In the original Star Wars film, R2D2 projects an image of Princess Leia in distress. The iconic scene includes the line still famous 40 years later: “Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.” BYU electrical and computer engineering professor and holography expert Daniel Smalley has long had a goal to create the same type of 3D image projection. In a paper published in Nature, Smalley details the method he has devel...

Most football fans have seen players get hit so hard they can barely walk back to the sideline. All too often in years past, those players were back on the field just a few plays later, despite suffering what appeared to be a head injury. While football-related concussions have been top of mind in recent years, people have struggled to create technology to accurately measure them in real time.

BYU engineering professors have created an origami-inspired, lightweight bulletproof shield that can protect law enforcement from gunfire. The new barrier can be folded compactly when not in use, making it easier to transport and deploy. When expanded—which takes only five seconds—it can provide cover for officers and stop bullets from several types of handguns.

Research coauthored by Brigham Young University researchers may lead to a more accurate system for early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of prostate cancer. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, details a computer model that uses medical images to reproduce the growth patterns of prostate cancer on the anatomy of a patient's prostate.

A method of 3D printing created by Computer Science Professors Michael Jones and Kevin Seppi removes the amount of skill required to design an object for 3D printing. The approach uses clay for modeling the basic shape of the desired object around blocks or "blanks" that represent the interactive buttons, knobs, or sliders that will make the object functional.

Brigham Young University mechanical engineering professors Larry Howell and Spencer Magleby have applied the principles of origami to engineering. Now they're applying origami skills to a new realm: the human body. The duo, along with professor Brian Jensen and their students, are working toward surgical technology that will allow for the manufacturing of instruments so small that the size of incisions necessary to accommodate the tools can heal ...

Most people can tell if you’re angry based on the way you’re acting. Professor Jeffrey Jenkins can tell if you’re angry by the way you move a computer mouse. The BYU information systems expert says people experiencing anger (and other negative emotions—frustration, confusion, sadness) become less precise in their mouse movements and move the cursor at different speeds.