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Engineering

Rooftop solar panels impact temperatures during the day and night in cities, simulation study shows

Widespread coverage of building rooftops with conventional photovoltaic solar panels may increase temperatures on hot days and lower them at night, says new modeling.

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 ...

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 ...

Energy & Green Tech

Researchers develop alternative to lithium batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are currently the preferred technology to power electric vehicles, but they're too expensive for long-duration grid-scale energy storage systems, and lithium itself is becoming more challenging to access.

Internet

Peekaboo! Here's a system to guarantee smart home privacy

Many internet-connected devices—let's use smart speakers as an example—share data to the cloud when you interact with them. How do you know your speaker isn't always listening? How do you know it's not sharing more information ...

Computer Sciences

Multi-spin flips and a pathway to efficient Ising machines

In a rapidly developing world, industries are always trying to optimize their operations and resources. Combinatorial optimization using an Ising machine helps solve certain operational problems, like mapping the most efficient ...

Engineering

New insights into the 3D printing of metals

3D printing has opened exciting new avenues for engineers and forced product designers to reimagine what is possible. The ability to print complex metallic parts using advanced alloys anywhere in the world is undoubtedly ...

Computer Sciences

How randomly moving electrons can improve cyber security

In October 2017, tech giant Yahoo! disclosed a data breach that had leaked sensitive information of over 3 billion user accounts, exposing them to identity theft. The company had to force all affected users to change passwords ...