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Category: engineering

How small can optical computers get? Scaling laws reveal new strategies

The research, published in Nature Communications, addresses one of the key challenges to engineering computers that run on light instead of electricity: making those devices small enough to be practical. Just as algorithms on digital computers require time and memory to run, light-based systems also require resources to operate, including sufficient physical space for light waves to propagate, interact and perform analog computation.

Lead authors Francesco Monticone, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Yandong Li, Ph.D. ‘23, postdoctoral researcher, revealed scaling laws for free-space optics and photonic circuits by analyzing how their size must grow as the tasks they perform become more complex.

From light to logic: First complete logic gate achieved in soft material using light alone

Researchers from McMaster University and the University of Pittsburgh have created the first functionally complete logic gate—a NAND gate (short for “NOT AND”)—in a soft material using only beams of visible light. The discovery, published in Nature Communications, marks a significant advance in the field of materials that compute, in which materials themselves process information without traditional electronic circuitry.

“This project has been part of my scientific journey for over a decade,” said first author Fariha Mahmood, who began studying the gels as an undergraduate researcher at McMaster and is now pursuing postdoctoral research at the University of Cambridge. “To see these materials not only respond to light but also perform a logic operation feels like watching the material ‘think.’ It opens the door to soft systems making decisions on their own.”

Mahmood is joined by authors Anna C. Balazs, distinguished professor of chemical and petroleum engineering, and Victor V. Yashin, research assistant professor at Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering; and corresponding author Kalaichelvi Saravanamuttu, professor of chemistry and chemical biology at McMaster.

Dr. Eric Drexler — The Path to Atomically Precise Manufacturing

Eric Drexler is a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Martin School, and a pioneering nanotechnology researcher and author. His 1981 paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences established fundamental principles of molecular engineering and identified development paths leading to advanced nanotechnologies.

In his 1986 book, Engines of Creation, he introduced a broad audience to the promise of high-throughput atomically precise manufacturing, a prospective technology using nanoscale machinery to guide molecular motion and bonding, thereby structuring matter from the bottom up.

Link to full video: • Nanotechnology: the big picture with Dr Er…

Recorded: 2016

Enzyme-free approach gently detaches cells from culture surfaces

Anchorage-dependent cells are cells that require physical attachment to a solid surface, such as a culture dish, to survive, grow, and reproduce. In the biomedical industry, and others, having the ability to culture these cells is crucial, but current techniques used to separate cells from surfaces can induce stresses and reduce cell viability.

“In the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, cells are typically detached from culture surfaces using enzymes—a process fraught with challenges,” says Kripa Varanasi, MIT professor of mechanical engineering. “Enzymatic treatments can damage delicate cell membranes and surface proteins, particularly in primary cells, and often require multiple steps that make the workflow slow and labor-intensive.”

Existing approaches also rely on large volumes of consumables, generating an estimated 300 million liters of cell culture waste each year. Moreover, because these enzymes are often animal-derived, they can introduce compatibility concerns for cells intended for human therapies, limiting scalability and high-throughput applications in modern biomanufacturing.

New cable design mitigates flaws in superconducting wires

When current flows through a wire, it doesn’t always have a perfect path. Tiny defects within the wire mean current must travel a more circuitous route, a problem for engineers and manufacturers seeking reliable equipment.

Through a partnership with industry, researchers at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and Florida State University’s Center for Advanced Power Systems and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory have supported the development of a design that uses multiple strands of superconducting tape to create a cable, minimizing the chance of failure from defective spots within a wire. When current encounters a defect in one wire, it jumps to a neighboring wire to continue moving.

The research, which is published in Superconductor Science and Technology, helps to solve engineering and manufacturing challenges for manufacturers and could lead to more efficient and less expensive wires for and many other superconducting coil applications.

Les Johnson — Infinite Frontiers Consulting, LLC — Visions of Humanity’s Future In Space

Visions of humanity’s future in space — les johnson — infinite frontiers consulting, LLC.

