Stories

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.

Rise of Robots in the Food Industry

From food packaging to preparation and delivery to serving in restaurants, robots are helping the food industry meet labor shortages and reduce costs. When did robots debut in the food industry and what’s their future? Take this quiz to find out.

How Much Do You Know About Electronic Warfare?

How much do you know about electronic warfare? Test your knowledge with this quiz.

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.

New Technique Pinpoints Nanoscale ‘Hot Spots’ in Electronics

When electronic devices like laptops or smartphones overheat, they are fundamentally suffering from a nanoscale heat transfer problem. Pinpointing the source of that problem...

Built For AI, This Chip Moves Beyond Transistors for Huge Computational Gains

The Defense Department’s largest research organization has partnered with a Princeton University-led effort to develop advanced microchips for artificial...

Hardy Transistor Material Could be a Game-Changer for Nuclear Reactor Safety Monitoring

The safety and efficiency of a large, complex nuclear reactor can be enhanced by hardware as simple as a tiny sensor that monitors a cooling system....

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.

Ant Insights Lead to Robot Navigation Breakthrough

Have you ever wondered how insects are able to go so far beyond their home and still find their way home? The answer to this question is not only relevant to biology but also to making the...

Stable AI-Controlled Systems for Safe Autonomous Motion

Neural networks have made a seismic impact on how engineers design controllers for robots, catalyzing more adaptive and efficient machines. Still, these brain-like machine-learning...

Portable Engine Can Power Artificial Muscles in Assistive Devices

Researchers have developed a lightweight fluidic engine to power muscle-mimicking soft robots for use in assistive devices. What sets the new engine apart is its ability to...

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.

How Much Do You Know About Capacitors?

Capacitors are fundamental components that are used in a wide variety of applications, from the tiniest electronics to high-power applications. What are capacitors, what are the differences among them, and what is common to all of them? Check your knowledge with this quiz.

Creating the Self-Healing Grid of the Future

It’s not hard to imagine the potential value of a self-healing grid, one able to adapt and bounce back to life, ensuring uninterrupted power even when assailed by a hurricane or a group of bad...

Highway Segment Charges Electric Vehicles

Purdue University engineers and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) are working to make it possible for electric vehicles ranging from tractor-trailers to passenger cars to wirelessly...

Improved GaN-Based Semiconductor Devices for Power Electronics

A study led by Nagoya University in Japan revealed that a simple thermal reaction of gallium nitride (GaN) with metallic magnesium (Mg) results in the formation of a distinctive...

My Opinion: Who Was Grace Hopper?

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

How Much Do You Know About Labs-on-a-Chip

Lab-on-a-Chip (LoC) technology integrates various analyses such as biochemical operations, chemical synthesis, and DNA sequencing onto a single chip, which otherwise would have been performed in a laboratory taking a substantial amount of time. How much do you know about LoCs? Find out with this quiz.

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.

People, Not Design Features, Make a Robot Social

Researchers who develop social robots — ones that people interact with — focus too much on design features and not enough on sociological factors, like human-to-human interactions, the...

New Dual-Armed Telerobotic System for Hazardous Waste Clean-Up

Because they can go where humans can’t, robots are especially suited for safely working with hazardous nuclear waste. But first, those robots need to become like the humans...

Method Rapidly Verifies That a Robot Will Avoid Collisions

Before a robot can grab dishes off a shelf to set the table, it must ensure its gripper and arm won’t crash into anything and potentially shatter the fine china. As part of its...

The Future of Space Habitats

No space habitat has yet been constructed beyond Earth orbit, but many design proposals have been made and aerospace engineers are working on new technologies to turn this science fiction into reality. Take this quiz to learn more about space habitats.

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.