https://techxplore.com/ en-us Tech Xplore internet news portal provides the latest news on electronics, technology, and engineering. The University of Maine launched a 30-foot (9-meter), high-performance, 3D-printed boat Friday that researchers said could help manufacturers build vessels faster, reduce the need for expensive molds and adapt designs more quickly for commercial and defense use. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-3d-boat-advances-future-maritime.html Engineering Mon, 31 Aug 2026 18:00:04 EDT news707387011 Drones often hover in the air, noisy and whining. They can already be used for many tasks, but not when you need some quiet. Their batteries would also last longer if they could take a "rest" from time to time. But when a drone is monitoring a rainforest, its cluttered surroundings and its own gripper arm become too tricky for its camera-based vision. Until now. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-bird-drone-rest.html Robotics Mon, 31 Aug 2026 17:20:03 EDT news707414642 Researchers at IMDEA Materials Institute have developed an advanced computational modeling framework that enables the systematic analysis of potential failure and degradation mechanisms in thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-advancing-lifetime-thermal-barrier-coating.html Engineering Mon, 31 Aug 2026 16:40:08 EDT news707412183 Apple's chief executive Tim Cook bid farewell to the tech giant on Monday, paying tribute to founder Steve Jobs and praising staff as "extraordinary" as he passed the baton to incoming CEO John Ternus. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-apple-ceo-tim-cook-founder.html Business Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:40:02 EDT news707409457 If you wanted to take down a power grid or a network of drones, which part of the system should you attack? Researchers at The University of New Mexico School of Engineering posed the question in hopes of developing better network security mechanisms. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-analysis-reveals-unexpected-vulnerabilities-power.html Engineering Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:00:16 EDT news707406241 Research in the International Journal of Critical Infrastructures describes a digital-twin system that could make safety monitoring on high-rise construction sites more effective. The system could allow accident risks to be identified as they appear rather than sites simply responding to hazards after the fact. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-digital-twin-hazards.html Security Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:00:12 EDT news707400023 The way Australians consume news has been changing for the past 30 years, ever since internet use became widespread. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-surveyed-australian-teens-news-ai.html Internet Mon, 31 Aug 2026 14:20:08 EDT news707400665 ChatGPT will have to comply with tougher safety rules after the EU added it Monday to a list of digital services subject to greater legal scrutiny in Europe, a first for an AI chatbot. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-chatgpt-ai-chatbot-tougher-eu.html Business Mon, 31 Aug 2026 14:00:08 EDT news707401772 Japanese automakers Nissan and Honda entered a deal to jointly develop computer parts and software for vehicles set to enter the market in fiscal 2029, both sides said Monday. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-japanese-automakers-nissan-honda-software.html Automotive Mon, 31 Aug 2026 13:40:11 EDT news707401567 For many of us, 2026 has been the year when the need for clean energy really hit home. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-power-great-responsibility-advocating-fairer.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 31 Aug 2026 13:20:01 EDT news707400212 First-of-its-kind research from Finland's Aalto University School of Business reveals the modus operandi and operating model of the pro-Russian hacking group responsible for thousands of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against NATO and European targets. DDoS attacks can shut down public services and disrupt critical infrastructure. However, technical disruptions are not the perpetrators' end goal, said Assistant Professor Hadi Ghanbari, lead author of the study. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-gamified-ddos-wage-psychological-warfare.html Security Mon, 31 Aug 2026 13:02:11 EDT news707399837 A new electrochemical process can rapidly strip dissolved carbon dioxide from ocean water while self-cleaning its own mineral buildup, according to a University of Michigan Engineering study published in Environmental Science & Technology. Because one step produces energy while another consumes it, the method could also help flex the load on the grid. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ocean-carbon-capture-device-mineral.html Engineering Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:20:06 EDT news707397182 The kind of technology that can deliver sound to a single listener—like something out of a spy film—may soon become a reality. Researchers at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) have developed a speaker system that can direct speech to a specific person. The work is published in the journal Nature Communications. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ultrasound-based-speaker-music-disturbing.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:00:08 EDT news707395202 You might naturally expect a wide, open path to be faster and easier to navigate than a narrow one, just as birds fly freely through the open sky, cars move quickly on empty roads, and a wide hallway seems easier when trying to exit a building. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-worms-narrow-paths-faster-wide.html Robotics Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:00:02 EDT news707395801 The next generation of microelectronics relies on radical improvements in transistor switching performance to advance computing power. However, conventional semiconductor technology has hit a physical limit known as the "Boltzmann tyranny," which restricts the energy efficiency of traditional transistors and stalls progress in high-performance electronics. