Breakthrough in smart fabric for sensing and energy harvesting. Researchers have developed a smart fabric that can convert body heat and solar energy into electricity, potentially enabling continuous operation with no need for an external power source. Different sensors monitoring temperature, stress, and more can be integrated into the material.

Imagine a coat that captures solar energy to keep you cozy on a chilly winter walk, or a shirt that can monitor your heart rate and temperature.Picture clothing athletes can wear to track their performance without the need for bulky battery packs.

University of Waterloo researchers have d...

With 2D cameras and space robotics algorithms, astronautics engineers have created a navigation system able to manage multiple satellites using visual data only. They just tested it in space for the first time.

Someday, instead of large, expensive individual space satellites, teams of smaller satellites — known by scientists as a “swarm” — will work in collaboration, enabling greater accuracy, agility, and autonomy. Among the scientists working to make these teams a reality are researchers at Stanford University’s Space Rendezvous Lab, who recently completed the first-ever in-orbit test of a prototype system able to navigate a swarm of satellites using only visual information shared through a wireless network.

“It’s a milestone paper and the culmination of 11 years of effort by ...

Higher intake of heme iron, the type found in red meat and other animal products — as opposed to non-heme iron, found mostly in plant-based foods — was associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) in a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. While the link between heme iron and T2D has been reported previously, the study’s findings more clearly establish and explain the link.

“Compared to prior studies that relied solely on epidemiological data, we integrated multiple layers of information, including epidemiological data, conventional metabolic biomarkers, and cutting-edge metabolomics,” said lead author Fenglei Wang, research associate in the Department of Nutr...

Quantum sensing milestone draws closer exquisitely accurate, GPS-free navigation...