https://techxplore.com/ en-us Tech Xplore internet news portal provides the latest news on electronics, technology, and engineering. Meta is going all in on a consumer-friendly AI agent and pushing forward with AI-powered wearable devices during a moment in the industry when its CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged it is a "wild time to be building." https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-meta-big-wearable-ai-agent.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 24 Sep 2026 04:17:32 EDT news709442163 Mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Anupam Pandey's research team has found that microscopic folds in soft materials can act like tiny, programmable traffic gates for liquid droplets. The folds can stop droplets, let them pass or merge them together without surface coatings or additional hardware. Remarkably, the droplets never touch the fold. They sense it from a distance and slow down, stop short or change course in response. The study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-soft-surfaces-rewritable-merge-droplets.html Engineering Wed, 23 Sep 2026 17:00:07 EDT news709401481 How many times have you asked someone to hold open a door while carrying something, or fumbled with your front-door keys with your arms full of groceries? Wouldn't it be great if you could give yourself the extra hand you need? https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-wearable-robotic-limbs.html Robotics Wed, 23 Sep 2026 16:20:01 EDT news709396047 A four-legged robot that can complete a marathon on a single battery charge has been demonstrated by a team from KAIST. The robot, which completed the Sangju Marathon in South Korea in 4 hours and 19 minutes alongside human runners, traveled three times as far per charge than existing robots and could pave the way for improved battery life in legged robots. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-robot-dog-marathon-battery.html Robotics Wed, 23 Sep 2026 16:00:16 EDT news709395301 A research team at the Faculty of Engineering at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), led by professor Ruibang Luo of the School of Computing and Data Science and professor Can Li of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has developed Gungnir, a blockchain-inspired DNA data storage codec. The framework improves digital information recovery from severely damaged DNA sequences, potentially extending the practical lifespan of DNA data archives from less than a decade to centuries. The paper is published in the journal Nature Communications. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-blockchain-dna-storage-codec-recovers.html Computer Sciences Wed, 23 Sep 2026 15:40:01 EDT news709395061 As our skies increasingly crowd with buzzing, hovering, flitting drones, spare a thought for the humble hopping robot. Hopping, a popular form of locomotion in the insect and amphibian worlds, is nearly two orders of magnitude more energy-efficient than flying. Unlike a mosquito that must constantly expend energy to stay aloft, a flea only works out when it jumps. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-tiny-robot-precisely-height.html Robotics Wed, 23 Sep 2026 15:20:08 EDT news709394701 For many of us, the last—and only—time we've seen a walking hand was Thing in "The Addams Family" movies or TV series. Now there's another. Engineers from the Soft Robotics Lab at ETH Zurich have adapted an off-the-shelf detached robotic hand so it can crawl across different surfaces, balance and interact with its environment. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-robotic-keys.html Robotics Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:30:01 EDT news709387524 Screens are becoming smaller and sharper. This can be seen, for example, in augmented reality glasses and the electronic viewfinders of cameras, some of which have a screen diagonal of less than 1 centimeter (0.4 inches). https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-tiny-oled-pixels-microchips-chemical.html Electronics & Semiconductors Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:00:09 EDT news709386182 A simple pattern of black-and-white stripes could cause an autonomous vehicle or robot to misjudge how far away an obstacle is, potentially triggering an unexpected maneuver or even a collision, according to new University of Florida research. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-simple-visual-patterns-ai-powered.html Robotics Wed, 23 Sep 2026 10:00:04 EDT news709372295 You may recall the scene in the comedy Raising Arizona in which Nicolas Cage pulls a pair of pantyhose over his head before attempting, with limited success, to rob a convenience store of a pack of diapers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-stocking-masks-criminal-comeback.html Security Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:20:01 EDT news709372322 When an AI chatbot agrees with our reasoning in resolving a social dilemma, we may become more confident in our opinions. But when the chatbot disagrees, we may simply dismiss the challenge rather than reconsider our views. That's according to new research from the University of Michigan examining how people respond when artificial intelligence weighs in on personal and interpersonal dilemmas. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-ai-people-technology-view.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 23 Sep 2026 07:40:04 EDT news709367882 Humanoid robots, robotic systems with a human-like body structure, could assist people in homes, offices, health care facilities, public spaces and various other environments. Before they can be reliably deployed in these settings, however, robots should be able to safely navigate cluttered and dynamic environments. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-humanoid-robots-narrow-gaps-obstacles.html Robotics Wed, 23 Sep 2026 06:20:01 EDT news709302867 Cornell University physics researchers have made robots that can, for the first time, sense the temperature of their surroundings and react together to change it. "Little things can have a large impact," said Itai Cohen, a leader in developing microscopic robots and a corresponding author on the study. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-microrobots-environment.html Robotics Wed, 23 Sep 2026 05:00:12 EDT news709293086 Anthropic and OpenAI on Tuesday released new, cheaper artificial intelligence models within hours of each other, days after the heads of both companies called for a slowdown in AI development. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-anthropic-openai-cheaper-ai-safety.html Machine learning & AI Wed, 23 Sep 2026 04:38:44 EDT news709357100 For decades, the gold standard for capturing human movement and transferring these data into the digital world has required actors to wear suits with physical markers that cameras track in a specialized studio. While accurate, this capture process is time-consuming and expensive. Markers need to be placed manually, they can fall off, and if two people get too close—such as during a hug or a dance—the system fails to track all markers as one person blocks the other from the camera's view, and accuracy drops significantly. Extensive post-processing is needed to recover the motion in such challenging sequences. The creators of the Hollywood blockbusters "Avatar" or "The Lord of the Rings" will know what we mean. