Technology
November 9, 2023
New AI noise-canceling headphone technology lets wearers pick which sounds they hear
A team led by researchers at the University of Washington has developed deep-learning algorithms that let users pick which sounds filter through their headphones in real time. Either through voice commands or a smartphone app, headphone wearers can select which sounds they want to include from 20 classes, such as sirens, baby cries, speech, vacuum cleaners and bird chirps.
November 2, 2023
Can AI help boost accessibility? These researchers tested it for themselves
Seven researchers at the University of Washington conducted a three-month autoethnographic study — drawing on their own experiences as people with and without disabilities — to test AI tools’ utility for accessibility. Though researchers found cases in which the tools were helpful, they also found significant problems.
October 30, 2023
A Google Slides extension can make presentation software more accessible for blind users
A team led by researchers at the University of Washington has created A11yBoard for Google Slides, a browser extension and phone or tablet app that allows blind users to navigate through complex slide layouts, objects, images and text.
October 24, 2023
How can social media be better? Four UW researchers compare strategies
The turmoil at large tech platforms has many people reconsidering what they want out of social media. Four researchers at the University of Washington are exploring different approaches to improve people’s experiences.
October 17, 2023
Q&A: Researchers aim to improve accessibility with augmented reality
This month, University of Washington researchers will introduce multiple projects that deploy augmented reality — through headsets and phone apps — with the aim of making the world more accessible for people with disabilities.
September 27, 2023
MilliMobile is a tiny, self-driving robot powered only by light and radio waves
The robot, equipped with a solar panel–like energy harvester and four wheels, is about the size of a penny, weighs as much as a raisin and can move about the length of a bus in an hour on a cloudy day.
September 25, 2023
Q&A: Can AI in school actually help students be more creative and self-directed?
Katie Davis, a University of Washington associate professor in the Information School, discusses how generative AI might support learning, instead of detracting from it, if kids can keep their agency.
September 22, 2023
Q&A: How new software is changing our understanding of human brain development
A team including researchers at the University of Washington recently used new software to compare MRIs from 300 babies and discovered that myelin, a part of the brain’s so-called white matter, develops much slower after birth.
September 21, 2023
UW team’s shape-changing smart speaker lets users mute different areas of a room
A team led by researchers at the University of Washington has developed system of robotic self-deploying microphones, which lets users control sound in a room, muting certain areas and creating “active zones” in others.
September 13, 2023
Battery-free robots use origami to change shape in mid-air
UW researchers developed small robotic devices that can change how they move through the air by “snapping” into a folded position during their descent.
August 16, 2023
Q&A: As AI changes education, important conversations for kids still happen off-screen
Jason Yip, a UW associate professor in the Information School, discusses how parents and schools can adapt to new technologies in ways that support children’s learning.
July 27, 2023
Q&A: UW researcher discusses just how much energy ChatGPT uses
Training a large language model, such as ChatGPT, uses on average roughly equivalent to the yearly electricity consumption of over 1,000 U.S. households, according to Sajjad Moazeni, UW assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, who studies networking for AI and machine learning supercomputing.
July 24, 2023
With a new app, smart devices can have GPS underwater
A team at the University of Washington has developed the first underwater 3D-positioning app for smart devices. When at least three divers are within about 98 feet of each other, the app tracks each user’s location relative to the leader.
July 18, 2023
Learning from superheroes and AI: UW researchers study how a chatbot can teach kids supportive self-talk
Researchers at the University of Washington created a new audio chatbot, Self-Talk with Superhero Zip, aimed to help children speak positively to themselves. This chatbot is “a ‘Sesame Street’ experience for a smart speaker.”
June 21, 2023
An app can transform smartphones into thermometers that accurately detect fevers
A team led by researchers at the University of Washington has created an app called FeverPhone, which transforms smartphones into thermometers without adding new hardware.
May 31, 2023
UW researcher discusses the buzz behind ‘Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’
UW News sat down with Michele Newman, a University of Washington doctoral student in the Information School, to learn more about fans’ dedication to “Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.”
April 6, 2023
National and local leaders convene at UW for discussion of CHIPS and Science Act, investing in scientific discovery
Leaders from Washington higher education institutions met with national policymakers April 4 to discuss opportunities provided by the CHIPS and Science Act. U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene and National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan visited the University of Washington campus to talk about the legislation, which provides more than $100 billion to fund scientific research and…
January 23, 2023
Q&A: How AI can help people be more empathetic about mental health
A team led by researchers at the University of Washington studied how artificial intelligence could help people on the platform TalkLife, where people give each other mental health support. The researchers developed an AI system that suggested changes to participants’ responses to make them more empathetic. The best responses resulted from a collaboration between AI and people.
December 8, 2022
UW brings field geology to students with ‘Virtual Field Geology’
UW’s Virtual Field Geology project has many goals: to make geology field experiences accessible to more people; to document geological field sites that may be at risk from erosion or development; to offer virtual “dry run” experiences; and to allow scientific collaborators to do virtual visits to a field site together. While the pandemic brought new urgency to the project, its developers believe it’s part of a “new normal” for geology research and education.
