Engineers develop thin, lightweight lens that could produce slimmer camera phones, longer-flying drones

Electrical and computer engineering researchers have developed a new kind of optical lens that is much thinner and lighter than conventional camera lenses that also works with night imaging, a future boon for smartphones that could flatten those unsightly 'camera bumps' as well as for drones and night vision cameras for soldiers.

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Addictive de-vices: How we can unplug from this 21st century epidemic

We spend our days looking at them, talking to them, and touching them. They increasingly consume our time, attention and money. We are addicted to our digital devices — or, more precisely, the digital experiences they give us. A study analyzed the growing problem with digital addiction and how marketers as well as app developers contribute to this 21st-century phenomenon.

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Object identification and interaction with a smartphone knock

Scientists have developed new technology, dubbed 'Knocker', which identifies objects and executes actions just by knocking on them with the smartphone. Software powered by machine learning of sounds, vibrations, and other reactions will follow the users' directions.

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Smartphone typing speeds catching up with keyboards

The largest experiment to date on mobile typing sheds new light on average performance of touchscreen typing and factors impacting the text input speed. Researchers analyzed the typing speed of tens of thousands of users on both phones and computers. Their main finding is that typing speeds on smartphones are now catching up with physical keyboards.

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Curved nanochannels allow independent tuning of charge and spin currents

To increase the efficiency of microchips, 3D structures are now being investigated. However, spintronic components, which rely on electron spin rather than charge, are always flat. To investigate how to connect these to 3D electronics, physicists have created curved spin transport channels. They discovered that this new geometry makes it possible to independently tune charge and spin currents.

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Development of highly sensitive diode, converts microwaves to electricity

A group of researchers developed a highly sensitive rectifying element in the form of a nanowire backward diode, which can covert low-power microwaves into electricity. The new technology is expected that the newly-developed nanowire backward diode will be applied in using plentiful ambient radio wave energy in 5G communications, serving as a stable power source of sensors and contributing to battery-free sensors.

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New way to produce curvy electronics

Contact lenses that can monitor your health as well as correct your eyesight aren't science fiction, but an efficient manufacturing method has remained elusive. Until now. Researchers have reported developing a new manufacturing method to produce the lenses, solar cells and other three-dimensional curvy electronics.

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