Tech Xplore news

Tech Xplore / Unhackable metasurface holograms: Security technology can lock information with light color and distance

A research team led by Professor Junsuk Rho at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) has developed a secure hologram platform that operates solely based on the wavelength of light and the spacing between metasurface ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Hi Tech & Innovation
Tech Xplore / Neptunium study yields plutonium insights for space exploration

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are breathing new life into the scientific understanding of neptunium, a unique, radioactive, metallic element—and a key precursor for production of ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Energy & Green Tech
Tech Xplore / Your future home might be framed with printed plastic

The plastic bottle you just tossed in the recycling bin could provide structural support for your future house. MIT engineers are using recycled plastic to 3D print construction-grade beams, trusses, and other structural ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Engineering
Tech Xplore / They're robots, and they're here to help: Computer scientist improves robot interactions with human beings

Friendly robots, the ones people love to love, are quirky: R2-D2, C-3PO, WALL-E, BB-8, Marvin, Roz and Baymax. They're emotional, prone to panic or bossy, empathetic and able to communicate like humans do—even when they ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Software
Tech Xplore / Octopus-inspired 'smart skin' uses 4D printing to morph on cue

Despite the prevalence of synthetic materials across different industries and scientific fields, most are developed to serve a limited set of functions. To address this inflexibility, researchers at Penn State, led by Hongtao ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Engineering
Tech Xplore / MoSi₂ shows transverse thermoelectric effect, converting waste heat to electricity

Thermoelectric conversion devices offer a promising route for sustainable heat-to-energy conversion. They are particularly attractive for recovering energy from waste heat, such as that produced by conventional fossil fuel-based ...

Tech Xplore / Novel approach to a key biofuel production step captures an elusive energy source

Plants grown for biofuel have the potential to power our travel industry, but an important fraction of their chemical power has remained stubbornly difficult to recover. New research from the Center for Advanced Biofuel and ...

Feb 3, 2026 in Engineering
Tech Xplore / New AI system fixes 3D printing defects in real time

Additive manufacturing has revolutionized manufacturing by enabling customized, cost-effective products with minimal waste. However, with the majority of 3D printers operating on open-loop systems, they are notoriously prone ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Hi Tech & Innovation
Tech Xplore / A mathematical framework for optimizing robotic joints

Consider the marvelous physics of the human knee. The largest hinge joint in the body, it has two rounded bones held together by ligaments that not only swing like a door, but also roll and glide over each other, allowing ...

Feb 2, 2026 in Robotics
Tech Xplore / Training four-legged robots as if they were dogs

Over the next decades, robots are expected to make their way into a growing number of households, public spaces, and professional environments. Many of the most advanced and promising robots designed to date are so-called ...

Jan 31, 2026 in Robotics
Tech Xplore / A smelly snapshot of the current state of electronic noses for robots

Robots are getting better at sniffing out smells thanks to improvements in electronic noses (e-noses). A comprehensive review of the state of robot olfaction, published in the journal npj Robotics, has surveyed recent advances ...

Jan 31, 2026 in Robotics
Tech Xplore / Geometry behind how AI agents learn revealed

A new study from the University at Albany shows that artificial intelligence systems may organize information in far more intricate ways than previously thought. The study, "Exploring the Stratified Space Structure of an ...

Jan 31, 2026 in Machine learning & AI