Virtual Environment News

March 27, 2025

Top Headlines

Virtual Reality Videos Increase Environmental Awareness

Mar. 26, 2025 — Nature documentaries presented as 360 virtual reality videos have a stronger positive effect than other forms of media, including an indirect effect on donation ...

VR Crime Scene Tech

Mar. 25, 2025 — Researchers presented advances shaping the world of forensics, from research that could improve how forensic scientists estimate a person's age at death, to technology demos of CSIxR -- a virtual reality (VR) application that simulates crime scenes ...

Revolutionary Blueprint to Fuse Wireless Technologies and AI

Mar. 18, 2025 — Virginia Tech researchers say a true revolution in wireless technologies is only possible through endowing the system with the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI) that can think, imagine, and plan akin to humans. Doing so will allow ...

Muscles from the Printer: Silicone That Moves

Mar. 11, 2025 — Researchers are working on artificial muscles that can keep up with the real thing. They have now developed a method of producing the soft and elastic, yet powerful structures using 3D printing. One day, these could be used in medicine or robotics ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:07pm EDT

Paralyzed Man Moves Robotic Arm With His Thoughts

Mar. 6, 2025 — Researchers have enabled a man who is paralyzed to control a robotic arm through a device that relays signals from his brain to a computer. He was able to grasp, move and drop objects just by ...

Touchless Tech: Control Fabrics With a Wave of Your Finger

Mar. 6, 2025 — Researchers have created washable and durable magnetic field sensing electronic textiles -- thought to be the first of their kind -- which they say paves the way to transform use in clothing. This ...

Researchers Demonstrate Laser Writing With Unprecedented Speed and Resolution

Feb. 27, 2025 — Researchers developed a new optimized printing approach that could enable super-resolution 3D direct laser writing (DLW) of microlenses, photonics ...

Researchers Create the World's Smallest Shooting Video Game Using Nanoscale Technology

Feb. 26, 2025 — A research team demonstrated the 'world's smallest shooting game,' a unique nanoscale game inspired by classic arcade games. This achievement was ...

A New Model Accurately Predicts the Movement of Elite Athletes to Catch the Ball in Parabolic Flight

Feb. 25, 2025 — How does a tennis player like Carlos Alcaraz decide where to run to return Novak Djokovic's ball by just looking at the ball's initial position? ...

'Loot Box' Virtual Rewards Associated With Gambling and Video Game Addiction

Feb. 19, 2025 — A new study of more than 1400 adults who gamble and play online video games has found loot box buying is associated with real-world gambling, video ...

Is the Metaverse a New Frontier for Human-Centric Manufacturing?

Feb. 11, 2025 — The future of manufacturing is not just about machines and AI; it's about re-empowering humans, according to a new ...

Study Using Virtual Breathing Coach Indicates It Is as Effective as a Human Trainer

Jan. 30, 2025 — A study suggests that a computer-generated breathing coach could be as effective as sessions with a human ...

Finding Better Photovoltaic Materials Faster With AI

Jan. 23, 2025 — Perovskite solar cells are a flexible and sustainable alternative to conventional silicon-based solar cells. Researchers were able to find -- within only a few weeks -- new organic molecules that ...

Artificial Intelligence in Biomedicine: A Key to Analyzing Millions of Individual Cells

Jan. 23, 2025 — Our bodies are made up of around 75 billion cells. But what function does each individual cell perform and how greatly do a healthy person's cells ...

Electrohydraulic Wearable Devices Create Unprecedented Haptic Sensations

Jan. 8, 2025 — Scientists have invented compact wearable devices that deliver rich, expressive, and pleasant tactile sensations that go far beyond the buzzing vibrations of today's consumer ...

Virtual Chemistry Speeds Up Drug Discovery

Jan. 6, 2025 — Among the hundreds of thousands of chemical compounds produced by plants, some may hold the key to treating human ailments and diseases. But recreating these complex, naturally occurring molecules in ...

Building Better Infrared Sensors

Jan. 2, 2025 — Researchers developed a type of infrared photodiode that is 35% more responsive at 1.55 m, the key wavelength for telecommunications, compared to other germanium-based ...

Plasma Heating Efficiency in Fusion Devices Boosted by Metal Screens

Dec. 19, 2024 — Scientists have performed computer simulations confirming a technique that prevents the production of unhelpful electromagnetic waves, boosting the heat put into fusion ...

