LLMs like GPT-3, GPT-4, and their open-source counterpart often struggle with up-to-date information retrieval and can sometimes generate hallucinations or incorrect information. Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) is a technique that combines the power of LLMs with external knowledge retrieval. RAG allows us to ground LLM responses in…
Industry experts call for tailored AI rules in post-election UK
As the UK gears up for its general election, industry leaders are weighing in on the potential impact on technology and AI regulation. With economic challenges at the forefront of political debates, experts argue that the next government must prioritise technological innovation and efficiency to drive…
MIT researchers identify routes to stronger titanium alloys
Titanium alloys are essential structural materials for a wide variety of applications, from aerospace and energy infrastructure to biomedical equipment. But like most metals, optimizing their properties tends to involve a tradeoff between two key characteristics: strength and ductility. Stronger materials tend to be less deformable, and deformable materials tend to be mechanically weak.
Now, researchers at MIT, collaborating with researchers at ATI Specialty Materials, have discovered an approach for creating new titanium alloys that can exceed this historical tradeoff, leading to new alloys with exceptional combinations of strength and ductility, which might lead to new applications.
The findings are described in the journal Advanced Materials, in a paper by Shaolou Wei ScD ’22, Professor C. Cem Tasan, postdoc Kyung-Shik Kim, and John Foltz from ATI Inc. The improvements, the team says, arise from tailoring the chemical composition and the lattice structure of the alloy, while also adjusting the processing techniques used to produce the material at industrial scale.
Titanium alloys have been important because of their exceptional mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and light weight when compared to steels for example. Through careful selection of the alloying elements and their relative proportions, and of the way the material is processed, “you can create various different structures, and this creates a big playground for you to get good property combinations, both for cryogenic and elevated temperatures,” Tasan says.
But that big assortment of possibilities in turn requires a way to guide the selections to produce a material that meets the specific needs of a particular application. The analysis and experimental results described in the new study provide that guidance.
The structure of titanium alloys, all the way down to atomic scale, governs their properties, Tasan explains. And in some titanium alloys, this structure is even more complex, made up of two different intermixed phases, known as the alpha and beta phases.
“The key strategy in this design approach is to take considerations of different scales,” he says. “One scale is the structure of individual crystal. For example, by choosing the alloying elements carefully, you can have a more ideal crystal structure of the alpha phase that enables particular deformation mechanisms. The other scale is the polycrystal scale, that involves interactions of the alpha and beta phases. So, the approach that’s followed here involves design considerations for both.”
In addition to choosing the right alloying materials and proportions, steps in the processing turned out to play an important role. A technique called cross-rolling is another key to achieving the exceptional combination of strength and ductility, the team found.
Working together with ATI researchers, the team tested a variety of alloys under a scanning electron microscope as they were being deformed, revealing details of how their microstructures respond to external mechanical load. They found that there was a particular set of parameters — of composition, proportions, and processing method — that yielded a structure where the alpha and beta phases shared the deformation uniformly, mitigating the cracking tendency that is likely to occur between the phases when they respond differently. “The phases deform in harmony,” Tasan says. This cooperative response to deformation can yield a superior material, they found.
“We looked at the structure of the material to understand these two phases and their morphologies, and we looked at their chemistries by carrying out local chemical analysis at the atomic scale. We adopted a wide variety of techniques to quantify various properties of the material across multiple length scales, says Tasan, who is the POSCO Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and an associate professor of metallurgy. “When we look at the overall properties” of the titanium alloys produced according to their system, “the properties are really much better than comparable alloys.”
This was industry-supported academic research aimed at proving design principles for alloys that can be commercially produced at scale, according to Tasan. “What we do in this collaboration is really toward a fundamental understanding of crystal plasticity,” he says. “We show that this design strategy is validated, and we show scientifically how it works,” he adds, noting that there remains significant room for further improvement.
As for potential applications of these findings, he says, “for any aerospace application where an improved combination of strength and ductility are useful, this kind of invention is providing new opportunities.”
The work was supported by ATI Specialty Rolled Products and used facilities of MIT.nano and the Center for Nanoscale Systems at Harvard University.
Atomos Ninja Ultra with Connect Simplify Remote Production – Videoguys
Simplified Remote Production with Tones and Colours
Tones and Colours, a leading Sri Lankan media production company, is renowned for delivering visually stunning projects. In their quest to enhance workflow efficiency, they integrated the Ninja Ultra with Atomos Connect into their production setup.
