Hi Tech & Innovation news

Robotics

Artificial touch: Brain-controlled bionic hand now senses edges and motion

A complex sense of touch for individuals living with spinal cord injuries is a step closer to reality. A study published in Science, paves the way for complex touch sensations through brain stimulation while using an extracorporeal ...

Engineering

Insect-eye-inspired camera captures 9,120 frames per second

The compound eyes of insects can detect fast-moving objects in parallel and, in low-light conditions, enhance sensitivity by integrating signals over time to determine motion. Inspired by these biological mechanisms, KAIST ...

Energy & Green Tech

Next-generation wearables: Compact cooling pump drops temperatures by 16°F

UCLA materials scientists have developed a compact cooling technology that can pump away heat continuously using layers of flexing thin films. The design is based on the electrocaloric effect, in which an electric field causes ...

Engineering

Nature-inspired design uses elastic pillars to eject freezing droplets, preventing ice buildup

Water droplets under freezing conditions do not spontaneously detach from surfaces as they do at room temperature due to stronger droplet-surface interaction and lack of an energy transformation pathway. Since accumulated ...

Electronics & Semiconductors

Novel OLED stacks enable exceptionally bright microdisplays

Users of augmented reality (AR) glasses require especially bright displays in daylight to clearly recognize content. High brightness and low power consumption are therefore crucial development goals, as optical systems—such ...

Hi Tech & Innovation

Invisible man: German startup bets on remote driver

With no one in the driver seat, the SUV pulling up resembles an autonomous robotaxi like those becoming increasingly present in some cities—but the car from German startup Vay is something else.

Hi Tech & Innovation

Japan's first fully autonomous vehicle suspended

Japan's first pilot project of a fully autonomous self-driving vehicle has been suspended after a minor accident with a parked bicycle, officials said Monday.

Hardware

Acoustic touch: Vision via sound for the blind

Australian researchers have developed cutting-edge technology known as "acoustic touch" that helps people "see" using sound. The technology has the potential to transform the lives of those who are blind or have low vision.

Engineering

Shape-shifting fiber can produce morphing fabrics

Instead of needing a coat for each season, imagine having a jacket that would dynamically change shape so it becomes more insulating to keep you warm as the temperature drops.

Hi Tech & Innovation

Robot stand-in mimics your movements in VR

Researchers from Cornell and Brown University have developed a souped-up telepresence robot that responds automatically and in real-time to a remote user's movements and gestures made in virtual reality.

Engineering

Pottery becomes water treatment device for Navajo nation

Large chunks of the Navajo Nation in the Southwest lack access to clean drinkable water, a trend that has been rising in many parts of the U.S. in recent years. A research team led by engineers with The University of Texas ...

Electronics & Semiconductors

Using sound to test devices, control qubits

Acoustic resonators are everywhere. In fact, there is a good chance you're holding one in your hand right now. Most smart phones today use bulk acoustic resonators as radio frequency filters to filter out noise that could ...

Hi Tech & Innovation

What happens if neurotechnology learns to read our minds?

Advancements in neurotechnology could be at a turning point, but the new technology threatens to breach even the privacy of our brains. Looking at a recent case on this issue in the Supreme Court in Chile, Sydney Law School ...

Energy & Green Tech

Generating clean electricity with chicken feathers

The food industry generates enormous amounts of waste and by-products, including from poultry production. Each year, some 40 million metric tons of chicken feathers are incinerated. This not only releases large amounts of ...

Engineering

Identifying the maker of an artwork by fingerprint examination

Dzemila Sero, now Migelien Gerritzen Fellow at the Rijksmuseum and former postdoc at the Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica, together with a team of researchers from the Rijksmuseum, Leiden and Cambridge University, examined ...