https://techxplore.com/ en-us Tech Xplore internet news portal provides the latest news on electronics, technology, and engineering. At least 2.2 million cars on the road today are vulnerable to an attack that allows thieves to lock and unlock doors and immobilize vehicle engines remotely via a Bluetooth connection, computer scientists at the University of California San Diego have found. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-million-cars-anti-theft-dealers.html Security Tue, 21 Jul 2026 15:00:05 EDT news703864561 Along the vast ocean floor lives a species of glass sponge known as Venus' flower basket. Though delicate-looking, its exterior belies an exceptionally strong, lightweight skeleton that has intrigued scientists for the past 185 years. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-deep-sea-sponge-geometry-metamaterials.html Engineering Tue, 21 Jul 2026 13:40:03 EDT news703858201 Imagine buying three identical 3D printers. Despite being the same brand, the same model and even having similar serial numbers, each machine may behave slightly differently. Over time and at scale, these differences can accumulate into significant manufacturing defects. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-ai-personalities-individual-3d-printers.html Engineering Tue, 21 Jul 2026 13:20:10 EDT news703856401 A research team led by Professor Jo Woon Chong of the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), in collaboration with researchers from KAIST and Texas Tech University in the United States, has developed the Passenger Movement Estimation System (PMES). This AI-based system predicts passenger movements using CCTV footage to prevent subway door entrapment accidents before they occur. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-ai-tech-proactively-subway-door.html Automotive Tue, 21 Jul 2026 13:00:05 EDT news703855261 Webtoons are coming to life in the physical world, ushering in a new era in which comics are not merely viewed but experienced. A KAIST research team has developed the world's first next-generation extended reality (XR) comics platform that enables a wide range of readers to enjoy immersive, three-dimensional comics in physical space. By expanding webtoons beyond the screen and into the real world, the team has opened up new possibilities for the future of comics. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-source-xr-webtoons-3d-comics.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 21 Jul 2026 12:40:04 EDT news703853761 From the Ferranti Mark I to empathetic AI, Manchester researchers are exploring how intelligent machines can understand human behavior, respond to social cues and earn trust in our workplaces, hospitals and homes. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-redesigning-relationships-humans-intelligent-machines.html Robotics Tue, 21 Jul 2026 12:20:09 EDT news703853282 Researchers at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have developed a novel chip architecture that enables the miniature acoustic devices inside smartphones to withstand more than 12 times higher power loads while maintaining cooler, more stable operation. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-ultra-robust-acoustic-chip-power.html Telecom Tue, 21 Jul 2026 12:00:06 EDT news703852801 Researchers at TU Wien are working with technology partners to develop a digital manufacturing process for topology-optimized reinforced concrete slabs that significantly reduce material use and carbon footprints. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-optimized-concrete-slabs-material-weakening.html Engineering Tue, 21 Jul 2026 11:40:01 EDT news703851601 In the current issue of the journal Nature Methods, siibra is introduced as a software suite that integrates data from different multimodal sources into a comprehensive atlas of the human brain and makes the data easily accessible—for interactive exploration and automated, reproducible data analyses, simulations and AI applications. siibra is developed by an international team of scientists led by the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1) at Forschungszentrum Jülich. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-molecules-networks-siibra-brain-atlas.html Software Tue, 21 Jul 2026 11:20:01 EDT news703850660 Researchers in China have unveiled a new robotic exosuit driven entirely by soft artificial muscles instead of traditional motors. This technology could make it easier for older adults, injured patients or factory workers to walk with much less effort. Current exosuits that aid walking use heavy motors, gearboxes and noisy air-pressure pumps that restrict a person's natural movement. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-soft-exosuit-motor-free-path.html Engineering Tue, 21 Jul 2026 11:02:43 EDT news703850543 Earth's orbit is getting crowded. About 16,000 satellites currently circle our planet, supporting everything from GPS navigation and weather forecasting to banking, emergency services and internet communications. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-satellites-earth-orbit.html Telecom Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:20:05 EDT news703846861 If producing electric vehicles (EVs) were an Olympic sport, China would dominate the medal podium. China now leads the world in the sale and export of EVs, a term encompassing everything from battery-powered cars to plug-in hybrids. Chinese companies also produce the lion's share of the rechargeable batteries that keep EVs running. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-chinese-companies-ev-meteoric.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:00:07 EDT news703846742 West Virginia University researchers say driving anxiety, one of the most common phobias, is triggered by a variety of circumstances that can lead to panic attacks and avoidance of the open road during the summer travel season and at other times of the year. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-experts-stress-wheel-distract-drivers.html Automotive Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:20:03 EDT news703843322 Semi-transparent solar cells that could be added to windows to efficiently harvest energy from indoor light as well as the sun have been developed by an international team led by UCL researchers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-solar-windows-harvest-indoor-sunlight.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 21 Jul 2026 06:30:01 EDT news703772363 South Korea plans to launch a free artificial intelligence chatbot service powered by domestic technology this year, Seoul said Tuesday, seeking to reduce reliance on foreign platforms. