3D printing used to make glass optical fiber preform

Researchers have developed a way to use 3D printing to create a preform that can be drawn into silica glass optical fibers, which form the backbone of the global telecommunications network. This new fabrication method could not only simplify production of these fibers but also enable designs and applications that weren't possible before.

A stretchable stopwatch lights up human skin

Imagine a runner who doesn't need to carry a stopwatch or cell phone to check her time: She could just gaze at the glowing stopwatch display on the back of her hand. Such human-machine interfaces are no longer science fiction, but they still have a way to go before becoming mainstream. Now, researchers have developed a stretchable light-emitting device that operates at low voltages and is safe for human skin.

Study shows ability to detect light from UV to the IR optical regimes using spin currents

The spin Seebeck effect (SSE) can be used to detect light across a broad optical range -- ultraviolet through visible to near-infrared. This has future implications on novel spin current-based technologies.

An electronic signal expands a material by a factor of 100

Researchers have discovered a material that can both increase and reduce its volume when exposed to a weak electrical pulse. In a sponge, or filter, the researchers can control the size of particles that pass through.

Intuitive virtual reality: Bimodal 'electronic skin' developed

Through the crafty use of magnetic fields, scientists have developed the first electronic sensor that can simultaneously process both touchless and tactile stimuli. Prior attempts have so far failed to combine these functions on a single device due to overlapping signals of the various stimuli. As the sensor is readily applied to the human skin, it could provide a seamless interactive platform for virtual and augmented reality scenarios.

Tungsten suboxide improves the efficiency of platinum in hydrogen production

Researchers presented a new strategy for enhancing catalytic activity using tungsten suboxide as a single-atom catalyst (SAC). This strategy, which significantly improves hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in metal platinum (pt) by 16.3 times, sheds light on the development of new electrochemical catalyst technologies.

Giving valleytronics a boost

Physicists have revealed a new quantum process in valleytronics that can speed up the development of this fairly new technology.