https://techxplore.com/rss-feed/hi-tech-news/ en-us The latest news on hi-tech, innovation and new inventions technology, computer news and information A thermoelectric generator with a shape that no human designer would likely have imagined has now been created by a computer—and it performs more than eight times better than conventional designs. Rather than relying on intuition or repeated trial and error, the breakthrough was achieved through advanced computational optimization. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-thermoelectric-generator-efficiency.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:00:02 EDT news696613561 Perovskite solar cells are a rapidly advancing photovoltaic technology that has seen a dramatic rise in power conversion efficiency in recent years. A key driver of this progress is the use of molecular charge-selective contacts—ultrathin interlayers only a few nanometers thick—that replace conventional bulk transport materials. These molecular layers play a critical role in extracting and transporting electrical charges at the electrode interface. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-molecular-interface-tweak-reliable-perovskite.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:00:01 EDT news696609730 Scientists are advancing a promising solution to two of the world's biggest challenges—plastic pollution and clean energy—by transforming waste plastics into valuable fuels using sunlight. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-solar-photoreforming-plastic-fuel-temperatures.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:00:01 EDT news696590942 A University at Buffalo-led team has found a way to help chiral semiconductors, electronic materials whose structures are left- or right-handed like many of life's building blocks, absorb visible light. In a study published in Nature Communications, researchers chemically combined a chiral semiconducting material with a non-chiral molecule that more readily absorbs visible light. The result is a new material system that can both absorb visible light and distinguish between left- and right-handed light waves, opening new possibilities for optoelectronic technologies. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-gen-semiconductors-life-handedness.html Electronics & Semiconductors Mon, 27 Apr 2026 14:20:02 EDT news696517381 DNA stores our genetic code. What if it could also be integrated with electronics to store and read other information? Scientists have been investigating how to store data in DNA, but retrieving the information remains a challenge. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-video-electrical-metal-dna-memory.html Electronics & Semiconductors Mon, 27 Apr 2026 13:40:07 EDT news696515402 As devices for wireless sensing systems become smaller and more complex, finding suitable power sources for them is becoming increasingly difficult. However, advances in low-power sensing technology may allow such systems to operate using small amounts of energy available in the environment, such as body heat. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-batteries-body-potential-battery-free.html Electronics & Semiconductors Mon, 27 Apr 2026 09:20:05 EDT news696499621 Over the past decades, technological advances have opened remarkable possibilities for the detection and monitoring of various physiological signals associated with heart health (e.g., heart rate and ECG), sleep stages and physical activity. Most existing health and fitness trackers, however, are powered by a battery that needs to be recharged daily, every few days, or weekly. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-battery-free-textile-real-blood.html Electronics & Semiconductors Sat, 25 Apr 2026 10:40:01 EDT news696253599 The retina, the thin layer of tissue at the back of the eye, is made up of photoreceptor cells that convert visible light into electrical signals, which is essential for human vision. Some diseases, such as retinal degeneration, cause these photoreceptor cells to stop working, which results in blindness. Researchers at Yonsei University, the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) and other institutes in the Republic of Korea have recently developed a new artificial retina that could partly restore vision in people with damaged retinas. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-artificial-retina-doesnt-aim-sight.html Electronics & Semiconductors Fri, 24 Apr 2026 07:40:01 EDT news696223555 Metal-organic frameworks, better known as MOFs, are among the most intensely studied materials for addressing major environmental challenges. Their highly ordered, ultra-porous architecture enables applications ranging from CO2 capture and air or water purification to catalysis and hydrogen production. It is therefore no surprise that MOFs have drawn global attention in recent years, notably with their recognition by the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, as they play an increasingly central role in the development of sustainable technologies. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-green-materials-energy.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 23 Apr 2026 17:40:07 EDT news696182461 Princeton researchers have combined brain cells and advanced electronics into a single 3D device that can be programmed to recognize patterns using computational techniques. Past attempts at using brain cells to do computation have relied on 2D cultures grown in a petri dish or 3D clusters that are probed and monitored from outside. The Princeton device takes a different approach, working from the inside out. