Category: Innovation

A robotic sorting system that uses touch to identify different types of domestic waste achieved a 98.85% accuracy rate.

The inventors believe this advanced system could improve recycling efficiency and aid in treating hand disabilities.

Currently, sorting robots are used in over 40 of the 600 recycling centers in the United States, operating faster and more accurately than humans. Researchers at Tsinghua University in Beijing have shown that tactile sensing and logical reasoning enhance a robot’s ability to recognize and classify objects, even with advanced visual sensors.

Today’s intelligent robots can identify many objects through vision and touch, but tactile information, combined with machine learning algorithms, also allows them to recognize objects they have previously handled. However, they often struggle with objects of similar size and shape or new items.

To address this, the Tsinghua team integrated “thermal feeling” into robotic tactile sensing. Professor Rong Zhu explained that humans use thermal sensations to differentiate materials like wood and metal based on cooling sensations. The team replicated this by designing a tactile sensing method incorporating thermal sensations for better object detection.

They developed a layered sensor with material detection at the surface, pressure sensitivity at the bottom, and a porous middle layer sensitive to thermal changes. This sensor, paired with a cascade classification algorithm, efficiently categorized objects from simple to complex, such as empty cartons to orange peels.

The system, installed in a robot, sorted common trash items like cartons, bread scraps, plastic bags, bottles, sponges, napkins, orange peels, and expired drugs into categories like recyclables, food scraps, hazardous waste, and other waste. It achieved a 98.85% accuracy rate in classifying previously unencountered waste items, as reported in Applied Physics Reviews.

12-year-old Aubrey Sauvie never let her lack of hands stop her from pursuing Tae Kwon Do, art, or doing her own makeup.

Born a triple congenital amputee and missing both arms from below the elbows and several toes on one foot, Aubrey quickly showed her family she didn’t need much accommodation. “It’s just one part of me,” Aubrey told WKRN. “It doesn’t define me. Learning was a challenge, but over time it became easier.”

Aubrey’s family album is full of pictures of her in dance competitions, breaking boards with a flying side-kick, and playing snare drum in her school band with drumsticks in her elbow creases. But playing the snare didn’t produce the sound she wanted. Her middle school band teacher suggested she join the Tennessee Tech University program, Engineering for Kids, where 10 students made it their project to create custom prosthetics for her to play the drums.

The students designed a 3D-printed pair of durable, flexible prosthetics with interchangeable grips. Tennessee Tech Professor of Mechanical Engineering Stephen Canfield called it a one-in-a-million shot. The students spent the semester taking measurements and testing prototypes. Their hard work paid off, surprising them and delighting Aubrey.

Now, Aubrey enjoys the proper snap of a snare hit and dreams of playing a full drum kit.

Research has long examined how different wavelengths of light aid wound healing. A recent study in the journal Radiology indicates that low-level light therapy (LLLT) may also help heal significant brain injuries. Massachusetts General Hospital researchers conducted LLLT on 38 patients with moderate traumatic brain injuries, which affect cognition or show up on brain scans. Using a helmet that emits near-infrared light, they administered the therapy within 72 hours of injury.

“Near-infrared light penetrates the skull well,” said Dr. Rajiv Gupta, co-lead author from the Department of Radiology at Mass General. “The helmet bathes the entire brain in light.” The researchers used functional MRI to measure the therapy’s impact, focusing on the brain’s resting-state functional connectivity—communication between brain regions when at rest.

They compared MRI results across three recovery phases: acute (within one week), subacute (two to three weeks), and late-subacute (three months). Of the 38 patients, 21 did not receive light therapy to serve as controls. Patients who received LLLT showed greater changes in resting-state connectivity in seven brain region pairs during the acute-to-subacute phase compared to the control group.

“Increased connectivity was seen mainly in the first two weeks,” said study coauthor Nathaniel Mercaldo, Ph.D. The next step is to study long-term effects. The exact mechanism of LLLT’s effect on the brain remains unknown, but previous research suggests it alters an enzyme in the cell’s mitochondria, leading to more production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a key energy molecule. LLLT is also associated with blood vessel dilation and anti-inflammatory effects.

The 810-nanometer-wavelength light used in the study is safe, easy to administer, and does not require surgery or medications. The helmet’s portability allows for use outside hospital settings. According to Dr. Gupta, LLLT may help treat other neurological conditions, such as PTSD, depression, and autism. As more research emerges, the role of light therapy is likely to expand.

(SOURCE: Radiology, published by the Radiological Society of North America)

A startup has developed a portable factory that uses solar energy to produce high-quality plastic products such as water tanks and boat frames. This factory, which can be transported globally via shipping containers, offers speed and flexibility, making it ideal for various applications from disaster relief to rural development.

The technology, called Solar Rotational Molding (SRM), involves placing raw plastic in a mold and heating it with concentrated sunlight using 30 heliostats. These mirrors adjust automatically to follow the sun, ensuring continuous exposure.

Karl von Kries, the founder of Light Manufacturing and inventor of SRM, started his entrepreneurial journey after noticing high energy costs at a Massachusetts-based company where he previously worked. Inspired by the potential of solar heat, he established Light Manufacturing to explore solar rotational molding, despite initial skepticism about its feasibility.

To his surprise, the solar molding process proved successful. By 2014, the company was producing high-quality plastic parts and had secured several patents. Von Kries sees SRM as a valuable tool for providing essential infrastructure in rural areas of developing countries, such as pipes and rainwater tanks.

The SRM system, housed in a shipping container, includes a rotational axis, control panels, and electrical components, requiring only an acre of flat land for setup. This setup is significantly cheaper than traditional molding systems, costing one-tenth as much. With minimal operating costs and a two-person crew, the system produces finished products at 20-30% lower costs than conventional methods.

Light Manufacturing has already deployed a system in Hawaii, demonstrating the practical application of their technology.