Tech Xplore news

Tech Xplore / Novel solar desalination system for remote areas developed

With summer temperatures soaring, the specter of water scarcity looms large. As a possible solution to increase the availability of clean, potable water, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed ...

23 minutes ago in Engineering
Tech Xplore / An adaptive artificial cochlea that could enhance the performance of hearing aids

In recent years, electronics engineers have developed a wide range of systems inspired by human and animal biology. By closely replicating complex biological processes, these systems could ultimately tackle numerous real-world ...

4 hours ago in Engineering
Tech Xplore / A worm-inspired robot based on an origami structure and magnetic actuators

Bio-inspired robots, robotic systems that emulate the appearance, movements, and/or functions of specific biological systems, could help to tackle real-world problems more efficiently and reliably. Over the past two decades, ...

May 29, 2023 in Robotics
Tech Xplore / Researchers achieve record 19.31% efficiency with organic solar cells

Researchers from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have achieved a breakthrough power-conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.31% with organic solar cells (OSCs), also known as polymer solar cells. This remarkable binary ...

May 29, 2023 in Energy & Green Tech
Tech Xplore / Team develops a centipede robot with variable body-axis flexibility

Researchers from the Department of Mechanical Science and Bioengineering at Osaka University have invented a new kind of walking robot that takes advantage of dynamic instability to navigate. By changing the flexibility of ...

May 29, 2023 in Robotics
Tech Xplore / A software package to ease the use of neural radiance fields in robotics research

Neural radiance fields (NeRFs) are advanced machine learning techniques that can generate three-dimensional (3D) representations of objects or environments from two-dimensional (2D) images. As these techniques can model complex ...

May 26, 2023 in Software
Tech Xplore / Termite mounds reveal secret to creating 'living and breathing' buildings that use less energy

Among the approximately 2,000 known species of termites, some are ecosystem engineers. The mounds built by some genera—for example Amitermes, Macrotermes, Nasutitermes, and Odontotermes—reach up to eight meters high, ...

May 26, 2023 in Engineering
Tech Xplore / Can quantum computing protect AI from cyber attacks?

AI algorithms are everywhere. They underpin nearly all autonomous and robotic systems deployed in security applications. This includes facial recognition, biometrics, drones and autonomous vehicles used in combat surveillance ...

May 26, 2023 in Security
Tech Xplore / Quantum sensor for a future navigation system tested aboard Royal Navy ship

A prototype quantum sensor with potential applications in GPS-free navigation, developed at Imperial College London, has been tested in collaboration with the Royal Navy.

May 26, 2023 in Engineering
Tech Xplore / Safe aid: Protecting privacy in humanitarian operations

EPFL researchers have worked with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to develop a first of its kind, digital system to support humanitarian aid distribution. The design uses tokens to decentralize the storage ...

May 26, 2023 in Security
Tech Xplore / Researchers develop wireless sensor system for continuous monitoring of bridge deformation

Researchers in Drexel University's College of Engineering have developed a solar-powered, wireless sensor system that can continually monitor bridge deformation and could be used to alert authorities when the bridge performance ...

May 26, 2023 in Engineering
Tech Xplore / Q&A: Expert discusses how to realistically achieve quantum speedups beyond the hype

In theory, quantum computers vastly outperform classical computers in terms of computing speed. For them to do so in practice, it is necessary to design more and novel high-speed algorithms, says ETH supercomputing specialist ...

May 26, 2023 in Computer Sciences