What do you call a materials science discovery that was given a major boost by a lecture from a Nobel laureate in chemistry, used cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), and was pushed further along by a doctoral student’s thesis on machine learning? Typical Cornell research. In a paper published in Nature, a team led by Uli…
Graphene Material Paves the Way for Cell-Sized Robots
An electricity-conducting, environment-sensing, shape-changing machine the size of a human cell? Is that even possible? Cornell University physicists Paul McEuen and Itai Cohen not only say yes, but they’ve actually built the “muscle” for one. With postdoctoral researcher Marc Miskin at the helm, the team has made a robot exoskeleton that can rapidly change its…
Where Have All the Electrons Gone?
The concept of “valence” — the ability of a particular atom to combine with other atoms by exchanging electrons — is one of the cornerstones of modern chemistry and solid-state physics. Valence controls crucial properties of molecules and materials, including their bonding, crystal structure, and electronic and magnetic properties. Four decades ago, a class of…
Two-Way Radio Fits on a Tiny Chip
Two-way communication requires, of course, both send and receive capabilities. But putting them in the same device requires a filter between the send and receive circuits to provide signal isolation. Without a significant filter, communication would be impossible. “Your transmit signal is 1014 times stronger than your receive signal,” says Alyosha Molnar, associate professor of…
GPS Monitors Space Weather from Space Station
The weather here on Earth has been a little strange this winter — 60-degree days, followed by blinding snow, only to be followed by 50s and rain — but for Steven Powell, the weather he’s interested in can’t be felt by humans or measured by barometric pressure. Powell, research support specialist in electrical and computer…
Robot Skin Can Feel Surroundings
Most robots achieve grasping and tactile sensing through motorized means, which can be excessively bulky and rigid. A Cornell University group has devised a way for a soft robot to feel its surroundings internally, in much the same way humans do. A group led by Robert Shepherd, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and…
Doughnut-shaped Vortex Rings Used in Diabetes Treatment
Some of the world’s most important discoveries — penicillin, vulcanized rubber, and Velcro, to name a few — were made by accident. In fact, it’s been said that upward of half of all scientific discoveries are by chance. Add vortex ring freezing to that long list of “accidents.” Duo An, a doctoral student in the…
Graphene Acts Like a Trampoline in Frequency Mixer Research
A professor, a postdoctoral researcher, and a graduate student hop onto a trampoline. No, it’s not the opening line of a joke. It’s a setup for the explanation of new Cornell-led research involving the wonder material graphene. A group led by Roberto De Alba, graduate student in physics, and Jeevak Parpia, professor and department chair…