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-3d-device-harnesses-brain-cells.html Electronics & Semiconductors Thu, 23 Apr 2026 17:00:04 EDT news696181502 As quantum computers advance, they are expected to be able to break tried-and-true security schemes that currently keep most sensitive data secure from attackers. Scientists and policymakers are working to design and implement post-quantum cryptography to defend against these future attacks. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-needle-chip-pacemakers-insulin-quantum.html Hi Tech & Innovation Thu, 23 Apr 2026 15:00:03 EDT news696174481 When a knot lets go, it doesn't just fall apart. It snaps. That simple observation led Penn Engineers to rethink what a knot can do. Instead of treating it as something that holds tension, they asked a different question: what happens when you design a knot to release it? The answer is a tiny, soft robot capable of leaping meters into the air, flipping mid-flight, spinning like a propeller or even gliding back to where it started. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-tiny-robots-fly-seeds.html Robotics Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:00:11 EDT news696153677 What if the next generation of disposable electronics—the sensors in your food packaging, the diagnostic strips in a medical clinic, the environmental monitors scattered across a farm—were built not on silicon or plastic, but on a sheet of paper you could buy at the grocery store? https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-lasers-parchment-paper-high-electronic.html Electronics & Semiconductors Wed, 22 Apr 2026 13:00:02 EDT news696079621 The popularity of cloud computing and AI—driving massive data flows—pushes demand for ultra-high-speed, energy-efficient optical links within and between data centers; links that must be able to deliver data rates well beyond today's 200Gb/s standard. The heterogeneous integration of new materials onto silicon photonics platforms will enable next-gen electro-optical modulators and detectors for such short-reach and short-haul interconnects. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-silicon-photonics-gained-powerful-ally.html Electronics & Semiconductors Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:20:07 EDT news696078301 A technique that improves the performance and stability of next-generation solar cells—without adding any chemicals or coatings—has been demonstrated by researchers from Korea University and the University of Surrey. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-simple-solar-cell-tweak-perovskites.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:00:05 EDT news696070381 Scientists have found a way to boost terahertz technology using particles thousands of times smaller than a grain of sand. Research published in Scientific Reports by Loughborough University's Emergent Photonics Research Center shows how a sparse layer of nanoparticles can make materials that produce terahertz radiation more efficient. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-tiny-particles-boost-terahertz-technology.html Engineering Tue, 21 Apr 2026 17:00:04 EDT news696008881 From the geometric symmetry in Islamic tiles to the mechanical versatility of origami, cultural patterns have an extensive range of structures. Inspired by cultural geometries, researchers from the University of Edinburgh created and tested metamaterials—materials whose properties depend highly on their patterned structure rather than solely composition—comprised of Chinese characters. They published their results in The Journal of Applied Physics. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-chinese-characters-strong-materials.html Engineering Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:00:12 EDT news695892541 Infrared sensors that detect the short-wave infrared (SWIR) region can clearly recognize objects not only during the day and at night, but also in fog or smoke, making them a key component of future intelligent technologies such as autonomous vehicles, robotics, night surveillance, and medical imaging. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-fog-generation-infrared-image-sensor.html Hi Tech & Innovation Tue, 21 Apr 2026 10:20:02 EDT news695985121 Most smart home devices require power one way or another. You have to plug them in, recharge them, or replace their batteries at some point. Georgia Tech researchers think they have a better way with small metal tags that can signal when a door or drawer is opened, count reps in the gym, or even track bathroom use for elderly relatives. Their tags are battery-free, quiet, inherently private, and cost only a few cents each. They're smaller than a penny. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-penny-size-ultrasonic-tags-ditch.html Engineering Tue, 21 Apr 2026 08:24:00 EDT news695978163 Metamaterials are carefully engineered materials that possess desirable properties and can be used to manipulate electromagnetic, acoustic, or other types of waves in interesting ways. Some materials scientists and engineers have been trying to use these materials to develop so-called invisible devices, or, in other words, devices that do not disturb the environment around them or reveal their presence to other technologies nearby. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-invisible-device-disturb-metamaterial-shell.html Engineering Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:20:07 EDT news695900060 While sustainable solar energy can potentially meet our global power needs, it has one major flaw. When sunlight disappears, solar panels stop generating electricity. The problem is that while they do an excellent job of converting light into power, they are not so good at storing the energy they collect. