Electrical and Computer Engineering Content

New Microscope Offers Faster, High-Resolution Brain Imaging

Andy Fell — August 15, 2024 - 3:33pm

Researchers at �ٺ��Ƶ have developed a new microscope to capture high-speed images of brain cell activity with less harm to brain tissue. The new approach could be used in research with mice to provide a clearer view of how neurons communicate in real time, leading to new insights into brain function and neurological diseases.

Can Autonomous Vehicles Dream of Electric Traffic?

Andy Fell — August 08, 2024 - 2:10pm

An engineering professor at the University of California, Davis, is striving to make autonomous vehicles, or AVs, safer by changing how researchers train them.

According to Professor Junshan Zhang of the �ٺ��Ƶ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, AVs struggle when confronted with unforeseen events, such as a car driving on the wrong side of the road.

‘Impossible’ Millimeter Wave Sensor Has Wide Potential

Andy Fell — October 02, 2023 - 9:40am

A millimeter wave radar sensor developed at �ٺ��Ƶ can detect vibrations a thousand times smaller and movement a hundred times smaller than a strand of human hair.

Silicon Sponge Could Lead to New Photodetectors

Andy Fell — July 28, 2023 - 3:36pm

Photonics, which operate based on particles of light (photons), are increasingly important for applications such as optical communications, connections between electronic and optical networks, and imaging. But silicon, the go-to semiconductor for making electronic chips, is not a great material for photonic applications because it shows poor absorption of near-infrared light compared to other semiconductors such as gallium arsenide. On the other hand, gallium arsenide is difficult to integrate with silicon microelectronics.

Lensless Camera Creates 3D Images From Single Exposure

Andy Fell — September 12, 2022 - 3:34pm

�ٺ��Ƶ engineers develop a 3D camera using a thin microlens array instead of conventional lenses.

�ٺ��Ƶ Wins 2 Awards From the W.M. Keck Foundation

Andy Fell — March 07, 2022 - 9:00am

For the first time in university history, the W.M. Keck Foundation has awarded two research teams at the University of California, Davis, with $1 million each in the same award cycle.

Color Centers for Quantum Networking Devices

Andy Fell — November 18, 2021 - 12:08pm

Quantum computing technology is moving closer to wide application as a result of research published Nov. 18 in Nature Materials. An international collaboration, including Marina Radulaski, assistant professor in the �ٺ��Ƶ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, showed how tiny defects in silicon carbide called color centers could be used to construct quantum networking devices that can translate signals between photons and electronic spin.

Grants for Integrated Photonics, Quantum Wrapper Networking

Andy Fell — November 05, 2021 - 11:52am

�ٺ��Ƶ electrical and computer engineering (ECE) distinguished professor Ben Yoo recently won three grants related to his research into integrated photonics and a fourth related to quantum wrapper networking, which should bring us closer to a quantum Internet.

Noninvasive Fetal Oxygen Monitor Could Make for Safer Deliveries

Andy Fell — June 17, 2020 - 10:57am

A device to directly measure blood oxygen saturation in a fetus during labor has been developed by researchers at the University of California, Davis. By providing better information about the health of a fetus right before birth, the device could both reduce the rate of cesarean sections and improve outcomes in difficult deliveries.

Anti-Solar Cells: A Photovoltaic Cell That Works at Night

Andy Fell — January 29, 2020 - 1:51pm

What if solar cells worked at night? That’s no joke, according to Jeremy Munday, professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at �ٺ��Ƶ. In fact, a specially designed photovoltaic cell could generate up to 50 watts of power per square meter under ideal conditions at night, about a quarter of what a conventional solar panel can generate in daytime, according to a concept paper by Munday and graduate student Tristan Deppe.