Hi-Tech News

Engineers at the University of Maine are developing a new method to more accurately predict the strength of lightweight 3D-printed objects. This research, conducted at the university's Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC), will enable designers to create more robust and reliable components by controlling strength when lightweighting virtually any... Read more

In an advancement for next-generation electronics, researchers from the International Center for Quantum Materials at Peking University in collaboration with Renmin University of China have successfully fabricated wafer-scale two-dimensional indium selenide (InSe) semiconductors. Led by Professor Liu Kaihui, the team developed a novel "solid–liquid–solid" growth strategy that overcomes long-standing barriers... Read more

A mechanical artwork designed in 1775 to depict the eruption of Italy's Mount Vesuvius has been brought to life for the first time—250 years after it was conceived—thanks to modern technology and the ingenuity of two University of Melbourne engineering students.... Read more

Cornell researchers have uncovered a nearly invisible culprit hindering the development of next-generation, high-power electronics: a microscopic layer of carbon contamination, often left behind by air exposure and fabrication techniques, that impairs electrical flow in devices made with gallium oxide. They have also found a solution.... Read more

In an office at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), a soft robotic hand carefully curls its fingers to grasp a small object. The intriguing part isn't the mechanical design or embedded sensors—in fact, the hand contains none. Instead, the entire system relies on a single camera that... Read more

The process of cleaning the water that flows down our drains and toilets can drastically raise carbon dioxide levels in nearby waterways. Two Johns Hopkins University scientists have found an innovative way to reduce levels of this common greenhouse gas by running wastewater effluent through a process that uses an... Read more

Up to now, underwater navigation for divers has been limited primarily to orientation at distinctive points or compass navigation. Although there are concepts that, similar to a sonar, are intended to enable position determination using acoustic signal sources, these require a high sound pressure level. This affects the ecosystem and... Read more

Researchers at Guangdong University of Technology have developed a new method to build powerful, compact energy storage devices—called thin-film supercapacitors (TFSCs)—without using metal parts or traditional separators. Their tiny 3.8 cm³ device is even capable of outputting 200 volts—enough to light 100 LEDs for 30 seconds or a 3-watt bulb... Read more

A team of UCLA engineers and researchers has developed a new technique to make it feel up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit cooler outside while preserving a sense of safe and open space.... Read more

The world produces over 92 million tons of textile waste annually, much of it made from synthetic materials that can linger for centuries. Add to that the surge in wearable electronics—smartwatches, fitness trackers, sensor-laden garments—and the problem becomes two-fold.... Read more

A new security screener that people can simply walk past may soon be coming to an airport near you. Last year, U.S. airports nationwide began adopting HEXWAVE—a commercialized walkthrough security screening system based on microwave imaging technology developed at MIT Lincoln Laboratory—to satisfy a new Transportation Security Administration (TSA) mandate... Read more

In a study published in the journal Information Systems Research, Texas Tech University's Shuo Yu and his collaborators developed a generative machine learning model to detect instability before a fall occurs. The hope is that the model could work within fall detection devices, such as anti-fall airbag vests or medical... Read more

One of the problems of conventional filters used in homes, businesses and public spaces is their poor performance. They rely on weak van der Waals forces to capture particles like dust and pollen, meaning they let a lot of stuff slip through. Nature, however, does the job a whole lot... Read more

Lithium, the lightest metal on the periodic table, plays a pivotal role in modern life. Its low weight and high energy density make it ideal for electric vehicles, cellphones, laptops and military technologies where every ounce counts. As demand for lithium skyrockets, concerns about supply and reliability are growing.... Read more

Quantum computers have operated under a significant limitation: They can run only one program at a time. These million-dollar machines demand exclusive use even for the smallest tasks, leaving much of their expensive and fast-running hardware idle and forcing researchers to endure long lines.... Read more