When it comes to grippers, we will most likely think of a mechanic device similar to a human hand. As a matter of fact, it is far from an easy task for a robotic system to grip objects, for they come in various sizes, shapes and quantities.How can we design a universal gripper? The research team led by Prof. SONG Jizhou from the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics address this challenge by utilizing a simple shape memory polymer (SMP) block. As an emerging smart device, the SMP grip...

Cells are the basic unit of life. In the past several centuries, scientists have been employing such technologies as the microscope and flow cytometry to classify and identify different types of cells on the strength of phenotypic characteristics. However, selecting phenotypic characteristics is, more often than not, a matter of much subjective bias. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies have brought in their wake a revolutionary change to the current cell-type classification syste...

Rendering an object invisible with an invisibility cloak is a long-cherished dream for humanity and in the past decade it has riveted immense attention due to the advent of metamaterials. On March 24, the journal of Nature Photonics published the latest research conducted by the research team led by Prof. CHEN Hongsheng from the College of Information Science and Electronic Engineering, Zhejiang University. They proposed the concept of a self-adaptive cloak driven by deep learning with...

On Mar. 25, a video conference was held between Hangzhou and Daedeok, South Korea. Through this unusual way, a university-level memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by WU Zhaohui, President of ZJU and Sung-Chul Shin, President of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) during this challenging time of COVID-19 pandemic. Under the scope of this MOU, two universities will join hand to undertake more collaborative research. At the signing, President WU said: “ZJU is pleas...

“Panda blood” refers to the Rh-negative blood type in China, which, as the phrase suggests, is “as rare as pandas”. It is estimated that about 3 out of 1000 Chinese people have the Rh-negative blood type.Due to its extreme rarity, Rh-negative blood is constantly in short supply. Whether this life-saving blood can be available in a timely manner plays a critical role in the life of the patient with the Rh-negative blood type.To address this challenge, the research team led by TANG Ruikang, a ...

Microrobots are simply microscopic-scale automated machines designed to perform selected movements in response to specific stimuli—but their tiny size means that they could travel through the body to perform tasks that no conventional robot could do. Recent advances in microrobotics have exhibited considerable biomedical potential for targeted delivery, disease monitoring and minimally invasive surgery. Up till now, most of the propelled microrobots have been applied in vitro. However, more envi...

[Message from the Editor: On March 11,the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic, pointing to the over 118,000 cases of the coronavirus illness in over 110 countries and territories around the world and the sustained risk of further global spread.Zhejiang University community responded swiftly to the urgent request for support across the globe. In the brief 11 days from March 11 to March 21, the University organized a series of cloud conferences with close partners, Belt &a...

China’s first artificial upwelling demonstration project in the waters of Aoshan Bay, Shandong Province, has completed its trial phase recently. The project is undertaken by the research team led by FAN Wei, an associate professor from Ocean College.As of 2017, FAN Wei has committed himself to research into blue carbon in inshore waters in China. “Air-lift artificial upwelling can transport nutrient-rich water at the ocean bottom to the euphotic zone and promote the growth of phytoplankto...

Handbook of COVID-19 Prevention and Treatment, sponsored by Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation and compiled by a panel of medical experts from the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine (FAZHU) according to their clinical experience in fighting the pandemic, was officially released on March 18.  This handbook is based on the guidelines on prevention, control, diagnosis and treatment by the National Health Commission of China. It summarizes the first-ha...

Recently, COVID-19 has spread quickly all over the globe with the number of confirmed cases soaring in Italy. According to the Health Commission of Zhejiang Province, a special specialist team has been organized to support Italy in response to the epidemic.The team is comprised of 12 experts, including 7 from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University. They will set off for Milan, Italy from Shanghai Pudong International Airport on March 18. They will bring them with 30 ICU facilities,...