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Energy & Green Tech

Successfully commercializing novel solar cells: When records are not enough

It is not easy to bring new technologies from the laboratory to market. Researchers and companies face very different demands for new developments and do not always find common ground. Scientists at Empa and other institutions ...

Computer Sciences

AI agents have their own social network: Moltbook study tracks topics and toxicity

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) agents, systems that learn to make predictions, generate content or tackle other tasks by analyzing large amounts of data, is becoming increasingly widespread. Some of these systems ...

Engineering

A heatshield for 'never-wet' surfaces: Engineers repel even near-boiling water with low-cost, scalable coating

Superhydrophobic surfaces—those famously "never-wet" materials that make water bead up and roll away—have a stubborn weakness: hot water. Once temperatures climb above roughly 40 degrees Celsius, many superhydrophobic ...

Engineering

Mixing generative AI with physics to create personal items that work in the real world

Ever had an idea for something that looked cool, but wouldn't work well in practice? When it comes to designing things like decor and personal accessories, generative artificial intelligence (genAI) models can relate. They ...

Technology news

Consumer & Gadgets

How eyes affect our perception of a humanoid robot's mind

Eyes are said to be the mirror of the soul. Eyes and gaze direction guide attention, evoke emotions and activate the brain's social perception mechanisms. Researchers at Tampere University and the University of Bremen conducted ...

Energy & Green Tech

Ultra-black nanoneedles absorb 99.5% of light for future solar towers

Using state-of-the-art equipment, researchers in the Thermophysical Properties of Materials group from the University of the Basque Country (EHU) have analyzed the capacity of ultra-black copper cobaltate nanoneedles to effectively ...

Engineering

Engineers create an 'electrified' house that slashes energy bills

Western engineers have amalgamated the function and force of photovoltaics (PV) technology with a heat pump and a thermal battery to create a fully electrified—and energy efficient—new house. The end game is to eliminate ...

Energy & Green Tech

Dirty water boosts prospects for clean hydrogen

Wastewater can replace clean water as a source for hydrogen production, eliminating a major drawback to hydrogen fuel and reducing water treatment costs by up to 47%, according to new research from Princeton Engineering.

Internet

AI produces shallower knowledge than web search, study finds

Learning about a topic by interacting with AI chatbots like ChatGPT rather than following links provided by web search can produce shallower knowledge. Advice given on the basis of this shallow knowledge tends to be sparser, ...

Robotics

Teen builds advanced robotic hand from LEGO parts

A talented teenager from the UK has built a four-fingered robotic hand from standard Lego parts that performs almost as well as research-grade robotic hands. The anthropomorphic device can grasp, move and hold objects with ...

Electronics & Semiconductors

Scientists propose carbon-neutral data centers in space

An out-of-this-world idea: Placing data centers in space could pave the way for sustainable computing with unlimited solar energy and free cooling, say scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore). ...