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Abu Dhabi starts work on building region’s first-ever quantum computer

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Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute, a pioneering global research and development centre that focuses on applied research, today unboxed the cryostat – the initial frame of its quantum computer that is being assembled in the UAE capital.

TII’s Quantum Research Centre (QRC) is spearheading the landmark advanced technology project that aims to give the world a quantum advantage through developing a supercomputer with exponential computational capabilities.

Two helium dilution refrigerators arrived from Finland earlier this week in massive wooden crates, an essential component that uses helium isotopes to cool the quantum chips or the brain of the computer and maintain the quantum information. [Read more…] about Abu Dhabi starts work on building region’s first-ever quantum computer

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  • Novel techniques extract more accurate data from images degraded by environmental factors
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    Novel techniques extract more accurate data from images degraded by environmental factorsComputer vision technology is increasingly used in areas such as automatic surveillance systems, self-driving cars, facial recognition, healthcare and social distancing tools. Users require accurate and reliable visual information to fully harness the benefits of video analytics applications but the quality of the video data is often affected by environmental…
    Tags: computer, computing

Novel techniques extract more accurate data from images degraded by environmental factors

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Computer vision technology is increasingly used in areas such as automatic surveillance systems, self-driving cars, facial recognition, healthcare and social distancing tools.

Users require accurate and reliable visual information to fully harness the benefits of video analytics applications but the quality of the video data is often affected by environmental factors such as rain, night-time conditions or crowds (where there are multiple images of people overlapping with each other in a scene).

Using computer vision and deep learning, a team of researchers led by Yale-NUS College Associate Professor of Science (Computer Science) Robby Tan, who is also from the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Faculty of Engineering, has developed novel approaches that resolve the problem of low-level vision in videos caused by rain and night-time conditions, as well as improve the accuracy of 3D human pose estimation in videos. [Read more…] about Novel techniques extract more accurate data from images degraded by environmental factors

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  • Abu Dhabi starts work on building region’s first-ever quantum computer
    37
    Abu Dhabi starts work on building region’s first-ever quantum computerAbu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute, a pioneering global research and development centre that focuses on applied research, today unboxed the cryostat – the initial frame of its quantum computer that is being assembled in the UAE capital. TII’s Quantum Research Centre (QRC) is spearheading the landmark advanced technology project that…
    Tags: computer, computing

Making our computers more secure

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Because corporations and governments rely on computers and the internet to run everything from the electric grid, healthcare, and water systems, computer security is extremely important to all of us.

It is increasingly being breached: Numerous security hacks just this past month include the Colonial Pipeline security breach and the JBS Foods ransomware attacks where hackers took over the organization’s computer systems and demanded payment to unlock and release it back to the owners.

The White House is strongly urging companies to take ransomware threats seriously and update their systems to protect themselves. Yet these attacks continue to threaten all of us on an almost daily basis. [Read more…] about Making our computers more secure

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  • Columbia Engineering team builds first hacker-resistant cloud software system
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    Columbia Engineering team builds first hacker-resistant cloud software systemWhenever you buy something on Amazon, your customer data is automatically updated and stored on thousands of virtual machines in the cloud. For businesses like Amazon, ensuring the safety and security of the data of its millions of customers is essential. This is true for large and small organizations alike.…
    Tags: system, software, security, systems, news
  • 5G wireless may lead to inaccurate weather forecasts
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    5G wireless may lead to inaccurate weather forecastsUpcoming 5G wireless networks that will provide faster cell phone service may lead to inaccurate weather forecasts, according to a Rutgers study on a controversial issue that has created anxiety among meteorologists. "Our study – the first of its kind that quantifies the effect of 5G on weather prediction error – suggests…
    Tags: computer, technology, news
  • Insect-sized robot navigates mazes with the agility of a cheetah
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    Insect-sized robot navigates mazes with the agility of a cheetahMany insects and spiders get their uncanny ability to scurry up walls and walk upside down on ceilings with the help of specialized sticky footpads that allow them to adhere to surfaces in places where no human would dare to go. Engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, have used…
    Tags: news, technology
  • High-energy shape memory polymer could enable robots to ‘flex their muscles’
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    High-energy shape memory polymer could enable robots to ‘flex their muscles’A high-energy shape memory polymer could someday enable robots to “flex their muscles”, according its developers. When stretched or deformed, shape memory polymers return to their original shapes after heat or light is applied. These materials show great promise for soft robotics, smart biomedical devices and deployable space structures, but…
    Tags: memory, news, technology
  • Astronomers confirm solar system’s most distant known object – appropriately named ‘Farfarout’
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    Astronomers confirm solar system’s most distant known object – appropriately named ‘Farfarout’The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy Astronomers have confirmed the solar system’s most distant known object. Appropriately named “Farfarout”, the object is not large enough to be categorized as a planet, but does orbit the sun, taking 798 Earth years to do so. With the help of the…
    Tags: system, news

Smaller chips open door to new RFID applications

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Researchers at North Carolina State University have made what is believed to be the smallest state-of-the-art RFID chip, which should drive down the cost of RFID tags.

In addition, the chip’s design makes it possible to embed RFID tags into high value chips, such as computer chips, boosting supply chain security for high-end technologies.

