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Computer Sciences

New algorithm helps read QR codes on uneven surfaces

Sometimes, we try to capture a QR code with a good digital camera on a smartphone, but the reading eventually fails. This usually happens when the QR code itself is of poor image quality, or if it has been printed on surfaces ...

Energy & Green Tech

Telescopes can help bring renewable energy to isolated Chilean communities

Just published research in Nature Sustainability shows that building a renewable energy system for a telescope in Chile's isolated Atacama Desert could also cover 66% of a nearby community's energy needs, giving hope for ...

Robotics

New data augmentation algorithm could facilitate the transfer of skills across robots

In recent years, roboticists have developed a wide range of systems designed to tackle various real-world tasks, ranging from completing household chores to delivering packages or finding target objects in delineated environments.

Engineering

Dragonfly wing pattern reinforces vaults and domes better than ancient Roman and tech-generated methods

Skoltech researchers and their colleagues from the University of Granada, Spain, have determined the most efficient ways to reinforce vaults and domes in architecture. The team compared how well various traditional and unconventional ...

Engineering

Exploring explosives for expanding geothermal energy

Why are scientists setting off small-scale explosions inside 1-foot cubes of plexiglass? They're watching how fractures form and grow in a rocklike substance to see if explosives or propellants, similar to jet fuel, can connect ...

Robotics

New prototype exoskeletons for industrial workers

Researchers at IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (Italian Institute of Technology) and INAIL (Italian Worker's Compensation Authority) have designed and created innovative prototypes of wearable robotic exoskeletons for ...

Electronics & Semiconductors

Logical switching using one single molecule

Logic gates, the basic elements of the digital world, can now be built using one single molecule. An example is XOR, with two inputs. If at least one of them is "1," then the output is "1," as well; otherwise, it is 0. These ...

Electronics & Semiconductors

Ink coating could enable devices powered by heat

Researchers in Sweden report that they are closing in on a way to replace batteries for wearables and low-power applications in the internet of things (IoT). The answer lies in an ink coating that enables low-grade heat, ...

Energy & Green Tech

Inadequate charging networks could thwart EV adoption goals

Failing to properly plan a resilient network of charging stations could be an Achilles' heel that undermines efforts to encourage the large-scale adoption of electric vehicles, researchers behind a new study have said. Their ...

Computer Sciences

Quantum computer programming for dummies

For would-be quantum programmers scratching their heads over how to jump into the game as quantum computers proliferate and become publicly accessible, a new beginner's guide provides a thorough introduction to quantum algorithms ...

Engineering

Using AI to predict when and where glass will break

The ability to predict when materials will fracture is of immense importance for industrial applications—companies can use this information to maintain devices and components more efficiently and cost effectively. A research ...