Tech Xplore news
Tech Xplore / Batteries from rust? Carbon spheres filled with iron oxide deliver high storage capacity
Conventional lithium-ion batteries contain problematic substances such as nickel and cobalt, and the solvents used to coat the electrode materials are also toxic. Materials scientists at Saarland University are therefore ...
Tech Xplore / Origami-inspired waveguides fold for launch, expand in space for satellites
High-powered satellites use electromagnetic waveguides to deliver energy from one component to another. Typically, they are made of heavy, inflexible metal tubes with an even heavier flange on either end, neither of which ...
Tech Xplore / GeSn alloys emerge as a new semiconductor class that could reshape optoelectronics
Scientists have created a new type of material that could enable common electronic devices to work faster and use less energy, a study suggests. The findings indicate the material, which was until now thought near-impossible ...
Tech Xplore / Brain-inspired AI helps soft robot arms switch tasks and stay stable
Researchers have developed an AI control system that enables soft robotic arms to learn a wide repertoire of motions and tasks once, then adjust to new scenarios on the fly without needing retraining or sacrificing functionality. ...
Tech Xplore / AI agents debate more effectively when given personalities and the ability to interrupt
In a typical online meeting, humans don't always wait politely for their turn to speak. They interrupt to express strong agreement, stay silent when they are unsure, and let their personalities shape the flow of the discussion. ...
Tech Xplore / Why light poles failed in Hurricane Ian despite meeting design standards
When Hurricane Ian moved across Florida in 2022, several aluminum light poles on a Central Florida bridge collapsed or cracked, even though wind speeds remained below the structures' design limits. A new University of Florida ...
Tech Xplore / New design tool 3D-prints woven metamaterials that stretch and fail predictably
Metamaterials—materials whose properties are primarily dictated by their internal microstructure, and not their chemical makeup—have been redefining the engineering materials space for the last decade. To date, however, ...
Tech Xplore / From trash to takeoff: Pilot plant produces 100 kg of sustainable aviation fuel per day from landfill gas
The aviation industry accounts for a significant share of global carbon emissions. In response, the international community is expanding mandatory use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), which is produced from organic waste ...
Tech Xplore / Extending optical fiber's ultralow loss performance to photonic chips
Caltech scientists have developed a way to guide light on silicon wafers with low signal loss approaching that of optical fiber at visible wavelengths. This accomplishment paves the way for a new generation of ultra-coherent ...
Tech Xplore / Fungi turn shredded mattress foam into lightweight building insulation
Swinburne researchers have turned old, unwanted mattresses into safe and sustainable building insulation materials using fungi. The team grew a common fungus together with shredded mattress foam to create a new material that ...
Tech Xplore / 'Discovery learning' AI tool predicts battery cycle life with just a few days' data
An agentic AI tool for battery researchers harnesses data from previous battery designs to predict the cycle life of new battery concepts. With information from just 50 cycles, the tool—developed at University of Michigan ...
Tech Xplore / A programmable, Lego-like material for robots emulates life's flexibility
Mechanical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a proof-of-concept method for programming mechanical properties into solid Lego-like building blocks. By controlling the solidity of hundreds of individual cells in ...