“As far as we can tell, it’s the world’s smallest Gen2-compatible RFID chip,” says Paul Franzon, corresponding author of a paper on the work and Cirrus Logic Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NC State. [Read more…] about Smaller chips open door to new RFID applications

New AI tool calculates materials’ stress and strain based on photos

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Isaac Newton may have met his match. For centuries, engineers have relied on physical laws – developed by Newton and others – to understand the stresses and strains on the materials they work with. But solving those equations can be a computational slog, especially for complex materials.

MIT researchers have developed a technique to quickly determine certain properties of a material, like stress and strain, based on an image of the material showing its internal structure.

The approach could one day eliminate the need for arduous physics-based calculations, instead relying on computer vision and machine learning to generate estimates in real time. [Read more…] about New AI tool calculates materials’ stress and strain based on photos

Physicists develop theoretical model for neural activity of mouse brain

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The dynamics of the neural activity of a mouse brain behave in a peculiar, unexpected way that can be theoretically modeled without any fine tuning, suggests a new paper by physicists at Emory University. Physical Review Letters published the research, which adds to the evidence that theoretical physics frameworks may aid in the understanding of large-scale brain activity.

“Our theoretical model agrees with previous experimental work on the brains of mice to a few percent accuracy – a degree which is highly unusual for living systems,” says Ilya Nemenman, Emory professor of physics and biology and senior author of the paper.

The first author is Mia Morrell, who did the research for her honors thesis as an Emory senior majoring in physics. She graduated from Emory last year and is now in a post-baccalaureate physics program at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. [Read more…] about Physicists develop theoretical model for neural activity of mouse brain

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  • New deep learning models: Fewer neurons, more intelligence
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    New deep learning models: Fewer neurons, more intelligenceArtificial intelligence has arrived in our everyday lives – from search engines to self-driving cars. This has to do with the enormous computing power that has become available in recent years.  But new results from AI research now show that simpler, smaller neural networks can be used to solve certain…
    Tags: neural, system, systems, neurons, model, news
  • Making our computers more secure
    30
    Making our computers more secureBecause corporations and governments rely on computers and the internet to run everything from the electric grid, healthcare, and water systems, computer security is extremely important to all of us. It is increasingly being breached: Numerous security hacks just this past month include the Colonial Pipeline security breach and the…
    Tags: computer, system, systems, news

Computer model fosters potential improvements to ‘bionic eye’ technology

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There are millions of people who face the loss of their eyesight from degenerative eye diseases. The genetic disorder retinitis pigmentosa alone affects 1 in 4,000 people worldwide.

Today, there is technology available to offer partial eyesight to people with that syndrome. The Argus II, the world’s first retinal prosthesis, reproduces some functions of a part of the eye essential to vision, to allow users to perceive movement and shapes.

While the field of retinal prostheses is still in its infancy, for hundreds of users around the globe, the “bionic eye” enriches the way they interact with the world on a daily basis. For instance, seeing outlines of objects enables them to move around unfamiliar environments with increased safety. [Read more…] about Computer model fosters potential improvements to ‘bionic eye’ technology

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  • 5G wireless may lead to inaccurate weather forecasts
    32
    5G wireless may lead to inaccurate weather forecastsUpcoming 5G wireless networks that will provide faster cell phone service may lead to inaccurate weather forecasts, according to a Rutgers study on a controversial issue that has created anxiety among meteorologists. "Our study – the first of its kind that quantifies the effect of 5G on weather prediction error – suggests…
    Tags: engineering, electrical, computer, technology, news

How to spot deepfakes? Look at light reflection in the eyes

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University at Buffalo computer scientists have developed a tool that automatically identifies deepfake photos by analyzing light reflections in the eyes.

The tool proved 94% effective in experiments described in a paper accepted at the IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing to be held in June in Toronto, Canada.

“The cornea is almost like a perfect semisphere and is very reflective,” says the paper’s lead author, Siwei Lyu, PhD, SUNY Empire Innovation Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. [Read more…] about How to spot deepfakes? Look at light reflection in the eyes

New research highlights impact of the digital divide

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The coronavirus pandemic has drawn new attention to the digital divide, as the need for online schooling and working from home has disproportionately hurt those without computer equipment and skills.

Research by Paul A. Pavlou, dean of the C. T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, found that people with basic Information Technology (IT) skills – including the ability to use email, copy and paste files and work with an Excel spreadsheet – are more likely to be employed, even in jobs that aren’t explicitly tied to those skills.

People with more advanced IT skills generally earned higher salaries, the researchers found. The work is described in Information Systems Research. [Read more…] about New research highlights impact of the digital divide

Does watching Netflix or having Zoom meetings leave a carbon footprint?

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When you think about your carbon footprint, what comes to mind? Driving and flying, probably. Perhaps home energy consumption or those daily Amazon deliveries.

But what about watching Netflix or having Zoom meetings? Ever thought about the carbon footprint of the silicon chips inside your phone, smartwatch or the countless other devices inside your home?

Every aspect of modern computing, from the smallest chip to the largest data center comes with a carbon price tag. For the better part of a century, the tech industry and the field of computation as a whole have focused on building smaller, faster, more powerful devices – but few have considered their overall environmental impact. [Read more…] about Does watching Netflix or having Zoom meetings leave a carbon footprint?