Lifeboat Foundation

“For those who have lost their ability to communicate due to a variety of neurological conditions, there’s a lot of hope to preserve or regain their ability to communicate with family and friends.”

The term “brain-computer interface” (BCI) refers to a technology that creates a direct line of communication between the human brain and an outside object or computer system, opening up a wide range of possibilities for things like device control and neurological study.

Oonal/iStock.

Continue reading “ALS patients control home devices with their minds using BCI” »

A new study published in Nature Communications delves into the manipulation of atomic-scale spin transitions using an external voltage, shedding light on the practical implementation of spin control at the nanoscale for quantum computing applications.

Spin transitions at the atomic scale involve changes in the orientation of an atom’s intrinsic angular momentum or spin. In the atomic context, spin transitions are typically associated with electron behavior.

In this study, the researchers focused on using electric fields to control the spin transitions. The foundation of their research was serendipitous and driven by curiosity.

The trial has revealed that Google was concerned about losing its monopoly to Spotlight, an in-house search engine made by Apple.

Google and Apple compete on several fronts – operating systems, email, app stores, cloud computing, and photo apps. While Google leads in the market share of its phone operating system, Apple boasts of a line of very cool hardware tech. But they remain partners in one key area, which is also currently in the eye of the storm.

Google pays Apple for its search engine to be the default selection on iPhones. Its parent company, Alphabet, pays the iPhone maker upwards of $20 billion annually as part of the deal. In 2016, Apple reportedly was presented with a lucrative billion-dollar offer by Microsoft to replace Google with Bing in its phones. But Apple didn’t budge.

Still, experts caution that Chinese firms remain years behind in producing the lithography systems needed to make real progress.

China’s top memory chip maker, Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp (YMTC), has achieved a “surprise” breakthrough in producing the “world’s most advanced” 3D NAND memory chip, which is used in consumer devices like laptops and smartphones, a report by TechInsights.

Breaking the US sanctions barrier

Continue reading “How China’s YMTC defied US sanctions with a chip breakthrough” »

Researchers have developed a new computer simulation of the early universe that closely aligns with observations made by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

Initial JWST observations hinted that something may be amiss in our understanding of early galaxy formation. The first galaxies studied by JWST appeared to be brighter and more massive than theoretical expectations.

The findings, published in The Open Journal of Astrophysics, by researchers at Maynooth University, Ireland, with collaborators from US-based Georgia Institute of Technology, show that observations made by JWST do not contradict theoretical expectations. The so-called “Renaissance simulations” used by the team are a series of highly sophisticated computer simulations of galaxy formation in the early universe.

Coherence stands as a pillar of effective communication, whether it is in writing, speaking or information processing. This principle extends to quantum bits, or qubits, the building blocks of quantum computing. A quantum computer could one day tackle previously insurmountable challenges in climate prediction, material design, drug discovery and more.

A team led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has achieved a major milestone toward future quantum computing. They have extended the coherence time for their novel type of qubit to an impressive 0.1 milliseconds—nearly a thousand times better than the previous record.

The research was published in Nature Physics.

The scale of quantum computers is growing quickly. In 2022, IBM took the top spot with its 433-qubit Osprey chip. Yesterday, Atom Computing announced they’ve one-upped IBM with a 1,180-qubit neutral atom quantum computer.

The new machine runs on a tiny grid of atoms held in place and manipulated by lasers in a vacuum chamber. The company’s first 100-qubit prototype was a 10-by-10 grid of strontium atoms. The new system is a 35-by-35 grid of ytterbium atoms (shown above). (The machine has space for 1,225 atoms, but Atom has so far run tests with 1,180.)

Quantum computing researchers are working on a range of qubits—the quantum equivalent of bits represented by transistors in traditional computing—including tiny superconducting loops of wire (Google and IBM), trapped ions (IonQ), and photons, among others. But Atom Computing and other companies, like QuEra, believe neutral atoms—that is, atoms with no electric charge—have greater potential to scale.

It’s the day after the Baltimore Orioles clinched the American League East Championship with their 100th win of the season, and lifelong fan Tim Evans is showing his pride on his sleeve.

“It’s so great,” Evans, 62, says with a huge smile, wearing his orange O’s jersey.

The last time the Orioles won the AL East was in 2014, the same year Evans was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive nervous system disease that causes muscle weakness and loss of motor and speech functions. Evans currently has severe speech and swallowing problems. He can talk slowly, but it’s hard for most people to understand him.

Magnets are magnificent. Made of iron, aluminum, nickel, cobalt, and various other metals, they’re used in compasses for navigation, in medical imaging machines to see inside the human body, in kitchens to keep cabinets and refrigerators closed, in computers to store data and in new high-speed “hyperloop” trains that can travel at speeds of up to 76 miles per hour.

For environmentalists, however, the most exciting use yet for magnets might be a newly discovered application out of Australia’s Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, otherwise known as RMIT University: Using magnets, researchers there have discovered a novel way of removing harmful microplastics from water.

“[Microplastics] can take up to 450 years to degrade, are not detectable and removable through conventional treatment systems, resulting in millions of tons being released into the sea every year,” co-lead research Nasir Mahmood said in a statement. “This is not only harmful for aquatic life, but also has significant negative impacts on human health.”