Streamlining Workflow with Ninja Ultra
During a commercial shoot for fashion outlet Hameedia, the team utilized the Ninja Ultra as a primary viewing tool alongside the director’s monitor. The Ninja’s bright, high-definition display and built-in monitoring tools enabled Shenick Tissera, the creative director, to make real-time adjustments. “It was a hectic shoot where every moment mattered. The Ninja allowed me to monitor exposure levels accurately and use our LUTs for a final look preview,” he stated.
ProRes RAW for High-Quality Recording
Tasked with creating a launch video for the Sri Lankan cricket jersey by fashion brand Moose, the team employed a RED Komodo camera and a Sony FX3 connected to the Ninja Ultra. This setup allowed them to record in ProRes RAW, capturing two high-quality angles within a tight six-hour deadline. “Time management was crucial, and ProRes RAW helped us match the colours between the cameras quickly,” Shenick added.
Enhanced Image Quality and Productivity
Recording in ProRes RAW significantly improved image quality, boosted on-set productivity, and minimized post-production time. Cinematographer Shadim Sadiq praised ProRes for capturing intricate details and enhancing colour grading during post-production. “ProRes allowed us to push the colours further, capturing as much detail as possible,” he said.
Efficient Post-Production with Camera to Cloud
The Ninja Ultra, combined with the Atomos Connect module, revolutionized the team’s post-production process. Editor Jaden Daniel could remotely access files via Camera to Cloud, directly to Frame.io. “As a video editor, time is my most valuable resource. This system has saved me tons of time,” Jaden affirmed. This seamless integration enabled real-time editing, ensuring the team could stay ahead even during filming.
Atomos technology has redefined Tones and Colours’ production approach, empowering them to implement their creative vision efficiently. “No matter where my team is in the world, footage transfer is seamless and efficient,” Jaden concluded.
Conclusion
By integrating Ninja Ultra with Atomos Connect, Tones and Colours optimized their workflow, enhanced image quality, and significantly reduced post-production time. This innovative setup has empowered the team to deliver high-quality content more efficiently than ever before.
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Global semiconductor shortage: How the US plans to close the talent gap
The semiconductor industry, which is a cornerstone of modern technology and economic prosperity, has been dealing with a serious labour shortage for some time. The skills shortage appears to be worsening, with more than one million additional skilled workers required by 2030 to meet demand in…
Implantable microphone could lead to fully internal cochlear implants
Cochlear implants, tiny electronic devices that can provide a sense of sound to people who are deaf or hard of hearing, have helped improve hearing for more than a million people worldwide, according to the National Institutes of Health.
However, cochlear implants today are only partially implanted, and they rely on external hardware that typically sits on the side of the head. These components restrict users, who can’t, for instance, swim, exercise, or sleep while wearing the external unit, and they may cause others to forgo the implant altogether.
On the way to creating a fully internal cochlear implant, a multidisciplinary team of researchers at MIT, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, and Columbia University has produced an implantable microphone that performs as well as commercial external hearing aid microphones. The microphone remains one of the largest roadblocks to adopting a fully internalized cochlear implant.
This tiny microphone, a sensor produced from a biocompatible piezoelectric material, measures miniscule movements on the underside of the ear drum. Piezoelectric materials generate an electric charge when compressed or stretched. To maximize the device’s performance, the team also developed a low-noise amplifier that enhances the signal while minimizing noise from the electronics.
While many challenges must be overcome before such a microphone could be used with a cochlear implant, the collaborative team looks forward to further refining and testing this prototype, which builds off work begun at MIT and Mass Eye and Ear more than a decade ago.
“It starts with the ear doctors who are with this every day of the week, trying to improve people’s hearing, recognizing a need, and bringing that need to us. If it weren’t for this team collaboration, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” says Jeffrey Lang, the Vitesse Professor of Electrical Engineering, a member of the Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE), and co-senior author of a paper on the microphone.
Lang’s coauthors include co-lead authors Emma Wawrzynek, an electrical engineering and computer science (EECS) graduate student, and Aaron Yeiser SM ’21; as well as mechanical engineering graduate student John Zhang; Lukas Graf and Christopher McHugh of Mass Eye and Ear; Ioannis Kymissis, the Kenneth Brayer Professor of Electrical Engineering at Columbia; Elizabeth S. Olson, a professor of biomedical engineering and auditory biophysics at Columbia; and co-senior author Hideko Heidi Nakajima, an associate professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Harvard Medical School and Mass Eye and Ear. The research is published today in the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering.
Overcoming an implant impasse
Cochlear implant microphones are usually placed on the side of the head, which means that users can’t take advantage of noise filtering and sound localization cues provided by the structure of the outer ear.
Fully implantable microphones offer many advantages. But most devices currently in development, which sense sound under the skin or motion of middle ear bones, can struggle to capture soft sounds and wide frequencies.
