A Shield for the Next Generation: Lithium Batteries Get a Major Upgrade

Researchers found a silver coating that toughens the surface of an electrolyte fivefold against fracturing from mechanical pressure. It also makes existing imperfections much less vulnerable to lithium burrowing inside, especially during fast recharging.

Humanoid Robots Make Confident Strides Toward Walking Stability

Bipedal — two-legged — autonomous robots can be quite agile. This makes them useful for performing tasks on uneven terrain, such as carrying equipment through outdoor...

Bubble Bots: Simple Biocompatible Microrobots Autonomously Target Tumors

The potential of microrobots is enormous. These miniature objects can be designed to carry out actions within the body, such as sensing biomarkers, manipulating...

Reversible, Detachable Robotic Hand Redefines Dexterity

With its opposable thumb, multiple joints, and gripping skin, human hands are often considered to be the pinnacle of dexterity, and many robotic hands are designed in their image. But...

A Neural Blueprint for Human-Like Intelligence in Soft Robots

A new artificial intelligence control system enables soft robotic arms to learn a wide repertoire of motions and tasks once, then adjust to new scenarios on the fly, without...

Soft Robots with Human-Like Intelligence

Researchers have developed a new AI control system that allows soft robots to adapt across diverse tasks and disturbances.

Stable Optical Wireless Power Transmission for the IoT

The world’s first automatic and adaptive, dual-mode light-emitting diode (LED)-based optical wireless power transmission system, that operates seamlessly under both dark and bright...

Breakthrough Iron-Based Magnetic Material for Next-Generation Power Electronics

Our society's rapid pace of technological advancement is accompanied by an equally rapid growth in power consumption to meet our needs for AI-focused data...

Fast Charging of Electric Cars Without Cables

In a cooperative project, Empa researchers investigated inductive charging of electric cars. This is not only similarly efficient to cable-based charging but could also simplify the integration...

Staining Technique Could Advance Li-ion Batteries

The discovery could lead to increased manufacturing efficiency of battery electrodes and ultimately help improve the charging rate and lifetime of Li-ion batteries.

Meet ULIS: A Power Module with Unprecedented Efficiency, Power Density, and Manufacturability Cost

Global energy demands are surging, pushed by energy-intensive data centers powering artificial intelligence and increased manufacturing. How will the world meet these rising energy needs? Read on to find out about one way!

Teaching a Robot to Hang a T-shirt Starts with Data

Building on her experience volunteering at retirement homes, Carnegie Mellon researcher Jasmine Li decided to focus her research on assistive robotics that help people with everyday tasks....

What Robots Can Learn from Sea Stars

Sea stars are creatures whose movements involve the coordination of hundreds of tiny tube feet to navigate complex environments — despite the lack of a central brain. In other words, it’s as though...

Resource-Sharing Boosts Robotic Resilience

If the goal of a robot is to perform a function, then minimizing the possibility of failure is a top priority when it comes to robotic design. But although systems with multiple units, or agents,...

Batteries that Can Withstand the Cold

Researchers at Texas A&M University have developed a battery design that continues operating through the coldest conditions.

Making Tungsten Carbide a More Viable Alternative

Marc Porosoff, Associate Professor, University of Rochester, Department of Chemical and Sustainability Engineering, and his collaborators recently achieved several key advancements to make tungsten carbide a more viable alternative to platinum in chemical reactions.

Tracking Falling Space Debris

The new tracking method generates more detailed information in near real-time than authorities have today about the reentry of space debris from falling satellites — information that will help to quickly locate and retrieve the charred and sometimes toxic remains.

Advancing All-Solid-State Batteries

To create efficient pathways for lithium-ion transport within the solid electrolyte, the research team focused on "divalent anions" such as oxygen and sulfur. Divalent anions play a crucial role in altering the crystal structure by integrating into the basic framework of the electrolyte.

Lubricating Aerospace One Zulu Pod at a Time

On the heels of taking first place in the Aerospace & Defense category at the 2023 Create the Future Contest, Zulu Pods has grown in nearly every way imaginable and shows no signs of slowing down (nor a desire to!) at any point soon.

A Stretchable OLED that Can Maintain Most of Its Luminescence

An international collaboration has developed a flexible and stretchable OLED that could put the technology on track for new applications.

New Wireless Transceiver Offers Fiber Optic Speed Without Physical Cables

A new transceiver invented by electrical engineers at the University of California, Irvine boosts radio frequencies into 140-gigahertz territory, unlocking data...

Building a New 3D Material with DNA

In two papers, one released in Nature Materials and a second in ACS Nano, researchers describe a new methodology for fabricating targeted 3D nanoscale structures via self-assembly that can find use in a variety of applications, and they provide a design algorithm for others to follow suit. And it’s all based on the most basic biomolecular building blocks: DNA. Read on to learn more.

A Light-Powered Soft Robot That Can Carry Loads Through the Air Along Established Tracks

Researchers have created a light-powered soft robot that can carry loads through the air along established tracks, similar to cable cars or aerial trams. The soft robot operates autonomously, can climb slopes at angles of up to 80°, and can carry loads up to 12 times its weight. Read on to learn more.

Engineers Find New Ways to Connect Concrete Pieces for More Resilient Buildings

Researchers have developed five new ways to securely connect large concrete pieces. These connection methods are intended for a type of material called “precast concrete,” in which parts such as beams and columns are made in a factory and assembled later at a construction site. Read on to learn more.

Engineering a Coating for Bacteria-Free Produce

Dr. Mustafa Akbulut, Professor of Chemical engineering, has teamed up with Horticultural Science Professor Luis Cisneros-Zevallos to engineer longer-lasting, bacteria-free produce. Read on to learn more about it.

Octopus-Inspired Tech Can Operate Underwater

Using mechanisms inspired by nature to create new technological innovations is a signature of one Virginia Tech research team. The group led by Associate Professor Michael Bartlett has created an octopus-inspired adhesive, inspired by the shape of octopus suckers, that can quickly grab and controllably release challenging underwater objects. Read on to learn more about it.