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    Category Physics

    Origami-inspired ring lets users ‘feel’ virtual worlds

    January 28, 2026, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    A ring that lets users 'feel' virtual worlds
    A wearable haptic force-feedback ring with a three-axis force-sensing skin. A) We developed a wearable haptic ring, OriRing, which weighs only 18 g and generates forces of up to 6.5 N. The design incorporates a folding-based prismatic joint, a three-axis force-sensing skin, inkjet-printed bending sensors, SPAs and 3D printed ring frames. B) Force-sensing skin consists of an upper layer with soft pyramid microstructures, a lower layer with four resistive pixels and a spacer separating the two layers. This design enables the detection of both normal and shear forces. C) With its multimodal sensing and actuation capabilities, OriRing renders the size and stiffness of virtual objects through kinaesthetic and proprioceptive feedback...
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    Physicists challenge a 200-year-old law of thermodynamics at the atomic scale

    January 26, 2026, Categories  Physics

    A long-standing law of thermodynamics turns out to have a loophole at the smallest scales. Researchers have shown that quantum engines made of correlated particles can exceed the traditional efficiency limit set by Carnot nearly 200 years ago. By tapping into quantum correlations, these engines can produce extra work beyond what heat alone allows. This could reshape how scientists design future nanoscale machines.

    Two physicists at the University of Stuttgart have demonstrated that the Carnot principle, a foundational rule of thermodynamics, does not fully apply at the atomic scale when particles are physically linked (so-called correlated objects). Their findings suggest that this long-standing limit on efficiency breaks down for tiny systems governed by quantum effects...

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    Analog hardware may solve Internet of Things’ speed bumps and bottlenecks

    January 23, 2026, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    Event-based sensing system based on a piezoelectric haptic sensor array, event-triggered circuitry and a memristive SoC and a comparison with conventional frame-based digital sensing system. Credit: Nature Sensors (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s44460-025-00013-z

    The ubiquity of smart devices—not just phones and watches, but lights, refrigerators, doorbells and more, all constantly recording and transmitting data—is creating massive volumes of digital information that drain energy and slow data transmission speeds. With the rising use of artificial intelligence in industries ranging from health care and finance to transportation and manufacturing, addressing the issue is becoming more pressing.

    A research team led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst aims to address the problem wi...

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    New smart chip reduces consumption and computing time, advancing high-performance computing

    January 21, 2026, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    A 'smart' chip that reduces both consumption and computing time marks a breakthrough in high-performance computing at Politecnico di Milano
    A close up of the chip integrated into the chip carrier. Credit: Politecnico di Milano

    Osaka Metropolitan University scientists have created a molecule that naturally forms p/n junctions, structures that are vital for converting sunlight into electricity. Their findings offer a promising shortcut to producing more efficient organic thin-film solar cells. Their study is published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

    How organic solar cells work
    Solar cells convert sunlight directly into electricity. Within each cell, two semiconductors—p-type and n-type—form a p/n junction, where the photovoltaic effect performs the conversion.

    Organic thin-film solar cells use carbon-based semiconductors instead of the traditional silicon, making them lightweight, flexible, and economic...

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