For the new microphone, the team targeted a part of the middle ear called the umbo. The umbo vibrates unidirectionally (inward and outward), making it easier to sense these simple movements.
Although the umbo has the largest range of movement of the middle-ear bones, it only moves by a few nanometers. Developing a device to measure such diminutive vibrations presents its own challenges.
On top of that, any implantable sensor must be biocompatible and able to withstand the body’s humid, dynamic environment without causing harm, which limits the materials that can be used.
“Our goal is that a surgeon implants this device at the same time as the cochlear implant and internalized processor, which means optimizing the surgery while working around the internal structures of the ear without disrupting any of the processes that go on in there,” Wawrzynek says.
With careful engineering, the team overcame these challenges.
They created the UmboMic, a triangular, 3-millimeter by 3-millimeter motion sensor composed of two layers of a biocompatible piezoelectric material called polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF). These PVDF layers are sandwiched on either side of a flexible printed circuit board (PCB), forming a microphone that is about the size of a grain of rice and 200 micrometers thick. (An average human hair is about 100 micrometers thick.)
The narrow tip of the UmboMic would be placed against the umbo. When the umbo vibrates and pushes against the piezoelectric material, the PVDF layers bend and generate electric charges, which are measured by electrodes in the PCB layer.
Amplifying performance
The team used a “PVDF sandwich” design to reduce noise. When the sensor is bent, one layer of PVDF produces a positive charge and the other produces a negative charge. Electrical interference adds to both equally, so taking the difference between the charges cancels out the noise.
Using PVDF provides many advantages, but the material made fabrication especially difficult. PVDF loses its piezoelectric properties when exposed to temperatures above around 80 degrees Celsius, yet very high temperatures are needed to vaporize and deposit titanium, another biocompatible material, onto the sensor. Wawrzynek worked around this problem by depositing the titanium gradually and employing a heat sink to cool the PVDF.
But developing the sensor was only half the battle — umbo vibrations are so tiny that the team needed to amplify the signal without introducing too much noise. When they couldn’t find a suitable low-noise amplifier that also used very little power, they built their own.
With both prototypes in place, the researchers tested the UmboMic in human ear bones from cadavers and found that it had robust performance within the intensity and frequency range of human speech. The microphone and amplifier together also have a low noise floor, which means they could distinguish very quiet sounds from the overall noise level.
“One thing we saw that was really interesting is that the frequency response of the sensor is influenced by the anatomy of the ear we are experimenting on, because the umbo moves slightly differently in different people’s ears,” Wawrzynek says.
The researchers are preparing to launch live animal studies to further explore this finding. These experiments will also help them determine how the UmboMic responds to being implanted.
In addition, they are studying ways to encapsulate the sensor so it can remain in the body safely for up to 10 years but still be flexible enough to capture vibrations. Implants are often packaged in titanium, which would be too rigid for the UmboMic. They also plan to explore methods for mounting the UmboMic that won’t introduce vibrations.
“The results in this paper show the necessary broad-band response and low noise needed to act as an acoustic sensor. This result is surprising, because the bandwidth and noise floor are so competitive with the commercial hearing aid microphone. This performance shows the promise of the approach, which should inspire others to adopt this concept. I would expect that smaller size sensing elements and lower power electronics would be needed for next generation devices to enhance ease of implantation and battery life issues,” says Karl Grosh, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan, who was not involved with this work.
This research was funded, in part, by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Cloetta Foundation in Zurich, Switzerland, and the Research Fund of the University of Basel, Switzerland.
Capcom Next Recap: Dead Rising Remaster Gameplay And Release Date, Kunitsu-Gami Demo, And Small Tease For The Next Resident Evil
Capcom Next was a more succint affair this summer. It focused on providing updates for only three titles: Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, and the iOS/Mac port of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. Here’s a brief summary of each announcement, which includes the smallest of teases for the next Resident Evil title.
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Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
Ahead of its launch on July 19, the fantastical action-strategy hybrid is getting a demo later today on all platforms the game is available on. The demo will also feature crossover content with Okami in the form of themed weapons and costumes for the main character and the maiden. Interestingly, the Okami stuff will only appear in the demo, but Capcom states that if enough people play it, these items will become available in the full game at launch via an update.
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Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster
The remaster of the 2006 zombie romp is coming on September 19 (a physical version arrives in November). We got our first look at gameplay and several graphical “before/after” comparison shots showcasing how dramatic the presentational improvements really are. The game will run at 4K 60FPS and features real-time lighting that changes with the time of day. Gameplay improvements include the ability to move while aiming, an autosave feature, a better UI, and improved NPC behavior. Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard on iOS and Mac
The latest RE mobile port features improved touched controls and a new auto-aim/auto-fire feature for those who desire extra assistance. Menu and inventory is now touch compatible. Capcom reveals the first section of the game is free-to-play, allowing players to give it a try before committing to a purchase.
