Virtual laboratory predicts train vibrations
The construction of new rail lines, or the relocation of old ones underground, has increased society's interest over recent years in the vibrations produced by trains, especially among people who live...
View ArticleHow long does a tuning fork ring? 'Quantum-mechanics' solve a very classical...
Austrian and German researchers at the University of Vienna and Technische Universitaet Muenchen have solved a long-standing problem in the design of mechanical resonators: the numerical prediction of...
View ArticleQuantum explanation for how we smell gets new support
(PhysOrg.com) -- Since 1996, when biophysicist Luca Turin first suggested that quantum mechanics may help explain how we smell various odors, the idea has met with controversy. In the past 15 years,...
View ArticleFirst self-powered device with wireless data transmission
Scientists are reporting development of the first self-powered nano-device that can transmit data wirelessly over long distances. In a study in ACS's journal Nano Letters, they say it proves the...
View ArticleSeeing sound: Team develops noninvasive method to visualise sound propagation
High-performance loudspeaker manufacturers have been able to improve sound quality dramatically over the years, but still face the issue of dead spots.
View ArticleUK scientists develop optimum piezoelectric energy harvesters
Scientists working as part of the Metrology for Energy Harvesting Project have developed a new model to deliver the maximum power output for piezoelectric energy harvesters.
View ArticleHeart-powered pacemaker could one day eliminate battery-replacement surgery
A new power scheme for cardiac pacemakers turns to an unlikely source: vibrations from heartbeats themselves.
View ArticleApp turns tablet into math aid for visually impaired students (w/ video)
Without looking down, Kira runs her index finger across the screen of an Android tablet that she is holding in her lap. For the occasion, she has painted her fingernails bright pink. When her finger...
View ArticleMechanical motion rectifier leads to better energy harvesting
(Phys.org) -- Mechanical energy is all around us, whether in the form of a vehicle's vibrations, ocean waves, or vibrating train tracks. However, much of this energy is irregular and oscillatory - for...
View ArticlePhysicists skirt thermal vibration, transfer optical signal via mechanical...
Using tiny radiation pressure forces—generated each time light is reflected off a surface—University of Oregon physicists converted an optical field, or signal, from one color to another. Aided by a...
View ArticleQeexo screentouch experience puts knuckles and nails to work (w/ video)
(Phys.org)—Touchscreen computing as an "experience" has only just begun. Working on ideas they seeded at Carnegie Mellon, computer-human interaction researchers have started a San Jose, California,...
View ArticleNew platform developed to measure and exploit optomechanical interactions
(Phys.org)—Researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology and Caltech have developed a new design platform for measuring and exploiting strong interactions between light confined...
View ArticleSpotting the invisible cracks in wind turbines
(Phys.org)—A significant percentage of the costs of wind energy is due to wind turbine failures, as components are weakened under turbulent air flow conditions and need to be replaced. The challenge...
View ArticleCuriosity rover confirms first drilled Mars rock sample
(Phys.org)—NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has relayed new images that confirm it has successfully obtained the first sample ever collected from the interior of a rock on another planet. No rover has ever...
View ArticleSmallest vibration sensor in the quantum world
Carbon nanotubes and magnetic molecules are considered building blocks of future nanoelectronic systems. Their electric and mechanical properties play an important role. Researchers of Karlsruhe...
View Article'Lasing' operation in an ultrasonic vibration using a MEMS oscillator
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation has succeeded in fabricating a novel ultrasonic oscillator by applying a principle analogous to an optical laser, which is widely used as a highly purified...
View ArticleQuantum computers counting on carbon nanotubes
Carbon nanotubes can be used as quantum bits for quantum computers. A study by physicists at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen has shown how nanotubes can store information in the form of...
View ArticlePhysics at the threshold of hearing
(Phys.org) —The mammalian auditory system is one of the most sensitive detectors found in nature. Two kinds of cells, the inner and outer hair cells, work together to transduce mechanical vibrations...
View ArticleHybrid energy harvester generates electricity from vibrations and sunlight
(Phys.org) —Devices that harvest energy from the environment require specific environmental conditions; for instance, solar cells and piezoelectric generators require sunlight and mechanical vibration,...
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