Tech Xplore news

Tech Xplore / Robot see, robot do: System learns after watching how-to videos

Cornell University researchers have developed a new robotic framework powered by artificial intelligence—called RHyME (Retrieval for Hybrid Imitation under Mismatched Execution)—that allows robots to learn tasks by watching ...

Apr 22, 2025 in Robotics
Tech Xplore / Trading some corn-ethanol land for solar can triple US solar energy production

In the U.S., 12 million hectares of land—an area about the size of New York state—are currently used to grow corn for ethanol. But strategically converting a small portion of that to solar facilities could vastly increase ...

Apr 22, 2025 in Energy & Green Tech
Tech Xplore / Scientists develop pneumatic propellers that could replace diesel engines in ferry boats

Scientists say they have created a methodology that could replace two diesel engines powering a ferry boat with pneumatic propellers.

Apr 21, 2025 in Energy & Green Tech
Tech Xplore / New quantum-based navigation system 50 times more accurate than traditional GPS

A team of researchers at Q-CTRL, a quantum infrastructure software-maker based in Sydney, Australia, has announced the successful demonstration of its newly developed quantum navigation system called "Ironstone Opal."

Apr 21, 2025 in Telecom
Tech Xplore / Protecting audio privacy: Speech-filtering technology balances privacy and utility in smart devices

Sound is a powerful source of information. By training algorithms to identify distinct sound signatures, sound can reveal what a person is doing, whether it's cooking, vacuuming or washing the dishes. And while it's valuable ...

Apr 21, 2025 in Software
Tech Xplore / Electronic skin with unique fingerprint patterns offers enhanced security features

The likelihood of two human fingerprints being identical is extremely low—about 1 in 640 billion. Even identical twins, despite sharing the same genetic information, have unique fingerprints. A new technology now allows ...

Apr 21, 2025 in Robotics
Tech Xplore / Humanoid robots stride into the future with world's first half-marathon

Step by mechanical step, dozens of humanoid robots took to the streets of Beijing early Saturday, joining thousands of their flesh-and-blood counterparts in a world-first half marathon showcasing China's drive to lead the ...

Apr 19, 2025 in Robotics
Tech Xplore / Ink engineering approach boosts efficiency and cuts cost of quantum dot-based photovoltaics

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are tiny semiconductor particles that are just a few nanometers in size, which are synthesized in a liquid solution (i.e., colloid). These single-crystal particles, created by breaking down bulk ...

Apr 18, 2025 in Energy & Green Tech
Tech Xplore / Making AI-generated code more accurate in any language

Programmers can now use large language models (LLMs) to generate computer code more quickly. However, this only makes programmers' lives easier if that code follows the rules of the programming language and doesn't cause ...

Apr 18, 2025 in Computer Sciences
Tech Xplore / Novel technique overcomes spurious correlations problem in AI

AI models often rely on "spurious correlations," making decisions based on unimportant and potentially misleading information. Researchers have now discovered these learned spurious correlations can be traced to a very small ...

Apr 18, 2025 in Computer Sciences
Tech Xplore / Eco-voxels: Researchers pioneer reconfigurable building blocks for Earth and off-world construction

For centuries, innovations in structural materials have prioritized strength and durability—often at a steep environmental price. Today, the construction industry accounts for approximately 10% of global greenhouse gas ...

Apr 18, 2025 in Engineering
Tech Xplore / Flexible tandem solar cells achieve 24.6% efficiency and withstand 3,000 bends in new study

Chinese scientists have found a way to make flexible tandem solar cells more efficient and durable by enhancing the adhesion of top layers to the bottom layers of the cell.

Apr 18, 2025 in Engineering