CO2-intensive methods. The German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) is contributing by equipping an autonomous underwater vehicle with oceanographic sensors and…
“Our results have no clear or direct application right now. It’s basic research that lays the foundation for future technologies in quantum information and quantum computers. There’s enormous potential for completely new discoveries in many different research fields,” says Guilherme B Xavier, researcher in quantum communication at Linköping University, Sweden. But to understand what the researchers have shown, we need to start at the beginning. That light can be both particles and waves is one of the most illogical –…
Researchers from Singapore and China have used a superconducting quantum processor to study the phenomenon of quantum transport in unprecedented detail. A better understanding of quantum transport, which can refer to the flow of particles, magnetisation, energy or information through a quantum channel, could propel advances in technologies such as nanoelectronics and thermal management. “We’re quite excited because this is, practically, a new paradigm of doing quantum transport experiments,” says Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) Fellow Dario Poletti, whose co-corresponding…
Caltech’s algorithm called Spectral Expansion Tree Search helps autonomous robotic systems make optimal choices on the move. In 2018, Google DeepMind’s AlphaZero program taught itself the games of chess, shogi, and Go using machine learning and a special algorithm to determine the best moves to win a game within a defined grid. Now, a team of Caltech researchers has developed an analogous algorithm for autonomous robots—a planning and decision-making control system that helps freely moving robots determine the best movements…
Researchers propose a simple fix to an existing technique that could help artists, designers, and engineers create better 3D models. Creating realistic 3D models for applications like virtual reality, filmmaking, and engineering design can be a cumbersome process requiring lots of manual trial and error. While generative artificial intelligence models for images can streamline artistic processes by enabling creators to produce lifelike 2D images from text prompts, these models are not designed to generate 3D shapes. To bridge the gap,…
…unleashes ultra-secure, high-capacity data transmission. Scientists have developed a breakthrough optical technology that could dramatically enhance the capacity and security of data transmission (Fig. 1). By utilizing a new type of spatial-frequency patching metasurface that manipulates light beams, researchers have introduced what they call “super-capacity perfect vector vortex beams” (SC-PVVBs). These light beams, which possess intricate spatial and polarization characteristics, can carry vast amounts of information, making them ideal for dense data communication systems. Conventional optical beams often have limitations…
The Leibniz Institute DSMZ is now a partner in the global consortium for the development of the ‘Pathogen Data Network’. The US National Institute of Health (NIH) has funded the development of a global ‘Pathogen Data Network’ coordinated by the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB). The Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH is one of twelve internationally renowned institutes and universities that join forces in the Pathogen Data Network. Under the leadership of the SIB and…
Heart cockles have shells with built-in skylights to let in light for symbiotic algae. Since the first fiber optic cables rolled out in the 1970s, they’ve become a major part of everything from medical devices to high-speed internet and cable TV. But as it turns out, one group of marine mollusks was way ahead of us. A new study reveals that clams called heart cockles -– so-named because of their heart-shaped shells — have unique structures in their shells that…
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