Tech Briefs

‘Exergames’ Aim to Make Working Out Enjoyable

Virtual reality video games that combine screen time with exercise are a great way to get fit, but game designers face a major challenge — adherence to ‘exergames’ is low, with most users dropping out once they start to feel uncomfortable or bored. Read on to learn what a team did to thwart this.

Thin Film Sensor for Ultra High-Temp Measurement

Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have developed a thin film sensor that measures temperatures up to 1200 °F, and whose prototype successor may achieve measurements up to ~3000 °F — which was the surface temperature of the Space Shuttle during its atmospheric reentry. Read on to learn more.

New Technique Could Accelerate Noise-Free Superconducting Qubits for Quantum Computing

A research team led by scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has developed a new fabrication technique that could improve noise robustness in superconducting qubits, a key technology for enabling large-scale quantum computers. Read on to learn more.

A New Computer Vision Method Enables Faster Screening of Electronic Materials

A new computer vision technique developed by MIT engineers significantly speeds up the characterization of newly synthesized electronic materials. The technique automatically analyzes images of printed semiconducting samples and quickly estimates two key electronic properties for each sample. Read on to learn more.

How ISS Will Be Evaluating Photovoltaic Materials

Solar cells account for approximately six percent of the electricity used on Earth; however, in space, they play a significantly larger role, with nearly all satellites relying on advanced solar cells for their power. That’s why Georgia Tech researchers will soon be sending 18 photovoltaic cells to the International Space Station (ISS) for a study of how space conditions affect the devices’ operation over time. Read on to learn more.

New Physics-Based Simulation Tool Accelerates Battery Development

For years, researchers have been developing tools to accelerate the materials discovery and development of new energy storage technologies, including those that can predict the performance of the batteries systems for long-term grid services. With a new physics-based simulation tool, EZBattery Model, it now takes less than a second to predict the performance of redox flow batteries and its variants. Read on to learn more.

Spray Drying Tech Used in Instant Coffee Applied to High-Capacity Battery Production

The Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) and the Korea Institute of Materials Science have jointly developed spray drying technology-based high-performance dry electrode manufacturing technology for the realization of high-capacity secondary batteries. Read on to learn more.

How Can We Optimize Solid-State Batteries? Try Asking AI

Researchers at Tohoku University developed a data-driven AI framework that points out potential solid-state electrolyte candidates that could be “the one” to create an ideal sustainable energy solution. Read on to learn more.

Diagnosing a Dud May Lead to a Better Battery

A team of chemists led by Feng Lin and Louis Madsen found a way to see into battery interfaces, which are tight, tricky spots buried deep inside the cell. Read on to learn what this means.

Smoothing Over Rough Edges in Batteries

Battery performance suffers over time, like when a phone needs to be charged more frequently after years of use. A thin film that forms on the metal anode when the battery is charging and discharging plays a part in that issue. This film has benefits, but its roughness gradually wears the battery down. Researchers have discovered a temporary version of this film that appears at rapid discharge speeds and dissolves back into the battery when the process finishes. Read on to learn more.

An AI System Empowers Robots with Human-Like Perception

Researchers from Duke University have developed a novel framework named WildFusion that fuses vision, vibration, and touch to enable robots to “sense” complex outdoor environments much like humans do. Read on to learn more.

Advanced Simulation Enables Better Robot-Object Interactions

A human clearing junk out of an attic can often guess the contents of a box simply by picking it up and giving it a shake, without the need to see what’s inside. Researchers from MIT, Amazon Robotics, and the University of British Columbia have taught robots to do something similar. Read on to learn more.

Electronics-Free 3D-Printed Robots

Imagine a robot that can walk, without electronics, and only with the addition of a cartridge of compressed gas, right off the 3D printer. It can also be printed in one go, from one material. That is exactly what roboticists have achieved in robots developed by the Bioinspired Robotics Laboratory at the University of California San Diego. Read on to learn more.

A Soft Robot Can Carry Loads Through the Air

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.

