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Energy & Green Tech

Researchers propose hydrogen storage using existing infrastructure in lakes and reservoirs

In a new Nature Communications study, researchers propose a new method for hydrogen storage using existing pipes located at the bottom of lakes and reservoirs.

Energy & Green Tech

Researchers create artificial plants that purify indoor air, generate electricity

On average, Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors, and the air we breathe at work, school or home affects our overall health and well-being.

Engineering

New management system can reduce traffic congestion at no extra cost

Rush-hour traffic congestion is a major headache for commuters and a real problem for city planners. Worldwide, a huge amount of time is wasted stuck in traffic. A study found that commuters in the U.S. lose an average of ...

Hardware

New methodology enables design of cloud servers for lower carbon

Reducing carbon emissions is crucial to curbing the effects of climate change, but usually gas-powered vehicles and manufacturers are the most conspicuous culprits. However, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) ...

Business

Green subsidies may have hidden costs, experts warn

Government subsidies for business practices and processes should be approached with caution, even when they seem to be environmentally friendly, writes a group of scientists and economists in this week's Policy Forum in the ...

Automotive

Balancing cost and reliability in autonomous machine design

With millions of self-driving cars projected to be on the road in 2025 and autonomous drones generating billions in annual sales, safety and reliability are important considerations for consumers, manufacturers, and regulators. ...

Business

Google is working on reasoning AI, chasing OpenAI's efforts

Google is working on artificial intelligence software that resembles the human ability to reason, similar to OpenAI's o1, marking a new front in the rivalry between the tech giant and the fast-growing startup.

Electronics & Semiconductors

Developing technology to mimic the function of skin

Scientists at UNSW Sydney have combined artificial synapses with advanced sensors to mimic the properties of human skin, in new research published in Advanced Functional Materials.

Engineering

Using quantum physics to secure wireless devices

From access cards and key fobs to Bluetooth speakers, the security of communication between wireless devices is critical to maintaining privacy and preventing theft. Unfortunately, these tools are not foolproof and information ...

Engineering

Building a transistor out of treated wood

A team of organic chemists and engineers from Linköping University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, both in Sweden, has demonstrated that working transistors can be made from treated wood. The results have been published ...

Hardware

Researchers 3D print a miniature vacuum pump

Mass spectrometers are extremely precise chemical analyzers that have many applications, from evaluating the safety of drinking water to detecting toxins in a patient's blood. But building an inexpensive, portable mass spectrometer ...

Robotics

Jellyfish-like robots could one day clean up the world's oceans

Most of the world is covered in oceans, which are unfortunately highly polluted. One of the strategies to combat the mounds of waste found in these very sensitive ecosystems—especially around coral reefs—is to employ ...

Energy & Green Tech

Researchers design battery prototype with fiber-shaped cathode

In a new study, North Carolina State University researchers made a cathode in the shape of a thread-like fiber. The researchers were then able to use the fiber to create a zinc-ion battery prototype that could power a wrist ...

Energy & Green Tech

Outstanding performance of organic solar cell using tin oxide

Organic solar cells have a photoactive layer that is made from polymers and small molecules. The cells are very thin, can be flexible, and are easy to make. However, the efficiency of these cells is still much below that ...

Robotics

How a horse whisperer can help engineers build better robots

Humans and horses have enjoyed a strong working relationship for nearly 10,000 years—a partnership that transformed how food was produced, people were transported and even how wars were fought and won. Today, we look to ...

Energy & Green Tech

Cryo-imaging lifts the lid on fuel cell catalyst layers

Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), which are being developed for use in electric vehicles, rely on nanoparticles called catalysts to trigger electricity-producing reactions between hydrogen and oxygen. Most PEMFC ...