Hi Tech & Innovation news

Hardware

Voltage-controlled photonic chip could make smart-glasses displays more efficient

Smart glasses need compact, efficient displays that can produce detailed images without drawing too much power. Laser beam scanning is one approach to meeting these requirements. Rather than using a fixed array of pixels, ...

Engineering

Ultrasound creates a tube that guides matter through the air

A small stream of liquid flows quietly in midair, horizontally, as if inside an invisible tube. Nothing touches it. About 5 centimeters (2 inches) away, a cylinder lined with hundreds of tiny speakers surrounds the stream, ...

Engineering

Flaws become reinforcements: Engineered crystal defects strengthen metals without changing their chemistry

Scientists have found a way to use defects in crystals to engineer stronger materials, according to a new study.

Hi Tech & Innovation

Mini brain organoids 'read' braille in key step toward biohybrid computing

Could computers include tiny brain organoids one day? The human brain is an incredibly energy-efficient computer, and silicon processors that try to imitate it achieve huge energy savings over traditional processors. Now ...

Engineering

Elon Musk unveils Tesla's 'flying' car

Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled what he described as a "flying" car, equipped with thrusters, during a livestreamed event at his SpaceX rocket company's facility on Thursday.

Engineering

AI and symmetry speed design of sound-absorbing fabrics

Woven textiles can do more than provide softness and strength. Their microscopic arrangement of yarns can also influence how sound travels through a material. However, finding suitable over-and-under yarn patterns is a difficult ...

Engineering

Metal alloys defy the deep freeze, staying tough at -253°C

Scientists have discovered a class of metal that can unexpectedly resist extreme cold using an unusual mechanism. Normally such temperatures would make similar materials brittle and vulnerable to breaking. The findings, published ...

Hi Tech & Innovation

AI can help run factories better: Thesis sharpens the 3D models

Digital twins are virtual 3D replicas of real spaces such as factories, warehouses and industrial plants. Companies use them to monitor equipment, plan maintenance and simulate changes without disrupting operations.

Hi Tech & Innovation

How bionic eyes are becoming a reality

If you've delved into the worlds of "Star Trek," "The Terminator" or William Gibson's cyberpunk novel "Neuromancer," you'll know that enhanced electronic vision is a staple of science fiction. Now, what was once futuristic ...

Energy & Green Tech

Zinc-air batteries gain new momentum with long-lasting catalyst

Zinc-air batteries can store significantly more energy than lithium-ion batteries, but until now have been virtually impossible to recharge. A team led by Professor Jörg J. Schneider from the Department of Chemistry has now ...

Electronics & Semiconductors

Printed neurons communicate with living brain cells

Northwestern University engineers printed artificial neurons that don't just imitate the brain—they talk to it. In a new study, the Northwestern team developed flexible, low-cost devices that generate electrical signals realistic ...

Hi Tech & Innovation

Tiny cameras in earbuds let users talk with AI about what they see

University of Washington researchers developed the first system that incorporates tiny cameras in off-the-shelf wireless earbuds to allow users to talk with an AI model about the scene in front of them. For instance, a user ...

Robotics

Electrofluidic fiber muscles could enable silent robotic systems

Muscles are remarkably effective systems for generating controlled force, and engineers developing hardware for robots or prosthetics have long struggled to create analogs that can approach their unique combination of strength, ...