Category Technology/Electronics

Researchers developed a deep learning neural network to aid the design of soft-bodied robots. The algorithm optimizes the arrangement of sensors on the robot, enabling it to complete tasks as efficiently as possible.

There are some tasks that traditional robots — the rigid and metallic kind — simply aren’t cut out for. Soft-bodied robots, on the other hand, may be able to interact with people more safely or slip into tight spaces with ease. But for robots to reliably complete their programmed duties, they need to know the whereabouts of all their body parts...

Hydrogen is a pollution-free energy source when it’s extracted from water using sunlight instead of fossil fuels. But current strategies for “splitting” or breaking apart water molecules with catalysts and light require the introduction of chemical additives to expedite the process. Now, researchers reporting in ACS ES&T Engineering have developed a catalyst that destroys medications and other compounds already present in wastewater to generate hydrogen fuel, getting rid of a contaminant while producing something useful.

Harnessing the sun’s energy to split water to make hydrogen fuel is a promising renewable resource, but it is a ...

Technology paves way for intelligent solar cells, other highly efficient devices programmed at the macro and nano scale. Engineers created light-activated materials that execute precise movements and form complex shapes without the need for wires, motors or other energy sources. The research could lead to smart light-driven systems such as high-efficiency solar cells that automatically follow the sun’s direction.

Researchers at Tufts University School of Engineering have created light-activated composite devices...

Superconducting coils for contactless power transmission in the kilowatt range.
A team led by Christoph Utschick and Prof. Rudolf Gross, physicists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), has developed a coil with superconducting wires capable of transmitting power in the range of more than five kilowatts contactless and with only small losses. The wide field of conceivable applications include autonomous industrial robots, medical equipment, vehicles and even aircraft.

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