Media Watch
For sufferers of a disease that has confounded researchers, a glimmer of hope
Palo Alto Online -
A blood test that can diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome and that could potentially help identify treatments for the baffling illness has been discovered by Stanford University School of Medicine and U.C. Irvine researchers. … The researchers -- senior author Ronald W. Davis, … lead author Rahim Esfandyarpour, a University of California-Irvine assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science, and their colleagues -- published their breakthrough in a paper online in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" in late April.
2019 Cornell Cup Winners Include Autonomous Boat, Flapping UAV, and Leaping Rover
Hackaday -
Last but certainly not least is the Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicle (FWMAV) from the University of California, Irvine. Essentially, the team took the traditional quadcopter design we’re all familiar with and replaced the spinning propellers with four sets of ornithopter wings. The amalgamation of these two vastly different styles of flight results in a vehicle with the maneuverability of a quadcopter but without the noise and hazardous blades which thus far have been considered part and parcel with small UAVs.
How a Squid’s Color-Changing Skin Inspired a New Material That Can Trap or Release Heat
Smithsonian -
In the video that set materials scientist and chemical engineer Alon Gorodetsky on the path to his latest invention, an octopus appears from the algae like a jump scare in a horror movie. … That “remarkable” video, says the associate professor at University of California, Irvine, “really changed the trajectory of my career, because I started working on materials inspired by cephalopods.” Most recently, Gorodetsky took inspiration from a squid—specifically its color-changing skin—to create a new material that can keep in or let out an adjustable amount of heat.
The smart clothes you control with an app are coming
Red Bull -
Well now, researchers from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) have taken inspiration from an ocean creature to bring us temperature-regulating clothing. … “The inspiration for this study stemmed from our team’s fascination with cephalopods and their amazing camouflage abilities,” the first words from Melvin Colorado Escobar, a PhD student on the research team, invoke childlike inquisition. “Squid, in particular ….”
Los Angeles sets dramatic new goals for electric cars and clean buildings
The Detroit News -
Some researchers agree with SoCalGas that substituting cleaner fuels for gas would be easier and cheaper than swapping out gas for electricity. They include Jack Brouwer, a UC Irvine engineering professor, who has led a project to inject small amounts of hydrogen into the university’s gas pipelines. “Our policy goals cannot be met without hydrogen, is my view,” Brouwer said in an interview last month.
Smart clothes could let you change your temperature with the touch of a button
Digital Trends -
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a material that could more easily adapt to temperature requirements; either trapping in or releasing heat as required? That’s exactly what researchers from the University of California, Irvine, have been developing. … “Essentially, the material can act like a regular space blanket, reflecting almost all heat back to the body,” Erica Leung, one of the researchers on the project, told Digital Trends.
Mimicking squid skin to improve thermoregulating blankets
Physics World -
Engineers at the University of California, Irvine, have made a new and improved space blanket that allows users to control their temperature. The blanket, inspired by the adaptive properties of cephalopod skin, comprises a soft and stretchable polymer matrix that is transparent to infrared radiation covered with an array of infrared-deflecting metal domains anchored within the matrix.
Sports suit inspired by squids
BBC -
Imagine a material that can change its thermal properties to suit the comfort of the wearer? Well that is what some engineers in California have been working towards using inspiration from nature, and specifically the skin of squid. These sea creatures can change colour by manipulating the shape of special cells in their skin and its hoped new fabrics will be able to do the same. Professor Alon Gorodetsky from the University of California Irvine is behind the research.
An experimental test may help confirm cases of chronic fatigue syndrome
STAT -
Now, [Ron] Davis and other scientists at Stanford and the University of California, Irvine, have created a device that could make diagnosing ME/CFS much simpler. The research was published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Known as a “nanoneedle,” the new device picks up on certain changes in electrical signals to identify people with ME/CFS.
Innovative Asthma Monitoring Device Could Predict Attacks Before They Occur
Spectrum News -
According to the American Lung Association, more than six million children in the United States suffer from asthma. Thankfully, there could an innovative new way for parents and kids to stay on top of the condition. A researcher and professor at the University of California Irvine has created a way to monitor breathing while on-the-go. Medical Engineering Professor Michelle Khine says she created the device dubbed the "breathing bandage" after her own son was born with a collapsed lung. [Subscription required, you can request an electronic copy of the article by sending an email to communications@uci.edu.]