New Atlas

Automotive Audio available

Plug-and-play wheel unit designed to boost production of EVs

Ben Coxworth March 18, 2019

Although Teslas may get a lot of attention, many EVs are actually small cars designed solely for urban use, made by struggling startup companies. A new wheel module could help increase the economic viability of building such vehicles, by simplifying the design and production processes.

Prof. Amir Khajepour poses with a prototype three-wheeled vehicle that uses the new self-contained wheel units

Environment

Holier-than-thou: Highly porous powder captures double the carbon

Nick Lavars January 2, 2019

A promising new technology developed at Canada’s University of Waterloo hinges on a special kind of powder that could be applied as a filter at power plants to gather CO2 molecules at the source, and is claimed to offer double the efficiency of the materials that are currently available.

A new powder developed in Canada has the potential to give carbon capture technologies a huge ...

Science Audio available

AI-enabled fire hydrants keep an ear out for pipe leaks

Ben Coxworth November 28, 2018

Ordinarily, city officials only know about leaks in municipal water pipes once those leaks have become quite large and troublesome. A new artificial intelligence-based system, however, could catch such leaks much earlier – by listening for them.

The lab-testing setup for the system, which consists of PVC pipes and a sensor-equipped fire hydrant

Materials Audio available

Nature-inspired membrane filters liquid through liquid

Michael Irving November 12, 2018

Water filters can get dirty and lose their effectiveness quickly. Now researchers have tested a new nature-inspired membrane that filters liquids using other liquids, making for a more efficient and longer-lasting membrane.

The Liquid-gated membrane (LGM), shown at full size in white (left), and under a scanning electron ...

Science

Self-powered sensor could monitor joint-surgery patients

Ben Coxworth August 28, 2018

When someone is recovering from joint surgery, it's important for doctors to monitor factors such as their range of motion. A new self-powered sensor could make doing so easier than ever, by wirelessly transmitting movement data from an orthopedic brace on that joint.

The device incorporates magnets, along with polymers that create a triboelectric effect when rubbed together

Health & Wellbeing

Could radar put an end to diabetic finger-pricking?

Ben Coxworth June 28, 2018

Although finger-prick blood glucose tests are a daily necessity for millions of diabetics, a less-painful alternative may be on the horizon. Led by Prof. George Shaker, a team from Canada's University of Waterloo is looking at using radar and artificial intelligence (AI) to do the job.

Thanks to a radar-based system that's currently in development, doing THIS may someday no longer be ...

Military

Quantum radar to render stealth technologies ineffective

David Szondy April 25, 2018

Stealth technology may not be very stealthy in the future thanks to a new quantum radar system that uses the phenomenon of quantum entanglement to eliminate heavy background noise, thereby defeating stealth anti-radar technologies to detect incoming aircraft and missiles with much greater accuracy.

The new quantum radar would negate the near-invisibility of stealth aircraft like the B-2 Spirit bomber

Health & Wellbeing

Vaginal implant might stop HIV transmission

Nick Lavars April 17, 2018

Scientists at the University of Waterloo have developed a promising new medical device that could help protect women from HIV. The technology consists of a vaginal implant that basically reduces the amount of targets the virus can latch onto during sex.

An anti-HIV implant developed at the University of Waterloo

Science

A quicker method of testing athletes for drugs

Ben Coxworth February 8, 2018

It currently takes about half an hour to check an athlete's blood or urine sample for performance-enhancing drugs. Thanks to technology developed at Canada's University of Waterloo, however, that figure may drop to just 55 seconds per sample – or perhaps even less.

The technology can detect banned substances in blood or urine samples, in less than a minute

Biology

Women may naturally be the fitter sex

Ben Coxworth December 4, 2017

One of the key measures of aerobic fitness lies in how quickly the body is able to draw oxygen from the blood. While previous studies suggest that males generally outperform females when it comes to children and older adults, a new study indicates that younger women consistently outdo younger men.

According to a new study, young women have better aerobic fitness than men