Last update
Hardware
New memristor training method slashes AI energy use by six orders of magnitude
In a Nature Communications study, researchers from China have developed an error-aware probabilistic update (EaPU) method that aligns memristor hardware's noisy updates with neural network training, slashing energy use by ...
2 hours ago
0
28
Energy & Green Tech
A new approach to energy harvesting opened up by the quantum world
Touch the back of a laptop and it often feels warm. This is because part of the energy used for computation and communication escapes to the outside as heat. Yet even this "waste heat" still contains a great deal of usable ...
5 hours ago
0
16
Scientists uncover new quantum state that could power future technologies
Scientists have discovered a new quantum state of matter that connects two significant areas of physics, potentially leading to advancements in computing, sensing and materials science.
6 hours ago
0
40
Soft robotic hand 'sees' around corners to achieve human-like touch
To reliably complete household chores, assemble products and tackle other manual tasks, robots should be able to adapt their manipulation strategies based on the objects they are working with, similarly to how humans leverage ...
ChatGPT's free ride is ending: Here's what OpenAI plans for advertising on the chatbot
OpenAI says it will soon start showing advertisements to ChatGPT users who aren't paying for a premium version of the chatbot.
Jan 17, 2026
0
0
Internet
OpenAI introducing ads to ChatGPT
OpenAI announced Friday it will begin testing advertisements on ChatGPT in the coming weeks, as the wildly popular artificial intelligence chatbot seeks to increase revenue to cover its soaring costs.
Jan 16, 2026
0
10
Engineering
Tougher solid electrolyte advances long-sought lithium metal batteries
A solid—rather than liquid—electrolyte between the opposite electrodes of a battery should, in theory, enable a rechargeable lithium metal battery that is safer, packs much more energy, and charges considerably faster ...
Jan 16, 2026
0
12
Technology news
Consumer & Gadgets
I was a designer for RuneScape—its comeback reveals how old games can be rejuvenated
RuneScape experienced a surge of popularity over the 2025 holiday season. While fan nostalgia for a game that is now 25 years old plays a role, the revival more clearly reflects recent changes to RuneScape's controversial ...
Jan 16, 2026
0
31
Consumer & Gadgets
World-first social media wargame reveals how AI bots can swing elections
On December 14, 2025, a terrorist attack occurred at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, leaving 15 civilians and one gunman dead. While Australia was still reeling in shock, social media saw the rapid spread of misinformation ...
Jan 16, 2026
0
16
Robotics
New RoboReward dataset and models automate robotic training and evaluation
The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms has opened new possibilities for the development of robots that can reliably tackle various everyday tasks. Training and evaluating these algorithms, however, typically ...
Engineering
Sub-zero green freezer achieves zero emissions
Researchers at the School of Engineering of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have developed the world's first sub-zero Celsius elastocaloric freezing device, capable of reaching temperatures as low ...
Jan 15, 2026
0
44
Electronics & Semiconductors
Soft, 3D transistors could host living cells for bioelectronics
New research from the WISE group (Wearable, Intelligent, Soft Electronics) at The University of Hong Kong (HKU-WISE) has addressed a long-standing bioelectronic challenge: the development of soft, 3D transistors.
Jan 15, 2026
0
9
Engineering
Novel thick electrode enhances battery power and capacity for a 75% increase in output
A research team affiliated with UNIST has unveiled a new type of thick electrode aimed at solving a common challenge in battery design: As the capacity increases, power often decreases. This breakthrough could enable electric ...
Jan 15, 2026
0
10
Security
AIs behaving badly: An AI trained to deliberately make bad code will become bad at unrelated tasks, too
Artificial intelligence models that are trained to behave badly on a narrow task may generalize this behavior across unrelated tasks, such as offering malicious advice, suggests a new study. The research probes the mechanisms ...
Jan 15, 2026
0
11
Energy & Green Tech
Fire-safe all-solid-state batteries move closer to commercialization
The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) has developed a key materials technology that accelerates the commercialization of all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs)—next-generation batteries designed to intrinsically ...
Jan 15, 2026
0
14
Engineering
In a warming world, freshwater production is moving deep beneath the sea
Some four miles off the Southern California coast, a company is betting it can solve one of desalination's biggest problems by moving the technology deep below the ocean's surface.
Jan 15, 2026
0
0
Robotics
Underwater robots inspired by nature are making progress, but hurdles remain
Underwater robots face many challenges before they can truly master the deep, such as stability in choppy currents. A new paper published in the journal npj Robotics provides a comprehensive update of where the technology ...