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-virtual-markers-smartphone-cameras-reconstruct.html Computer Sciences Tue, 22 Sep 2026 16:00:06 EDT news709310402 A technoeconomic assessment of small modular reactor (SMR) development across the United States suggests stakeholders should shift focus from the power sector to industry, according to a University of Michigan Engineering and School of Environment and Sustainability study published in Nature Communications. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-small-modular-reactor-potential-industry.html Engineering Tue, 22 Sep 2026 12:40:02 EDT news709298508 Commercial cameras can be powerful, producing images with exquisite detail that mimic real life. In the lab, specially designed cameras can photograph objects in the infrared region, invisible to the naked eye. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-consumer-camera-modification-solar-cell.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 22 Sep 2026 11:00:18 EDT news709205042 Just as a clogged kitchen sink can bring household routines to a halt, a blockage in a nuclear reactor's heat exchanger can slow operations and require urgent attention. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory are now using artificial intelligence to spot these hidden clogs early. This approach will help molten-salt-cooled reactors (MSCR) run smoothly and reduce expensive interruptions. The study is published in Scientific Reports. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-scientists-real-ai-advanced-nuclear.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 22 Sep 2026 10:20:04 EDT news709290004 Roboticists at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and the University of Michigan have shown that elastic rods can be bent and twisted to repeatedly snap between shapes, releasing built-up energy that enables small robots to hop, flip and swim. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-snapping-rods-frog-robot-outrun.html Robotics Mon, 21 Sep 2026 15:40:09 EDT news709223821 A research team led by Dr. Taehoon Kim of the Composites & Convergence Materials Research Division at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), collaborated with research teams led by Dr. Seon Joon Kim and Dr. Jaewoo Kim of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) to develop an ultrathin composite film that combines electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, infrared (IR) stealth and high mechanical strength. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-ultrathin-blocks-electromagnetic-masking-infrared.html Engineering Mon, 21 Sep 2026 13:00:03 EDT news709214041 Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have used an evolutionary algorithm to identify optimal shapes for ultra-thin, bio-inspired corrugated airfoils, the two-dimensional cut-throughs of wings. Lightweight membrane-like wings are a strong contender for use in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in thin atmospheres, like on Mars, and in UAV miniaturization. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-insect-corrugations-drones-fly-mars.html Engineering Mon, 21 Sep 2026 12:20:03 EDT news709209541 Digital computing using silicon chips has transformed nearly every aspect of modern life and enabled the remarkable growth of artificial intelligence. But as AI models scale up, that growth comes with increasing demands for energy, water and computing infrastructure. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-physical-ai-hardware-neural-network.html Hardware Mon, 21 Sep 2026 11:50:01 EDT news709208170 The global transition toward carbon-free, clean and sustainable energy has accelerated the search for new hydrogen-producing technologies. However, making clean hydrogen by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen is expensive because of its reliance on scarce metals such as platinum and iridium. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-carbon-imperfections-scarce-metals-future.html Engineering Mon, 21 Sep 2026 11:40:08 EDT news709208508 Electric vehicles (EVs), including cars, buses and trains, could significantly reduce the substantial greenhouse gas emissions produced by the transportation sector. These vehicles' performance and reliability over time, however, depend largely on the batteries used to power them. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-real-world-ev-reveal-uneven.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 21 Sep 2026 10:50:01 EDT news709205068 Most people associate network performance with bandwidth, the amount of data that can be transferred per second. However, for many of today's digital services, latency is just as important. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-reveals-internet.html Internet Mon, 21 Sep 2026 09:36:03 EDT news709202150 Imagine a neighbor who persistently claims you make noise at night. Others initially disagree, but the neighbor keeps trying to convince them. Their success depends not only on their stubbornness but also on how well connected they are and how willing others are to change their minds. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-stubbornness-problem-ai-agents.html Security Mon, 21 Sep 2026 08:40:03 EDT news709198321 When prompts to draft work emails and job applications contain language commonly used by women, AI chatbots, including ChatGPT, offer less sophisticated responses than they do to requests for office correspondence containing language associated with men, new Johns Hopkins University research finds. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-ai-women-bad.html Machine learning & AI Mon, 21 Sep 2026 08:20:05 EDT news709196882 Google's consumer AI model Gemini hacked multiple systems by guessing login credentials, the company told AFP on Friday, the latest case of rogue AI cybersecurity transgressions raising safety concerns. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-google-gemini-ai-cyberattacks-passwords.html Machine learning & AI Sat, 19 Sep 2026 10:40:02 EDT news709031721 Once a distant ambition for technology researchers, the prospect of artificial intelligence models teaching themselves autonomously to be more efficient and capable appears ever closer to reality. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-ai-ability-autonomously-labs-scenario.html Machine learning & AI Sat, 19 Sep 2026 10:11:03 EDT news709031444 Taking some of the physical strain off construction workers could do more than reduce fatigue. New research from Texas A&M University suggests it may also help them recognize hazards around them. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-exoskeletons-workers-hazards-fatigue.html Engineering Sat, 19 Sep 2026 08:00:04 EDT news708868874