Technology

A wearable 'smart' choker for speech recognition has the potential to redefine the field of silent speech interface (SSI), say researchers—thanks to embedded ultrasensitive textile strain sensor technology.... Read more

A new ultra-small electronic nose (e-nose) that operates on ultralow power opens up possibilities for applications in various fields, such as air quality monitoring, health diagnostics, food safety, and environmental protection.... Read more

Butterflies can see more of the world than humans, including more colors and the field oscillation direction, or polarization, of light. This special ability enables them to navigate with precision, forage for food and communicate with one another. Other species, like the mantis shrimp, can sense an even wider spectrum... Read more

Windows, the vital conduits between indoor spaces and the external environment, also serve as primary entry points for harmful light waves and electromagnetic (EM) waves. However, managing light transmission and scattering typically requires different material systems and devices.... Read more

In the rapidly evolving world of 3D printing, the pursuit of faster, more efficient and versatile production methods is never-ending. Traditional 3D printing techniques, while groundbreaking, are often time-consuming and limited in the kinds of materials they can use as feedstock.... Read more

Optical illusions, quantum mechanics and neural networks might seem to be quite unrelated topics at first glance. However, in new research published in APL Machine Learning, I have used a phenomenon called "quantum tunneling" to design a neural network that can "see" optical illusions in much the same way humans... Read more

Researchers at the University of Toronto have found that using virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) can temporarily change the way people perceive and interact with the real world—with potential implications for the growing number of industries that use these technologies for training purposes.... Read more

Automating food is unlike automating anything else. Food is fundamental to life—nourishing body and soul—so how it's accessed, prepared and consumed can change societies fundamentally.... Read more

A study by more than a dozen scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory examines potential strategies to integrate quantum computing with the world's most powerful supercomputing systems in the pursuit of science.... Read more

A team of electrical and computer engineers at Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, working with one colleague from City University of Hong Kong and another with Fudan University, has developed a new two-dimensional, low-power-consumption field-effect transistor (FET) that could allow smartphones to need recharging... Read more

A new study uses co-creation with reference communities to develop an app for sign language machine translation (SLMT). The research team designed a theatrical performance in sign language, seen through the eyes of artificial intelligence (AI), as one of the methodologies.... Read more

As climate change creates hotter, drier conditions, we are seeing longer fire seasons with larger, more frequent wildfires. In recent years, catastrophic wildfires have destroyed homes and infrastructure, caused devastating losses in lives and livelihoods of people living in affected areas, and damaged wildland resources and the economy. We need... Read more

Your early morning run could soon help harvest enough electricity to power your wearable devices, thanks to a new nanotechnology developed at the University of Surrey.... Read more

Transistors, the building blocks of integrated circuits, face growing challenges as their size decreases. Developing transistors that use novel operating principles has become crucial to enhancing circuit performance.... Read more

An insect species that evolved 130 million years ago is the inspiration for a new research study to improve navigation systems in drones, robots, and orbiting satellites.... Read more

Over the past few decades, electronics engineers have developed increasingly flexible, versatile and highly performing devices for a wide range of real-world applications. Some of their efforts have been aimed at creating smart and sensing textiles, which could be used to fabricate stretchy robotic systems, medical devices and wearable technologies.... Read more

Chances are you've never considered the act of breathing. Our lungs' gentle rise and fall is autonomic, pulling air in and nourishing our body with oxygen before expelling wastes like carbon dioxide (CO2).... Read more

Turning heads as they cruise past office buildings and malls, driverless taxis are slowly spreading through Chinese cities, prompting both wariness and wonder.... Read more

Humans have long turned to nature for solutions, from deciphering the mysteries of flight to creating stronger materials. For Javier Fernandez, Associate Professor at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), nature is a blueprint for sustainability. "Unlike our society's energy-intensive engineering, nature operates under a paradigm of scarcity... Read more

In preclinical models, a subcutaneously implanted device was able to continuously monitor vital signs and deliver naloxone automatically and rapidly when it detected opioid overdose.... Read more

A new, air-powered computer sets off alarms when certain medical devices fail. The invention is a more reliable and lower-cost way to help prevent blood clots and strokes—all without electronic sensors.... Read more

Imagine a coat that captures solar energy to keep you cozy on a chilly winter walk, or a shirt that can monitor your heart rate and temperature. Picture clothing athletes can wear to track their performance without the need for bulky battery packs.... Read more

As global warming intensifies, people increasingly suffer from extreme heat. For those working in a high-temperature environment indoors or outdoors, keeping thermally comfortable becomes particularly crucial.... Read more

Peel apart a smartphone, fitness tracker or virtual reality headset, and inside you'll find a tiny motion sensor tracking its position and movement. Bigger, more expensive versions of the same technology, about the size of a grapefruit and a thousand times more accurate, help navigate ships, airplanes and other vehicles... Read more

A research team led by the School of Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has developed full-color fiber light-emitting diodes utilizing perovskite quantum wires (PeQWs), paving the way for innovative wearable lighting and display devices.... Read more

