Hi Tech & Innovation news

Energy & Green Tech

Researchers 3D print high-performance, sustainable thermoelectric materials

Rapid, localized heat management is essential for electronic devices and could have applications ranging from wearable materials to burn treatment. While so-called thermoelectric materials convert temperature differences ...

Electronics & Semiconductors

First two-way adaptive brain-computer interface enhances communication efficiency

A team of bioengineers at Tsinghua University, working with medical research colleagues from Tianjin University, both in China, have developed what they describe as the world's first two-way adaptive brain–computer interface ...

Robotics

Bio-hybrid drone uses silkworm moth antennae to navigate by smell

Conventional drones use visual sensors for navigation. However, environmental conditions like dampness, low light, and dust can hinder their effectiveness, limiting their use in disaster-stricken areas. Researchers from Japan ...

Energy & Green Tech

3D-printed coffee and mushroom mix offers compostable plastic alternative

Only 30% of a coffee bean is soluble in water, and many brewing methods aim to extract significantly less than that. So of the 1.6 billion pounds of coffee Americans consume in a year, more than 1.1 billion pounds of grounds ...

Engineering

New smart jacket uses AI to prevent overheating and discomfort

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 ...

Engineering

Holograms boost 3D printing efficiency and resolution

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 ...

Hi Tech & Innovation

Optimizing gesture recognition system design

Research published in the International Journal of the Digital Human reveals a new model for computerized human gesture recognition. The tool, VirSen1.0, developed by Kana Matsuo, Chengshuo Xia, and Yuta Sugiura of the Department ...

Hi Tech & Innovation

New detector paves the way to large-scale optical neural networks

For the first time, researchers have used a surface normal nonlinear photodetector (SNPD) to improve the speed and energy efficiency of a diffractive optical neural network (ONN). The new device lays the groundwork for large-scale ...

Engineering

Engineers use kirigami to make ultrastrong, lightweight structures

Cellular solids are materials composed of many cells that have been packed together, such as in a honeycomb. The shape of those cells largely determines the material's mechanical properties, including its stiffness or strength. ...

Hi Tech & Innovation

Japanese turn to wearable tech to beat the heat

Selling jackets with built-in fans, neck coolers and T-shirts that feel cold, Japanese firms are tapping into a growing market for products to help people handle the summer heat.

Engineering

Clever coating turns lampshades into indoor air purifiers

Indoor air pollution may have met its match. Today, scientists will report that they have designed catalyst-coated lampshades that transform indoor air pollutants into harmless compounds. The lampshades work with halogen ...

Electronics & Semiconductors

Tough memory device aims for space missions

Among the many hazards encountered by space probes, exposure to radiation and huge temperature swings pose particular challenges for their electronic circuits. Now KAUST researchers have invented the first ever flash memory ...

Hi Tech & Innovation

Driverless taxis gain ground in San Francisco

California authorities took a major step forward Thursday in expanding driverless taxi services in San Francisco, giving the green light for operators Waymo and Cruise to compete with ride-share services and cabs.