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Electronics & Semiconductors

New ultrathin optical device can precisely capture and stimulate the mammalian brain

Reliably tracking and manipulating the mammalian nervous system in laboratory or clinical settings allows neuroscientists to test their hypotheses, which may in turn lead to new important discoveries. The most well-established ...

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

Scientists restore performance of quantum dot solar cells using short ligands to reduce surface defects

Researchers have developed a new method to improve both the performance and the stability of solar cells using "perovskite quantum dots." They developed longer-lasting solar cells by addressing the issue of distortions on ...

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 ...

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.

Robotics

Lacking health workers, Germany taps robots for elder care

The white-colored humanoid "Garmi" does not look much different from a typical robot—it stands on a platform with wheels and is equipped with a black screen on which two blue circles acting as eyes are attached.

Engineering

Carbon dioxide electrolysis as an alternative to coal

Coal in the Rhenish region is not only an important fuel for power generation. It is also used by the chemical industry to produce important basic chemicals. But by the time of the coal phase-out these substances will have ...

Electronics & Semiconductors

Team develops electronic skin as flexible as crocodile skin

The development of electronic skin with multiple senses is essential for various fields, including rehabilitation, health care, prosthetic limbs, and robotics. One of the key components of this technology is stretchable pressure ...

Computer Sciences

New study identifies how AI fails to reproduce human vision

When a human spots a familiar face or an oncoming vehicle, it takes the brain a mere 100 milliseconds (about one-tenth of a second) to identify it and more importantly, place it in the right context so it can be understood, ...

Robotics

An effective strategy to remotely operate snake robots

Animals have always been a great inspiration for robotic systems, as they offer fascinating natural examples of how different body structures can produce specific movements and locomotion styles. While most animal-inspired ...

Internet

GPT-4's exciting—and ominous—achievements

Six decades ago, an episode of the legendary TV series "The Twilight Zone" warned us about the risks of ticking off machines. Frustrated by a wave of modern appliances, a grumpy magazine writer in the episode "A Thing About ...

Engineering

3D-printed revolving devices can sense how they are moving

Integrating sensors into rotational mechanisms could make it possible for engineers to build smart hinges that know when a door has been opened, or gears inside a motor that tell a mechanic how fast they are rotating. MIT ...

Robotics

Resilient bug-sized robots keep flying even after wing damage

Bumblebees are clumsy fliers. It is estimated that a foraging bee bumps into a flower about once per second, which damages its wings over time. Yet despite having many tiny rips or holes in their wings, bumblebees can still ...

Machine learning & AI

An energy-efficient text-to-audio AI

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems will inspire an explosion of creativity in the music industry and beyond, according to the University of Surrey researchers who are inviting the public to test out their new ...