https://techxplore.com/ en-us Tech Xplore internet news portal provides the latest news on electronics, technology, and engineering. What psychological factors influence public support for decarbonization policies? A team at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has developed an artificial intelligence–based model to predict the level of public support for energy transition measures, whether related to electricity, heating or mobility. Based on 14 key factors, the model shows that emotions play a more decisive role than purely rational considerations. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-energy-transition-driven-emotions.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 21 May 2026 21:40:01 EDT news698589472 The University of Sheffield has announced a major milestone in the push for greener aviation, as it produces its first report from testing a new sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The research, from Sheffield's Energy Innovation Center, is helping support the faster rollout of low-carbon jet fuels, so more people can enjoy greener flights when taking a city break, summer holiday or traveling for business. The work could also help to ease the pressure on the future supply of jet fuel in response to geopolitical events, such as the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, by boosting UK SAF production. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-aviation-fuel-center-results-greener.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 21 May 2026 19:00:01 EDT news698583009 A new skin-like computing patch developed at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) can analyze health data using artificial intelligence in an unprecedented way. Unlike today's wearable devices, it carries out its AI computations directly on the body, in mere milliseconds, without relying on a wireless connection. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ai-powered-stretchable-patch-algorithms.html Electronics & Semiconductors Thu, 21 May 2026 17:20:04 EDT news698602201 A team of Chinese scientists has developed a new passivation strategy that significantly improves both the efficiency and operational stability of perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells. The study has been published in the journal Matter on May 21. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-perovskitesilicon-tandem-solar-cells-certified.html Engineering Thu, 21 May 2026 16:00:06 EDT news698597161 McGill University researchers have discovered a new way to fold flat sheets into smooth, curved shells that can switch from floppy and flexible to stiff and load-bearing on demand. By designing a special origami pattern and threading cable-like elements through it, they can control the material's final three-dimensional shape and how rigid it becomes. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-origami-pattern-flat-sheets-3d.html Engineering Thu, 21 May 2026 15:40:03 EDT news698596321 Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have created a new tool that can catch and correct potential mistakes in real time while 3D printing large plastic parts. The automated system could help U.S. manufacturers produce large, custom parts with fewer defects, potentially reducing waste, lowering costs, and strengthening domestic competitiveness in additive manufacturing, which includes 3D printing. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-error-tech-boosts-3d-big.html Engineering Thu, 21 May 2026 14:40:05 EDT news698592541 President Donald Trump called off a signing ceremony Thursday for a new order on artificial intelligence because he worried it could dull America's edge on AI technology. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-trump-postpones-artificial-intelligence-ai.html Machine learning & AI Thu, 21 May 2026 14:20:09 EDT news698590925 The 2CV, an iconic Citroen model popular for much of the twentieth century, will be coming back after production ceased in 1990, reincarnated as an electric vehicle, Citroen announced Thursday. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-beloved-citroen-2cv-revived-electric.html Automotive Thu, 21 May 2026 14:03:20 EDT news698590965 Researchers at the University of Stuttgart's Institute of Information Security have developed a new security standard to counter a novel form of cyberattack—one they had previously identified themselves. The attacks specifically target web protocols used, for example, to manage login processes. This affects, among others, industries that handle sensitive data—such as health care, insurance, and banking. Researchers from Stuttgart will present their defense mechanism at the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy (SP2026) held in San Francisco May 18–21. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-defense-mechanism.html Computer Sciences Thu, 21 May 2026 14:00:03 EDT news698589482 The use of biometric data in personal devices has been popular with consumers for tracking things like heart rate and sleep stages, but it is becoming increasingly common for identification purposes too. Identifying data can be used for device security authentication, secure access control and identity verification for financial transactions, which can make everyday activities like making purchases, using devices or entering your home more convenient, while providing enhanced security. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-earphone-users-heartbeat-authentication.html Hi Tech & Innovation Thu, 21 May 2026 13:50:01 EDT news698589354 Cornell engineers have developed a robotic collective that behaves less like a machine and more like a material that flows, reshapes, and adapts to its environment without centralized control. The system, called the Cross-Link Collective, consists of dozens of small robots that have limited mobility individually, but together exhibit coordinated and sustained motion. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-robotic-centralized.html Robotics Thu, 21 May 2026 13:40:06 EDT news698587802 Music lovers may one day be able to blast their favorite artists, headphone-free, without angering the neighborhood or colleagues, thanks to researchers at Penn State. The team designed a system that can manipulate sound waves so that they are only audible at a precise spot slightly wider than an inch. Despite this tiny focal point, their system can produce high-quality audio, potentially offering listeners a crisp, yet private, sound experience. The team detailed their work in a paper recently published in IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-3d-speaker-focus-audio-private.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 21 May 2026 13:20:07 EDT news698587561 Researchers at Adelaide University have discovered a promising new strategy that could deliver fast battery charging. The team, led by Professor Shi-Zhang Qiao, an ARC Industry Laureate Fellow in the University's School of Chemical Engineering, created pouch battery cells using interfacial anion-reduction catalysis to record a charge of more than 85% after six minutes. The cells also provided about 240.4 watt-hours per kilogram after fewer than six minutes of charging. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-minutes-recharge-battery-advance-rewrite.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 21 May 2026 13:00:01 EDT news698586361 Walk into any supermarket and you are surrounded by carbon. Not the kind measured in parts per million in climate reports, but carbon in its most tangible form: the polymer shell of a shampoo bottle, the insulation behind the ceiling tiles, the synthetic fibers in the bag hanging from your wrist. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-decarbonizing-impossible.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 21 May 2026 12:20:03 EDT news698584741 Semiconductors are an indispensable part of modern-day technologies ranging from computers and smartphones to solar panels and LED lighting. Their ability to control the flow of electrical charge makes them essential for how devices generate, process, and use energy. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-iraa-doping-reshape-semiconductors-cleaner.html Electronics & Semiconductors Thu, 21 May 2026 12:00:12 EDT news698582402 Online shoppers could one day face fewer misleading fake reviews thanks to a newly tested AI-powered detection system developed by researchers at the University of East London. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ai-fake-accuracy-amazon-yelp.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 21 May 2026 12:00:01 EDT news698582341 The construction sector still has some way to go in terms of reducing the consumption of resources and greenhouse gas emissions. One of these relates to the construction waste produced during the demolition of buildings. Buildings used for rather short periods of between ten and 20 years, such as consumer markets, have a negative impact on the balance sheet. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-brick-walls-built-demolition.html Engineering Thu, 21 May 2026 11:40:10 EDT news698581309 As electric vehicle (EV) adoption grows in the United States and globally, the demand for EV batteries and their critical materials—such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and graphite—is expected to surge dramatically. This makes the resilience of the supply chain underpinning battery production increasingly important. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ev-battery-imports-domestic.html Business Thu, 21 May 2026 11:40:02 EDT news698582221 In 2025, EPFL scientists published an improved approach to tomographic volumetric additive manufacturing (TVAM): a 3D printing method that uses laser light to harden a rotating vial of photosensitive resin into a desired shape. In that work, the researchers used holograms to encode 3D forms by modulating the alignment (phase) of light waves rather than their brightness (amplitude), as previous methods had done, preserving far more of the laser's power. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-holographic-boosts-tissue-3d-efficiency.html Engineering Thu, 21 May 2026 11:20:04 EDT news698580421 Globally, users of digital media are increasingly locked into a handful of operating systems, app stores, and communication platforms. Most of us must choose between Apple, Windows, or Android. All of these are owned by American tech giants. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-online-big-tech.html Business Thu, 21 May 2026 11:00:08 EDT news698579101 At any given time, technology does two things to employment: It replaces traditional jobs, and it creates new lines of work. Machines replace farmers, but enable, say, aeronautical engineers to exist. So, if tech creates new jobs, who gets them? How well do they pay? How long do new jobs remain new, before they become just another common task any worker can do? https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-technology-jobs-young-skilled-workers.html Business Thu, 21 May 2026 10:01:36 EDT news698576317 Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory incorporated gallium nitride semiconductors to create a high-efficiency power converter that is more compact, affordable, and efficient. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-semiconductor-blocks-power-smaller.html Electronics & Semiconductors Thu, 21 May 2026 07:00:01 EDT news698560921 Investing before 2030 to pivot away from coal in steel production is now 53%, or roughly 800 billion US dollars cheaper than what it would cost to reduce the same amount of emissions later on in other parts of the economy or through carbon removals (1.5 trillion dollars), in a scenario that returns warming below 1.5°C. The findings are a part of a new study appearing in Nature Climate Change led by scientists at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-steel-decisions-early-coal-exit.html Business Thu, 21 May 2026 05:00:05 EDT news698512142 The world built and commissioned more coal power in 2025, but used the polluting fuel less, with the United States the only major economy to substantially increase generation, analysis showed Thursday. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-world-built-coal-power.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 21 May 2026 04:40:01 EDT news698555906 Airbnb, facing tighter local regulations on short-term home rentals, announced Wednesday it is adding boutique hotels, car rentals and grocery delivery to its app in a bid to transform itself into a one-stop travel shop. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-airbnb-hotels-cars-groceries.html Business Thu, 21 May 2026 04:17:57 EDT news698555848 Google on Tuesday showed off new plans to turn its famous search bar into an AI assistant that can book restaurants, track news, and contact businesses—just by asking a question. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-google-bar-behalf-ai-revamp.html Internet Wed, 20 May 2026 18:20:04 EDT news698487884 When College of Natural Resources and Environment geospatial data scientist Junghwan Kim asked an artificial intelligence (AI) image generator to create a picture of Blacksburg, the result wasn't quite right. "The image looked generic," Kim said. "It didn't capture what makes Blacksburg unique." https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ai-cities-smaller-communities.html Machine learning & AI Wed, 20 May 2026 16:00:04 EDT news698491932 Once only achievable in the far-fetched imaginations of science fiction writers, 3D printing has gone mainstream. Relatively inexpensive machines allow individuals to design and print everything from board games and desk accessories to replacement parts for household appliances and more. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-recyclable-resin-enables-high-precision.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 20 May 2026 15:00:12 EDT news698507810 Prof. Jun-Young Park at Sejong University, in collaboration with Prof. Sun-Ju Song (Chonnam National University) and Prof. Jeong-Woo Han (Seoul National University), have published a study in Nature Energy titled "Composite air electrodes based on BaCe0.7Zr0.1Y0.1Yb0.1O3−δ for reversible solid oxide cells" that presents a new air electrode design strategy that simultaneously achieves record-high performance and exceptional durability in reversible solid oxide cells (RSOCs), a key technology for the future hydrogen economy. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-composite-air-electrodes-enable-high.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 20 May 2026 14:00:13 EDT news698502126 Even advanced technology can struggle when the real world becomes unpredictable. In April 2026, a Waymo robotaxi in San Antonio, Texas, drove into a flooded lane during severe weather, prompting the company to recall about 3,800 vehicles for a software fix. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ai-taxis-robots-bees.html Robotics Wed, 20 May 2026 13:40:01 EDT news698500157