Category Technology/Electronics

The batteries were made by stacking various layers via thin-film deposition methods. The LNMO/Li3PO4 interface showed spontaneous migration of Li ions and had an unprecedentedly low resistance.
Credit: ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology have addressed one of the major disadvantages of all-solid-state batteries by developing batteries with a low resistance at their electrode/solid electrolyte interface. The fabricated batteries showed excellent electrochemical properties that greatly surpass those of traditional and ubiquitous Li-ion batteries; thereby, demonstrating the promise of all-solid-state battery technology and its potential to revolutionize portable electronics.

Many consumers are familiar with rechargeable lithium ion batteries, which ha...

A soft robotic device powered by popcorn, constructed by researchers in Cornell’s Collective Embodied Intelligence Lab.
Credit: Image courtesy of Cornell University

Cornell University researchers have discovered how to power simple robots with a novel substance that, when heated, can expand more than 10X in size, change its viscosity by a factor of 10 and transition from regular to highly irregular granules with surprising force.

“Popcorn-Driven Robotic Actuators,” a recent paper co-authored by Steven Ceron, mechanical engineering doctoral student, and Kirstin H. Petersen, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, examines how popcorn’s unique qualities can power inexpensive robotic devices that grip, expand or change rigidity.

“The goal of our lab is to try to make very...

The network, composed of a series of polymer layers, works using light that travels through it. Each layer is 8 centimeters square. Credit: UCLA Samueli / Ozcan Research Group

The 3D-printed artificial neural network can be used in medicine, robotics and security. Electrical and computer engineers have created a physical artificial neural network that can analyze large volumes of data and identify objects at the actual speed of light. The device was created using a 3D printer.

Numerous devices in everyday life today use computerized cameras to identify objects – think of automated teller machines that can “read” handwritten dollar amounts when you deposit a check, or internet search engines that can quickly match photos to other similar images in their databases...

This brightly colored dragon was produced by 3D printing, using gold nanorods as photosensitizers.
Credit: American Chemical Society

People are exploring the use of 3D printing for wide-ranging applications, including manufacturing, medical devices, fashion and even food. But one of the most efficient forms of 3D printing suffers from a major drawback: It can only print objects that are gray or black in color. Now, researchers have tweaked the method so it can print in all of the colors of the rainbow. They report their results in the ACS journal Nano Letters.

Selective laser sintering (SLS) printers use a laser to heat specific regions of a powdered material, typically nylon or polyamide, so that the powder melts or sinters to form a solid mass...