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Computer Sciences

Virtual markers help smartphone cameras reconstruct lifelike multi-person movement, from hugs to martial arts

For decades, the gold standard for capturing human movement and transferring these data into the digital world has required actors to wear suits with physical markers that cameras track in a specialized studio. While accurate, ...

Energy & Green Tech

Consumer camera modification offers low-cost way to assess solar cell performance

Commercial cameras can be powerful, producing images with exquisite detail that mimic real life. In the lab, specially designed cameras can photograph objects in the infrared region, invisible to the naked eye.

Robotics

Snapping rods let frog-like robot outrun rigid legs across six terrains

Roboticists at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and the University of Michigan have shown that elastic rods can be bent and twisted to repeatedly snap between shapes, releasing built-up energy that enables small robots ...

Engineering

Ultrathin film blocks electromagnetic waves while masking infrared heat

A research team led by Dr. Taehoon Kim of the Composites & Convergence Materials Research Division at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), collaborated with research teams led by Dr. Seon Joon Kim and Dr. Jaewoo ...

Technology news

Hardware

Toward physical AI: When the hardware becomes the neural network

Digital computing using silicon chips has transformed nearly every aspect of modern life and enabled the remarkable growth of artificial intelligence. But as AI models scale up, that growth comes with increasing demands for ...

Machine learning & AI

AI might be making women sound bad at work

When prompts to draft work emails and job applications contain language commonly used by women, AI chatbots, including ChatGPT, offer less sophisticated responses than they do to requests for office correspondence containing ...

Internet

Research reveals where the internet really slows down

Most people associate network performance with bandwidth, the amount of data that can be transferred per second. However, for many of today's digital services, latency is just as important.

Computer Sciences

'Safe query space' lets AI fix SQL errors without starting over

"Find the best-selling product from last year." When an AI system attempts to answer a question like this by querying a company database, even a single reference to a nonexistent item can cause the query to fail. Until now, ...

Machine learning & AI

OpenAI begins rollout of new powerful AI model GPT-6 Astra

ChatGPT maker OpenAI said Thursday it would begin rolling out its newest and most powerful artificial intelligence (AI) model to select customers, saying it had built in safeguards to mitigate security risks.

Engineering

Supercooled water enables 3D printing of ice

Physicists from the University of Amsterdam have developed a method to print three-dimensional structures in ice. The researchers show how small pillars can be printed at an angle, making it possible to print arbitrary profiles ...

Consumer & Gadgets

15-minute training helps people spot AI-generated faces

Researchers at the University of Southampton have come up with a way to help people spot AI-generated faces. They've developed a short training program that improves people's ability to distinguish between real, human faces ...

Energy & Green Tech

Study shows plug-in hybrids polluting far more than expected

Plug-in hybrids have enjoyed a surge in popularity, but a study published Thursday showed they are polluting far more than most buyers think because they rely on batteries less often than regulators expected.

Engineering

Metal foam front rails could make cars safer in collisions

A new study finds that composite metal foam (CMF) could significantly improve automobile safety during frontal collisions. Using computational models to run detailed simulations, researchers found that incorporating CMF into ...

Engineering

A 'raincoat' protects lead-free solar cells from the elements

One drawback of most solar cells made with efficiency-boosting perovskite is the presence of hazardous lead in the materials that turn sunlight into electricity. Next-generation solar cells made with the most promising lead-free ...

Automotive

AI framework predicts ambulance speeds through city traffic

A new AI framework can predict how fast an ambulance will move through city traffic, giving fire departments a way to test emergency response strategies in a virtual environment before making changes on real streets.

Engineering

Engineers create a world-first in floating titanium

Research led by RMIT University shows the 3D-printed titanium lattice—made up of hollow, interconnected struts filled with foam—not only floats but also withstands seawater exposure and is stronger than the stainless steel ...

Hi Tech & Innovation

A life-inspired framework for more autonomous and adaptive AI

Living organisms constantly adjust their behavior according to what is happening inside their bodies. Hunger can shift attention toward food, while cold can make finding warmth more urgent. These internal signals remain meaningful ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Personality pairing improves human-AI collaboration

While artificial intelligence (AI) is receiving increased attention for its potential to improve productivity and performance, results can vary widely across different tasks, industries and individuals. Developers can now ...