Les Johnson is a physicist, author, and space technologist (https://www.lesjohnsonauthor.com/) who most recently served as the Chief Technologist at NASA’s George C. Marshall Space Flight Center.

Les is also the Founder of Infinite Frontiers Consulting (https://www.lesjohnsonauthor.com/infi… an aerospace consulting firm dedicated to helping turn innovative space ventures into reality. After decades leading of missions at NASA and collaborating across the industry, Les is excited to work with clients and partners who are pushing boundaries and advancing cutting-edge space technologies.

Over a distinguished career with NASA, Les played a central role in developing advanced space propulsion systems and pioneering technologies designed to expand humanity’s reach beyond Earth orbit. He has led and contributed to multiple interplanetary technology demonstration missions, including work on solar sails, in-space propulsion, and deep-space exploration architectures.

In addition to his NASA career, Les is an accomplished science fiction author and popular science writer, known for making complex space science accessible to broad audiences. His books—both fiction and nonfiction—explore the scientific and philosophical dimensions of humanity’s future in space (https://www.amazon.com/stores/Les-Joh?tag=lifeboatfound-20…).

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Dual-mode design boosts MEMS accelerometer accuracy, study reveals

A research team led by Prof. Zou Xudong from the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (AIRCAS) has proposed a new solution to address two longstanding challenges in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) resonant accelerometers: temperature drift and measurement dead zones.

By implementing a dual-mode operating scheme that effectively decouples the operating frequencies of the device’s differential beams, the team has achieved improvements in the sensor’s accuracy and performance. Their findings were recently published in Microsystems & Nanoengineering.

The study revealed that driving one in its first resonant mode while operating the other in its second resonant mode can enhance temperature compensation and mitigate the modal localization effect that typically causes measurement dead zones. The dual-mode design also preserves the geometrical symmetry of the beams, which is critical for minimizing temperature-induced errors and maintaining stable sensor performance.

Unprecedented Perlmutter Simulation Details Quantum Chip

Designing quantum chips incorporates traditional microwave engineering in addition to advanced low-temperature physics. This makes a classical electromagnetic modeling tool like ARTEMIS, which was developed as part of the DOE’s Exascale Computing Project initiative, a natural choice for this type of modeling.

A large simulation for a tiny chip

Not every quantum chip simulation calls for so much computing capacity, but modeling the miniscule details of this tiny, extremely complex chip required nearly all of Perlmutter’s power. The researchers used almost all of its 7,168 NVIDIA GPUs over a period of 24 hours to capture the structure and function of a multi-layered chip measuring just 10 millimeters square and 0.3 millimeters thick, with etchings just one micron wide.

Nanoparticle–stem cell hybrids open a new horizon in bone regeneration

A research team in South Korea has successfully developed a novel technology that combines nanoparticles with stem cells to significantly improve 3D bone tissue regeneration. This advancement marks a step forward in the treatment of bone fractures and injuries, as well as in next-generation regenerative medicine.

The research is published in the journal ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering.

Dr. Ki Young Kim and her team at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), in collaboration with Professor Laura Ha at Sunmoon University, have engineered a nanoparticle-stem cell hybrid, termed a nanobiohybrid by integrating mesoporous silica nanoparticles (mSiO₂ NPs) with human adipose-derived mesenchymal (hADMSCs). The resulting hybrid cells demonstrated markedly enhanced osteogenic (bone-forming) capability.

Low-grade heat from renewable sources could be used to desalinate water

A McGill University-led research team has demonstrated the feasibility of a sustainable and cost-effective way to desalinate seawater. The method—thermally driven reverse osmosis (TDRO)—uses a piston-based system powered by low-grade heat from solar thermal, geothermal heat and other sources of renewable energy to produce fresh water.

Though previous research showed promise, this study is the first to analyze TDRO’s thermodynamic limits. The results have brought researchers closer to realizing the technology which could improve access to water and increase the sustainability of infrastructure.

“Most desalination is done by , which uses electricity to drive water through a membrane,” said Jonathan Maisonneuve, study co-author and Associate Professor of Bioresource Engineering.

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