Tech Briefs - Tech Briefs

1. Maintaining Quantum Characteristics, Even in 3D Materials

   There is a big problem with quantum technology — it’s tiny. The distinctive properties that exist at the subatomic scale usually disappear at macroscopic scales, making it difficult to harness their superior sensing and communication capabilities for real-world applications, like optical systems and advanced computing. Now, however, an international team led by physicists at Penn State and Columbia University has developed a novel approach to maintain special quantum characteristics, even in three-dimensional (3D) materials.

2. How Much Do You Know About Unattended Testing?

   If we can remove clear indications that someone is being monitored, we are far more likely to get the information we seek. This is the basis for unattended testing, which is about as common as laboratory testing itself.

3. A Neuromorphic Exposure Control System to Revolutionize Machine Vision in Extreme Lighting Environments

   A research team led by Professor Jia Pan and Professor Yifan Evan Peng from the Department of Computer Science and Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering under the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), in collaboration with a researcher at Australian National University, has recently developed a neuromorphic exposure control (NEC) system that revolutionizes machine vision under extreme lighting variations. Published in Nature Communications, this biologically inspired system mimics human peripheral vision to achieve unprecedented speed and robustness in dynamic perception environments.

4. A Robust and Adaptive Controller for Ballbots

   A Ballbot is a unique kind of robot with great mobility, which possesses the ability to go in all directions. Obviously, controlling such a robotic device must be tricky. Indeed, ballbot systems pose unique challenges, particularly the difficulty of maintaining balance and stability in dynamic and uncertain environments. Traditional proportional integral derivative (PID) controllers struggle with these challenges, while other advanced methods, like sliding mode control, introduce issues like chattering. Therefore, there is a need to develop a controller that combines the simplicity and adaptability of PID with the learning capabilities of the now-popular neural networks, providing a robust solution to real-world robotic mobility problems.

5. New Research Sheds Light on Using Multiple CubeSats for In-Space Servicing and Repair Missions

   As more satellites, telescopes, and other spacecraft are built to be repairable, it will take reliable trajectories for service spacecraft to reach them safely. Researchers in the Department of Aerospace Engineering in The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are developing a methodology that will allow multiple CubeSats to act as servicing agents to assemble or repair a space telescope. Their method minimizes fuel consumption, guarantees that servicing agents never come closer to each other than five meters, and can be used to solve pathway guidance problems that aren’t space related.