news 2021

Researchers in the UK and China have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model that can diagnose COVID-19 as well as a panel of professional radiologists, while preserving the privacy of patient data. By working with other countries, we can do so much more than we can alone Michael Roberts The international team, led by the University of Cambridge and the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, used a technique called federated learning to build their model.

A global hacker "red team" and rewards for hunting algorithmic biases are just some of the recommendations from experts who argue that AI faces a "tech-lash" unless firm measures are taken to increase public trust. We need policy and public support to create an ecosystem of trust for AI Shahar Avin The Artificial Intelligence industry should create a global community of hackers and "threat modellers" dedicated to stress-testing the harm potential of new AI products in order to earn the trust of governments and the public before it's too late.

A reliable early warning system to detect tsunamis could be a step closer thanks to research from Cardiff University. Researchers say their analysis of ocean soundwaves triggered by underwater earthquakes has enabled them to develop artificial intelligence (AI) that allow prediction of when a tsunami might occur.

New software can help determine the movements of large wild animals, thereby minimising conflicts with people. Large land animals have a significant impact on the ecology and biodiversity of the areas they inhabit and traverse. If, for example, the routes and stopping places of cattle, horses, sheep, and also those of wolves or bears overlap with those of people, this often leads to conflicts.

Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge along with 20 other hospitals from across the world and healthcare technology leader, NVIDIA, have used artificial intelligence (AI) to predict Covid patients' oxygen needs on a global scale. Creating software to match the performance of our best radiologists is complex, but a truly transformative aspiration Fiona Gilbert The research was sparked by the pandemic and set out to build an AI tool to predict how much extra oxygen a Covid-19 patient may need in the first days of hospital care, using data from across four continents.

A team of researchers are developing the use of an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm with the aim of diagnosing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) more quickly and as effectively as traditional radiologist-interpreted diagnostic scans, potentially cutting down long patient waiting lists and avoiding patients unnecessarily receiving drugs to treat DVT when they don't have it.

Super-stretchy wormlike robots capable of 'feeling' their surroundings could find applications in industry and prosthetics, scientists say. A team of engineers from the University of Glasgow have developed robots with forms of motion inspired by the movements of inchworms and earthworms. The researchers hope that their breakthrough could lead to a new generation of robots capable of autonomously exploring difficult-to-reach places.

New bioinformatics software and cloud computing approaches developed at the University of Birmingham, have enabled the UK's COVID-19 genome sequencing effort to be the most sophisticated in the world. The system, called CLIMB-COVID was designed for the COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) consortium, set up in March 2020 to tackle the huge challenge of rapidly sequencing SARS-CoV-2 genomes.

A new technology, developed by Oxford researchers, in partnership with the European Space Agency's (ESA) -lab, will pilot the detection of flood events from space. It was deployed on hardware on D'Orbit's upcoming 'Wild Ride' mission being launched by SpaceX's Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral, 30 June, 20.

Pioneering technology developed by UCL and Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) researchers could transform the ability to accurately interpret HIV test results, particularly in lowand middle-income countries. Academics from the London Centre for Nanotechnology at UCL and AHRI used deep learning (artificial intelligence/AI) algorithms to improve health workers' ability to diagnose HIV using lateral flow tests in rural South Africa.

A robotic 'evolution machine' capable of exploring the generational development of chemical mixtures over long periods of time could help cast new light on the origins of life, scientists say. A team of chemists from the University of Glasgow developed the robot, which uses a machine-learning algorithm to make decisions about which chemicals from a selection of 18 to combine in a reactor, and how to set conditions under which the reaction occurs.

Graphene can be used for ultra-high density hard disk drives (HDD), with up to a tenfold jump compared to current technologies, researchers at the Cambridge Graphene Centre have shown. Considering that in 2020, around 1 billion terabytes of fresh HDD storage was produced, these results indicate a route for mass application of graphene in cutting-edge technologies Andrea Ferrari The study was carried out in collaboration with teams at the University of Exeter, India, Switzerland, Singapore, and the US.

Researchers from the University of Bristol have demonstrated how a new special type of camera can build a pictorial map of where it has been and use this map to know where it currently is, something that will be incredibly useful in the development of smart sensors, driverless cars and robotics. Knowing where you are on a map is one of the most useful pieces of information when navigating journeys.

Scientists have long questioned why the bursts of hot gas from the Sun do not cool down as fast as expected, and now a UCL-led team of researchers have used a supercomputer to find out why. The team will now compare their simulations with 'real' data from the European Space Agency's flagship Solar Orbiter mission, with the hope that it will confirm their predictions and provide a conclusive answer.

Experts in virtual reality locomotion have developed a new resource that analyses all the different possibilities of locomotion currently available. Moving around in a virtual reality world can be very different to walking or employing a vehicle in the real world and new approaches and techniques are continually being developed to meet the challenges of different applications.

You can't physically crash a planet into another planet in a lab to see what happens or look quite far enough back in time to see how the universe might have formed. So what do you do? At Durham we use supercomputer technology to simulate the universe as we seek to unravel its mysteries. How do galaxies form? What are dark matter and dark energy? And what will be the ultimate fate of the universe? COSMA supercomputer The COSMA supercomputer - with the memory of about 25,000 high-powered laptops - allows researchers to answer these big cosmological questions.

Training the artificial intelligence models that underpin web search engines, power smart assistants and enable driverless cars, consumes megawatts of energy and generates worrying carbon dioxide emissions. But new ways of training these models are proven to be greener. The development and usage of AI is playing an increasing role in the tragedy that is climate change, and this problem will only worsen as this technology continues to proliferate through society Nic Lane Artificial intelligence models are used increasingly widely in today's world.

Research into disaster planning addresses issue of considering how to restore distribution networks alongside providing immediate aid Last updated on Thursday 6 May 2021 A University of Bath School of Management academic has developed an algorithm to help charities and aid organisations improve the way they help victims of storms, floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters.

Scientists have found a way to equip everyday objects like smartphones and laptops with a bat-like sense of their surroundings. At the heart of the technique is a sophisticated machine-learning algorithm which uses reflected echoes to generate images, similar to the way bats navigate and hunt using echolocation.

Scientists from the University's Quantum Engineering Technology Labs (QETLabs) have developed an algorithm that provides valuable insights into the physics underlying quantum systems - paving the way for significant advances in quantum computation and sensing, and potentially turning a new page in scientific investigation.