Coastal plants and animals have found a new way to survive in the open ocean—by colonizing plastic pollution. A new commentary published Dec. 2 in Nature Communications reports coastal species growing on trash hundreds of miles out to sea in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, more commonly known as the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch.”

An international business–academia collaboration has yielded a new type of projector that can project RGB and invisible infrared images simultaneously and independently at a high speed of almost 1,000 fps. With its high image alignment accuracy enabled by a custom optics engine, this projector will help closely integrate invisible sensing and visible display for a wide range of novel applications, such as dynamic projection mapping.

Researchers from Osaka University and Kanazawa University have found that the physical texture of robots influenced perceptions of robot personality. Furthermore, first impressions of robots, based on physical appearance alone, could influence the relationship between physical texture and robot personality formation. This work could facilitate the development of robots with perceived personalities that match user expectations.

During pandemic-induced isolation, researchers from the University of Minnesota surveyed older adults with vision loss, with hearing loss, or without either condition, asking the participants about their worries, well-being, and social isolation at six-week intervals. All three groups scored lower on a patient health questionnaire after the pandemic began; however, people with vision or hearing loss faced unique problems in lockdown. Disruptions to mobility systems affected people with low vision, and masks made conversations especially difficult for adults with hearing loss.