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-quantum-tunneling-field-effect-transistor.html Hardware Mon, 31 Aug 2026 11:00:11 EDT news707392742 In computer vision and robotics, ensuring that AI systems remain reliable under real-world conditions is a growing challenge. Deep neural network (DNN)-based vision systems are increasingly used in safety-critical applications such as autonomous driving, where misinterpreting a traffic sign could lead to unsafe decisions. Everyday wear and tear can subtly alter traffic signs, raising questions about whether naturally occurring damage could also expose vulnerabilities in AI-based recognition systems. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-worn-traffic-ai-vision-exposing.html Security Mon, 31 Aug 2026 10:40:12 EDT news707390761 Giving robot companions animal-like or anime-style faces and voices could maximize their emotional appeal to users, according to new research that could help guide the growing field of social robotics. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-animal-anime-boost-social-robots.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 31 Aug 2026 10:20:05 EDT news707390161 Could a machine ever feel pain or pleasure? Could it have its own inner experience of the world? As artificial intelligence grows more fluent in conversation, reasoning and problem-solving, this question is migrating from science fiction to the lab. It is of particular interest to researchers probing the origins of consciousness. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-explores-consciousness-day-emerge-machine.html Machine learning & AI Mon, 31 Aug 2026 10:00:05 EDT news707386739 A smartphone can now be transformed into a "hidden-camera detector." KAIST researchers have developed AI technology that can detect hidden cameras using only a smartphone and a low-cost LED device. This security technology enables users to protect their privacy more easily and is expected to help prevent illegal filming in everyday spaces such as hotels and short-term rentals. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-smartphone-based-technology-hidden-cameras.html Engineering Mon, 31 Aug 2026 09:40:02 EDT news707385471 Cats, dogs, wolves and other agile four-legged animals can easily jump and squeeze through tight spaces while moving at high speed. Reproducing similar agile motions and skills in quadrupedal robots has so far proved challenging. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-legged-robot-dog-movements-tight.html Robotics Mon, 31 Aug 2026 09:20:09 EDT news706953395 3D printers that once could only produce rigid objects can now create products as soft and stretchable as rubber. A team of Korean researchers used AI to identify the optimal "recipe" for a material that can be printed into complex shapes while stretching to more than six times its original length. The material is expected to expand the range of applications for 3D printing, from robotic hands to form-fitting wearable devices and custom medical devices. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-soft-3d-robotic-gently-eggs.html Robotics Mon, 31 Aug 2026 09:00:08 EDT news707385292 For 30 years, the World Wide Web has run on a surprisingly profound social contract: Most sites are free for search engines to access, but if you use their content, you give credit by linking to the source. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ai-website-traffic-websites-blocking.html Internet Mon, 31 Aug 2026 08:40:03 EDT news707384041 The 1960s were a time of great change in technology, culture and politics. Television was radically altering the media environment, and nobody was quite sure how to think about it. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ai-media-theorists-1960s-figure.html Business Mon, 31 Aug 2026 07:20:06 EDT news707378582 Researchers from the Holsworth Biomedical Research Centre are developing AI models that use video data to estimate the forces cyclists apply to their pedals. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ai-everyday-riders-pros.html Machine learning & AI Mon, 31 Aug 2026 07:00:05 EDT news707376962 John Ternus takes over as Apple's chief executive on Tuesday, inheriting a company that towers over the smartphone market but trails its rivals in artificial intelligence. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-john-ternus-apple-age-ai.html Business Mon, 31 Aug 2026 03:57:56 EDT news707367458 Inflatable structures are all around us, from pool floaties and archways at the Tour de France to life-saving emergency resuscitators and vehicle airbags. As useful as these structures are, they are limited to only two stable states—inflated and deflated. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-crumples-inflatable-membranes-multiple-stable.html Engineering Sun, 30 Aug 2026 12:20:01 EDT news707133485 Officials struggled for years to curb high-speed crashes along a residential corridor cutting through Albuquerque, New Mexico, but simply punishing the lead-footed drivers didn't seem to work. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-cities-begun-rewarding-drivers-red.html Automotive Sun, 30 Aug 2026 05:55:49 EDT news707288133 To mitigate climate change and limit global warming to within 1.5°C, scaling up global renewable energy capacity is an important goal. However, the transition to clean energy faces significant resource constraints. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-life-cleaner-biodiesel-pathways-feedstocks.html Energy & Green Tech Sat, 29 Aug 2026 08:00:10 EDT news707112693 Arco Bast studies how neurons communicate. Earlier this year, the Janelia postdoc encountered a more mechanical version of the same problem: The components of his custom microscope could not easily communicate with one another. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-memory-ai-microscope-components-real.html Hi Tech & Innovation Fri, 28 Aug 2026 15:40:04 EDT news707138721 Texas engineers teamed up with the world's largest semiconductor foundry to fabricate and test an emerging memory technology that could help meet the increasing energy demand of artificial intelligence. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-magnetic-memory-edge-ai-faster.html Hardware Fri, 28 Aug 2026 14:00:04 EDT news707044682