An international team of mechanical engineers has developed what they call a fracture-driven, power-amplified hydrogel launcher. They have published their discovery in the journal Nature Materials.... Read more

As Paris shines under the global spotlight of the Olympic Games, technological innovations are enabling people with visual impairments to take it in.... Read more

Someday, instead of large, expensive individual space satellites, teams of smaller satellites—known by scientists as a "swarm"—will work in collaboration, enabling greater accuracy, agility, and autonomy. Among the scientists working to make these teams a reality are researchers at Stanford University's Space Rendezvous Lab, who recently completed the first-ever in-orbit... Read more

A new construction biomaterial that uses living microorganisms to extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere has been developed by a UCL graduate student and colleagues.... Read more

Graphene plasmon polaritons are a class of hybrid quasi-particles with advantageous optoelectronic properties. These particles have proved promising for the development of miniaturized nanoscale circuits that operate in the terahertz and mid-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.... Read more

Researchers at Yokohama National University have developed a stretchy, high-precision measurement wearable device that combines soft polymer materials and rigid electronic elements. This device can accurately measure inertial data even if it extends up to 2.5 times its length.... Read more

Textile muscles is a young research field that originated in Sweden at Linköping University and the University of Borås. In the long run, the technology can be built into clothes that can give an extra boost during heavy lifting, give hugs at a distance and help the visually impaired navigate... Read more

Nissan showed Tuesday what it called a "cool paint" to keep people inside vehicles cooler, although the coating is six times thicker, making commercialization still a challenge.... Read more

Researchers have criticized billionaire Elon Musk for promising that his brain implant technology could eventually provide patients with vision superior to normal human sight.... Read more

In recent years, engineers and scientists worldwide have been working on new technologies for generating electricity from renewable energy sources, including photovoltaics (PVs), wind turbines and hydro-power generators. An alternative solution for mitigating the impact of climate change could be to convert the excess or waste heat generated by industries,... Read more

Unlike traditionally printed circuit boards, which are flat, 3D circuitry enables components to be stacked and integrated vertically—dramatically reducing the footprint required for devices.... Read more

Freshwater scarcity affects over two billion people in the world, primarily in arid and remote regions, as well as islands and coastal areas without freshwater sources. Climate change and population growth are only making the problem worse, and existing methods require an energy input, usually electrical.... Read more

A sustainable source for clean energy may lie in old soda cans and seawater. MIT engineers have found that when the aluminum in soda cans is exposed in its pure form and mixed with seawater, the solution bubbles up and naturally produces hydrogen—a gas that can be subsequently used to... Read more

A new method to measure the continuous spectrum of light, developed in the lab of University of Houston professor of electrical and computer engineering Jiming Bao, is set to improve thermal imaging and infrared thermography, techniques used to measure and visualize temperature distributions without direct contact with the subject being... Read more

With a continuous rise in the global population, energy consumption and its associated environmental and economic costs are also increasing.... Read more

In an era where the internet connects virtually every aspect of our lives, the security of information systems has become paramount. Safeguarding critical databases containing private and commercial information presents a formidable challenge, driving researchers to explore advanced encryption techniques for enhanced protection.... Read more

Working together, the University of Innsbruck and the spin-off AQT have integrated a quantum computer into a high-performance computing (HPC) environment for the first time in Austria. This hybrid infrastructure of supercomputer and quantum computer can now be used to solve complex problems in various fields such as chemistry, materials... Read more

UpNano GmbH in Vienna, Austria, has co-developed a novel manufacturing process for 3D-printed fused quartz objects. This innovative technology enables the production of high-precision shaped parts in the mm and cm range.... Read more

Researchers are calling for regulation to guide the responsible and ethical development of bio-hybrid robotics—a pioneering science which fuses artificial components with living tissue and cells.... Read more

Cabin lighting inspired by the colors of the Australian landscape and grounded in circadian science will be on Qantas' upcoming Project Sunrise ultra-long-haul flights to help minimize jet lag and improve customer well-being.... Read more

In recent years, engineers and material scientists have introduced increasingly flexible electronics that could be used to create new wearable devices, such as smart watches, biosensors and health-monitoring technologies. To be safely worn by humans for prolonged periods of time, these electronics should also be permeable (i.e., letting air and... Read more

Researchers have developed soft, stretchable 'jelly batteries' that could be used for wearable devices or soft robotics, or even implanted in the brain to deliver drugs or treat conditions such as epilepsy.... Read more

Tokyo's Haneda Airport is trialing a driverless vehicle to tow cargo containers in an attempt to get around labor shortages as the number of tourists flying into Japan soars.... Read more

A new UltraPLAS coating developed by Fraunhofer researchers has proven to be an innovative solution to the challenges of primary forming processes. This advanced release and easy-to-clean coating is applied as a gradient layer using a cold plasma process and is suitable for materials such as tool steel, stainless steel... Read more

Major League Baseball could test robot umpires as part of a challenge system in spring training next year, which could lead to regular-season use in 2026.... Read more