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Speedy Collision Detector Could Make Robots Better Human Assistants

November 13, 2017

A faster collision detection algorithm could enable robots to work more fluidly in the operating room or at home for assisted living. The algorithm, dubbed “Fastron,” runs up to 8 times faster than existing collision detection algorithms. It uses machine learning to help robots avoid moving objects and weave through complex, rapidly changing environments in real time.

Model Predicts How E. Coli Bacteria Adapt Under Stress

October 13, 2017

Researchers at UC San Diego have developed a genome-scale model that can accurately predict how E. coli bacteria respond to temperature changes and genetic mutations. The work sheds light on how cells adapt under environmental stress and has applications in precision medicine, where adaptive cell modeling could provide patient-specific treatments for bacterial infections.

Laser Cavities Take on New Shapes and Functionalities

October 12, 2017

Bending laser light around sharp turns and corners—without scattering—is now possible thanks to a new laser cavity developed by electrical engineers at UC San Diego. This is the first laser cavity that can fully confine and propagate light in any shape imaginable: triangle, square, loop with jagged edges. The work could lead to faster computers and optical fibers that perform well even when they’re bent in different directions.

Smart Molecules Trigger White Blood Cells to Become Better Cancer-Eating Machines

September 28, 2017

A team of researchers has engineered smart protein molecules that can reprogram white blood cells to ignore a self-defense signaling mechanism that cancer cells use to survive and spread in the body. Researchers say the advance could lead to a new method of re-engineering immune cells to fight cancer and infectious diseases. The team successfully tested this method in a live cell culture system.

Squeezing Light Into Infinitesimally Thin Lines

September 20, 2017

Researchers have demonstrated a new mode of electromagnetic wave, called a "line wave," which has potential applications in areas ranging from integrated photonics, sensing and quantum processes to future vacuum electronics.

New Dental Imaging Method Uses Squid Ink to Fish for Gum Disease

September 7, 2017

If not included, the first paragraph from release will be used): Squid ink could make getting checked for gum disease at the dentist less tedious and even painless. By combining squid ink with light and ultrasound, a team led by engineers at the University of California San Diego has developed a new method to examine a patient’s gums that is non-invasive, more comprehensive and more accurate than today’s periodontal exam.

Drug-delivering Micromotors Treat Their First Bacterial Infection in the Stomach

August 16, 2017

Nanoengineers at the University of California San Diego have demonstrated for the first time using micromotors to treat a bacterial infection in the stomach. These tiny vehicles, each about half the width of a human hair, swim rapidly throughout the stomach while neutralizing gastric acid and then release their cargo of antibiotics at the desired pH.

4D Camera Could Improve Robot Vision, Virtual Reality and Self-driving Cars

August 4, 2017

Engineers have developed a camera that generates four-dimensional images and can capture 138 degrees of information. The new camera — the first-ever single-lens, wide field of view, light field camera — could generate information-rich images and video frames that will enable robots to better navigate the world and understand certain aspects of their environment, such as object distance and surface texture.

Getting Therapeutic Sound Waves Through Thick Skulls

August 2, 2017

Ultrasound brain surgery has enormous potential for the treatment of neurological diseases and cancers, but getting therapeutic sound waves through the skull and into the brain is no easy task. To address this problem, an international team of researchers has developed a window-like cranial implant through which doctors can deliver ultrasound treatments on demand and on a recurring basis — without having to repeatedly cut open the skull.

Nanoengineer Receives Award from Energy Department to Advance Solar Power Technologies

July 14, 2017

University of California San Diego nanoengineering professor David Fenning has received an award from the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative to lead a new project aimed at advancing research in solar photovoltaic technologies. The project will focus on developing a high resolution tool that can detect moisture in photovoltaic modules and predict how it will affect the modules’ performance.
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