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Virtual reality separates the wood from the trees in forestry industry

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Virtual reality separates the wood from the trees in forestry industry


Virtual reality separates the wood from the trees in forestry industry
UniSA immersive technology expert Dr. Andrew Cunningham demonstrates the VR training tool for the forestry industry. Credit: University of South Australia

Virtual reality is set to revolutionize Australia’s $24 billion forestry industry by training workers risk-free, remotely, and much faster.

A VR immersive training tool developed by the University of South Australia is expected to save the industry millions of dollars in the long term.

Lead researcher and immersive technology expert Dr. Andrew Cunningham and developer Jack Fraser have spent the past year working on the VR tool to support training in South Australia’s forestry mills, and hope to roll it out nationally.

The “Mills Skills VR” tool uses virtual reality across a range of scenarios, immersing users in a 3D environment that simulates all aspects of forestry practices, training them in a risk-free setting.

“For the untrained, the forest industry is inherently risky, especially in the mills because it involves large, heavy machinery,” Dr. Cunningham says. “It is also a fast moving and busy environment, so if we can train workers to recognize the hazards and equip them with the skills before they step into the mill, it’s better for everyone.”

A significant benefit is that the trainees can use the VR tool anywhere in Australia, with a virtual reality headset, saving time and costs in flying them halfway across the country.

Workforce Development Manager at the Green Triangle Forest Industry Hub, Josh Praolini, says the VR training model could reshape how training is delivered to forest industry workers in Australia.






“At the moment, we rely on access to trainers and machinery that is an essential part of the mill operations. By training new recruits on these machines, you slow or halt production, and expose them to potential risks,” Praolini says.

“This virtual reality tool allows us to safely introduce recruits to multiple scenarios they could encounter in the mill, as well as offering updated training to existing workers without impacting day-to-day operations of the mill.”

Beyond the VR training, UniSA researchers are using immersive analytics tools to gather data on plantations and view the trees virtually in a 3D environment, checking for defects, wood quality and growing conditions.

“The ability to track, monitor and interact in virtual environments opens the door to an exciting future for Australia’s forest industry,” Mr. Praolini says.

Dr. Cunningham is confident the industry’s willingness to embrace new technology will also make it an appealing career choice for high school and university students.

“The forest industry currently supports around 80,000 direct jobs in Australia, but we still need a lot more workers. Virtual reality can take people into a mill and a plantation, showcasing what is involved and the opportunities that lie ahead for a progressive and satisfying career.”

The next step is to adapt the training tool to other industries where safety is important, including building and manufacturing.

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Virtual reality separates the wood from the trees in forestry industry (2024, October 9)
retrieved 9 October 2024
from https://techxplore.com/news/2024-10-virtual-reality-wood-trees-forestry.html

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How climate change impacts contaminants in the sea

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How climate change impacts contaminants in the sea


Heavy metals in the ocean become more toxic: How climate change impacts contaminants in the sea
Conceptual diagram of the natural and anthropogenic sources, sinks, and transport pathways of trace element contaminants in coastal ecosystems, which may interact with climate change (CC) drivers. Credit: Communications Earth & Environment (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s43247-024-01679-y

Toxic trace elements such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium naturally occur in small quantities in coastal seas. However, human activities, such as industry and agriculture, contribute significantly larger amounts.

A new study has examined how climate change already affects the distribution and accumulation of these elements and how it could impact them in the future. One of the findings: Climate-related natural events are releasing more contaminants, which pose a risk to both human and animal health. However, there is still insufficient knowledge about how these contaminants will behave in the future.

The ocean is warming, becoming more acidic, and losing oxygen—these are well-known effects of climate change. What has been less studied is how these changes are affecting contaminants in the seas. The new study, titled “Impacts of Climate Change on the Transport, Fate, and Biogeochemistry of Contaminants in Coastal Marine Ecosystems,” has investigated the interaction of trace elements with climate change. The findings have been published in Communications Earth & Environment.

Climate events are releasing more contaminants

“We wanted to understand how trace elements are being affected by climate change—an area that has seen very little research so far,” explains Dr. Rebecca Zitoun, marine chemist at GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel and co-lead author of the study alongside her Croatian colleague Dr. SaÅ¡a Marcinek from the RuÄ‘er BoÅ¡ković Institute in Zagreb. “We examined both human-induced and natural sources.”

Metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium enter the oceans not only through human activities such as industry or fossil fuel burning. Natural sources are also changing due to climate change: rising sea levels, rivers overflowing or drying up, melting sea ice and glaciers—all these processes mobilize and increase contaminant flows.

The study summarizes the findings of a working group of the UN Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) focusing on metal contaminants in the ocean.

The working group was initiated by Dr. Sylvia Sander, Professor of Marine Mineral Resources at GEOMAR and former head of the Marine Environmental Studies Laboratories at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Monaco. Christoph Völker from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) is also contributing from Germany.

“Our working group has focused on the effects of climate change and greenhouse gases on contaminants in the ocean,” explains Dr. Sander. One example of these impacts is rising mercury levels in Arctic waters: melting glaciers, thawing permafrost and coastal erosion are releasing more mercury from natural sources.

This poses a particular threat to communities that rely on traditional fishing, as mercury accumulates in the food chain and can end up on our plates through the consumption of contaminated fish.

Human sources of toxic metals

“Human activities have increased the global flow of toxic metals such as lead by tenfold and mercury by three to seven times compared to pre-industrial levels,” says Professor Sander. “Toxic elements like silver are increasingly detectable in coastal waters, originating from coal combustion and the growing use of silver nanoparticles in antibacterial products.”

Additionally, shipping and the use of plastics contribute to the spread of heavy metals. Plastics can bind metals such as copper, zinc, and lead from the water. These bound contaminants can also enter the food chain.

In the future, the human contribution of heavy metals could rise further due to the increasing exploitation of the oceans.

Trace elements in seawater are sensitive to climate change

Climate changes, such as rising sea temperatures, ocean acidification, and oxygen depletion, impact trace elements in various ways.

Higher water temperatures increase the bioavailability and uptake of trace elements such as mercury by marine organisms. This happens because higher temperatures boost metabolism, reduce oxygen solubility, and increase gill ventilation, leading to more metals entering organisms and accumulating in their bodies.

As the ocean absorbs most of the carbon dioxide (CO2) released by humans, it becomes more acidic—the pH level drops. This increases the solubility and bioavailability of metals such as copper, zinc, or iron. The effect is particularly pronounced with copper, which is highly toxic to many marine organisms at higher concentrations.

Furthermore, the growing depletion of oxygen, especially in coastal zones and on the seabed, enhances the toxic effects of trace elements. This stresses organisms that live directly in or on the seabed, such as mussels, crabs, and other crustaceans.

Double burden: Pollutants and climate change

Human activities influence the amount of contaminants in coastal regions in two ways: directly through the release of pollutants into the environment, and indirectly through the impacts of human-induced climate change on natural sources.

However, the study also reveals that there is still insufficient data on how climate change influences contaminants in the ocean. The working group calls for increased research into new and under-studied contaminants. Additionally, better models should be developed, and legislation adjusted to improve control over the impact of contaminants in the seas.

Dr. Zitoun states, “To better understand the impacts on ecosystems and human health, we need to close knowledge gaps on the interactions between pollutants and climate change and develop standardized methods that provide globally comparable data.”

This is a crucial step towards strengthening marine protection and developing sustainable solutions for vulnerable coastal areas.

More information:
Rebecca Zitoun et al, Climate change driven effects on transport, fate and biogeochemistry of trace element contaminants in coastal marine ecosystems, Communications Earth & Environment (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s43247-024-01679-y

Citation:
Heavy metals in the ocean become more toxic: How climate change impacts contaminants in the sea (2024, October 9)
retrieved 9 October 2024
from https://phys.org/news/2024-10-heavy-metals-ocean-toxic-climate.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.





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Scientists study elephant wrinkles to understand their purpose

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Scientists study elephant wrinkles to understand their purpose


Characterizing the development of wrinkles in Asian and African elephants to better understand their purpose
Asian (E. maximus) and African (L. africana) elephants differ in trunk morphology, including trunk wrinkles. Illustrations (a,h): Cindy Ritter. Photo credit (b–d): Lena Kaufmann, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin; Zoologischer Garten Berlin, Berlin, Germany. Photo credit (e–g): Lena Kaufmann, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin; Zoo Schönbrunn, Vienna, Austria. Credit: Royal Society Open Science (2024). DOI: 10.1098/rsos.240851

A multidisciplinary team of scientists has conducted a study of Asian and African elephant wrinkles to learn more about their purpose. In their study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the group studied zoo animals, museum specimens and photographs to learn more about the development and purpose of elephant wrinkles.

