Tech Xplore news

Tech Xplore / Tandem solar cell sets 25.5% efficiency record with CIGS-perovskite design

A Berlin-based team from HZB and Center for the Science of Materials Berlin (CSMB) at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin has set a new record for a tandem solar cell. Using a combination of a CIGS semiconductor layer and perovskite, ...

Jul 1, 2026
Tech Xplore / Why AI fiction still feels flat: New test shows characters lack mystery and complexity

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found that while artificial intelligence can spin increasingly convincing stories, its characters may still lack one of the qualities that make human-written ...

Jul 1, 2026
Tech Xplore / AI changes its behavior around authority... and that could be risky

Artificial intelligence doesn't just learn how humans talk. It may also be learning who gets listened to. A new study from researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that large language models, the ...

Jul 1, 2026
Tech Xplore / Spent EV batteries get second life as higher-performance battery material

A new approach to battery recycling could turn today's electric vehicle waste into the building blocks of tomorrow's higher-performing batteries. Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed an environmentally ...

Jul 1, 2026
Tech Xplore / Custom prosthetic hand adapts to each user, decoding 19 gestures in real time

Most prosthetic hands today still struggle with a fundamental problem: No two amputees are the same, yet most devices are designed as if they are. That mismatch makes natural, intuitive control difficult, often turning what ...

Jul 1, 2026
Tech Xplore / Moisture-driven tech can power green batteries—and destroy spy gear

Researchers from North Carolina State University and Rice University have created a nontoxic, stretchable battery that operates by extracting moisture from the ambient environment—even in climates as dry as the desert. The ...

Jul 1, 2026
Tech Xplore / Horror-movie cue inspires wearable that turns robot movements into warning music

In horror movies, music is a dead giveaway. Tension builds with each note, and you brace for the inevitable jump scare. The same sense of anticipation has taken a leading role in an unlikely venue: a Georgia Tech robotics ...

Jul 1, 2026
Tech Xplore / Smarter diagnostics could extend the lives of silicon EV batteries

Electric vehicle batteries could last twice as long, preventing costly replacement, with a new approach to heating and cooling the batteries, according to a study led by University of Michigan Engineering. The system is designed ...

Jul 1, 2026
Tech Xplore / Cavity-based underwater lens focuses sound while cutting weight by 40%

In the underwater world, sound is the primary means of communication, as light quickly fades. A Korean research team has developed an underwater acoustic lens capable of focusing sound precisely at a desired point while reducing ...

Jul 1, 2026
Tech Xplore / Surface oxidation, not water, drives Prussian blue battery failure

Like a delicate fabric that becomes damaged during drying, a promising next-generation battery material has faced an unexpected challenge: Removing water to improve performance can actually shorten battery life. Now, a Korean ...

Jul 1, 2026
Tech Xplore / If you could chat with an AI ghost, what would you want them to say? New study explores

Inside a second-floor lab at CU Boulder, Jack Manning and Jed Brubaker are resurrecting the dead. As the researchers look on, study volunteers log in to Zoom and chat with AI-generated representations of lost grandparents, ...

Jul 1, 2026
Tech Xplore / Data centers may emit 57% more CO₂ than expected in 2025, study finds

Data centers, whose expansion is being fueled dramatically by the artificial intelligence boom, have a far bigger carbon footprint than previously estimated, a study said Tuesday.

Jun 30, 2026