https://techxplore.com/ en-us Tech Xplore internet news portal provides the latest news on electronics, technology, and engineering. Sulfide-based all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs), which use a solid electrolyte instead of a liquid one, are emerging as a promising way to overcome the safety and energy-density limitations of conventional lithium-ion batteries. However, a major obstacle to their practical use is the poor chemical compatibility at the interface between the cathode active materials (CAMs) and sulfide-based solid electrolytes. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-minimum-effective-coating-thickness-longer.html Energy & Green Tech Fri, 15 May 2026 14:20:01 EDT news698072761 Engineers have developed a new ultra-thin membrane that allows fuel cells to operate more efficiently at high temperatures by enabling proton transport without water, overcoming a key limitation in clean energy technologies. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ultra-thin-membrane-enables-high.html Energy & Green Tech Fri, 15 May 2026 14:00:05 EDT news698059284 Recent years have witnessed the unprecedented development of Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things. These two technologies have significantly facilitated data collection from different sources for numerous tasks, such as reconstruction, classification, and prediction, for next-generation applications. However, the effective fusion and interpretation of these multi-source datasets remain challenging, making it a thriving area of research. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-deep-architecture-multi-source-fusion.html Computer Sciences Fri, 15 May 2026 13:57:02 EDT news698072159 Metal additive manufacturing (AM), widely regarded as a revolution in modern manufacturing for its ability to produce lightweight and geometrically complex components, has long faced a critical barrier to widespread adoption: microscopic internal defects that are invisible to the naked eye yet significantly compromise structural integrity. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-invisible-ai-framework-accounts-hidden.html Engineering Fri, 15 May 2026 12:00:06 EDT news698064721 Researchers at Skoltech conducted a comparative study of two techniques for evaluating mesoscale residual stresses in the aerospace alloy VT6 (Ti-6Al-4V) used to manufacture fan and compressor blades in aircraft engines. The study, published in the journal Measurement, demonstrates how combining gallium (Ga⁺) and xenon (Xe⁺) ion beams within the FIB-DIC (Focused Ion Beam—Digital Image Correlation) method enables reliable measurement of residual stresses in the critical mesoscale range from 0.05 to 0.5 mm. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-multiscale-residual-stress-reliability-aircraft.html Engineering Fri, 15 May 2026 11:20:10 EDT news698062501 You're trying to book concert tickets before they sell out. You click the link and before you can make the payment, you're asked to identify traffic lights, bicycles or blurry crosswalks in a grid of tiny images. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-websites-proof-youre-human-blame.html Internet Fri, 15 May 2026 08:51:28 EDT news698053861 In an industry that runs on hype and grand gestures, Canadian AI firm Cohere is charting a different course from Silicon Valley. No talk of superintelligent machines, no public feuding, just one question: can it make money? https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-canada-cohere-embraces-drama-ai.html Machine learning & AI Fri, 15 May 2026 05:00:05 EDT news698038027 Lawyers for Elon Musk and OpenAI presented closing arguments Thursday in a blockbuster trial where the verdict could hobble ChatGPT's parent company in the breakneck race for AI supremacy. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-arguments-blockbuster-trial-pitting-musk.html Business Fri, 15 May 2026 04:23:12 EDT news698037724 In the last few years, many of us have started to see the benefits of using genAI in day-to-day tasks. But we've also been asked to reckon with the enormous environmental cost. Reporting has highlighted that these popular AI technologies have a significant environmental impact through high energy consumption, carbon emissions, and water use. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-smaller-bigger-future-proof-ai.html Machine learning & AI Thu, 14 May 2026 22:40:06 EDT news697972226 Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a method that uses additive manufacturing (AM)—3D printing—to fabricate custom canisters for powder metallurgical hot isostatic pressing (PM-HIP), streamlining production of large-scale metal components used in aerospace, energy and medical applications. Their work is published in the journal Powder Technology. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-3d-enables-powder-metallurgical-hot.html Engineering Thu, 14 May 2026 17:12:16 EDT news697997521 As electric vehicles become more common, cities are facing the new and increasingly complex task of managing when and where drivers plug in. Concordia researchers have developed a new tool that offers a clearer picture of how EV charging could affect urban power systems. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ev-simulation-cities-electric-vehicle.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 14 May 2026 17:01:34 EDT news697996861 Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories and Auburn University have developed a new method to more accurately detect atomic-scale defects in electronic materials, an advance that could help improve technologies ranging from electric vehicles to high-power electronics. The study, appearing in the Journal of Applied Physics, addresses a longstanding challenge in understanding what happens at the critical boundary where a semiconductor meets an insulating layer. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-longstanding-problem-semiconductor-defects.html Electronics & Semiconductors Thu, 14 May 2026 16:14:39 EDT news697994041 A research team at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) has developed a novel electrode that the human body does not reject. This advance addresses a fundamental limitation of current wearable technology and is attracting significant attention from the academic community. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-body-compatible-electrode-rigid-insertion.html Electronics & Semiconductors Thu, 14 May 2026 15:47:48 EDT news697992373 A research team led by Su-Min Kim and Jung-Goo Lee (Korea Institute of Materials Science; KIMS) has developed next-generation magnet manufacturing technology that uniformly enhances magnetic performance throughout thick magnets while reducing heat generation. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-thicker-cooler-magnet-technology-generation.