Carpal tunnel, stiff shoulders, eye-strain headaches — these are all well-known side effects of prolonged computer use. But what happens when you step away from the desktop and into virtual reality? A recent study assessed how some common virtual reality movements contribute to muscle strain and discomfort. It’s an effort to ensure future user safety…

A deep-learning algorithm developed by researchers is designed to help machines navigate in the real world, where imperfect or ‘adversarial’ inputs may cause uncertainty. Take collision avoidance systems in self-driving cars. If visual input to on-board cameras could be trusted entirely, an AI system could directly map that input to an appropriate action — steer…

Adapting a traditional endless runner video game and using a raccoon as the protagonist, researchers have developed a platform that allows the identification and evaluation of the degree of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder with an estimated prevalence of 7.2% in children and adolescents, according to…

Millions of people turn to their mobile devices when seeking medical advice. They’re able to share their symptoms and receive potential diagnoses through chatbot-based symptom-checker (CSC) apps. But how do these apps compare to a trip to the doctor’s office? Not well, according to a new study. But how do these apps compare to a…

A new article looks at the use of virtual imaging trials in effective assessment and optimization of CT and radiography acquisitions and analysis tools to help manage the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Virtual imaging trials have two main components—representative models of targeted subjects and realistic models of imaging scanners—and the authors of this AJR article…

Something is different, and you can’t quite put your finger on it. But your robot can. Even small changes in your surroundings could indicate danger. Imagine a robot could detect those changes, and a warning could immediately alert you through a display in your eyeglasses. That is what U.S. Army scientists are developing with sensors,…

Researchers found that people may be less likely to take health advice from an AI doctor when the robot knows their name and medical history. On the other hand, patients want to be on a first-name basis with their human doctors. Researchers from Penn State and University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) found that people…

A novel computational drug screening strategy combined with lab experiments suggest that pralatrexate, a chemotherapy medication originally developed to treat lymphoma, could potentially be repurposed to treat COVID-19. With the Covid-19 pandemic causing illness and death worldwide, better treatments are urgently needed. One shortcut could be to repurpose existing drugs that were originally developed to…

Randomized clinical trial shows that engaging in virtual reality can significantly reduce pain and anxiety in children undergoing intravenous catheter placement. For nearly two decades, Jeffrey I. Gold, PhD, an investigator at The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, has been investigating the use of virtual reality (VR) as a technique to help…

Research, development, and production of novel materials depend heavily on the availability of fast and at the same time accurate simulation methods. Machine learning, in which artificial intelligence autonomously acquires and applies new knowledge, will soon enable researchers to develop complex material systems in a purely virtual environment. How does this work, which applications will…