Hi Tech & Innovation news

Energy & Green Tech

Proof-of-concept study develops battery that would use Martian atmosphere as fuel during discharge

Mars presents a highly complex natural environment, characterized by a variety of gas components—95.32% carbon dioxide, 2.7% nitrogen, 1.6% argon, 0.13% oxygen, and 0.08% carbon monoxide—as well as extreme temperature ...

Electronics & Semiconductors

Shape-morphing brain sensor adheres to curved surfaces for ultrasound neurostimulation

Transcranial focused ultrasound, a non-invasive technique to stimulate specific areas of the brain using high-frequency sound waves, could be a promising treatment strategy for many neurological disorders. Most notably, it ...

Other

Can we find hidden graves of murder victims with soil imaging? New Australian study gives it a try

To avoid being caught, murderers often attempt to hide bodies using various methods. This can include shallow or deep burials, submersion in water, encasing in concrete or even disposing of remains in rubbish bins and suitcases.

Engineering

Lasers provide boon for manufacturing of ceremonial Thai umbrellas

Seen atop pagodas, inside Buddhist ordination halls, and in royal palaces, the tiered umbrella is one of Thailand's oldest and most sacred ornamental symbols. Constructing one of these ornate pieces, also called chatras, ...

Engineering

New device simplifies manipulation of 2D materials for twistronics

A discovery six years ago took the condensed-matter physics world by storm: Ultra-thin carbon stacked in two slightly askew layers became a superconductor, and changing the twist angle between layers could toggle their electrical ...

Hi Tech & Innovation

Japan plans driverless bullet trains

Shinkansen bullet trains could be whizzing around Japan without drivers from the mid 2030s, one of its main rail operators said, motivated in part by the country's demographic crisis.

Engineering

Revolutionizing 3D printing through microwave technology

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 ...

Engineering

A wearable device so thin and soft you won't even notice it

Wearable human-machine interfaces—devices that can collect and store important health information about the wearer, among other uses—have benefited from advances in electronics, materials and mechanical designs. But current ...

Energy & Green Tech

Photovoltaic power from textiles

Imagine a truck tarp that can harvest the energy of sunlight! With the help of new textile-based solar cells developed by Fraunhofer researchers, semitrailers could soon be producing the electricity needed to power cooling ...

Software

A new algorithm enables more realistic sound effects in VR

When we watch movies or play video games, the right sound effects can help make scenes more realistic: When a grizzled gambler rolls a silver dollar across a card table in a silver screen saloon, the sound seems to travel ...

Hi Tech & Innovation

Software to empower workers on the factory floor

Manufacturers are constantly tweaking their processes to get rid of waste and improve productivity. As such, the software they use should be as nimble and responsive as the operations on their factory floors.

Engineering

Contact lens: You blink and you zoom in

Researchers are in the news this week because of their soft biomimetic lens. Blink twice and you get yourself a closer look at things. Activated soft elastomer works to increase focal length.

Engineering

Rocket fuel and 3-D printing

James Cook University scientists in Australia are using 3-D printing to create fuels for rockets, and using tailor-made rocket motors they've built to test the fuels.

Hi Tech & Innovation

French 'flyboard' daredevil to make new Channel bid

A Frenchman who has captured the country's imagination with his jet-powered "flyboard" will make a new bid to cross the English Channel after a failed first attempt last week, his team said on Tuesday.

Energy & Green Tech

Highly efficient solar cells thanks to solid foundation

The sun is an inexhaustible and sustainable source of energy. Hence, photovoltaics is gaining importance in German energy production. Among promising materials for solar cells—with a high efficiency and low production costs—are ...

Hi Tech & Innovation

What do dragonflies teach us about missile defense?

Be grateful you're not on a dragonfly's diet. You might be a fruit fly or maybe a mosquito, but it really wouldn't matter the moment you look back and see four powerful wings pounding through the air after you. You fly for ...

Hi Tech & Innovation

Artificial throat could someday help mute people 'speak'

Most people take speech for granted, but it's actually a complex process that involves both motions of the mouth and vibrations of folded tissues, called vocal cords, within the throat. If the vocal cords sustain injuries ...

Computer Sciences

Stretch-sensing glove captures interactive hand poses accurately

Capturing interactive hand poses in real time and with realistic results is a well-examined problem in computing, particularly human-centered computing and motion capture technology. Human hands are complex—an intricate ...

Engineering

Electronic eye: Technology for breakdowns prevention

Detecting deformations and the wear-out rate of underground water mains is one of the functions of the measuring optical device created by the scientists of Ural Federal University in collaboration with D-TEST Optical Measurement ...