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 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 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 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 The rapid growth of artificial intelligence and related computing infrastructure has exposed the limited bandwidth of conventional electrical interconnects in integrated circuits as a major bottleneck to system performance. Silicon photonics, which transmits data using photons instead of electrons, has emerged as a promising approach for overcoming bandwidth and latency limitations. The platform is now widely used for photonic integrated circuits (PICs), particularly in telecom and datacom applications. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-highlights-micro-advanced-silicon-photonics.html Electronics & Semiconductors Mon, 20 Jul 2026 07:20:01 EDT news703749781 Optical see-through augmented reality (AR) glasses are designed to overlay digital information onto the real world, but improving the realism of virtual objects often comes at a cost. Existing occlusion technologies physically block part of the incoming light, reducing the brightness of the real environment and making everyday tasks more challenging. Overcoming this balance between virtual realism and real-world visibility is a key hurdle for next-generation AR systems. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-ar-display-tech-boosts-realworld.html Engineering Sun, 19 Jul 2026 08:00:04 EDT news703499027 An international team of researchers has built the first high-performance, commercial-size tandem solar cell that doesn't rely on the scarce and expensive metal indium. The breakthrough, published in Science, replaces indium-based oxide with abundant tin oxide, a material that costs 1% as much, without sacrificing performance. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-tin-oxide-scarce-indium-solar.html Energy & Green Tech Sat, 18 Jul 2026 14:00:06 EDT news703496983 In a new study presented at the IEEE International Conference on Communications in Glasgow, researchers from Queen Mary University of London and partners from around the world showcased the system, called Joint DAS and GNSS (JDG), which blends traditional satellite-based GPS with a lesser-known technology referred to as Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS). https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-hybrid-positioning-reliable-tracking-gps.html Telecom Sat, 18 Jul 2026 04:14:19 EDT news703566836 Imagine reaching for a record or glancing at a map and seeing a display bloom from a small box, offering interactive guidance—and then vanishing moments later. A new device, inspired by science fiction and designed by computer scientists at the University of Chicago, lets digital displays bloom from everyday objects and surfaces. The creators hope it's a step toward creating touch interfaces only when they're needed and helping technology fade seamlessly into daily life. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-scientists-interactive-screens-demand.html Engineering Fri, 17 Jul 2026 11:00:06 EDT news703497258 Publishing in the journal npj Flexible Electronics, researchers from Kyushu University have developed prototype thin-film electronic modules that can automatically connect and disconnect with one another. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-prototype-thin-electronics-dock-undock.html Electronics & Semiconductors Fri, 17 Jul 2026 05:00:02 EDT news703402956 By exploiting the quirks of human vision, Northwestern University engineers have designed a drone that nearly disappears before the eyes. For years, researchers have tried to design invisible drones and robots using camouflage, transparent materials or light-bending optical systems. But the Northwestern team instead used a concept called "motion blur"—the same effect that makes fast-spinning fans and propellers seem to disappear. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-drone-plain-sight-phantom-harnesses.html Engineering Thu, 16 Jul 2026 12:00:02 EDT news703318420 Researchers led by Armin Buchroithner from the Institute of Electrical Measurement and Sensor Systems at TU Graz have developed an innovative photovoltaic system that combines significantly higher output with protection from storms, hail and snow. The system, known as FLAPTrack (Face-to-Face Lay-Down Anti-Degradation Protection), continuously aligns the PV modules with the sun's position both horizontally and vertically. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-sun-tracking-solar-panels-hail.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 16 Jul 2026 08:40:06 EDT news703407412 Knitting has come a long way from sweaters and blankets. Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have turned everyday knitting into a powerful platform for making shape-shifting devices that can act as switches, sensors and more—paving the way for next-generation functional, programmable textiles. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-snapping-fabric.html Engineering Wed, 15 Jul 2026 13:20:01 EDT news703340121 Using AI-driven materials design, a team of researchers at the University of Toronto Engineering has discovered a new set of metal alloys that retain their strength under extreme conditions. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-ai-lab-3d-printable-alloys.html Engineering Wed, 15 Jul 2026 11:00:01 EDT news703329492 Lithium metal has long been considered the ideal material for next-generation rechargeable batteries because it can store far more energy than the graphite anodes used in today's batteries. However, bringing lithium metal batteries into widespread use has proven difficult because lithium tends to grow into needle-like structures called dendrites during charging, reducing battery life and creating potential safety hazards. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-sweet-safer-longer-lithium-metal.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 15 Jul 2026 09:20:03 EDT news703325880 A spray-based immersion cooling technology capable of effectively cooling lithium-ion battery packs and reducing fire risks using a small amount of dielectric liquid has been developed. The technology demonstrated stable cooling performance under fast charging and discharging conditions in a lithium-ion battery pack while reducing liquid consumption by approximately 85% compared with conventional full-immersion cooling systems. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-battery-safety-fast-conditions-spray.