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Attackers can break voice authentication with up to 99 per cent success within six tries Computer scientists at the University of Waterloo have discovered a method of attack that can successfully bypass voice authentication security systems with up to a 99% success rate after only six tries. Voice authentication - which allows companies to verify the identity of their clients via a supposedly unique "voiceprint" - has increasingly been used in remote banking, call centers and other security-critical scenarios.

Novel technology could be useful in the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, cosmetic and personal care industries Researchers at the University of Waterloo have developed a simple, low-cost method for accurately encapsulating core materials (which could be pure liquid or liquid containing suspended functional ingredients) that could make important contributions to a wide range of industry applications.

Researchers from Universities of Waterloo, Toronto, Yale, UPenn discuss AI and its application to their work In an article published yesterday in the prestigious journal Science , leading researchers from the University of Waterloo, University of Toronto, Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania look at how AI (large language models or LLMs in particular) could change the nature of their work.

The novel technique might also be able to detect breast and prostate cancers A University of Waterloo engineer's MRI invention reveals better than many existing imaging technologies how COVID-19 can change the human brain. The new imaging technique known as correlated diffusion imaging (CDI) was developed by systems design engineering professor Alexander Wong and recently used in a groundbreaking study by scientists at Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute and Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto.

Public peer recognition may make some employees feel unfairly treated In fast-paced and often rapidly changing work environments, employers continue to seek new and improved ways to recognize employees in the workplace. However, new research from the University of Waterloo suggests that public peer recognition may backfire by enabling comparisons among employees, and these comparisons may make some employees feel unfairly treated.

Researchers have developed intelligent hydrogel materials for use as a reusable wound dressing One of the challenges in treating burn victims is the frequency of dressing changes, which can be extremely painful. To bring relief to this and other problems, University of Waterloo researchers have created a new type of wound dressing material using advanced polymers.

Foregrounding Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Water research Faculty of Environment and the Water Institute The Land Back movement has called for global solidarity to address the oppression and dispossession of Indigenous Peoples' lands and territories. The alienation of Indigenous Peoples from Water has largely been absent from this call to action.

Other aspects of treatment in long-term care homes generally remained the same a year into the pandemic While most aspects of care quality in long-term care homes did not differ in the first year of the pandemic from pre-pandemic levels, a new study shows that the use of antipsychotic drugs increased in all provinces.

Waterloo Will Percival gives public talk on upcoming Euclid mission By Jon Parsons University Relations Dr. Will Percival is a primary science coordinator for the Euclid space mission, set to launch from Cape Canaveral this July. Percival is the Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis Distinguished Chair in Astrophysics, director of the Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics and a full professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

May 31, 2023 New paper offers urban governance actors guidance to prioritize citizens that are most vulnerable to climate change  Municipal climate action plans often identify equity and justice as goals, but engagement with these concepts is mostly rhetorical. A new study from the University of Waterloo details how planners can bridge the gap and challenge the current state of climate change and social inequity.

May 17, 2023 First of its kind study quantifies mental and physical health value of urban parks A new framework developed by University of Waterloo researchers demonstrates the significant economic health savings and benefits from urban park investments. In the first case study of its kind in Canada, researchers looked at Peterborough's new Quaker Foods City Square park, which cost taxpayers $6.4 million, and have estimated the economic value of physical and mental health benefits that could come from it at more than $4 million per year.

Waterloo professor is part of an emerging field that calls for establishing a governance framework for ocean-based climate interventions Faculty of Environment From its current capacity as a carbon sink to its potential as a site for generating renewable energy, and managing solar radiation, the ocean is increasingly at the forefront of discussions around climate mitigation strategies. However, efforts to develop ocean-based climate interventions expose the ocean to various threats that harm biodiversity, pollute, and change its very chemistry.

May 15, 2023 Robots can help find objects you've lost, thanks to new 'artificial memory' Engineers at the University of Waterloo have discovered a new way to program robots to help people with dementia locate medicine, glasses, phones and other objects they need but have lost. And while the initial focus is on assisting a specific group of people, the technology could someday be used by anyone who has searched high and low for something they've misplaced.

May 9, 2023 New neurocognitive model for understanding - and changing - how we see ourselves and the world could improve therapies for treating mental health By Elizabeth Rogers and Zoe Tipper Faculty of Arts Throughout our lives, our experiences shape how we view ourselves and the world around us. These views, known in psychology as schemas, can negatively impact our mental health and be difficult to change.

The first comprehensive analysis of e-waste in Canada found electronic waste has tripled and is steadily growing New research finds that Canada's electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) has more than tripled in the last two decades, the equivalent of filling the CN tower 110 times and generating close to a million tons in 2020 alone.

May 3, 2023 New material converts vibrations into electricity  In a world hungry for clean energy, engineers have created a new material that converts the simple mechanical vibrations all around us into electricity to power sensors in everything from pacemakers to spacecraft. The first of its kind and the product of a decade of work by researchers at the University of Waterloo and the University of Toronto, the novel generating system is compact, reliable, low-cost and very, very green.

May 1, 2023 Study's findings could help designers of VR experiences create more comfortable and enjoyable environments for users  The way our senses adjust while playing high-intensity virtual reality games plays a critical role in understanding why some people experience severe cybersickness and others don't.

April 27, 2023 Researchers develop a new mining technique to recover metals and store carbon in the waste produced by mining Researchers have developed a new mining technique which uses microbes to recover metals and store carbon in the waste produced by mining. Adopting this technique of reusing mining waste, called tailings, could transform the mining industry and create a greener and more sustainable future.

April 24, 2023 Unique smart fabric is the first to change both colour and shape in response to two different stimuli A new smart material developed by researchers at the University of Waterloo is activated by both heat and electricity, making it the first ever to respond to two different stimuli. The unique design paves the way for a wide variety of potential applications, including clothing that warms up while you walk from the car to the office in winter and vehicle bumpers that return to their original shape after a collision.

April 19, 2023 University of Waterloo researchers use a mathematical model to understand diuretic effectiveness  New research from a team based at the University of Waterloo suggests that the time of day and a patient's sex may alter the effectiveness of certain blood pressure medications. Biological sex and the body's circadian clock are critical factors in managing blood pressure.