November 16, 2022
Q&A: UW researchers find privacy risks with 3D tours on real estate websites
University of Washington researchers examined 44 3D tours in 44 states across the U.S. to look for potential security issues when personal details were included in the tour.
October 31, 2022
How low-cost earbuds can make newborn hearing screening accessible
A team led by researchers at the University of Washington has created a new hearing screening system that uses a smartphone and earbuds.
October 17, 2022
Q&A: UnlockedMaps provides real-time accessibility information for urban rail transit in six metro areas
UW researchers developed UnlockedMaps, a web-based map that allows users to see in real time how accessible rail transit stations are in six metro areas. UnlockedMaps shows which stations are accessible and which ones are experiencing elevator outages.
October 12, 2022
UW’s Yejin Choi wins MacArthur Foundation ‘genius grant’
Yejin Choi, University of Washington professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, has received a “genius grant” from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Choi uses natural language processing to develop artificial intelligence systems that have the ability to reason and can understand the implied meanings in human language.
September 28, 2022
UW-developed wave sensors deployed to improve hurricane forecasts
Researchers dropped technology developed at the University of Washington off the coast of Florida this week to measure ocean waves in the path of Hurricane Ian. The test is one part of a broad effort to improve forecasts for these fast-moving and deadly systems.
September 19, 2022
A smartphone’s camera and flash could help people measure blood oxygen levels at home
In a proof-of-principle study, University of Washington and University of California San Diego researchers have shown that smartphones are capable of detecting blood oxygen saturation levels down to 70%. This is the lowest value that pulse oximeters should be able to measure, as recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
September 13, 2022
Q&A: UW researchers develop a reactor that can destroy ‘forever chemicals’
UW researchers have created a reactor that can completely break down hard-to-destroy chemicals.
August 17, 2022
New UW Photonic Sensing Facility will use fiber-optic cables for seismic sensing, glaciology and more
A University of Washington pilot project is exploring the use of fiber-optic sensing for seismology, glaciology, and even urban monitoring. Funded in part with a $473,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, a nonprofit based in Vancouver, Washington, the new UW Photonic Sensing Facility will use photons traveling through a fiber-optic cable to detect ground motions as small as 1 nanometer.
July 28, 2022
How to help assembly-line robots shift gears and pick up almost anything
A UW team created a new tool that can design a 3D-printable passive gripper and calculate the best path to pick up an object. The team tested this system on a suite of 22 objects — including a 3D-printed bunny, a doorstop-shaped wedge, a tennis ball and a drill.
July 11, 2022
ClearBuds: First wireless earbuds that clear up calls using deep learning
UW researchers created ClearBuds, earbuds that enhance the speaker’s voice and reduce background noise.
June 1, 2022
VoxLens: Adding one line of code can make some interactive visualizations accessible to screen-reader users
VoxLens users can gain a high-level summary of the information described in a graph, listen to a graph translated into sound or use voice-activated commands to ask specific questions about the data, such as the mean or the minimum value.
May 23, 2022
‘I don’t even remember what I read’: People enter a ‘dissociative state’ when using social media
Researchers at the University of Washington wondered if people enter a state of dissociation when surfing social media, and if that explains why users might feel out of control after spending so much time on their favorite app.
April 28, 2022
Professor Margaret O’Mara on contextualizing Elon Musk’s Twitter purchase and the future of online speech
University of Washington history professor Margaret O’Mara says Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has renewed debate about freedom of online speech, online content moderation and the power of billionaires to shape public conversation.
April 6, 2022
UW-housed RAPID Facility receives $6M renewal grant
The first-of-its-kind center has received a $6 million renewal grant from the National Science Foundation.
March 16, 2022
Tiny battery-free devices float in the wind like dandelion seeds
Inspired by how dandelions use the wind to distribute their seeds, a University of Washington team has developed a tiny sensor-carrying device that can be blown by the wind as it tumbles toward the ground.
March 14, 2022
Q&A: Preserving context and user intent in the future of web search
In a new perspective paper, University of Washington professors Emily M. Bender and Chirag Shah respond to proposals that reimagine web search as an application for large language model-driven conversation agents.
February 16, 2022
Google’s ‘CEO’ image search gender bias hasn’t really been fixed
UW researchers showed that image search results for four major search engines from around the world, including Google, still reflect gender bias.
December 9, 2021
3D imaging method may help doctors better determine prostate cancer aggressiveness
A team led by the UW has developed a new, non-destructive method that images entire 3D biopsies instead of a slice for determining prostate cancer aggressiveness. The 3D images provided more information than a 2D image — specifically, details about the tree-like structure of the glands throughout the tissue.
November 17, 2021
A chatbot can help doctors better understand incoming emergency department patients’ social needs
A team led by the UW developed a chatbot that could ask emergency department visitors about social needs, including housing, food, access to medical care and physical safety.
November 8, 2021
Political ads during the 2020 presidential election cycle collected personal information and spread misleading information
University of Washington researchers looked at almost 56,000 political ads from almost 750 news sites between September 2020 and January 2021.
October 20, 2021
UW students designed a rover to inspect culvert conditions to help fish
UW students created a rover that can inspect sewer pipes or culverts for any damage that could prevent fish from using them during migration.
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