https://techxplore.com/ en-us Tech Xplore internet news portal provides the latest news on electronics, technology, and engineering. Inspired by the cracked, water-trapping skin of elephants, Penn researchers have developed a low-cost cement tile that cools buildings by capturing and slowly evaporating water—turning a structural flaw into a climate solution. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-elephant-cement-tiles-cool-electricity.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 22 Jul 2026 12:00:06 EDT news703939623 Researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) presented two papers at SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles. One paper introduces new methods for texturing highly deformable surfaces, and the other proposes a faster, more precise way to compute geometric properties of shapes. Both show how to boost graphics accuracy while cutting computational cost, with potential applications across video gaming, visual effects and simulation. The studies have been published in ACM Transactions on Graphics. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-graphics-advances-textures-tenfold.html Computer Sciences Wed, 22 Jul 2026 11:20:01 EDT news703937758 A breakthrough in communications research may have solved a key problem with one of the enabling technologies set to underpin future 6G networks. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-comms-tech-breakthrough-6g-networks.html Telecom Wed, 22 Jul 2026 07:00:05 EDT news703921562 ChatGPT maker OpenAI said Tuesday that its artificial intelligence system hacked into another AI company on its own in what the company called an "unprecedented cyber incident." https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-openai-ai-technology-unprecedented-hack.html Machine learning & AI Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:54:30 EDT news703911252 A Dutch student team on Tuesday unveiled what it believes to be the world's first solar-powered ambulance, which it hopes can bring much-needed medical care to the remotest parts of the globe. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-dutch-students-unveil-world-solar.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 21 Jul 2026 16:20:03 EDT news703868846 The same class of chemical additive that makes plastic wrap pliable and vinyl flooring soft could be the key to unlocking the next generation of wearable displays. Researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) have discovered that blending a common plastic softener into light-emitting polymer films makes those films both brighter and more stretchable. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-common-plastic-additive-stretchable-oled.html Electronics & Semiconductors Tue, 21 Jul 2026 16:00:09 EDT news703868041 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 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 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 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 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 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 The new, powerful Chinese artificial intelligence model Kimi K3, which has caused a stir in the U.S. tech industry, has suspended new subscriptions after a flood in demand overwhelmed capacity within days of the launch. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-china-ai-halts-subscriptions-demand.html Machine learning & AI Mon, 20 Jul 2026 14:00:04 EDT news703774327 Over the past decade, perovskite LEDs have become increasingly vibrant and affordable to produce. With careful tweaks to their chemical composition, these crystal-based light emitters can be tuned across the visible spectrum—matching and sometimes even beating rival LED materials for producing red and green light. However, blue light has remained a holdout, keeping full-color perovskite displays out of reach. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-fine-tuned-perovskites-blue-vibrant.html Engineering Mon, 20 Jul 2026 13:15:58 EDT news703772133 A research team led by Kyunghan Lee, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Seoul National University College of Engineering, has developed an artificial intelligence system, "Ouroboros," that performs vision transformer-based video analysis 2.61 times faster using 13.0% of the computation required by conventional methods on edge devices. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-ouroboros-ai-edge-devices-video.html Hi Tech & Innovation Mon, 20 Jul 2026 11:40:06 EDT news703766042 One of the biggest obstacles to wider adoption of electric vehicles (EV) is completely invisible and unquantifiable: the belief in many consumers' minds that the range limitations of EVs make them a bad option. Doubts about mobility, whether well-founded or not, can run neck and neck with curiosity in consumers' minds, keeping them from making the switch from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to EVs. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-ev-boost-backfire.html Automotive Mon, 20 Jul 2026 09:20:10 EDT news703757162 A comprehensive analysis of age assurance technologies co-authored by CISPA faculty member Dr. Wouter Lueks concludes that many currently proposed systems for protecting minors online come with significant trade-offs for privacy, security, accessibility and civil liberties. The study "Assessing Age Assurance Technologies: Effectiveness, Side-Effects, and Acceptance," conducted with colleagues from the University of Hamburg and the Leibniz Institute for Media Research, evaluates a broad range of approaches currently being debated by policymakers and platforms worldwide. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-size-age-verification-online.html Internet Mon, 20 Jul 2026 07:00:02 EDT news703748544 Large language models (LLMs), the computational algorithms underpinning ChatGPT, Gemini and other artificial intelligence (AI)-powered conversational platforms, are now widely used worldwide. These models can rapidly answer questions, source information online, assist users with specific tasks and produce text tailored for specific purposes. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-hidden-prompts-false-memories-ai.html Security Sun, 19 Jul 2026 10:20:01 EDT news703427290