Additionally, Capcom confirms what was likely already obvious: a new Resident Evil is in development. RE7 director Koshi Nakanishi is apparently back at the helm and stated, “It was really difficult to figure out what to do after 7. But I found it, and to be honest, it feels substantial. I can’t share any details just yet, but I hope you’re excited for the day I can.”
Kamatera Review – The Best Scalable Cloud Host Yet?
This Kamatera review will help you decide whether the web host is the best option for you! Being able to scale your resource demand effortlessly as your website grows… paying only for the resources you use… no-single-point-of-failure security guarantee… what’s not to love about cloud hosting?…
Can AI Become a Plant Whisperer to Help Feed the World?
With the power of AI and big data, scientists are pursuing exciting new frontiers in decoding the complex world of plant genomes for next-gen custom plant breeding that could revolutionize food security and adaptation to climate change. A stalk of wheat, a cane of sugar. To…
Putting The Seoul In Console
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With just four days in Seoul, South Korea, I filled my maps app with pins of restaurants, Buddhist temples, must-see attractions, scenic parks, market streets, and more to visit. I clocked around 10 miles of walking daily and think I saw as much of this massive city as possible with my allotted time. My journey from east to west, north to south of Seoul was only possible by the city’s expansive public transportation network of buses and trains. And while I listened to “Magnetic” by K-Pop group ILLIT more times than I’ll admit (when in Korea, right?) through headphones on these trains and buses, I spent much of my time observing how others spent time waiting for their stop.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, everyone is glued to their phones, myself included. But unlike me, doom scrolling on X (formerly Twitter) before switching to Instagram before switching back to X, a lot of people were playing games I recognized, like League of Legends’ auto chess spin-off, Teamfight Tactics. But there we also plenty of other games I didn’t know, like Light of the Stars, Soul Strike, and more. While touring one of Nexon’s Seoul-based studios, Magnum Studio, I asked its head, Beomjun Lee, if mobile gaming is as popular as my public transportation travels had me believe. His answer was a quick yes. A study published by Statista Research Department in February concludes that, according to its 2022 survey, 63 percent of South Koreans play mobile games, with the market having an estimated worth of 14 trillion South Korean Won (or $10.2 billion) that year.
Nexon, the company that invited me to its studio, has plenty of mobile hits, like FIFA Mobile and MapleStory M, and a good amount on PC, too. Based on how many PC cafes I saw in Seoul, I’d guess PC is the biggest gaming market in South Korea or close behind mobile. But its staple of console releases features just two so far: KartRider: Drift and last year’s The Finals. With its PC and mobile gaming on lock, Nexon is slowly aiming West, looking to break into global markets and focusing on console releases alongside its usual output to do so. And what better way to do that than with a free-to-play (easy entry), third-person (ripe for customization), looter-shooter (a genre popularized by the likes of Destiny and Warframe that continues to dominate a large mindshare of games)?
Ambitions In Albion
Ambitions In Albion
The First Descendant is just that, and though I was weary of another free-to-play game, and another looter shooter at that, after an hour of hands-on time, I’m excited, antsy even, for its release this summer when I can play more.
Revealed last August as part of Gamescom 2023, The First Descendant is in development at Nexon’s Magnum Studio with its sights set on a Summer 2024 release. I pushed for a more exact release date, but the team wasn’t ready to share; it’s clear it’s working hard to polish it up in these last few months, and for good reason, too – the team has lofty ambitions with The First Descendant.
“The main feature of The First Descendant is the PvE co-op element,” Lee, who is also the lead producer of the game, tells me through a translator. “It’s an online shooter RPG, and we consider it the next generation of looter shooters.”
That term caught me by surprise. It’s a bold statement, almost braggadocious, but after talking with Lee and creative director Minseok Joo and playing the game for an hour, I understand where the team is coming from. In my early hands-on impressions, the First Descendant feels like a mish-mash of other greats in the genre. Taken literally, it’s also a looter shooter made exclusively for the “next generation” of consoles as it’s coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S alongside PC, with crossplay and cross-progression, too.
