Technology

A team of engineers and environmental scientists from Mälardalen University, in Sweden, Southwest Jiaotong University, in China and Guizhou University, also in China, has developed a balloon system for producing and delivering electricity to the ground below. Their work is published in the journal Energy.... Read more

A research team from multiple institutions in China has proposed a novel concept of a thermal dome that could significantly advance the field of thermal invisibility technology. The study, published in Engineering, offers a potential solution to long-standing limitations in traditional thermal cloaking devices.... Read more

A research team affiliated with UNIST has unveiled an ultra-strong adhesive patch platform that adheres effectively to rough skin surfaces and shows remarkable motion adaptiveness during dynamic body movements, all while offering irritation-free removal on demand. The key to this technology lies in the surface adaptability inspired by barnacles and... Read more

A small team of computer scientists and sociologists, working with Google DeepMind, has developed an AI application that can generate a simulation of a person's personality after interviewing them for just two hours. The group has written a paper describing their work and where they believe such efforts are heading;... Read more

Using generative artificial intelligence, a team of researchers at The University of Texas at Austin has converted sounds from audio recordings into street-view images. The visual accuracy of these generated images demonstrates that machines can replicate human connection between audio and visual perception of environments.... Read more

A team of biomedical engineers and virtual reality researchers has developed a lollipop interface to simulate taste in a virtual environment. They have published their research in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.... Read more

Madison engineers have found a way to simultaneously mitigate three types of defects in parts produced using a prominent additive manufacturing technique called laser powder bed fusion.... Read more

Predicting material failure is a significant challenge in materials science, as stress history often leaves no visible signs. To address this, researchers at ETH Zurich's Laboratory for Soft Materials and Interfaces, Multi-Scale Robotics Lab, and Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences have developed a smart self-reporting material.... Read more

If conventional speaking valves for tracheostomized patients are used improperly, dangerous overpressure can occur, which can cause serious complications and even death. In a collaboration between the Freiburg Botanical Garden, the Medical Center—University of Freiburg and the Cluster of Excellence livMatS of the University of Freiburg, researchers developed a speaking... Read more

Have you ever wondered why an airplane has a vertical tailfin? The plane needs it to stabilize its flight. Since flying without a vertical tail is much more energy-efficient, the aviation industry has worked hard to accomplish this—so far without much success. However, birds don't need a vertical fin, which... Read more

While camping is a great opportunity to unplug and connect with nature, it's hard not to rely on some sort of technology—cellphones, radios, lanterns, and portable chargers are all useful tools to bring along while exploring the wilderness. Research by Lixian Guo at the University of Canterbury may make it... Read more

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told customers at a conference in Chicago on Tuesday that the company is teaching a new set of artificial intelligence tools how to "act on our behalf across our work and life."... Read more

Imagine having a live art class taught by Leonardo da Vinci, or having a fully interactive discussion about the meaning of life with Socrates. You can now do this in your living room with a laptop and headset through startups like Ireland's Engage XR and Sweden's Hello History, combining the... Read more

Yahya Sinwar, the former leader of the Hamas militant organization, was killed by the Israeli military in the south Gazan city of Rafah in October 2024. Given the role Sinwar played in the planning and execution of the October 7 terrorist attack, as well as his role in the development... Read more

Korean electronics company, LG Display Co., Ltd. has announced on its product development page that it has developed a video screen that can be stretched from its default length of 12 inches to 18 inches.... Read more

Imagine using artificial intelligence to compare two seemingly unrelated creations—biological tissue and Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9." At first glance, a living system and a musical masterpiece might appear to have no connection. However, a novel AI method developed by Markus J. Buehler, the McAfee Professor of Engineering and professor of... Read more

The COVID-19 pandemic radically changed how many Canadians work. According to Statistics Canada, remote work rose to 40% in April 2020 and fell to 18.7% as of May 2024.... Read more

Waymo on Tuesday opened its robotaxi service to anyone who wants a ride around Los Angeles, marking another milestone in the evolution of self-driving car technology since the company began as a secret project at Google 15 years ago.... Read more

Engineers in Australia have found a way to make stronger and crack-resistant concrete with scrap carpet fibers, rolling out the red carpet for sustainability in the construction sector.... Read more

The Vatican and Microsoft on Monday unveiled a digital twin of St. Peter's Basilica that uses artificial intelligence to explore one of the world's most important monument's while helping the Holy See manage visitor flows and identify conservation problems.... Read more

Three-dimensional (3D) integration has opened new possibilities for the development of denser circuits with more interconnected electronic components. 3D integration approaches entail stacking multiple layers of electronic circuits together, ultimately producing more compact and efficient devices.... Read more

When light hits the surface of some materials, namely those exhibiting a property known as photoresistance, it can induce changes in their electrical conductivity. Graphene is among these materials, as incident light can excite electrons within it, affecting its photoconductivity.... Read more

A portrait of English mathematician Alan Turing became the first artwork by a humanoid robot to be sold at auction, fetching more than $1.0 million on Thursday.... Read more

The 2023 blaze in Lahaina, Hawaii, which claimed more than 100 lives and burned 6,500 acres of land across Maui, is a tragic example of how rapid wildfire spread can make effective response efforts impossible, resulting in the loss of life and property.... Read more

