What's on tech? A brand new laser uses metamaterials, robot-dogs that herd sheep and a revelation in neurological research can advance the prosthetic vision.
Lasers That Twist?
When talking about lasers, it's common knowledge that it goes a straight line. However, that isn't the case for this laser that is developed by the University of Witwatersrand. There are more strange quantities for lasers that go beyond wavelengths and intensity, which scientists have been exploring for years.
Chirality, spirality, vorticity are being tested to make the laser beam effect a corkscrew motion. The reason for bending the laser would be to effectively improve optical data speeds by intensifying the laser even more. The problem with "twisted light" is that it is tough to detect. For years researchers on twisted lasers gone progressively and just a few weeks ago have made new advances on the field.
The laser developed by the University of Witwatersrand can make twisted light of utmost purity and angular momentum that uses metamaterials. Then another pair of experiments that were used to create a transmitter that can send vortex lasers as well as a receiver that will detect and classify the lasers with relative ease. The last experiment is most impressive since we mentioned that it's challenging to see the orbital angular momentum of an incoming photon.
Robot-Dog Herding Sheep!
Dogs who heard sheep can be a common sight, and farmers use them to help with their daily routine and make their lives easier. But how about a robot dog doing what real dogs can? At least in terms of herding the shop, for now. Boston Dynamic's recently posted a video on YouTube that took the world by storm.
In the video, Boston Dynamic's Spot goes up a rugged hill to herd a big flock of sheep, usually tasked to the shepherd's dogs. Spot goes up and down steep hills, shallow creeks, and displays how its sensor data allows Spot to manage the group movement, and to the extent of even predicting the yield of natural goods.
Spot can also harvest crops on top of all these by using real-time maps, according to Rocos. The upgrades on Spot are the key for it to do all these things such as range of motion, the ability to adapt to the terrain, and even use LiDAR cameras and infrared.
Prosthetic Eye Which Would Enable The Blind To "See"
Scientists from the United States and Hong Kong have successfully developed a synthetic eye that functions and looks real. The sensors can imitate photoreceptors naturally found in the human eye, and this breakthrough could one day be used to give lost eyesight or have the blind to see for the first time.
Called the "biomimetic eye," the synthetic eye is a mixture of modern technology and nature's design. This device consists of a hemispherical artificial retina and a multitude of sensors that captures and relays live images. The tricky part is getting the device to interface with the human brain.
Animal and human trials are about to begin in earnest. However, there is still a lot more work to do before the eye can be a transplant for the future of humanity, as reported by Daily Mail.
