Tech Briefs Magazine - August 2024 - 4

Products of
Tomorrow
uThird Thumb
University of Cambridge
researchers have
developed the Third
Thumb, an extra robotic
thumb aimed at increasing
the wearer's range of movement, enhancing
their grasping capability and expanding the carrying
capacity of the hand. This allows the user to perform
tasks that might be otherwise challenging or impossible
to complete with one hand or to perform complex
multi-handed tasks without having to coordinate with
other people. The Third Thumb is worn on the opposite
side of the palm to the biological thumb and controlled
by a pressure sensor placed under each big toe
or foot. Pressure from the right toe pulls the Thumb
across the hand, while the pressure exerted with the
left toe pulls the Thumb up toward the fingers. The
extent of its movement is proportional to the pressure
applied, and releasing pressure moves it back to its
original position. The researchers tested the robotic
device on a diverse range of participants, which they
said is essential for ensuring new technologies are inclusive
and can work for everyone.
Contact: Craig Brierley
Phone: +44 07879-116949
E-mail: craig.brierley@admin.cam.ac.uk
u Holographic
AR Glasses
By combining advances
in display technologies,
holographic
imaging, and artificial intelligence, Stanford engineers
have found a way to display full-color, 3D moving
images over a direct view of the real world. Unlike
the bulky headsets of present-day augmented
reality (AR) systems, the new approach delivers a visually
satisfying 3D viewing experience in a compact,
comfortable, and attractive form factor suitable for
all-day wear. The ultimate outcome of the new waveguide
display techniques and the improvement in
holographic imaging is a true-to-life 3D visual experience
that is both visually satisfying to the user without
the fatigue that has challenged earlier approaches.
Though only a prototype now, such a technology, according
to the team, could transform fields stretching
from gaming and entertainment to training and
education - anywhere computed imagery might
enhance or inform the wearer's understanding of
the world around them.
Contact: Jill Wu
Phone: 386-383-6061
E-mail: jillwu@stanford.edu
This column presents technologies that have
applications
in commercial areas, possibly
creating the products of tomorrow. To learn
more about each technology, see the contact
information provided for that innovation.
uTiny, Tunable Filter
With a goal to enable the next generation of wireless communications, Penn
engineers have developed an adjustable filter that can successfully prevent interference,
even in higher-frequency bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. Wireless
devices use different filters for different frequencies, with the effect that covering
all frequencies or bands requires large numbers of filters that take up
substantial space. Having a filter that could be tunable across those bands means not having to put additional filters
in your phone with many different switches. The engineers designed the filter to be adjustable, so that it can be
used to selectively filter different frequencies, rather than employ separate filters. In addition to being tunable, the
new filter is also tiny - about the same size as a quarter, in contrast to previous generations of YIG filters, which
resembled large packs of index cards.
Contact: Holly Wojcik
Phone: 215-573-4607
E-mail: hwojcik@seas.upenn.edu
4
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Tech Briefs Magazine - August 2024

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