Stories

Trial, Error, Repeat

When you're working to develop something new, something really innovative, you're going to fail — over and over. The difference between finally succeeding, or not, is whether you keep on going anyway, so you can learn something new from each failure.

Robot Fish Makes Splash with Motion Breakthrough

A robot fish fitted with a twisted and coiled polymer (TCP) to drive it forward, a lightweight low-cost device that relies on temperature change to generate movement, could make underwater...

Self-Folding Origami Machines Powered by Chemical Reaction

A Cornell-led collaboration harnessed chemical reactions to make microscale origami machines self-fold — freeing them from the liquids in which they usually function, so they can...

New Transfer Process Moves 2D Materials from Growth Substrate to Device Substrate

Purdue University engineers have developed a patent-pending tool to make the manufacture of ultrathin semiconductors more consistent, controllable, and...

A Fully Integrated Autonomous Wearable Ultrasonic System-on-Patch (USoP)

Engineers at University of California San Diego have developed a fully integrated system for deep-tissue monitoring.

The History of Mars Missions

The Red Planet continues to fascinate future space explorers — engineers who have been developing landers and rovers for Mars exploration. Test your knowledge of the successful missions to Mars launched by the U.S.

Teaching Robots to Predict Humans' Actions

A group of researchers wants to teach robots how to predict human preferences in assembly tasks, so they can one day help out on everything from building a satellite to setting a table.

3D Printing a Mini Vacuum Pump

The technology would be pivotal in a portable mass spectrometer that could help monitor pollutants, perform medical diagnoses in remote areas, or even test Martian soil.

How Much Do You Know About the History of Digital Twins?

How much do you know about the history of digital twins? Find out with this quiz.

Indoor Photovoltaics Spark a Sustainable Revolution

Newcastle University researchers have created high-efficiency, sustainable solar cells that harness ambient light to power Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

Tiny Biobattery With 100-Year Shelf Life Runs on Bacteria

Last fall, Binghamton University professor Seokheun “Sean” Choi and his Bioelectronics and Microsystems Laboratory published their research into an ingestible biobattery...

Perovskite Solar Cells — From the Lab to the Manufacturing Floor

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) has announced that a team of researchers, led by MIT and including the University of California San...

New Tech: See No Data, Steal No Data

Peter Fuhr has invented a new way to hide sensitive electric grid information from cyberattack: a constantly changing color palette.

Wheeled Robot Measures Leaf Angles to Help Breed Better Corn Plants

Researchers from North Carolina State University and Iowa State University have demonstrated an automated technology capable of accurately measuring the angle of leaves on...

Toy Microbots Demonstrate How Biological Machines Move

By connecting small self-propelling toys in a chain, researchers at the University of Amsterdam Institute of Physics have found the key to studying the movement of microscopic organisms...

Many-Legged Robots Can Traverse Difficult Landscapes

Inspired by centipedes, Georgia Tech researchers have developed many-legged robots that can move across uneven surfaces without any additional sensing or control technology.

How Much Do You Know About Our Renewable Energy Resources?

Limited energy resources, global warming, and air pollution are increasingly being seen as growing crises. How good is your knowledge about our renewable energy resources? Take this quiz to find out.

First Wearable Health Sensor for Monitoring Muscle Atrophy

The wearable sensor aims to help patients who suffer from muscle atrophy monitor changes to their health in a more convenient way.

NASA, Rocket Lab Launch First Pair of Storm Observing CubeSats

Two NASA CubeSats designed to study tropical cyclones, including hurricanes and typhoons, are in orbit after a successful launch.

Light-Based Computing Scheme Reduces Power Needed to Mine Cryptocurrencies

Researchers have developed a new light-based computing scheme that uses a photonic integrated circuit to reduce the energy necessary for cryptocurrency and...

Optical Neural Networks Could Speed Image Processing Time

Cornell researchers have developed an optical neural network (ONN) that can filter relevant information from a scene before the visual image is detected by a camera, a method that...

How Much Do You Know About IoMT?

How much do you know about IoMT, an industry that was valued at $99.58 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow to $486.34 billion by 2031? Find out with this quiz.

Who Knows How Much AI Knows? This Tech Does

Researchers have created software that is able to verify how much information an AI system farmed from an organization’s digital database.

Model Simulates Variable Flap Stiffness for the Best Lift

There is extensive research on how a fixed-position flap affects lift in the realm of fluid-structure interaction. However, taking the conversation in a new direction, researchers at...

Autonomous Bus Sounds: It’s All About When, Not How

The town of Linköping, Sweden, has a small fleet of autonomous electric buses that carry riders along a predetermined route. The bright vehicles, emblazoned with the tagline, “Ride...

Self-Navigating Catamaran Can Carry Cargo into War Zones

A self-navigating, cargo-carrying sailboat designed by a team of Rice University engineering students could be a sustaining link for Marines hunkered down on shore during war. The...

How Risky is AI?

When AI is used for making health decisions, hiring decisions, financial credit decisions, or automobile-driving decisions, riskiness is a big deal — some people are working to reduce the risks.

Light-Based Optical Computing for Ultrafast Electronics

Physicists achieved optical switching of a light signal at attosecond speeds to reach previously unattainable data transfer speeds.

Behold: The Oxygen-Ion Battery

The oxygen-ion battery can be extremely durable, does not require rare elements, and thwarts fire hazards.