New Virtual Reality-Tested System Shows Promise in Aiding Navigation of People With Blindness or Low Vision

Dec. 17, 2024 — A new study offers hope for people who are blind or have low vision (pBLV) through an innovative navigation system that was tested using virtual reality. The system, which combines vibrational and ...

Shape-Changing Device Helps Visually Impaired People Perform Location Task as Well as Sighted People

Dec. 10, 2024 — A groundbreaking piece of navigation technology that uses the ability to sense information through touch can help people with visual impairment perform a location task as well as sighted people, ...

Virtual Fences Are a Pollinator-Friendly Option for Ranchlands

Dec. 9, 2024 — Fences are an effective stationary method of corralling livestock, but their sharp borders can create sudden changes in native grassland vegetation and the pollinators and birds that live there. ...

Brighter and More Efficient LEDs That Don't Droop

Nov. 25, 2024 — LEDs with low polarization in a direction similar to standard LEDs show greater efficiency at higher power by resisting 'efficiency droop', a new study shows. The findings open the door to ...

Reality Check: Making Indoor Smartphone-Based Augmented Reality Work

Nov. 23, 2024 — To understand the practical challenges of indoor augmented reality applications on smartphones, researchers conducted 113 hours of extensive experiments and case studies over 316 patterns to ...

The Parasaurolophus' Pipes: Modeling the Dinosaur's Crest to Study Its Sound

Nov. 21, 2024 — Scientists have presented results on the acoustic characteristics of a physical model of the Parasaurolophus' crest. They created a physical setup made of tubes to represent a mathematical model ...

New Method for Designing Artificial Proteins

Nov. 21, 2024 — Protein design aims to create customized antibodies for therapies, biosensors for diagnostics, or enzymes for chemical reactions. An international research team has now developed a method for ...

Do Pipe Organs Create an Auto-Tune Effect?

Nov. 20, 2024 — The pipe organ stands as a bastion in concert halls and church sanctuaries, and even when not in use, it affects the acoustical environment around it. Researchers performed a sine-sweep through ...

NeuroMechFly V2: Simulating How Fruit Flies See, Smell, and Navigate

Nov. 14, 2024 — Scientists have advanced their NeuroMechFly model, simulating fruit fly movement in the real world. With integrated vision and smell, NeuroMechFly v2 helps us understand brain-body coordination, ...

Scientists Calculate Predictions for Meson Measurements

Nov. 6, 2024 — Calculations of charge distribution in mesons provide benchmark for experimental measurements and validate widely used 'factorization' method for imaging the building blocks of ...

New Haptic Patch Transmits Complexity of Touch to the Skin

Nov. 6, 2024 — Thin, flexible device could help people with visual impairments 'feel' surroundings. Device comprises a hexagonal array of 19 actuators encapsulated in soft silicone. Device only uses ...

A Novel Neural Network for Preserving Cultural Heritage Via 3D Image Reconstruction

Oct. 31, 2024 — Relief-type cultural heritage objects are commonly found in many historical sites worldwide, but often suffer from varying levels of damage and deterioration. Traditional methods for image ...

Wearable Ultrasound Tech for Muscle Monitoring Opens New Possibilities in Healthcare and Human-Machine Interfaces

Oct. 31, 2024 — Researchers have developed a compact, wearable ultrasound device that monitors muscle activity. Attachable to the skin with an adhesive and powered by a small battery, the device wirelessly captures ...

How Virtual Cows Could Help Us Improve Human-Robot Interactions

Oct. 31, 2024 — A video game in which participants herded virtual cattle has furthered our understanding of how humans make decisions on movement and navigation, and it could help us not only interact more ...

Combining VR and Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation: A Neurotechnology That Boosts Spatial Memory Without Surgery

Oct. 30, 2024 — Researchers have joined forces to give a boost to spatial memory by creating a unique experimental setup that combines non-invasive deep-brain stimulation, virtual reality training, and fMRI imaging. ...

Dangers of the Metaverse and VR for US Youth Revealed in New Research

Oct. 22, 2024 — Research of online victimization in the metaverse is sorely lacking. A new study explored harm in the metaverse and VR devices among a sample of 5,005 U.S. teens aged 13 to 17. Findings show a ...