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JBL Clip 5 gets covered in liquid soap and takes on a new challenge, splashing bubbles with deep bass.

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A new portable mouse boasts a compact design making it ideal for users with smaller hands, including children, and those working in tight spaces. The device features micro-precise scrolling and a tilt wheel, offering both speed and accuracy for navigating digital tasks. Designed for ease of use, the mouse is compatible with all major operating systems and promises near-instant operation. Users can expect up to 18 months of use on a single battery, eliminating frequent battery changes.

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Recent studies highlight the dynamic field of augmented and virtual reality displays, with significant progress being made in holographic technologies. Research indicates an intense focus on enhancing near-eye display systems vital for VR and AR applications. Scientists are delving into holographic optical elements and waveguide technologies to create more immersive and comfortable viewing experiences.

A significant area of development is the application of metasurfaces – engineered surfaces with unique optical properties – in display design. These advancements promise to improve image quality, widen viewing angles, and achieve achromatic focusing, crucial for realistic and visually comfortable VR and AR headsets. Furthermore, researchers are exploring innovative approaches to holographic displays, including 3D holographic telepresence and speckle-free holography, aiming for photorealistic and real-time performance.

Deep learning and neural networks are also playing a crucial role, enabling advancements in areas like real-time 3D holography generation and optimizing metasurface designs. These computational techniques are accelerating the development process and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in holographic and immersive display technologies. The ongoing research suggests that the next generation of VR/AR experiences will be significantly influenced by these breakthroughs in optics and computational display methods.

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Azthena, a service providing information and answers, has issued a user advisory regarding the accuracy of its content and data handling practices. While the platform states it uses edited and approved information, users are cautioned that occasional inaccuracies may occur. The service strongly recommends verifying any data obtained through Azthena with relevant suppliers or authors. Furthermore, Azthena explicitly clarifies that it does not offer medical advice and emphasizes the importance of consulting qualified medical professionals for any health-related concerns, especially if acting upon information found through the platform. Regarding user data, the service informs users that their questions, excluding email addresses, will be shared with OpenAI and retained for a period of 30 days, aligning with OpenAI’s privacy principles. Users are also urged to refrain from submitting questions that include sensitive or confidential information. For comprehensive details, users are directed to the full Terms and Conditions available via a provided link.

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Myopia, commonly known as nearsightedness, is a widespread vision problem, particularly affecting young people globally. This condition, often resulting from an elongated eyeball or excessive curvature of the cornea, causes blurred distance vision and, if left unmanaged, can lead to serious eye complications. Alarming statistics from the World Health Organization reveal that in high-income Asia-Pacific countries, myopia affects as much as 50% of the population. In China, the situation is even more pronounced with over 80% of teenagers affected, and nearly 20% developing high myopia.

Traditional treatments include standard eyeglasses and refractive surgery. However, recent advancements are exploring peripheral defocus eyeglasses, like multifocal contact lenses and defocus myopia-control lenses, to slow down myopia progression. The concept behind these lenses lies in managing how light focuses on the retina’s periphery. Exposing the peripheral retina to myopic defocus, in contrast to hyperopic defocus, has been shown to help in delaying myopia progression.

Building on this, researchers have been exploring new designs for these specialized eyeglasses. A recent study details the development of an innovative lens using advanced freeform surface technology. This research focused on creating lenses that are asymmetrically designed, meaning they have different optical characteristics in the nasal and temporal areas, to better suit the natural variations in the human retina.

The research team optimized a novel defocus freeform surface using principles from progressive addition lenses. They experimented with three different mathematical functions – linear segmented, sine, and logistic regression – to control the optical power distribution across the lens surface. This involved dividing the lens into nasal and temporal zones and carefully managing the transition of focus from the central viewing area to the peripheral defocus zone.

Simulations and physical prototypes were created for lenses designed with each of these functions. Testing revealed that lenses designed using a logistic regression function showed the most promising results. These lenses demonstrated a smooth transition of optical power and reduced astigmatism, particularly in the central area crucial for clear vision. Real-world testing of manufactured lenses confirmed the simulation findings, indicating that the logistic regression function design offered superior optical performance compared to the other methods explored.

This study introduces a new design methodology for peripheral defocus lenses, specifically for myopia control. The findings suggest that utilizing a logistic regression function in the lens design can lead to eyeglasses with improved optical characteristics and potentially better comfort for wearers. While further refinement is needed, this research marks a significant step forward in developing more effective spectacle lenses to combat the growing global challenge of myopia in young people.

