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Engineering

Engineers discover new physics principle to break sound absorption barriers in ventilated spaces

In everyday life, designing spaces that both let air flow and absorb sound can be a tricky balancing act. Usually, materials that allow air to pass through—like vents—also let sound escape, making it hard to reduce noise ...

Energy & Green Tech

Quantum materials could enable the solar-powered production of hydrogen from water

Hydrogen fuel is a promising alternative to fossil fuels that only emits water vapor when used and could thus help to lower greenhouse gas emissions on Earth. In the future, it could potentially be used to fuel heavy-duty ...

Engineering

Physics-aware AI algorithm uses Newton's third law to keep simulations stable

A team of EPFL researchers has developed an AI algorithm that can model complex dynamical processes while taking into account the laws of physics—using Newton's third law. Their research is published in the journal Nature ...

Robotics

Humanoid robots that 'catch themselves' instead of falling: What a new walking algorithm changes

While the statement, "Humanoid robots are coming," might cause anxiety for some, for one Georgia Tech research team, working with humanlike robots couldn't be more exciting. The researchers have developed a new "thinking" ...

Technology news

Consumer & Gadgets

Most AI bots lack basic safety disclosures, study finds

Many people use AI chatbots to plan meals and write emails, AI-enhanced web browsers to book travel and buy tickets, and workplace AI to generate invoices and performance reports. However, a new study of the "AI agent ecosystem" ...

Robotics

New control system teaches soft robots the art of staying safe

Imagine having a continuum soft robotic arm bend around a bunch of grapes or broccoli, adjusting its grip in real time as it lifts the object. Unlike traditional rigid robots that generally aim to avoid contact with the environment ...

Robotics

Artificial tendons give muscle-powered robots a boost

Our muscles are nature's actuators. The sinewy tissue is what generates the forces that make our bodies move. In recent years, engineers have used real muscle tissue to actuate "biohybrid robots" made from both living tissue ...

Machine learning & AI

Small changes make some AI systems more brain-like than others

Artificial intelligence systems that are designed with a biologically inspired architecture can simulate human brain activity before ever being trained on any data, according to new research from Johns Hopkins University.

Electronics & Semiconductors

Green electronics: Smart sensor tag protects sensitive goods

Researchers from Empa, EPFL and CSEM have developed a green smart sensing tag that measures temperature and humidity in real time—and can also detect whether a temperature threshold has been exceeded. In the future, this ...