Prior research has shown that the elephant trunk is a remarkable anatomical structure—made of some 46,000 muscles, it can be bent, turned, twisted and flapped depending on the needs of its owner. Its tip is also moveable, acting as a hand or hook to help retrieve food.

Less well studied regarding the trunk, and the rest of an elephant, the researchers on this new effort noted, are its wrinkles. Elephants have wrinkles on most parts of their bodies, but they are most prominent on their legs and especially their trunks.

To learn more about the reason for the wrinkles, the research team studied how both Asian and African elephants in zoos moved and used their trunks. They also looked at preserved tissue and studied photographs of elephants still in the womb. By placing such photographs together to form a timeline, they were able to track the development of wrinkles.

The research team found that wrinkles develop while elephants are still in the womb; the animals grow increasingly more wrinkled as they age. They serve a specific purpose on the trunk, helping with shape shifting and when lifting objects.

In watching the elephants, the researchers also found that they have a “trunkedness,” in which individuals exhibit preference for wrapping or curling their trunk around an object from the same direction. Their preference results in physical adaptations to the trunk. There were more wrinkles on the curled-in side of the trunk to help hold objects and shorter whiskers on the opposite side of the trunk as they are continually scuffed against the ground.

More information:
Andrew K. Schulz et al, Elephants develop wrinkles through both form and function, Royal Society Open Science (2024). DOI: 10.1098/rsos.240851

© 2024 Science X Network

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Scientists study elephant wrinkles to understand their purpose (2024, October 9)
retrieved 9 October 2024
from https://phys.org/news/2024-10-scientists-elephant-wrinkles-purpose.html

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Meet the robotic ‘finger’ ready to check your pulse

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Meet the robotic ‘finger’ ready to check your pulse


Ultra-sensitive robotic "finger" can take patient pulses, check for lumps
Robotic finger. Credit: Hongbo Wang

Researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China have developed a soft robotic “finger” with a sophisticated sense of touch that can perform routine doctor’s office examinations, including taking a patient’s pulse and checking for abnormal lumps. This work was published October 9 in Cell Reports Physical Science.

Such technology could make it easier for doctors to detect diseases such as breast cancer early on, when they are more treatable. It may also help patients feel at ease during physical exams that can seem uncomfortable and invasive.

“By further development to improve its efficiency, we also believe that a dexterous hand made of such fingers can act as a ‘Robodoctor’ in a future hospital, like a physician,” says Hongbo Wang, a sensing technologies researcher at the University of Science and Technology of China and an author of the study.






Robot pulse taking. Credit: Cell Reports Physical Science/Wang et al.

“Combined with machine learning, automatic robotic examination and diagnosis can be achieved, particularly beneficial for these undeveloped areas where there is a serious shortage in health workers.”

While rigid robotic fingers already exist, experts have raised concerns that these devices might not be up to the delicate tasks required in a doctor’s office setting. Some have pointed to potential safety issues, including a fear that overzealous robotic fingers could rupture lumps during examinations.

More recently, scientists have developed lightweight, safe, and low-cost soft robotics that can recreate the movements of human hands. However, these devices haven’t been able to sense the complex properties of objects they touch the way real fingers do.

“Despite the remarkable progress in the last decade, most soft fingers presented in the literature still have substantial gaps compared to human hands,” the authors write, noting that robotic fingers have not been ready to handle ‘real world’ scenarios.”

To overcome this challenge, the researchers developed a simple device that contains conductive fiber coils with two parts—a coil wound on each air chamber of the device’s bending actuators (the parts that enable it to move) and a twisted liquid metal fiber mounted at the fingertip.

By measuring properties that affect how the device’s electrical current flows, the team found that they could monitor, in real time, how far the finger bends as it touches an object and the force at the fingertip. In this way, the device could perceive an object’s properties as effectively as human touch.

To test the device, the researchers started by brushing a feather against its fingertip.

“The magnified view clearly shows the resistance change, indicating its high sensitivity in force sensing,” the authors write.

Next, they tapped and pushed the fingertip with a glass rod and repeatedly bent the finger, observing that the device’s sensors accurately perceived the type and quantity of force they applied.

To test the finger’s medical chops, they mounted it on a robotic arm and watched as it identified three lumps embedded in a large silicone sheet, pressing on them like a doctor would. While mounted on the robotic arm, the finger also correctly located an artery on a participant’s wrist and took their pulse.

