Caltechs

The latest advancements in Brain-Machine Interfaces feature functional ultrasound (fUS), a non-invasive technique for reading brain activity. This innovation has shown promising results in controlling devices with minimal delay and without the need for frequent recalibration. Credit: SciTechDaily.comFunctional ultrasound (fUS) marks a significant leap in Brain-Machine Interface technology, offering a less invasive method for precise control of electronic devices by interpreting brain activity.Brain–machine interfaces…

Recent research at Caltech has made significant improvements to a photoacoustic imaging technology called PATER, now evolved into PACTER. This new version simplifies the technology by reducing the need for multiple sensors, enables three-dimensional imaging, and eliminates the necessity for calibration before each use. These advancements make the technology more practical and efficient for medical imaging applications. Credit: CaltechCaltech’s improved photoacoustic imaging technology, PACTER, simplifies procedures,…

Caltech has a new RC car-sized robot that can change its shape to drive, fly, and walk to meet the needs of the moment. In its press release, the university compares the M4 — short for Multi-Modal Mobility Morphobot, which sounds like a rejected pitch for a ’90s kids’ show — to a Transformer, and it’s not too far from the truth. The robot is packed with electronics, motors, and a small computer that lets it decide what form it should take to get around. The team that made it gave the M4 large wheels that can, in seconds,…

In a new study from Caltech, researchers have identified a previously unknown mechanism that allows certain viral vectors to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The blood-brain barrier protects the brain from toxins and bacteria but also limits the study of the brain and development of drugs to treat brain disorders. The team discovered that an enzyme called carbonic anhydrase IV (CA-IV) enables some viral vectors to cross the BBB. This discovery may provide a new approach to designing viral vectors for research and…

The Global CTX Mosaic of Mars allows scientists and the public to explore the planet like never before. It includes different layers of data that can be turned on or off, like these labels for named geographic features on the planet. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSSBoth scientists and the public can navigate a new global image of the Red Planet that was made at Caltech using data from <span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt" data-cmtooltip="<div…

Collecting solar power in space and transmitting the energy wirelessly to Earth through microwaves enables terrestrial power availability unaffected by weather or time of day. Solar power could be continuously available anywhere on Earth. Credit: CaltechTechnology capable of collecting solar power in space and beaming it to Earth to provide a global supply of clean and affordable energy was once considered science fiction. Now it is moving closer to reality. Through the Space-based Solar Power Project (SSPP), a team of…

Caltech's wildly ambitious space solar project, buoyed by a massive hundred-million-dollar donation, is preparing to launch its first prototypes into orbit. These cutting-edge ultralight structures will collect, convert and wirelessly send energy.It's obvious why you'd want to harvest solar energy in space: 24-hour access to virtually limitless solar energy without so much as an atmosphere in the way, let alone weather or obstructions. The energy potential in space is some eight times better per square meter of solar…

Caltech scientists have developed a new ultrafast camera that can record footage of signal impulses as they travel through nerve cells. Credit: CaltechReach out right now and touch anything around you. Whether it was the wood of your desk, a key on your keyboard, or the fur of your dog, you felt it the instant your finger contacted it.Or did you?In actuality, takes a bit of time for your brain to register the sensation from your fingertip. However, it does still happen extremely fast, with the touch signal traveling…

Caltech has developed a new photonic chip that can generate and measure quantum states of light in ways previously only possible with bulky and expensive laboratory equipment. Credit: Natasha Mutch and Nicolle R. Fuller, Sayo StudioElectronic computing and communications have advanced significantly since the days of radio telegraphy and vacuum tubes. In fact, consumer devices now contain levels of processing power and memory that would be unimaginable just a few decades ago.But as computing and information processing…

An artist’s illustration of an optical switch, splitting light pulses based on their energies. Credit: Y. Wang, N. Thu, and S. ZhouEngineers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have developed a switch—one of the most fundamental components of computing—using optical, rather than electronic, components. This development could aid efforts to achieve ultrafast all-optical signal processing and computing.By using pulses of light rather than electrical signals, optical devices have the capacity to transmit…