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Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., a leading optical semiconductor device provider, has adopted Siemens’ mPower digital software for power integrity analysis. This move aims to enhance the development of Hamamatsu Photonics’ next-generation optical semiconductor devices. Hamamatsu Photonics, known for high-sensitivity and high-performance optical semiconductor devices used across scientific, medical, and automotive industries, will utilize mPower to ensure the reliability of its products. Masaaki Matsubara from Hamamatsu Photonics emphasized the critical nature of power integrity for their high-performance optical IC products and noted that mPower software helps optimize power source design in the early stages of development, improving both IC performance and reliability. Siemens’ mPower solution, introduced last year, is designed to accelerate and improve the accuracy of power, electromigration, and IR-drop analysis for integrated circuits. Joe Davis of Siemens EDA highlighted the increasing complexity of image sensors and the importance of power integrity verification, welcoming the collaboration with Hamamatsu Photonics in bringing advanced sensor designs to market. The mPower software offers fast distributed processing and an intuitive interface, supporting analysis throughout the IC design process from concept to sign-off. It also integrates with Siemens’ Calibre RVE software for enhanced reliability and IC traceability.

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Laser safety eyewear has been released, boasting CE certification to both EN207 and EN208 standards. Constructed from lightweight polycarbonate, the eyewear features high-optical density (OD) lenses, offered in two frame styles. These glasses provide comprehensive protection with filters designed for infrared, visible, and ultraviolet wavelengths. Detailed specifications, including light transmittance and OD values, are available for each filter, with OD ratings ranging from 1 to 10 and varying Photopic Visible Light Transmittance (VLT) levels to suit a wide array of laser applications. Manufactured by Wavelength Electronics, based in Bozeman, Montana, further information can be found at their website www.teamwavelength.com.

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Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have successfully created a device capable of converting short infrared light into visible light. This advancement holds significant potential for applications in fields like defense and optical communication, according to the IISc. The human eye is limited to the visible spectrum of light, with infrared light having an even lower frequency than red light and thus being invisible to us. The IISc innovation addresses this by using a novel design, a non-linear optical mirror stack made from a 2D material, to achieve this up-conversion alongside widefield imaging. This mirror stack is composed of multilayered gallium selenide on top of a gold reflective surface, with a silicon dioxide layer in between. Traditional infrared imaging relies on specialized semiconductors or micro-bolometer arrays which are often heat-sensitive or absorption-based. However, current infrared sensors are frequently bulky, inefficient, and subject to export restrictions due to defense applications, highlighting the need for efficient and locally developed alternatives. The IISc team’s method involves directing an infrared signal and a pump beam onto their mirror stack. The material’s non-linear optical properties cause a mixing of frequencies, resulting in an output beam with a higher frequency, effectively up-converting the light while preserving other properties. Using this technique, they successfully converted 1,550 nm wavelength infrared light into 622 nm visible light, detectable by standard silicon-based cameras. Looking ahead, the research team aims to expand the device’s capabilities to handle longer infrared wavelengths and enhance its efficiency by exploring different stack arrangements. Associate Professor Varun Raghunathan from the Department of Electrical Communication Engineering stated that there is considerable global interest in infrared imaging solutions that don’t rely on traditional infrared sensors, suggesting that their innovation could be transformative in this area.

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Optical character recognition (OCR) is a technology that uses artificial intelligence and computer vision to automatically identify and extract text from various unstructured documents. These documents include images, screenshots, and physical papers, converting them into editable and searchable digital formats. This technology plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between physical and digital document workflows.

OCR technology automates the process of converting scanned documents into editable PDF files, making it easier to manage and share information. While the world is increasingly digital, paper documents remain prevalent across industries. OCR streamlines the digitization process, saving time and enhancing the relevance of digital files.

The benefits of OCR extend to improved data input, enabling text search, editing, and storage. Organizations and individuals can store files on computers, tablets, cloud storage and other devices, ensuring universal access to information. This accessibility contributes to reduced document management costs, faster processes, automated material processing in sectors like marketing and HR, consolidated and secure data storage, protection against physical document damage, and improved employee efficiency through access to up-to-date information.

OCR technology also positively impacts accessibility and inclusion. For individuals with visual impairments, OCR software can decipher scanned documents and read the content aloud according to user preferences. It also assists those with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, making it a valuable tool in education. Furthermore, OCR overcomes language barriers by allowing users to translate text within image files.

