https://techxplore.com/ en-us Tech Xplore internet news portal provides the latest news on electronics, technology, and engineering. 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 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 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 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 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 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 As the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) continues to grow, the disposal of spent EV batteries is emerging as a major social and environmental challenge. Wastewater generated during conventional battery recycling processes can contain high concentrations of heavy metals, posing risks of soil and groundwater contamination. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-key-recycling-spent-ev-batteries.html Energy & Green Tech Fri, 28 Aug 2026 13:20:05 EDT news707141761 Refrigerators, air-conditioning systems and data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity, and cooling demand is constantly rising. A research team from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Tsukuba in Japan is presenting a new approach demonstrated by a prototype in which heat assumes the role formerly played by an electric motor. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ultrathin-grade-cooling-electric-motor.html Engineering Fri, 28 Aug 2026 13:00:10 EDT news707139961 By combining two complementary clues—camera geometry and visual appearance—researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan, developed a new approach for preserving identities across multiple cameras. The method uses epipolar geometry to identify spatially consistent candidate matches and appearance similarity to distinguish among possible identities. The approach can be integrated with existing single-camera tracking systems without requiring environment-specific retraining. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-multiple-cameras-track-person-identity.html Computer Sciences Fri, 28 Aug 2026 12:00:05 EDT news707136601 Inside every electronic device, the flow of electricity is controlled by a switch called a transistor. For decades, these switches were made from silicon. More recently, engineers have turned to a material called gallium nitride (GaN), which enables small, efficient devices like smartphone chargers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-transistor-high-voltage-microchip-scale.html Electronics & Semiconductors Fri, 28 Aug 2026 10:40:03 EDT news707129462 Lithium-ion batteries power transportation and grid storage and enable our digital lives, but these ubiquitous batteries require frequent recharging and can fail over time. To make batteries more reliable and longer-lasting, researchers are exploring how to replace liquids inside batteries with a solid ceramic material that could improve their performance. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-solid-state-batteries-short-circuiting.html Engineering Fri, 28 Aug 2026 10:20:03 EDT news707129281 Researchers from North Carolina State University have created teardrop-shaped soft robots that leap upward or forward when exposed to infrared light—and will keep jumping as long as the light is present. The work demonstrates a new mechanism for self-resetting jumping behavior in soft robotics. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-powered-soft-robots.html Robotics Fri, 28 Aug 2026 10:00:02 EDT news707128436 While it may sound like science fiction, earbuds that read brain activity are already on sale. Wearable technology company Neurable claims that its headphones, equipped with electroencephalography (EEG) sensors, can track your fatigue and reduce burnout. At night, NextSense's Smartbuds pick up the electrical signals of your brain to chart your sleep. By day, the same EEG sensors help schedule demanding tasks for the hours when you are sharpest. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-brain-earbuds-prompting-urgent-children.html Consumer & Gadgets Fri, 28 Aug 2026 09:20:01 EDT news707126125 For robots to be successfully deployed in real-world environments, humans should trust them enough to cooperate with them. Some roboticists have been trying to determine whether users perceive robots that exhibit socially expressive behaviors, such as gestures, eye contact and nodding, as more trustworthy. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-humanoid-robot-social-backfire.html Consumer & Gadgets Fri, 28 Aug 2026 08:00:03 EDT news707109064 Yankai Wang, a Ph.D. student in organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business, was reading a paper about how transformers—the architecture behind large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Claude—might be used to study disease development by tracing how one condition tends to follow another. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ai-uncover-hidden-ways-people.html Machine learning & AI Fri, 28 Aug 2026 07:00:05 EDT news707115542 Gold has been the safe choice for perovskite solar cells. We found a way to stop needing it. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-gold-standard-ultrathin-chromium-layer.html Electronics & Semiconductors Thu, 27 Aug 2026 17:20:01 EDT news707043018 More than 100 organizations around the world, including ChatGPT maker OpenAI and rival Anthropic, have signed an open letter calling for a global effort to "strengthen cyber defenses" against AI-powered cybersecurity threats. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-tech-companies-urge-global-response.html Machine learning & AI Thu, 27 Aug 2026 14:40:07 EDT news707059476 Metals, semiconductors and insulators are fundamental components of modern electronics. However, efforts to improve device performance have largely focused on semiconductor quality, while metal crystallinity has received far less attention. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-nanoscale-transistors-contact-resistance-stepwise.html Electronics & Semiconductors Thu, 27 Aug 2026 14:00:13 EDT news707049961 For decades, chess has served as a laboratory for studying intelligence and decision-making. It is well established that today's chess engines can outperform even the strongest grandmasters. But far less is understood about how their play actually differs. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ai-doesnt-play-chess-complexity.html Computer Sciences Thu, 27 Aug 2026 13:20:01 EDT news707055301 A new set of modular components allows users to create reconfigurable smart devices with electrical connections that keep working no matter what shape the structure forms. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-bifur-circuits-devices-electrical-intact.html Engineering Thu, 27 Aug 2026 12:00:48 EDT news707050816 Do you ever see an ant skittering across your kitchen counter and wonder how this little bug overcame all the obstacles in your home just to get there? Insects use their tiny nervous systems to walk with surprising dexterity—a skill that could be transferred to robots looking to do more productive things than just find breadcrumbs in your kitchen. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-legged-robot-insect.html Robotics Thu, 27 Aug 2026 09:20:04 EDT news707038833 Legged robots, robotic systems with legs that typically resemble those of animals or humans, could be advantageous for completing tasks in home environments or populated, dynamic spaces. These robots may look like humans or animals, yet they often cannot reliably replicate complex whole-body movements in a short time. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-cartwheels-backflips-motion-imitation-framework.html Robotics Thu, 27 Aug 2026 09:00:03 EDT news706874570