Technology

A new study shows an application of machine-learning directed optimization (ML-DO) that efficiently searches for high-performance design configurations in the context of biohybrid robots. Applying a machine learning approach, the researchers created mini biohybrid rays made of cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells) and rubber with a wingspan of about 10 mm... Read more

Electronic textiles, such as heating pads and electric blankets, can keep the wearer warm and help ease aches and pains. However, prolonged use of these devices could cause heat-related illnesses, including hyperthermia or burns.... Read more

How can we increase our understanding and commitment to environmentally friendly architecture? There is much evidence to suggest that visualization using AR can help us.... Read more

In the future, autonomous drones could be used to shuttle inventory between large warehouses. A drone might fly into a semi-dark structure the size of several football fields, zipping along hundreds of identical aisles before docking at the precise spot where its shipment is needed.... Read more

English soccer will use semi-automated offside technology for the first time in the fifth round of the FA Cup at the start of March.... Read more

A biohybrid hand which can move objects and do a scissor gesture has been built by a team at the University of Tokyo and Waseda University in Japan. The researchers used thin strings of lab-grown muscle tissue bundled into sushi-like rolls to give the fingers enough strength to contract.... Read more

Imagine buying a flat sheet from a furniture store that changes into a sofa when you heat it with a hairdryer. Or consider the value of a stent that precisely expands inside a patient's artery, adapting to their unique anatomy.... Read more

While traditional 3D printers work by depositing layers of material, tomographic volumetric additive manufacturing (TVAM) involves shining laser light at a rotating vial of resin until it hardens where accumulated energy exceeds a certain threshold. An advantage of TVAM is that it can produce objects in a matter of seconds,... Read more

An electrospray engine applies an electric field to a conductive liquid, generating a high-speed jet of tiny droplets that can propel a spacecraft. These miniature engines are ideal for small satellites called CubeSats that are often used in academic research.... Read more

The same search and rescue technologies developed by NASA for astronaut missions to space help locate and rescue people across the United States and around the world.... Read more

Pomelo is a large citrus fruit commonly grown in Southeast and East Asia. It has a very thick peel, which is typically discarded, resulting in a considerable amount of food waste. In a new study published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers explore ways to... Read more

Microgrippers are essential tools for manipulating minute objects, with applications ranging from medical biopsies to microassembly in electronics. However, traditional microgripper technologies have faced significant limitations, including reliance on complex light sources, high voltages, and bulky magnetic systems.... Read more

From the bronze age to the Industrial Revolution and beyond, the discovery and development of new materials has been a driving force in human history. These novel materials have helped advance technology and shape civilizations.... Read more

A new form of energy-efficient artificial vision system inspired by the human brain and made in part using honey could help reduce the impact of electronic waste.... Read more

Extraterrestrial landers sent to gather samples from the surface of distant moons and planets have limited time and battery power to complete their mission. Aerospace and computer science engineering researchers at The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign trained a model to autonomously assess and scoop quickly, then... Read more

The rapid advancement of the electronics industry is opening new possibilities for the development of increasingly advanced device components, including displays. Many of the most widely used and highly performing displays developed to date are based on organic light-emitting diodes (OLED), devices based on organic materials that emit light when... Read more

University of Guelph (U of G) researchers have developed a slime-like material that produces electricity when compressed. When the team studied their prototype using the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan, they discovered the material has an array of potential applications.... Read more

Scientists have developed a new approach to significantly enhance the spatial resolution of distributed temperature sensing using plastic optical fibers (POFs). Their work demonstrates the successful detection of temperature changes over short distances, achieving a theoretical spatial resolution of approximately 4.8 centimeters.... Read more

High-speed electronic devices that do not use much power are useful for wireless communication. High-speed operation has traditionally been achieved by making devices smaller, but as devices become smaller, fabrication becomes increasingly difficult.... Read more

Researchers from the Ateneo de Manila University and from National University- Mall of Asia Campus have found a surprising new use for the copious amounts of volcanic ash scattered across the Philippines: It can be used to shield against harmful radiation.... Read more

Electrochemical stimuli-responsive materials are gaining more attention in the world of display technology. Based on external stimuli, such as low voltage, these materials can instantaneously undergo electrochemical reactions.... Read more

A class of synthetic soft materials called liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) can change shape in response to heat, similar to how muscles contract and relax in response to signals from the nervous system. 3D printing these materials opens new avenues to applications, ranging from soft robots and prosthetics to compression... Read more

Self-healing asphalt roads, made from biomass waste and designed with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), could offer a promising solution to the UK's pothole problem, which is estimated to cost £143.5 million a year.... Read more

A more sustainable new form of electronic tag could help reduce the vast environmental impact caused by single-use RFID technologies, researchers say.... Read more

The electronics of the future can be made even smaller and more efficient by getting more memory cells to fit in less space. One way to achieve this is by adding the noble gas xenon when manufacturing digital memories.... Read more

A landmark development led by researchers from the University of Glasgow could help create a new generation of diamond-based transistors for use in high-power electronics.... Read more

