Tech Xplore news

Tech Xplore / Misleading text in the physical world can hijack AI-enabled robots, cybersecurity study shows

As a self-driving car cruises down a street, it uses cameras and sensors to perceive its environment, taking in information on pedestrians, traffic lights, and street signs. Artificial intelligence (AI) then processes that ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Security
Tech Xplore / Unlocking vast lithium stores: Faster, cleaner method extracts critical mineral from low-grade brines

Demand for lithium is skyrocketing as factories across the world churn out electric vehicles and the massive batteries that make wind turbines and solar panels reliable sources of energy. Unfortunately, current methods for ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Engineering
Tech Xplore / Analog hardware may solve Internet of Things' speed bumps and bottlenecks

The ubiquity of smart devices—not just phones and watches, but lights, refrigerators, doorbells and more, all constantly recording and transmitting data—is creating massive volumes of digital information that drain energy ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Hardware
Tech Xplore / To explain or not? Online dating experiment shows need for AI transparency depends on user expectation

Artificial intelligence (AI) is said to be a "black box," with its logic obscured from human understanding—but how much does the average user actually care to know how AI works?

Jan 21, 2026 in Consumer & Gadgets
Tech Xplore / Handheld fuel cell reactor offers rapid, safe power for edge devices

A new portable reactor based on a solid oxide fuel cell solves thermal management and safety issues, as reported by researchers from Japan. This miniaturized reactor can start up rapidly within five minutes at room temperature ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Energy & Green Tech
Tech Xplore / 'Dissolution barocaloric' cooling opens new path to zero-carbon refrigeration

A research team led by Prof. Li Bing from the Institute of Metal Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with collaborators, has overcome a longstanding bottleneck in refrigeration technology. Their findings, ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Engineering
Tech Xplore / Using AI to understand how emotions are formed

Emotions are a fundamental part of human psychology—a complex process that has long distinguished us from machines. Even advanced artificial intelligence (AI) lacks the capacity to feel. However, researchers are now exploring ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Computer Sciences
Tech Xplore / Turning industrial exhaust into useful materials with a new electrode

Flue gas is exhausted from home furnaces, fireplaces and even industrial plants, and it carries polluting carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. To help mitigate these emissions, researchers reporting in ACS Energy Letters ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Engineering
Tech Xplore / Mistaken correlations: Why it's critical to move beyond overly aggregated machine-learning metrics

MIT researchers have identified significant examples of machine-learning model failure when those models are applied to data other than what they were trained on, raising questions about the need to test whenever a model ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Computer Sciences
Tech Xplore / Laser speed in 3D printing tunes atomic structure of high-entropy alloys

Next-generation technology requires next-generation materials that can be tailored to exact mission requirements. Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, has already revolutionized industries like aerospace engineering by ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Engineering
Tech Xplore / Handy robot can crawl and pick up objects from multiple angles

Like something out of the Addams Family, scientists have created a detachable robotic hand that can crawl and grab objects. The design enables tasks such as retrieving objects beyond normal reach and performing multi-object ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Robotics
Tech Xplore / New 3D-printing extrusion system redefines printing limits

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a novel extrusion system that combines multiple 3D-printing extruders into a single, high-output stream via specially designed nozzles. ...

Jan 21, 2026 in Engineering