The history of OCR can be traced back to telegraphy and early document retrieval systems. Emanuel Goldberg developed character-to-telegraph code conversion during World War I and an electronic document retrieval system in the 1920s. Ray Kurzweil’s invention in 1974 of an omni-font OCR system capable of recognizing text in almost any typeface marked a significant step forward. He envisioned its use for visually impaired individuals, creating a text-to-speech reading machine. Xerox acquired Kurzweil’s company in 1980 to commercialize paper-to-computer text conversion.

In the 1990s, OCR gained wider adoption for digitizing historical newspapers. Today, powered by advancements in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computer vision, OCR technology achieves near-perfect accuracy, efficiently processing large and complex datasets.

OCR systems combine hardware and software to convert physical documents into machine-readable code for data processing. The process typically involves several key steps. First, a scanner converts the physical document into a raw digital image, aiming for accuracy and distortion removal. This image is then converted to black and white, distinguishing between background and foreground elements. The system may also segment the image into components like tables, text, and images.

Next, AI examines the dark areas of the image to identify characters and numbers using pattern recognition. The system is trained with diverse languages, formats and handwriting to recognize matches between the digitized characters and its learned library. Character-specific features, such as curves, lines, and angles, are used to further refine character identification. Once characters are recognized, they are converted into ASCII code for processing. In a final step, AI checks for errors in the output, sometimes using a predefined lexicon to ensure output accuracy.

OCR technology is utilized across industries for various applications. Word processing is a fundamental application, allowing users to convert printed documents into editable and searchable files, particularly beneficial in industries with extensive paperwork. Legal documents, like loan agreements, can be incorporated into online databases via OCR for easy access. Retailers use OCR to track inventory by scanning barcodes and extracting serial numbers. Moreover, OCR enables the creation of searchable PDFs from historical documents, essential for preservation in sectors like medicine and insurance.

Industry analysis indicates significant growth in the OCR market. McKinsey’s Global Executives Survey 2022 found that 70% of organizations are exploring business process automation, with OCR being a prominent technology. Grand View Research projects the global OCR market to exceed $33 billion by 2030, reflecting its increasing importance.

The market offers a wide range of OCR software solutions. Ten leading software options in 2023 include ABBYY FineReader PDF, known for its high accuracy and proofreading features; Adobe Acrobat DC recognized for ease of use and seamless integration; AWS Textract from Amazon Web Services, utilizing machine learning for advanced data extraction; Docparser, a cloud-based service with high accuracy and integration capabilities; IBM Datacap, a comprehensive data capture solution; Nanonets, leveraging AI for intelligent document processing and automation; OCR.Space, a free and versatile online OCR tool; OmniPage Ultimate, designed for high-volume OCR tasks and productivity enhancement; Readiris, offering PDF editing and audio file conversion features; and SimpleOCR, a free software with a developer toolkit for custom integrations. Each software offers unique features, pricing models, and strengths suitable for various organizational needs and use cases.

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Scientists have engineered a novel design for ultra-stable lasers, making them more practical for use outside of highly controlled laboratory environments. Ultra-stable lasers are critical components in advanced technologies such as precise timekeeping, telecommunications, and scientific research including gravitational wave detection. These lasers rely on maintaining extremely consistent light frequencies, a feat typically achieved by locking the laser to a stable optical cavity in a carefully regulated lab setting.

However, the need for these precise lasers is growing in fields requiring mobile or field-deployed systems, such as advanced radar, satellite navigation, and space exploration. The challenge lies in protecting the laser’s stability from environmental disturbances like temperature fluctuations and vibrations when moved out of the lab.

Researchers have developed a new type of optical cavity called a “lantern ring” structure designed to significantly reduce the impact of temperature changes on the laser’s stability. This innovative design focuses on compensating for the thermal mismatch between different materials used in the cavity construction. The cavity uses fused silica, chosen for its low thermal noise properties, and ultra-low expansion glass. The “lantern ring” structure, made of specific components optically connected to the cavity, allows for precise adjustments to control how the cavity reacts to temperature variations.

Through computer simulations and analysis, the scientists demonstrated that this “lantern ring” design effectively manages thermal expansion and provides mechanical robustness. The simulations showed the design to be insensitive to external pressures applied during assembly and exhibited excellent vibration resistance. This new cavity design allows the laser to achieve a high level of stability, reaching a fractional frequency instability of 10^–15, even in a compact 3-centimeter size.

This advancement paves the way for the development of transportable ultra-stable lasers that can operate reliably in real-world conditions outside of the laboratory. The “lantern ring” compensation structure promises to bring the benefits of ultra-stable laser technology to a wider range of applications, pushing the boundaries of precision measurement and technology in field-based operations.

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