News

  • New tech tracks the “fingerprints” of 3D printed guns
    11/29/18
    An article on R&D Magazine interviews Wenyao Xu, associate professor of computer science and engineering, about 3D printed firearms and research he and colleagues are conducting to “fingerprint” the specific printer that a 3D-printed item originated from, enabling law enforcement agencies to track the origin of 3D-printed guns, counterfeit products and other goods.
  • The future of passwords? Your brain.
    10/27/18
    An article in Fast Company by Wenyao Xu and Zhanpeng Jin, both associate professors of computer science and engineering, looks at their work to invent a new type of biometric involving “brain passwords” that is uniquely tied to a single human being and can be reset if needed.
  • Media Advisory: UB to host kid-friendly robotics event Saturday
    10/26/18

    Activities include rides in a self-driving bus, robot demonstrations, robot programing and learning about careers in robotics.

  • Five faculty receive achievement awards from IEEE Region 1
    10/25/18

    Over the past two years, five faculty members from UB’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have received awards from the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) Region 1 chapter.

  • My thoughts are my password, because my brain reactions are unique
    10/25/18
    An article in The Conversation by Wenyao Xu and Zhanpeng Jin, both associate professors of computer science and engineering, looks at their work to invent a new type of biometric that is uniquely tied to a single human being and can be reset if needed.
  • 3D printing: A cheat sheet
    10/24/18
    An article on Tech Republic about 3D printing, common uses and what organizations adopting the technology need to know reports a group of UB researchers have devised a way to match patterns etched onto the surface of a 3D-printed object to the printer that produced it, a discovery that would make it possible to trace 3D printed guns.
  • There’s finally a way to trace ‘untraceable’ 3D printed guns
    10/23/18
    An article on Digital Trends reports on research by Wenyao Xu, associate professor of computer science and engineering, that has discovered the first way to track 3D-printed objects, including guns, using the unique “fingerprints” that 3D printers leave on the objects they produce.
  • Who are China’s top 5 tech billionaires and what was their ‘eureka!’ moment?
    10/22/18
    A story in the South China Morning Post about the ‘Eureka moments’ of China’s top 5 tech billionaires reports that one of them, Robin Li, an alumnus of UB who created Baidu, was inspired to create a search engine when, starting in middle school, he loved going to the library but found it hard to find what he wanted.  
  • Researchers discover a new way to identify 3D printed guns
    10/22/18
    Global coverage continued on a UB-developed method to track items, including guns, made on 3D printers. A story in Futurity quoted Wenyao Xu, an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, who said: “3D printing has many wonderful uses, but it's also a counterfeiter's dream. Even more concerning, it has the potential to make firearms more readily available to people who are not allowed to possess them.” 
  • Robots use environmental clues to build structures
    10/22/18
    An article in Mechanical Engineering magazine, a publication of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), reports on research by Nils Napp, assistant professor of computer science, to develop autonomous robots that can overcome uneven terrain and other obstacles.