“Humans can easily recognize the stiffness of diverse objects by simply pressing it with their finger,” the authors write. “Similarly, since the [device] has the ability to sense both its bending deformation and the force at the fingertip, it can detect stiffness similar to our human hand by simply pressing an object.”

In addition to taking pulses and examining simulated lumps, the researchers found that the robotic finger can type “like a human hand,” spelling out the word “hello.”

By using additional sensors to create even more flexibility in the robotic finger’s joints, allowing the device to move in multiple directions like a human finger, it may be ready to perform effective and efficient medical examinations in the near future, the authors conclude.

“We hope to develop an intelligent, dexterous hand, together with a sensorized artificial muscle-driven robotic arm, to mimic the unparalleled functions and fine manipulations of the human hands,” said Wang.

More information:
Toward Human-Like Touch Sense via a Bioinspired Soft Finger with Self-Decoupled Bending and Force Sensing, Cell Reports Physical Science (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2024.102225. www.cell.com/cell-reports-phys … 2666-3864(24)00518-6

Citation:
Meet the robotic ‘finger’ ready to check your pulse (2024, October 9)
retrieved 9 October 2024
from https://techxplore.com/news/2024-10-ultra-sensitive-robotic-finger-patient.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.





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Wimbledon tennis tournament replaces line judges with AI technology in break with tradition

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Wimbledon tennis tournament replaces line judges with AI technology in break with tradition


Wimbledon tennis tournament replaces line judges with AI technology in break with tradition
Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka jokes with a line judge in his Men’s singles match against United States’ Reilly Opelka during the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 3, 2019. That long-held Wimbledon tradition of line judges dressed in elegant uniforms is no more. The All England Club has announced that artificial intelligence will be used to make the ‘out’ and ‘fault’ calls at the championships from 2025.Credit: AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File

That long-held Wimbledon tradition of line judges dressed in elegant uniforms is no more.

The All England Club announced Wednesday that artificial intelligence will be used to make the ‘out’ and ‘fault’ calls at the championships from 2025.

Wimbledon organizers said the decision to adopt live electronic line calling was made following extensive testing at the 2024 tournament and “builds on the existing ball-tracking and line-calling technology that has been in place for many years.”

“We consider the technology to be sufficiently robust and the time is right to take this important step in seeking maximum accuracy in our officiating,” said Sally Bolton, chief executive of the All England Club. “For the players, it will offer them the same conditions they have played under at a number of other events on tour.”

Bolton said Wimbledon had a responsibility to “balance tradition and innovation.”

“Line umpires have played a central role in our officiating set-up at the championships for many decades,” she said, “and we recognize their valuable contribution and thank them for their commitment and service.”

Line-calling technology has long been used at Wimbledon and other tennis tournaments to call whether serves are in or out.

  • Wimbledon tennis tournament replaces line judges with AI technology in break with tradition
    Line judges concentrate as Russia’s Daniil Medvedev plays Britain’s Arthur Fery in a first round men’s singles match on day three of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Wednesday, July 5, 2023. That long-held Wimbledon tradition of line judges dressed in elegant uniforms is no more. The All England Club has announced that artificial intelligence will be used to make the ‘out’ and ‘fault’ calls at the championships from 2025. Credit: AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File
  • Wimbledon tennis tournament replaces line judges with AI technology in break with tradition
    An aerial view of All England Tennis Club on day seven of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 8, 2019. Credit: Thomas Lovelock/AELTC via AP, Pool, File
  • Wimbledon tennis tournament replaces line judges with AI technology in break with tradition
    A line judge looks as Gael Monfils of France lies on the court after during his third round match against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, on July 5, 2024. That long-held Wimbledon tradition of line judges dressed in elegant uniforms is no more. The All England Club has announced that artificial intelligence will be used to make the ‘out’ and ‘fault’ calls at the championships from 2025. Credit: AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File

The All England Club also said Wednesday that the ladies’ and gentlemen’s singles finals will be scheduled to take place at the later time of 4 p.m. local time on the second Saturday and Sunday, respectively—and after doubles finals on those days.

Bolton said the moves have been made to ensure the day of the finals “builds towards the crescendo of the ladies’ and gentlemen’s singles finals, with our champions being crowned in front of the largest possible worldwide audience.”

© 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Citation:
Wimbledon tennis tournament replaces line judges with AI technology in break with tradition (2024, October 9)
retrieved 9 October 2024
from https://techxplore.com/news/2024-10-wimbledon-tennis-tournament-line-ai.html

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part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.





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