University of California Santa Barbara

A new jumping robot, designed to have a huge spring-to-motor ratio

Robotics

Springy robot jumps higher than any other robot or animal

If you say “jump” I say “how high?” – and a new robot from UC Santa Barbara says “over 100 ft.” The researchers say that’s higher than anything else has ever jumped, be it robot or animal, thanks to a unique design that multiplies its stored energy.

The new sand-burrowing robot has air jets in its front to blast sand out of its path, and a wedge-shaped head to help it steer

Robotics

Tunneling snake robot takes cues from nature to keep its head in the sand

Robots are great explorers, but one environment that’s tricky for them to navigate is through the ground. Now, engineers at UCSB and Georgia Tech have developed a snake-like robot that uses a range of methods to burrow through soft sand or soil.

Samsung researchers Wonsuk Choi, Shadi Abu-Surra and Gary Xu, with the prototype 6G system

Telecommunications

Samsung's first 6G prototype demo taps into terahertz frequencies

It may feel like 5G networks are only just becoming mainstream, but the next iteration, 6G, is already in the works. Samsung has now demonstrated its first prototype 6G system in an over-the-air test, using terahertz (THz) frequencies.

The Computational Zoom system makes it possible to automatically combine wide-angle and telephoto perspectives into a single multi-perspective image

Photography

Computational Zoom allows changes to photo composition post capture

A team at UC Santa Barbara has developed a system that uses image stacking to adjust the composition of a photo after it's been taken. Working with Nvidia, the team says the "computational zoom" system can create images that, in some cases, couldn't be captured with a normal camera.

Scientists have found a way to create nanoscale lasers directly from silicon, unlocking the possibilities of direct integration of photonics on integrated circuits

Electronics

Tiny lasers on silicon means big things for electronics

An international team of researchers has found a way to create microscopically-small lasers directly from silicon, unlocking the possibilities of direct integration of photonics on silicon, and a significant step towards light-based computers.

In a bold but scientifically sound proposal, NASA-funded research has laid out a roadmap toward spacecraft with relativistic speeds for the exploration of nearby stars

Space Systems

Reaching for the stars: How lasers could propel spacecraft to relativistic speeds

In a bold but scientifically sound proposal, a NASA-founded research has laid out a roadmap toward spacecrafts with relativistic speeds for the exploration of nearby stars.

A new wet adhesive sticks to surfaces underwater by mimicking the proteins in mussel feet

Materials

Researchers develop high-performance underwater glue inspired by mussels

UC Santa Barbara scientists have replicated the uncanny underwater adhesive capacity of mussels in a versatile and strong synthetic material. The ultra-thin material boasts up to 10 times the effectiveness of prior wet adhesives, and it could soon find use in a variety of sticky situations.

Using memristors, scientists could be getting closer to developing bionic brains Shutterstock)

Electronics

Electronic memory may bring bionic brain one step closer

Researchers claim to have constructed the world's first electronic memory cell that effectively mimics the analog process of human memory and may one day lead to the creation of the first bionic brain.

The UCSB von Neumann quantum computer. The small black squares are the superconducting qubits, and the meandering lines are the memory resonators. (Photo: Erik Lucero)

Electronics

Quantum computer with separate CPU and memory represents significant breakthrough

UCSB's new general-purpose quantum computer has separate CPU, memory, and programming electronics.