Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a highly efficient microchannel polymer heat exchanger in a compact and lightweight design.

Adhesion involves highly complex and hierarchical structures in nature, and by understanding the biological intricacies of such adhesive structures, one can improve engineered adhesives. The role of reversible adhesion in both the natural world and in engineering is to temporarily bind to a surface, providing the opportunity to detach and re-attach as needed. In nature, animals use attachment to enhance their fitness.  In robotics, reversible adhesion enables improved manipulation and locomotion by managing contact at the interface between the robot and its environment.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have collaborated with colleagues at the University of Washington and Emory University to develop a DNA-based, memory and data storage technology that integrates seamlessly with semiconductor-based technologies and conventional electronic devices.

The inventors have developed a new flexible motion sensing method that exploits nonlinear intermodulation of MRI receiver coil preamplifiers to sense the motion of a subject in an MRI scanner without on-subject hardware. The method transmits two tones at two different frequencies, f1 and f2, designed to be received at frequency f_BPT by the receiver via intermodulation, where f1 and f2 are much greater than the MRI center frequency. These signals are picked up by the receiver coils, mixed at the pre-amplification stage by intermodulation, then digitized by the receiver chain. The method is 20 times more sensitive to motion than the state-of-the-art Pilot Tone (PT) method of motion sensing. The inventors have demonstrated the method with second order intermodulation. Additionally, more transmitters can be used, each with a different set of frequencies. Higher frequency tones enable greater sensitivity to subject motion. This method enables the detection of motion at multiple temporal and spatial scales, for example, breathing and rigid motion of the head. The method is used simultaneously with conventional MR imaging and does not adversely impact the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the acquired MR image. The method has been demonstrated using inexpensive consumer grade hardware for the 2.4GHz ISM band as a proof-of-concept. Since the MR signal is small (< -30dBm), little transmit power is necessary to induce an intermodulation signal similar in amplitude to the MR signal.

The inventor has developed systems and methods for performing continuous 3D roll-based additive manufacturing. This invention is distinct from roll-based micro/nanomanufacturing methods such as imprint lithography, gravure printing, and photo-roll lithography because it enables production of high aspect ratio reentrant features and voids in a single step that are difficult or even impossible with the existing methods.

The inventor has developed novel algorithms and metrology methodologies, including real-time in-situ imaging of part formation, in computed axial lithography printing (CALP). CALP is a form of continuous 3D roll-based additive manufacturing which is distinct from roll-based micro/nanomanufacturing methods such as imprint lithography, gravure printing, and photo-roll lithography because it enables production of high aspect ratio reentrant features and voids in a single step that are difficult or even impossible with the existing methods.

Prof. Konstantinos Karydis’ lab at the University of California, Riverside has developed a new active resilient quadrotor (ARQ), which incorporates passive springs within its frame to absorb shocks and survive collisions.  Each arm of the quadrotor is equipped with sensors to accurately and rapidly detect the location (in the drone’s frame) and intensity of a collision.  In addition, a recovery controller that enables the drone to sustain flight after collision with objects like wall, poles, or moving objects. The technology has been proven on the quadrotor however it may be applied to drones with more than four arms. Fig 1: Instances of the novel ARQ drone detecting and recovering from colllisions in (a) and (b) and from collision with a wall (c) and (d). Fig 2: shows ARQ detecting and recovering from a passive collision. (a) ARQ hovers. (b) Collision starts and the ARQ arm absorbs the shock. (c) recovery control starts and there is a body interfering with the ARQ’s flight path. (d) ARQ is stabilized and hovering again.  

The inventors have developed two new CasX gene-editing platforms (DpbCasXv2 and PlmCasXv2) through rationale structural engineering of the CasX protein and gRNA, which yield improved in vitro and in vivo behaviors. These platforms dramatically increase DNA cleavage activity and can be used as the basis for further improving CasX tools.The RNA-guided CRISPR-associated (Cas) protein CasX has been reported as a fundamentally distinct, RNA-guided platform compared to Cas9 and Cpf1. Structural studies revealed structural differences within the nucleotide-binding loops of CasX, with a compact protein size less than 1,000 amino acids, and guide RNA (gRNA) scaffold stem. These structural differences affect the active ternary complex assembly, leading to different in vivo and in vitro behaviors of these two enzymes.

Photodetectors for infrared light suffer from low performance and high cost which hampers commercial applications. The researchers have engineered a method to boost the performance of any current photodetectors, especially within the infrared region, using quantum dots.   The researchers have demonstrated world record performance for sensing and detection.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed absorptive bandpass filters that enable improved passband flatness and good impedance matching both in-band and out-of-band.

Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) are revolutionizing a wide range of services and applications such as language translation , transportation , intelligent search, e-commerce, and medical diagnosis. These benefits are predicated upon delivery on performance and energy efficiency from hardware platforms. With the diminishing benefits from general-purpose processors, there is an explosion of digital accelerators for DNNs. Mixed-signal acceleration is also gaining traction. Albeit low-power, mixedsignal circuitry suffers from limited range of information encoding, is susceptible to noise, imposes Analog to Digital (A/D) and Digital to Analog (D/A) conversion overheads, and lacks fine-grained control mechanism. Realizing the full potential of mixed-signal technology requires a balanced design that brings mathematics, architecture, and circuits together.

UCLA researchers in the Department of Bioengineering have developed a novel machine learning assisted wearable sensor system for the direct translation of sign language into voice with high performance.

UCLA researchers in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering have developed a wirelessly powered frequency-swept spectroscopy sensor.

UCLA researchers in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering have developed an energy efficient smart window coating with wide light bandwidth and long cycle lifetimes.

UCLA researchers in the Department of Bioengineering have developed a textile-based sensor system (TS system) for wireless, wearable biomonitoring.

Hyperdimensional (HD) computing is a novel computational paradigm that emulates the brain functionality in performing cognitive tasks. The underlying computation of HD involves a substantial number of element-wise operations (e.g., addition and multiplications) on ultra-wise hypervectors, in the granularities of as small as a single bit, which can be effectively parallelized and pipelined. In addition, though different HD applications might vary in terms of number of input features and output classes (labels), they generally follow the same computation flow. Such characteristics of HD computing inimitably matches with the intrinsic capabilities of FPGAs, making these devices a unique solution for accelerating these applications.

The response of plants to reduced water availability is controlled by a complex osmotic stress and abscisic acid (ABA)-dependent signal transduction network. The core ABA signaling components are snf1-related protein kinase2s (SnRK2s) which are activated by ABA-dependent inhibition of type 2C protein phosphatases and by an unknown ABA-independent osmotic stress signaling pathway. Limited water availability is one of the key factors that negatively impacts crop yields. The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) and the signal transduction network it activates, enhance plant drought tolerance through stomatal closure, and inhibition of seed germination and growth. As plants are constantly exposed to changing water conditions, reversibility and robustness of the ABA signal transduction cascade is important for plants to balance growth and drought stress resistance. Core ABA signaling components have been established the ABA receptors PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE (PYR/PYL) or REGULATORY COMPONENT OF ABA RECEPTOR (RCAR) inhibit type 2C protein phosphatases (PP2Cs) resulting in the activation of the SnRK2 protein kinases SnRK2.2, 2.3 and OST1/SnRK2.6 . However, it has remained unclear whether direct autophosphorylation or trans-phosphorylation by unknown protein kinases re-activates these SnRK2 protein kinases in response to stress. The osmotic stress sensing mechanism and upstream signal transduction mechanisms leading to SnRK2 activation remain largely unknown in plants.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a one-step spray dry calcium cross-linked alginate encapsulation process where the calcium is released from a chelating agent.

Accelerated Pipe Scale-buildup (ALPS) is a cost-effective electrochemical method meant to prevent lead leaching into the drinking water from lead-based water distribution systems by accelerating the formation of a protective scale made out of lead corrosion products within the pipes. This technology involves inserting a phosphate-rich solution and a conductive wire into lead pipes, and then connecting the wire and the pipes to a power source. By using a low DC voltage of around 1 V, the lead pipes rapidly corrode, generating lead corrosion products, including lead phosphates and lead dioxides, which become attached to the pipe surfaces, preventing further leaching of lead. After the treatment is completed, the system is disconnected and the wire is removed.

Researchers in the UCLA Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering have developed a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) device capable of high resolution, high acquisition measurements with minimized walk error and adjustable detection quality.

UCLA researchers in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering have developed a Compliant Membrane Acoustic Patterning (CAMP) technology capable of patterning cells in an arbitrary pattern at a high resolution over a large area.

UCLA researchers in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering have developed a Non-line-of-sight (NLOS) Imaging System using low cost thermal cameras that enable 3D recovery of NLOS heat source for imaging around corners.

The inventors have constructed conjugative plasmids for intra- and inter-species delivery and expression of RNA-guided CRISPR-Cas transposases for organism- and site-specific genome editing by targeted transposon insertion. This invention enables integration of large, customizable DNA segments (encoded within a transposon) into prokaryotic genomes at specific locations and with low rates of off-target integration.

UCR researchers have developed an inexpensive sensor to measure the energy content and fuel quality of gaseous combustible fuel. This sensor estimates the Wobbe Index in real time time and costs about $10. The sensor is confirmed to operate between -20°and 70°Celsius under pressures of -3600 Psi, with an accuracy of ±1%.  Fig. 1 shows the predicted Wobbe Index vs Actual Wobble Index, showing the accuracy of the sensor

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed voltage converters systems – with associated control schemes – that span a broad spectrum of potential applications.