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 14 Jul 2026 20:00:02 EDT news703233179 Christopher Nolan has been dreaming of IMAX since he was a kid. The Oscar-winning filmmaker behind "Oppenheimer," "Inception," and the "Dark Knight" Batman films had a formative experience seeing nature documentaries at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago and always wondered what it would be like to make a major Hollywood movie in that way. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-70mm-imax-dolby-christopher-nolan.html Hi Tech & Innovation Tue, 14 Jul 2026 13:47:04 EDT news703255592 Scientists at The University of Manchester have uncovered how subtle changes in temperature during a promising metal 3D printing process can significantly affect the quality of aluminum components. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-temperatures-defects-aluminum-3d.html Engineering Tue, 14 Jul 2026 13:40:05 EDT news703255076 As global demand for electricity storage grows alongside the rise of renewable energy and AI-driven data centers, researchers are racing to find battery technologies that can store large amounts of energy cheaply and safely over long periods. Soluble lead flow batteries are a strong candidate: They are inexpensive, easy to scale up and built from lead that can be recycled from the existing lead-acid battery supply chain. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-smarter-interfaces-longer-soluble-batteries.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 14 Jul 2026 08:40:10 EDT news703232958 A new artificial intelligence system developed by West Virginia University engineers could help firefighters respond to wildfires sooner by enabling satellites to detect blazes and automatically adjust their positions for continued monitoring. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-ai-satellite-tracking-wildfires.html Hi Tech & Innovation Tue, 14 Jul 2026 07:30:03 EDT news703232945 An international team has patented a portable water filtration device designed to help communities access safer drinking water during droughts, floods and water contamination events. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-patented-portable-filter-climate-stressed.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 13 Jul 2026 20:40:01 EDT news703149155 Infrared cameras can be used to spot useful information that our eyes can't see, such as gases escaping from a pipeline, chemicals in the atmosphere or heat leaking from a building. But sensing infrared light in sophisticated ways still requires expensive, bulky systems. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-tiny-chip-mid-infrared-gases.html Hardware Mon, 13 Jul 2026 09:40:51 EDT news703154420 Researchers in chemistry and materials science at Kiel University are working with partners to develop new water sources for the Mediterranean region. "Regions like these are facing rising temperatures and declining rainfall. Our goal is to develop an environmentally friendly technology that converts water molecules from the air into drinking water," says Professor Norbert Stock from CAU's Institute of Inorganic Chemistry. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-porous-material-liters-daily-dry.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 13 Jul 2026 09:00:03 EDT news703149318 Imagine using a wearable device so thin and discreet that you'd hardly be aware you were wearing it. Now Tufts engineers have created flexible electronics that could do just that. Made of thread-based integrated circuits that can bend, coil, stretch and conform to the body's contours and movements, the devices are designed to exist free-form, sewn into clothing or wrapped around curved and movable surfaces. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-thread-based-electronics-conform-body.html Electronics & Semiconductors Mon, 13 Jul 2026 08:40:07 EDT news703149198 While security systems based on pseudo-random number generators (PRNGs) have been developed to secure information use, they produce sequences that are not truly random and suffer from inherent vulnerabilities and security breaches. To overcome these limitations, a true random number generator (TRNG) that exploits diverse sources of physical entropy has emerged as an alternative technology. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-driven-random-generator-image.html Hi Tech & Innovation Mon, 13 Jul 2026 08:00:01 EDT news703144518 For decades, manufacturing plastic-bonded high explosives, or PBXs, has relied on legacy processes like slurry coating. In this method, explosive crystals are mixed with a binder, a polymer that helps hold the material together, to form small granules called prills. Those prills are then pressed into dense explosive parts. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-pellet-method-safer-high-explosive.html Engineering Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:10:01 EDT news702822260 Most people think of the waterfront as the edge of the city. A team of MIT researchers sees it as a dynamic, Lego-like construction site. Their new system, called "FloatForm," is a swarm of small square robotic boats that assemble themselves into larger structures on the water, break apart and reassemble into something new, all with minimal human direction. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-small-aquatic-robots-reconfigurable.html Robotics Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:00:01 EDT news702822101 In creating a comprehensive, AI-enabled research agent for the biomedical sciences, Stanford University researchers hope to speed innovation by eliminating the tedium of scientific legwork. Biomni, an AI-powered, multiskilled biomedical research agent, is no mere chatbot. It is a full-fledged "co-scientist" capable of designing and developing complex research workflows, said Jure Leskovec, the Alfred and Rebecca Lin Professor and professor of computer science in the School of Engineering and senior author of the paper introducing Biomni in the journal Science. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-biomni-ai-powered-biomedical-scientist.html Hi Tech & Innovation Thu, 09 Jul 2026 14:00:05 EDT news702794170 Ladder-type oligothiophenes are an important class of sulfur-containing π-conjugated molecules. Because their fused, ladder-like structures can support efficient electronic interactions, they are widely studied as core motifs for organic semiconductors, organic field-effect transistors, flexible electronics and related molecular materials. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-molecular-ladders-electronics.html Electronics & Semiconductors Thu, 09 Jul 2026 10:00:12 EDT news702808415