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 14 May 2026 15:47:15 EDT news697992361 According to many deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, clarity—not volume—is one of the most challenging parts of understanding speech in enclosed spaces. In many types of rooms, sound reflecting off multiple walls muddies conversation, making it harder to understand. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-wall-centers-deaf-hard-individuals.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 14 May 2026 15:40:04 EDT news697966321 Researchers from the University of Bath's Department of Mechanical Engineering have shown that agricultural waste from prickly pear cactus plants could be used as a low-cost, low-carbon reinforcement for construction materials, offering a more sustainable alternative to conventional composites. The research is published in the Journal of Natural Fibers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-pear-cacti-materials-tomorrow.html Engineering Thu, 14 May 2026 15:04:18 EDT news697989843 The effects of the Iran war on the oil market have brought renewed attention to the EU's plans for domestic production of fossil-free aviation fuels. But EU rules for synthetic aviation fuels risk steering development toward production pathways that are both more expensive and more energy-intensive than necessary—making it harder to meet climate targets. This is shown in a recent study from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, that has analyzed different methods for producing synthetic methanol. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-eu-fossil-free-aviation-fuels.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 14 May 2026 14:48:51 EDT news697988881 Many companies ended remote work arrangements that began during the coronavirus pandemic despite resistance from employees who grew accustomed to working from home. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-era-workers-offices-dropbox-remote.html Business Thu, 14 May 2026 13:20:07 EDT news697983141 When a list of pros and cons won't cut it, a new decision-making tool developed by Cornell researchers can use artificial intelligence to help make difficult decisions. But there's a twist: Instead of checking AI's result, AI is checking you. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-humans-bad-complex-decisions-ai.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 14 May 2026 12:30:24 EDT news697980604 I teach writing and rhetoric, but my college students and I often overlook a surprisingly complicated question: What is writing? https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ai-priestess-philosophers-ancient-authors.html Machine learning & AI Thu, 14 May 2026 12:25:53 EDT news697980301 Imagine a car whose windows and sunroof can help top up its battery while parked under the sun, or a pair of smart glasses whose lenses can harvest light to power built-in electronics. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-scientists-invisible-solar-cells-windows.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 14 May 2026 12:10:26 EDT news697979341 As robots enter hospitals and care facilities, questions remain about whether they actually make care easier for the people who give and receive it. A new Cornell Tech-led study approaches that challenge by inviting health care workers, long-term care residents, and community members to help design the robots themselves. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-robots-reveal-health-staff-patients.html Robotics Thu, 14 May 2026 11:36:00 EDT news697977317 Computer scientists at UC Riverside have identified troubling flaws in a new generation of artificial intelligence (AI) agents designed to take over routine computer chores while users are away—sorting emails, organizing files, analyzing data, and handling other everyday digital tasks that might otherwise consume hours. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ambition-ai-agents-tasks-digital.html Computer Sciences Thu, 14 May 2026 11:00:19 EDT news697975201 Ideas to reduce carbon emissions often revolve around renewable power, electric vehicles and energy efficiency. But there's another, less colorful character that's often overlooked: cement. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-basalt-key-greener-cheaper-cement.html Engineering Thu, 14 May 2026 11:00:12 EDT news697884602 Researchers from the group of theoretical physicist Hans Briegel have collaborated with NVIDIA to develop an AI method that automatically generates efficient quantum circuits, a key bottleneck in making quantum computers practically useful. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-quantum-circuits-ai.html Hi Tech & Innovation Thu, 14 May 2026 10:20:04 EDT news697971250 New work explaining the inner workings of artificial intelligence could provide a way around the threat of AI "model collapse," potentially averting growing numbers of AI hallucinations in the future. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-real-world-ai-collapse-analysis.html Computer Sciences Thu, 14 May 2026 10:00:01 EDT news697886395 Originally, video games were a product you paid for once and that then provided as many hours of entertainment as users wanted to spend at the computer or console. Now, however, on the mobile phones that are in almost everybody's pockets, the industry's growth has taken a darker turn, with game design using a range of mechanisms that encourage user spending and can help normalize gambling habits. A study led by researchers at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) published in the journal Entertainment Computing, reveals a consistent relationship between these hidden mechanisms and behaviors associated with problematic gambling among young people. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-harmless-game-features-quietly-reshape.html Internet Thu, 14 May 2026 09:35:34 EDT news697970101 Energy productivity—the measure of how much economic value is generated for every unit of energy used—can be underestimated when multiple benefits are overlooked. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-tool-energy-productivity.html Business Thu, 14 May 2026 09:17:20 EDT news697969022 From courtrooms to hospitals, interpreting demands more than language fluency—yet experts warn AI is changing how the profession is understood and valued. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-lost-human-expertise-age-ai.html Machine learning & AI Thu, 14 May 2026 08:30:45 EDT news697966202 The experimental plane Solar Impulse 2, which completed a historic round-the-world trip in 2016 without using jet fuel, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico recently, its owner revealed. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-historic-solar-plane-gulf-military.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 14 May 2026 03:13:00 EDT news697947149