New Spacecraft Power System Passes First Test

A spacecraft power system that combines the technological know-how of engineers and scientists at the University of Leicester and NASA Glenn has passed its first test with flying colors. Read on to learn more about it.

Active Turbulence Suppression System for Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing Vehicles

NASA Ames researchers have developed a novel approach for actively controlling Dutch-roll oscillations of an eVTOL aircraft by using existing outboard propellers to dampen oscillations. This novel technology avoids the need to add hardware or change the design of eVTOL vehicles to address the negative effects of turbulence. Read on to learn more.

Space Laser Tech Maps Mysterious Nearshore Terrain

Despite all the technological evolution in navigation, waters just off coastal shores around the globe have remained a black box. That is, until researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and Oregon State University developed a new technology that uses satellites in space to map out these tricky areas. Read on to learn more about it.

Nanofibers Yield Stronger, Tougher Carbon Fiber Composites

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed an innovative new technique using carbon nanofibers to enhance binding in carbon fiber and other fiber-reinforced polymer composites — an advance likely to improve structural materials for automobiles, airplanes and other applications that require lightweight and strong materials.

Ferroelectric Material Adapts to Light Stimuli by Reorganizing Atomic Connectivity

With this groundbreaking discovery of time-dependent changes in networked nanodomains, developers are on the path to building adaptive networks for information storage and processing. Read on to learn more.

Developing Durable Solar Panels Without Silicon

Using a new technology, Juan-Pablo Correa-Baena's lab has found a way to stabilize perovskite solar cells, which are built like a battery. Read on to learn more.

Capturing Water from Thin Air

Engineers from Australia and China have invented a sponge-like device that captures water from thin air and then releases it in a cup using the sun’s energy, even in low humidity where other technologies such as fog harvesting and radiative cooling have struggled. Read on to learn more.

How a Startup Is Reducing Carbon from Building Operations with Drones

A new startup is paving the way for dramatic reductions in carbon from building operations. Lamarr.AI has perfected the process of using drones, thermal imaging, and artificial intelligence to diagnose the health of building exteriors and roofs. Read on to learn more.

Converting Waste Streams into Biofuel

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have developed a novel technology that creates a cost-competitive sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) that could reduce GHG emissions in the aviation industry by up to 70 percent. Read on to learn more.

New System Enables Robots to Solve Manipulation Problems in Seconds

Researchers from MIT and NVIDIA Research have developed a novel algorithm that dramatically speeds up a robot’s planning process. Their approach enables a robot to “think ahead” by evaluating thousands of possible solutions in parallel and then refining the best ones to meet the constraints of the robot and its environment. Read on to learn more.

Tri-Rotor Steering Wheel Yields Programmable Vehicular Control

Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have developed a programmable steering wheel called the Tri-Rotor, which allows an astronaut the ability to easily operate a vehicle on the surface of a planet or Moon despite the limited dexterity of their spacesuit. This technology was originally conceived for the operation of a lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) to improve upon previous Apolloera hand controllers.

Mid-Air Transformation Helps Flying, Rolling Robot to Transition Smoothly

Specialized robots that can both fly and drive typically touch down on land before attempting to transform and drive away. But when the landing terrain is rough, these robots sometimes get stuck and are unable to continue operating. Now a team of Caltech engineers has developed a real-life Transformer that has the “brains” to morph in midair, allowing the dronelike robot to smoothly roll away and begin its ground operations without pause. Read on to learn more.

A Path to Safer, High-Energy Electric Vehicle Batteries

This research has far-reaching implications, offering a path to safer, more efficient batteries that can support the growing demand for electric vehicles. As the world moves towards cleaner energy solutions, these advancements are crucial for making EVs more viable and attractive for consumers. Read on to learn more.

Researchers Develop Efficient Lithium Extraction Method, Setting Stage for Sustainable EV Battery Supply Chains

In the race to meet the growing global demand for lithium, a team of researchers from Rice University’s Elimelech lab has developed a breakthrough lithium extraction method that could reshape the industry. Read on to learn more about it.