Blog

Compound Eye Structure Could Revolutionize Robotic Vision

A team developed a pinhole compound vision system by adopting new materials and structures. This system features several key characteristics, including an inherent hemispherical perovskite nanowire array imager with high pixel density to enlarge the imaging field and a 3D-printed lens-free pinhole array.

How to Efficiently Recycle Li-ion Batteries

A research team at Rice University is tackling the environmental issue of efficiently recycling Li-ion batteries amid their increasing use.

3D-Printed Actuators Can Move, Lock Soft Robots into New Shapes

Researchers have demonstrated miniature soft hydraulic actuators that can be used to control the deformation and motion of soft robots that are less than a millimeter thick.

My Opinion: AI and the Environment

My opinion: AI can be a great tool to solve urgent problems, but we must be careful to minimize its negative impacts.

Making EVs Accessible for All

To address the needs of wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) users in the U.K.’s transition to electric, Motability Operations has revealed eVITA. It’s an accessible and versatile concept electric wheelchair accessible vehicle (eWAV), designed in collaboration with CALLUM.

Using Cold Sintering to Develop Recyclable, Rechargeable Batteries

Rechargeable solid-state lithium batteries are an emerging technology that could someday power cell phones and laptops for days with a single charge, but they are not environmentally friendly. A team of Penn State researchers may have solved this issue.

PrivacyLens Can Turn You into a Stick Figure

A new camera could prevent companies from collecting embarrassing and identifiable photos and videos from devices like smart home cameras and robotic vacuums.

Meet GenSQL: Generative AI for Databases

A new tool makes it easier for database users to perform complicated statistical analyses of tabular data without the need to know what is going on behind the scenes.

Soft Robots + Artificial Muscles = Worm-Like Crawling and Biceps-Like Lifting

To demonstrate their new device, an actuator, the researchers used it to create a cylindrical, worm-like soft robot and an artificial bicep. In experiments, it navigated tight curves and was able to lift a 500-gram weight 5,000 times in a row.

My Opinion: Who Was Grace Hopper?

My opinion: Some last-minute, posthumous nominations for the Tech Briefs Rising Star Award for Women in Engineering.

Using AI to Better Map 3D Spaces Using 2D Images

Researchers have developed a technique that allows artificial intelligence (AI) programs to better map three-dimensional (3D) spaces using two-dimensional (2D) images captured by multiple cameras.

Using AI to Boost Metalens Cameras’ Image Quality

Researchers have leveraged deep learning techniques to enhance the image quality of a metalens camera. The new approach uses AI to turn low-quality images into high-quality ones.

AI + Computer Simulations = Enhanced Robotic Exoskeletons

Researchers have demonstrated a new method that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and computer simulations to train robotic exoskeletons to autonomously help users save energy while walking, running, and climbing stairs.

The Heat Is on Data Storage — Which Is Now OK

A University of Pennsylvania team demonstrated memory technology capable of enduring temperatures as high as 600 °C — more than twice the tolerance of any commercial drives on the market — and these characteristics were maintained for more than 60 hours.

Imperceptible Sensors Printed Directly on Human Skin

Researchers have developed a method to make adaptive and eco-friendly sensors that can be directly and imperceptibly printed onto a wide range of biological surfaces.

Robotic Device Restores Wavelike Muscular Function in the Body

The soft-robotic prototype, driven by strong magnets controlled by a wearable external actuator, can aid patients suffering from blockages caused by tumors or those requiring stents.

My Opinion: Energy Storage, Part 2

My opinion: I take a look at some cases where it makes sense to use non-battery methods to store energy.

Creating Synthetic Cell Images for Enhanced Microscopy Analysis

The images that come out of this model are ready to be used to train segmentation models. In a sense, it’s doing microscopy without a microscope.

Developing Next-Gen Solar Cells

Meet perovskite. The synthetic semiconducting material has the potential to convert substantially more solar power than silicon at a lower production cost.

Recreating ‘Star Trek’ Virtual Environments

A system for generating interactive 3D environments, Holodeck generates a virtually limitless range of indoor environments, using AI to interpret users’ requests.

A Soft Robot that Crawls like a Caterpillar

Researchers merged origami and modern materials science to create a soft robot that bends and twists through mazes with ease.

Adding Abundant Elements to Improve Li-ion Battery Cathodes

Researchers used X-ray absorption analysis and theoretical calculations to explore the fine details of changes in the structure of the cathode material caused by introducing different dopant elements.

Snail-Inspired Soft-Suction Climbing Robots

The team demonstrated that the sliding suction is a low-cost, energy-efficient, high-payload, and clean adhesive locomotion strategy, which has high potential for use in climbing robots, outdoor inspection robots, and robotic transportation.

My Opinion: We Should Take a Broad View of Energy Storage

My opinion: We need a holistic approach to energy storage — we should start with the general category and then analyze the pros and cons of different technologies to solve different problems.

Personalized Pills That Can Deliver Timed Doses

Researchers from the University of Nottingham have led work that has fabricated personalized medicine using Multi-Material InkJet 3D Printing (MM-IJ3DP).

Giving Household Robots Common Sense

Whereas prior works have focused on leveraging LLMs directly for planning in symbolic spaces, this work uses LLMs to guide the search of task structures and constraints implicit in multi-step physical demonstrations.

Universal Automated Dosing Systems Could Become Reality

Researchers have created and demonstrated a method of universalizing blood-glucose detection technology as a way of rapidly and inexpensively creating sensors that can monitor the dosing of chemotherapies and other drugs in real time.

Advanced Binders for Advancing Li-ion Batteries

The work involved fabricating electrodes containing PVPA, PAA, and PVDF as binders, and their performance was assessed through electrochemical experiments and density functional theory.

3D Printing Flexible Devices Sans Mechanical Joints

Manufacturing elastomers that can be shaped into complex 3D structures that go from rigid to rubbery has been unfeasible until now.