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection is a significant concern in the chemical and electronics industries. In electronics, ESD often causes integrated circuit failures due to rapid voltage and current discharges from charged objects, such as human fingers or tools.... Read more

Using a custom-built machine to launch microprojectiles at supersonic speeds, Cornell researchers have uncovered new details about how high-speed metallic collisions can form strong, durable atomic bonds, offering insights that could enhance 3D printing and other manufacturing techniques.... Read more

Imagine a robot that can detect scents in the air and track down their sources as efficiently as a dog or a mouse. If realized, it could detect small wildfires in dense forests, find people buried in debris after an earthquake, or even hunt for truffles.... Read more

A Northwestern University-led team of engineers has developed a new type of wearable device that stimulates the skin to deliver various complex sensations.... Read more

Data is power. According to Dinesh Bharadia, an associate professor at UC San Diego in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering with an affiliate appointment in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and the Qualcomm Institute (QI), "data will be the next decade's 'silicon.'"... Read more

By mimicking the structure of a leaf beetle, researchers have developed a superhydrophobic surface resistant to water droplet impact and pressure. This technology is anticipated to enhance efficiency and reduce maintenance costs across various industries, including marine, aviation, and energy. The results are published in Advanced Materials.... Read more

Over the past decade, wearable electronics—especially those with health care applications—have become increasingly popular, but researchers are still figuring out the best way to power them.... Read more

Japan is planning to build an automated cargo transport corridor between Tokyo and Osaka, dubbed a "conveyor belt road" by the government, to make up for a shortage of truck drivers.... Read more

Scientists are testing a drone fitted with its own "nervous system" which they claim can keep it operating in the sky for longer. It was created by experts at the University of Southampton who say the system, made of optical fibers, reduces the frequency it needs to land for inspection.... Read more

Autonomous truck company Aurora Innovation says it won't start hauling freight without humans on board until April of next year, a delay from previous statements that commercial service would begin by the end of 2024.... Read more

Someday, people might finally say goodbye to defrosting the freezer or scraping frost off slippery surfaces. Northwestern University engineers have developed a new strategy that prevents frost formation before it begins.... Read more

A research team has successfully developed a new high-performance metal 3D-printed alloy tailored for space environments. The newly developed alloy demonstrated exceptional mechanical performance at extreme cryogenic temperatures as low as -196°C, proving its high potential for space exploration and extreme environment applications.... Read more

An invention made from waste polystyrene that generates static electricity from motion and wind could lower power usage by recycling waste energy in air conditioners and other applications.... Read more

Researchers from Northwestern University, University of Virginia, Carnegie Mellon University, and Argonne National Laboratory have made a significant advancement in defect detection and process monitoring for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing.... Read more

Jeremy Ford hates wasting water.... Read more

University of Oxford researchers have made a significant step towards realizing miniature, soft batteries for use in a variety of biomedical applications, including the defibrillation and pacing of heart tissues. The work has been published in the journal Nature Chemical Engineering.... Read more

The ideal material for interfacing electronics with living tissue is soft, stretchable, and just as water-loving as the tissue itself—in short, a hydrogel. Semiconductors, the key materials for bioelectronics such as pacemakers, biosensors, and drug delivery devices, on the other hand, are rigid, brittle, and water-hating, impossible to dissolve in... Read more

Researchers at Tampere University have developed the world's first soft touchpad that can sense the force, area and location of contact without electricity. The device utilizes pneumatic channels, enabling its use in environments such as MRI machines and other conditions that are unsuitable for electronic devices. Soft devices like soft... Read more

Today's 3D printers make it fairly easy to conjure, say, a chess set into existence. But these printers are largely fixed in place. So if someone wants to add 3D-printed elements to a room—a footrest beneath a desk, for instance—the project gets more difficult. A space must be measured. The... Read more

Recent technological advances have opened new valuable opportunities for assisting senior adults and individuals with physical disabilities. For instance, they have enabled the development of new interactive systems designed that can assist users with everyday activities, such as eating, reading or practicing their memory.... Read more

If a phone or other electronic device were made of soft materials, how would that change its use? Would it be more durable? If hospital health monitoring equipment were made of less rigid components, would it make it easier for patients to wear?... Read more

Two new kinds of on-skin electronics created by Cornell University researchers allow users to build and customize them directly on the body—with potential applications in biometric sensing, medical monitoring, interactive prosthetic makeup and more.... Read more

A breakthrough in hybrid patch technology promises to prevent cracks while maintaining robust adhesion without the use of chemical adhesives. This innovation is anticipated to drive advancements in wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) equipment, and the health care industry.... Read more

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are neuromorphic transistors made of carbon-based materials that combine both electronic and ionic charge carriers. These transistors could be particularly effective solutions for amplifying and switching electronic signals in devices designed to be placed on the human skin, such as smart watches, trackers that monitor physiological... Read more

For Deaf people, train travel can be a gamble. On an average day, nothing goes wrong: they catch their train to their destination and carry on with their business.... Read more

The advent of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked concerns about the diminishing value of traditional art forms and the potential for substitution. Nonetheless, through their fusion, they offer new avenues for conserving art and culture while also igniting interest in passing down the heritage from generation to generation.... Read more