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-wood-solar-power-sun.html Energy & Green Tech Sun, 19 Apr 2026 13:00:01 EDT news695305452 Numbers are the language of science—yet in research articles, they are often buried within the text and difficult to analyze. Researchers at Jülich have developed an AI system that automatically identifies these numbers, categorizes them, and converts them into structured data. The Quinex framework thus eliminates the need for time-consuming manual work. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-ai-scientific-papers-usable-fast.html Hi Tech & Innovation Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:20:01 EDT news695642642 A tightly packed ball of office staples can be surprisingly strong. Try to pull it apart and the tangled metal resists like a solid object. But with the right movement or vibration, that same bundle can quickly fall back into loose pieces. A team of engineers and materials scientists in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at CU Boulder are exploring how this rare combination of strength and flexibility could inspire a new class of materials built on interlocking particles. By mimicking the way staples lock together and release, these emerging materials could one day form structures that are strong, adaptable and even recyclable, the researchers said. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-liquid-metal-entangled-staple-particles.html Engineering Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:20:03 EDT news695549701 When we think of materials, we usually think of substances like metal, concrete, glass or rubber. What these examples have in common is that they are inactive: when pushed, pulled, shifted or sheared they may move or deform, but only by using the energy that is provided from the outside through the forces applied to them. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-restless-materials-dont-pressure-snap.html Engineering Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:20:05 EDT news695484661 The same wireless technology that can track your cat or locate an item in a warehouse can also monitor your breathing. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital and the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, now present a completely new method for measuring breathing movements in patients with impaired lung function. Using small, plaster-like tags, breathing can be analyzed in detail entirely contactlessly—in hospital or at home. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-tiny-battery-free-tags-radio.html Engineering Wed, 15 Apr 2026 10:50:03 EDT news695467327 Northwestern University engineers printed artificial neurons that don't just imitate the brain—they talk to it. In a new study, the Northwestern team developed flexible, low-cost devices that generate electrical signals realistic enough to activate living brain cells. When tested on slices of tissue from mouse brains, the artificial neurons successfully triggered responses from real neurons, demonstrating a new level of biocompatibility. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-neurons-communicate-brain-cells.html Electronics & Semiconductors Wed, 15 Apr 2026 05:00:04 EDT news695379604 In a recently published paper in Science Advances, a team led by Rice University's Yong Lin Kong describes a new 3D-printing process with focused microwaves that overcomes a fundamental constraint of electronics 3D printing that has limited the field's potential for more than a decade: the inability to heat printed ink—a crucial processing step—without damaging the materials underneath. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-3d-electronics-focused-microwaves-redefines.html Electronics & Semiconductors Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:00:01 EDT news695403781 University of Washington researchers developed the first system that incorporates tiny cameras in off-the-shelf wireless earbuds to allow users to talk with an AI model about the scene in front of them. For instance, a user might turn to a Korean food package and say, "Hey Vue, translate this for me." They'd then hear an AI voice say, "The visible text translates to 'Cold Noodles' in English." https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-tiny-cameras-earbuds-users-ai.html Hi Tech & Innovation Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:20:05 EDT news695390521 P-n diodes are two-terminal devices that consist of two types of semiconductor materials (i.e., a p-type and an n-type material) joined together. These components allow electric current to only move in one direction, which is central to the functioning of many electronic circuits. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-tiny-diode-image-sensors-adding.html Electronics & Semiconductors Sun, 12 Apr 2026 10:00:01 EDT news694957010 Imagine traveling in a foreign country, reaching for a window you've never seen before, and instead of struggling to open it, you feel your own muscles gently guide you through the motion, as if an invisible teacher was there, lending their know-how. Now picture that same sensation helping you twist open a child-proof pill bottle, operate a camera, or perform tasks you've never practiced before. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-ai-muscle-context-aware-electrical.html Hi Tech & Innovation Fri, 10 Apr 2026 09:40:06 EDT news695031962