An aircraft developed by Boom Supersonic became the first independently funded jet to break the sound barrier this week. The XB-1 aircraft accelerated to Mach 1.05 at about 35,000 feet during a test flight Tuesday in the same Mojave Desert airspace in California where Charles "Chuck" Yeager was the first... Read more

A home robot trained to perform household tasks in a factory may fail to effectively scrub the sink or take out the trash when deployed in a user's kitchen, since this new environment differs from its training space.... Read more

Quantum researchers from CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, have demonstrated the potential for quantum computing to significantly improve how we solve complex problems involving large datasets, highlighting the potential of using quantum in areas such as real-time traffic management, agricultural monitoring, health care, and energy optimization.... Read more

Recent technological advances have opened new possibilities for the development of assistive and medical tools, including prosthetic limbs. While these limbs used to be hard objects with the same shape as limbs, prosthetics are now softer and look more realistic, with some also integrating robotic components that considerably broaden their... Read more

Of all the things that Donald Trump's return as US president could mean, one is that Elon Musk's plan to use Starship rockets for long-distance flights on Earth could move forward. Dubbed Starship Earth to Earth, this would see passengers transported by rocket between cities. They would briefly leave the... Read more

When 3D printing was first introduced in 1985, it marked a major turning point for the manufacturing industry. In addition to being cheaper than traditional manufacturing technologies, it also promised the ability to customize designs and make prototypes on demand. While its technology is still considered relatively new, there has... Read more

Researchers at the Technical University of Darmstadt and the Helmholtz Center Dresden-Rossendorf have developed flexible robot wings that are moved by magnetic fields. Inspired by the efficiency and adaptability of the wings of the monarch butterfly, they enable precise movements without electronics or batteries.... Read more

Researchers have measured the thinking time of London taxi drivers—famous for their knowledge of more than 26,000 streets across the city—as part of a study into the future of AI route-mapping.... Read more

The electronics industry has been rapidly advancing over the past few decades, leading to the development of countless devices of different sizes and shapes, which are designed for a variety of applications.... Read more

In a pioneering experiment, a robotic sample preparation platform, driven by artificial intelligence (AI) was used to undertake simultaneous experiments at both Diamond Light Source, the UK's National Synchrotron, and the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, the UK's National Neutron and Muon Source.... Read more

When a tennis player serves at 200km/h in 30°C heat, their clothing isn't just fabric. It becomes a key part of their performance.... Read more

Maxwell Brodie vividly recalls the destructive wildfire he experienced as a kid growing up in the interior of British Columbia.... Read more

A research team has successfully developed innovative artificial muscle fibers capable of producing and storing energy. The team anticipates that these findings will have broad applications in fields such as advanced textiles, medical robotics, and wearable devices. The research is published in the Chemical Engineering Journal.... Read more

Most batteries are rigid and incompatible with water. But people work and play in oceans and estuaries, and they could benefit from flexible and saltwater-safe power sources.... Read more

The mystique of Mars has been studied for centuries. The fourth planet from the sun is reminiscent of a rich, red desert and features a rugged surface challenging to traverse. While several robotic missions have landed on Mars, NASA has only explored 1% of its surface.... Read more

Computer animators and video game designers may soon have a better way to create the purple-green sheen of a grackle's wing, or the pink flash on a hummingbird's throat, thanks to a new method for rendering iridescent feathers.... Read more

Scientists at the University of Strathclyde have created the world's first fully 3D printed microscope in under three hours and for less than £50—a fraction of the cost of traditional devices.... Read more

A favorite childhood memory for Dr. Sandra Chapman was visiting the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor with her father. So it's appropriate that Chapman—a program officer in the Office of Naval Research's (ONR) Warfighter Performance Department—is passionate about her involvement in the development of an innovative technology recently applied... Read more

A team of roboticists at Sony Computer Science Laboratories Inc. and the NeuroPiano Institute, in Kyoto, reports that a robotic exoskeleton strapped to the top of a piano player's hand allowed it to control the player's fingers during speed exercises, leading to improvements in playing fast-moving piano tunes. In their... Read more

Finding new angles on an old artform, McGill researchers have increased the number of stable shapes that kirigami-based engineered materials can take, opening the way to a range of new applications. Their study is published in Advanced Materials.... Read more

Keen to improve India's abysmal crowd management record at large-scale religious events, organizers of the world's largest human gathering are using artificial intelligence to try to prevent stampedes.... Read more

A team of engineers at the California Institute of Technology, working with colleagues from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Princeton University, has developed what they have named polycatenated architected materials (PAMs) that can be used as wireframe elements to create novel 3D structures with interesting properties.... Read more

The search for long-lost shipwrecks, downed aircraft and even rare species of coral and fish could become easier thanks to an image enhancement technology developed by James Cook University researchers.... Read more

A German flying taxi firm was Tuesday saved from collapse after investors swooped in to take it over, in a case that has fired debate about support for the country's startup scene.... Read more