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-south-korea-free-homegrown-ai.html Machine learning & AI Tue, 21 Jul 2026 04:20:04 EDT news703824635 China's leading technology companies showcased hundreds of cutting-edge products at the World AI Conference in Shanghai—from advanced robotics to artificial intelligence systems. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-shanghai-science-forum-photos-china.html Hi Tech & Innovation Tue, 21 Jul 2026 04:00:03 EDT news703824381 France's parliament is weighing a social media ban for users under 15, following in the footsteps of Australia and Indonesia, although enforcement authorities face a puzzle over how to manage age checks. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-french-youth-social-media-age.html Internet Tue, 21 Jul 2026 03:49:24 EDT news703824543 Road deaths are declining in the U.S. and worldwide, but lower-income countries aren't experiencing much of the improvement, according to a study published Monday. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-road-deaths-declined-globally-poorer.html Automotive Tue, 21 Jul 2026 03:44:05 EDT news703824226 Systems that can create summaries from conversations are in high demand in customer service, newsrooms and virtual assistants. Research published in the International Journal of Applied Pattern Recognition could improve processing speed and cut computational costs by using a new compression technique that avoids the lengthy retraining normally required after algorithm optimization. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-framework-algorithms.html Machine learning & AI Mon, 20 Jul 2026 20:00:01 EDT news703773591 Portable handheld fans are now often stacked beside chewing gum and vapes at supermarket checkouts and discount stores, available for less than £10. Once mainly sold online, they're convenient, affordable and increasingly popular. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-handheld-fans-cool-planet.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:40:04 EDT news703772638 A new modeling study finds that weak AI regulation may be worse than no regulation at all when it comes to the safety of AI products and services. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-weak-ai-worse.html Business Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:03 EDT news703784881 An aircraft powered by a megawatt-class hybrid-electric engine developed in collaboration with NASA and built by GE Aerospace, demonstrated flight of an innovation that can inform new generations of fuel-saving aircraft power systems. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-hybrid-electric-aircraft-feet-flights.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:00:09 EDT news703784641 A research team led by Hyun Oh Song, a professor in Seoul National University College of Engineering's Department of Computer Science and Engineering, in collaboration with Samsung AI Center, has developed "Rule2DRC," an AI agent technology that automatically generates inspection codes required for semiconductor design verification. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-ai-agent-technology-automate-semiconductor.html Electronics & Semiconductors Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:20:09 EDT news703782302 A research team has developed the world's first chip that can match the speed at which the human brain functions. The study, titled "A sub–10-millisecond neural dynamical system based on phase-change memristors," was published in Science and was led by Professor Yang Yuchao of Peking University, together with researchers from the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-tiny-memristor-chip-brain-milliseconds.html Hardware Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:20:01 EDT news703782781 The world's oceans may appear calm from space, but beneath the surface, an intricate web of fast-moving currents drives Earth's climate. Now, a new study led by Tel Aviv University has unveiled a breakthrough that allows scientists to observe these hidden motions with unprecedented clarity. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-ai-powered-unprecedented-insight-earth.html Machine learning & AI Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:00:02 EDT news703772300 It is common for solar panels to be shaded by trees, clouds, birds or buildings. For thin-film solar technologies, however, such shading can cause shaded areas to develop reverse-bias stress (negative voltage), which can reduce power-generation efficiency and even damage solar cell modules. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-resistant-solar-cells-efficiency-2000hour.html Engineering Mon, 20 Jul 2026 15:40:05 EDT news703780586 No wires. No actuators. Shine light on the metal surface, and it rises like a button. KAIST researchers have developed a metal structure that changes shape using light, without any light-absorbing coating. This technology could open new possibilities for tactile interfaces with physical pop-up buttons, shape displays, next-generation wearable devices and soft robots. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-mechanical-buttons.html Engineering Mon, 20 Jul 2026 15:20:08 EDT news703778761 As populations grow and economies develop, the world will need more roads, railroads and other mobility infrastructure, especially in rapidly urbanizing regions. The challenge is to provide that infrastructure while minimizing resource use and carbon emissions—a goal new research suggests is well within reach. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-smarter-mobility-infrastructure-carbon-future.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 20 Jul 2026 15:20:07 EDT news703779541 Metasurfaces are ultrathin optical components engineered with arrays of nanoscale structures that can control light in ways that are difficult for conventional optics. Unlike traditional optical components, which typically rely on their shape and thickness, metasurfaces manipulate light using carefully designed nanostructures patterned on a flat surface. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-programmable-metasurface-keyboard-dynamic-holograms.html Electronics & Semiconductors Mon, 20 Jul 2026 15:00:08 EDT news703777321 Underwater environments are among the harshest operating conditions for electronic devices. Divers and underwater robots depend on sensors to navigate, communicate and handle objects, but conventional sensors are fragile, reliant on an external power source and unable to recover when damaged. A punctured sensor underwater typically means lost functionality with little prospect of on-the-spot repair, a limitation that shortens the working life of underwater machines and raises safety concerns for divers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-electronic-skin-sensors-underwater-robots.html Engineering Mon, 20 Jul 2026 14:40:07 EDT news703772353