Going Hands-On
Going Hands-On
Dropped to an Earth-like sci-fi world where humanity is on its last leg in a city called Albion, my chosen character, Viessa, is searching for something called the Ironheart. She’s joined by an ally named Bunny (yes, her suit’s silhouette is that of a bunny). Immediately, weapons are crunchy and tactile. I sense every bullet in the controller and the on-screen recoil, and it feels great. It helps that the entire game, developed from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5, is gorgeous. I joke with Lee that I’m happy the team is making a console version of the game as The First Descendant will melt my PC, which is admittedly due for an upgrade. Seeing words like “frame generation,” “ray reconstruction,” and “ray tracing” in the options confirms my belief.
The weapons aren’t anything special, though. In my play session, I encounter machine guns, submachine guns, shotguns, grenade launchers, and long-range snipers. They all feel great, but The First Descendant isn’t doing anything new here. Each character’s magical powers are what makes combat distinct. Viessa has access to ice, with a passive skill that creates spheres of ice around her body to damage and slow enemies that get too close, and four active skills that do area-of-effect damage, increase running speed and shield, and more. She can even place a snowstorm onto the playfield, damaging and immobilizing those caught within.
Her abilities are wildly different from Valby, the water-based character I’d play as later. Valby consumes less mana when standing in water and has moves to create puddles, making for a rewarding ability loop. She can even liquify the area around her, allowing her to move through enemies with increased defense and speed. Viessa’s moves are more straightforward, but Valby’s is more rewarding as part of a co-op experience, even if it takes longer to get my sea legs.
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As I progress through the prologue, I encounter Karel, The First Descendant’s big bad. He immediately, seemingly, kills Bunny, and it’s clear he’s not mincing words. He will do whatever he must to obtain the Ironheart.
Unfortunately for Viessa, at the ready to avenge Bunny, Karel dips, leaving a Gravewalker tank boss behind. This boss fight (and the Stunning Beauty boss I’ll take on later while playing as Valby alongside a developer from Magnum Studio) is the highlight of my time with The First Descendant. Each boss has its own set of moves and mechanics to follow, including checks that require more strategic work, but how I, the player, fight them most intrigues me.
The First Descendant is fast. The characters move swiftly, and abilities, which fly loosely, allow them to zip around in combat. I can imagine the magical chaos that ensues with a full team of four. But the grapple hook excites me most about the possibilities of The First Descendant’s combat.
While fighting enemies, I scan by clicking the right stick to find weak points highlighted in blue. After shooting them enough, they turn yellow, meaning it’s time for my favorite part of the game: grappling up to the yellow part and ripping it off. It’s an awesome mechanic and takes an experience I’ve played hundreds of times in looter shooters – shoot the boss a bunch – and makes it more dynamic. It’s not just about shooting; it’s about blasting a weak point long enough that I can grapple to it and then work to yank it right off, shedding the boss’ layers as I do.
Crafting Your Descendant
Crafting Your Descendant
Outside of combat, the game offers plenty of customization that powers free-to-play experiences, though I don’t know how microtransactions will play into the game. You can customize loadouts for every character, each with their own weapons and abilities. There are a ton of costumes, ranging from maid outfits to fire brigade uniforms and more, and you can customize various areas of your character with unique chest pieces, Fortnite-style back pieces, and more. You can test out all of this in Albion’s Lab, a test field with customizable dummies to check your loadout’s damage output, feel, and more. Speaking to the team’s commitment to the game and its community, this Lab was recently added following feedback from a recent beta.
“This is my first time seeing it,” Lee says while showing it to me, indicating just how recently it was added. He says players can expect the game to change and grow with the community in this way.
I’m always nervous about free-to-play games and the associated monetization, but if The First Descendant sticks to cosmetic-focused microtransactions, as opposed to letting players pay to perform better in combat, for example, Magnum Studio is on the right track with the wealth of options I see for character customization.
I like that each character so far feels quite different, and leveling each up individually, instead of focusing on a single character for months or years, seems like a smart call in contrast with the genre. Knowing that three friends playing will have various Descendants to choose from, allowing for multiple strategies in how we approach missions, is exciting.
As for keeping players engaged beyond the game’s initial launch, Lee says the team is taking a seasonal approach, with new battle passes in each drop. As is now the standard in the live-service genre, each battle pass will contain season-specific cosmetics, and you’ll need to play through the new content to obtain them.
With an hour of The First Descendant playtime behind me, including a studio tour and interview with the team’s leads, I am (im)patiently waiting for its release this summer. Despite my initial love of Destiny and attempts in Warframe at one point in my gaming history, both (and many others in the genre) have passed me by. Jumping back into them is too daunt- ing and too confusing today. But The First Descendant is giving me what I want from those games, with variations on the formula, too. I still have questions, but Nexon still has time to answer them. For now, I’m crossing my fingers I get into the next beta.
This article originally appeared in Issue 366 of Game Informer.