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Robotics

Training four-legged robots as if they were dogs

Over the next decades, robots are expected to make their way into a growing number of households, public spaces, and professional environments. Many of the most advanced and promising robots designed to date are so-called ...

Robotics

A smelly snapshot of the current state of electronic noses for robots

Robots are getting better at sniffing out smells thanks to improvements in electronic noses (e-noses). A comprehensive review of the state of robot olfaction, published in the journal npj Robotics, has surveyed recent advances ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Say what's on your mind, and AI can tell what kind of person you are

If you say a few words, generative AI will understand who you are—maybe even better than your close family and friends. A new University of Michigan study found that widely available generative AI models (e.g., ChatGPT, ...

Energy & Green Tech

Tesla turbine-inspired structure generates electricity using compressed air

The demand for energy is ever-increasing across various industries. In recent decades, scientists have explored the electrostatic potential of particulate matter as a highly promising avenue for energy harvesting. However, ...

Technology news

Energy & Green Tech

Hydrogen-powered ground vehicles offer a route to cleaner airports

Hydrogen-powered vehicles used on ground operations could help slash carbon emissions and support airports to reach net-zero targets, new research suggests. The Newcastle University research shows that key airport stakeholders ...

Energy & Green Tech

Electric vehicles could catch on in Africa sooner than expected

The number of vehicles in Africa is expected to double between now and 2050—faster than on any other continent. The question is not whether mobility will increase, but how. A new study led by researchers at ETH Zurich and ...

Business

Understanding ammonia energy's tradeoffs around the world

Many people are optimistic about ammonia's potential as an energy source and carrier of hydrogen, and though large-scale adoption would require major changes to the way it is currently manufactured, ammonia does have a number ...

Hi Tech & Innovation

What a virtual zebrafish can teach us about autonomous AI

Aran Nayebi jokes that his robot vacuum has a bigger brain than his two cats. But while the vacuum can only follow a preset path, Zoe and Shira leap, play and investigate the house with real autonomy.

Engineering

Pushing organic solar cell efficiency past 18%

A joint research team from National Taiwan University, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, and National Tsing Hua University has discovered a precise molecular engineering strategy. By adjusting the side chains of organic ...

Engineering

Novel AI method sharpens 3D X-ray vision

X-ray tomography is a powerful tool that enables scientists and engineers to peer inside of objects in 3D, including computer chips and advanced battery materials, without performing anything invasive. It's the same basic ...

Engineering

Supersonic tests defy a 70-year-old rule of metal strength

When engineers want to make a metal stronger, one of the most reliable strategies is to use smaller grains—the microscopic crystal regions within the material. But when deformed at extreme speeds, this rule flips and metals ...

Computer Sciences

Digital technique puts rendered fabric in the best light

The sheen of satin, the subtle glints of twill, the translucence of sheer silk: Fabric has long been difficult to render digitally because of the myriad ways different yarns can be woven or knitted together.

Energy & Green Tech

AI data centers could stabilize the power grid

The rapid development and widespread use of artificial intelligence (AI) systems is posing new challenges for electricity consumption. This is because most AI systems rely on data centers, facilities hosting several computing ...

Robotics

One image is all robots need to find their way

While the capabilities of robots have improved significantly over the past decades, they are not always able to reliably and safely move in unknown, dynamic and complex environments. To move in their surroundings, robots ...