https://techxplore.com/ en-us Tech Xplore internet news portal provides the latest news on electronics, technology, and engineering. Recent progress in robotics has brought us startlingly lifelike replicas of humans and animals. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-robotic-gait-graceless.html Robotics Fri, 28 Apr 2023 14:10:01 EDT news601909013 According to computational complexity theory, mathematical problems have different levels of difficulty in the context of their solvability. While a classical computer can solve some problems (P) in polynomial time—i.e., the time required for solving P is a polynomial function of the input size—it often fails to solve NP problems that scale exponentially with the problem size and thus cannot be solved in polynomial time. Classical computers based on semiconductor devices are, therefore, inadequate for solving sufficiently large NP problems. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-complex-problems-probabilistic.html Computer Sciences Fri, 28 Apr 2023 13:37:04 EDT news601907821 The green hydrogen economy is a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. However, one of the challenges of constructing a global hydrogen economy is hydrogen transportation by sea. A new paper proposes solid air as a medium for recycling cold energy across the hydrogen liquefaction supply chain. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-solid-air-spur-sustainable.html Energy & Green Tech Fri, 28 Apr 2023 12:37:53 EDT news601904270 An international team of researchers, including nanoengineers at the University of California San Diego, has uncovered nanoscale changes inside solid-state batteries that could offer new insights into improving battery performance. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-probing-lithium-ions-solid-surface.html Engineering Fri, 28 Apr 2023 10:31:11 EDT news601896667 It's estimated that mining, refining, and processing metals commonly used in construction, referred to as structural metals, contribute around three billion tons of CO2-equivalent emissions. And, although recycling these materials has the potential to mitigate their negative environmental impact, many sustain damage, like fractures, that can preclude them from extending their lifecycles. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-unmendable-method-fractured-metals.html Engineering Fri, 28 Apr 2023 10:20:55 EDT news601896051 Maybe you can't tell a book from its cover, but according to researchers at MIT you may now be able to do the equivalent for materials of all sorts, from an airplane part to a medical implant. Their new approach allows engineers to figure out what's going on inside simply by observing properties of the material's surface. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-deep-learning-explores-materials-interiors.html Engineering Fri, 28 Apr 2023 08:46:04 EDT news601890361 Through their fingertips, humans can touch and grip onto things in their surrounding environment, but they can also sense the tactile properties of objects and detect other atmospheric changes. Fingertips are incredibly sensitive parts of our skin, with unique fingerprint patterns embossed on them. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-ionic-skin-robots-tactile-sensation.html Robotics Fri, 28 Apr 2023 06:00:02 EDT news601811587 Think about what you do with your hands when you're home at night pushing buttons on your TV's remote control, or at a restaurant using all kinds of cutlery and glassware. These skills are all based on touch, while you're watching a TV program or choosing something from the menu. Our hands and fingers are incredibly skilled mechanisms, and highly sensitive to boot. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-highly-dexterous-robot-darkjust.html Robotics Thu, 27 Apr 2023 17:18:12 EDT news601834688 Scientists at Forschungszentrum Jülich have fabricated a new type of transistor from a germanium–tin alloy that has several advantages over conventional switching elements. Charge carriers can move faster in the material than in silicon or germanium, which enables lower voltages in operation. The transistor thus appears to be a promising candidate for future low-power, high-performance chips, and possibly also for the development of future of quantum computers. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-germanium-tin-transistor-alternative-silicon.html Engineering Thu, 27 Apr 2023 14:44:04 EDT news601825441 Emerging AI applications, like chatbots that generate natural human language, demand denser, more powerful computer chips. But semiconductor chips are traditionally made with bulk materials, which are boxy 3D structures, so stacking multiple layers of transistors to create denser integrations is very difficult. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-atomically-thin-transistors-chips.html Electronics & Semiconductors Thu, 27 Apr 2023 14:05:58 EDT news601823154 Researchers have developed a new light-based computing scheme that uses a photonic integrated circuit to reduce the energy necessary for cryptocurrency and blockchain applications. Mining cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin—a process of verifying transactions and adding new cryptocurrency to the blockchain—consumes up to 1% of the world's energy. This energy expenditure is expected to grow as cryptocurrency and blockchain applications become increasingly mainstream. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-light-based-scheme-power-cryptocurrencies.html Hardware Thu, 27 Apr 2023 14:05:51 EDT news601823147 The mechanics behind the collapse of soft materials structure have befuddled researchers for decades. In a new study, researchers uncover a metric that finally correlates microscopic-level processes with what is seen at the macroscopic level. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-ratio-soft-material-behavior.html Engineering Thu, 27 Apr 2023 12:54:53 EDT news601818890 Cornell researchers have developed an optical neural network (ONN) that can filter relevant information from a scene before the visual image is detected by a camera, a method that may make it possible to build faster, smaller and more energy-efficient image sensors. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-optical-neural-networks-image.html Computer Sciences Thu, 27 Apr 2023 12:54:34 EDT news601818865 When manipulating an arcade claw, a player can plan all she wants. But once she presses the joystick button, it's a game of wait-and-see. If the claw misses its target, she'll have to start from scratch for another chance at a prize. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-speedy-robo-gripper-reflexively-cluttered-spaces.html Robotics Thu, 27 Apr 2023 12:45:22 EDT news601818313 Humans aren't the only ones learning toxic ideas online. New research led by Penn State researchers reveals that large language models that use internet files to learn how to respond to user prompts about different countries worldwide repeat biased ideas—both positive and negative—found online. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-positive-triggering-method-nationality-bias.html Computer Sciences Thu, 27 Apr 2023 12:40:01 EDT news601817930 Artificial intelligence (AI) models have already made their way into a wide range of real-world settings, helping humans to tackle everyday problems faster and more efficiently. Recently, computer scientists have also been exploring their potential for assisting humans with creative tasks, such as coming up with interesting designs, poems and even recipes. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-generates-complex-recipes-images-ingredients.html Computer Sciences Thu, 27 Apr 2023 04:40:01 EDT news601724036 Add one more vulnerability to the list of side-channel attacks that have long dogged Intel CPUs. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-side-channel-vulnerability-intel-cpu.html Computer Sciences Wed, 26 Apr 2023 17:30:02 EDT news601748456 Hormones released by the stomach, such as ghrelin, play a key role in stimulating appetite. These hormones are produced by endocrine cells that are part of the enteric nervous system, which controls hunger, nausea, and feelings of fullness. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-ingestible-electroceutical-capsule-hunger-regulating-hormone.html Robotics Wed, 26 Apr 2023 17:19:51 EDT news601748367 A formula that can draw important conclusions about a battery's internal components and condition from the way alternating currents move through it has been developed by Michigan Engineering researchers. It could help researchers identify battery faults during operation and design safer batteries. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-batteries-safety.html Engineering Wed, 26 Apr 2023 14:18:31 EDT news601737509 Researchers from ETH Zurich created a new open-source platform and programming language called LMQL. This programming language makes it easier, cheaper, and safer to interact with large language models like ChatGPT. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-platform-easier-cheaper-safer-interactions.html Computer Sciences Wed, 26 Apr 2023 13:24:04 EDT news601734242 From access cards and key fobs to Bluetooth speakers, the security of communication between wireless devices is critical to maintaining privacy and preventing theft. Unfortunately, these tools are not foolproof and information on how to hack, clone and bypass these systems is becoming easier to find. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-quantum-physics-wireless-devices.html Engineering Wed, 26 Apr 2023 12:33:21 EDT news601731198 Scientists at UNSW Sydney have combined artificial synapses with advanced sensors to mimic the properties of human skin, in new research published in Advanced Functional Materials. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-technology-mimic-function-skin.html Electronics & Semiconductors Wed, 26 Apr 2023 11:25:42 EDT news601727139 Nickel-zinc (Ni-Zn) batteries are a promising technology due to their high output voltage, high theoretical specific energy, high safety and low cost. However, rechargeable alkaline Ni-Zn batteries are challenging, because the cathodic side reaction of oxygen evolution results in low energy efficiency and poor stability. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-air-breathing-cathode-conversion-efficiency-durability.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 26 Apr 2023 10:37:39 EDT news601724256 Researchers from the College of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering at Nankai University have used flexible artificial synapse devices to develop a neuromorphic motion perception system that realizes the brain's multisensory functions at the hardware level and exhibits excellent motion perception performance. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-team-brain-sensory-functions-artificial.html Hardware Wed, 26 Apr 2023 09:19:03 EDT news601719541 Most humans are innately able to identify the individual attributes of sensory stimuli, such as objects they are seeing, sounds they are hearing, and so on. While artificial intelligence (AI) tools have become increasingly better at recognizing specific objects in images or other stimuli, they are often unable to disentangle their individual attributes (e.g., their color, size, etc.). https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-power-efficient-disentangle-visual-attributes.html Computer Sciences Wed, 26 Apr 2023 05:30:01 EDT news601644150 A coil-powered robot fish designed by scientists at the University of Bristol could make underwater exploration more accessible. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-robot-fish-splash-motion-breakthrough.html Robotics Tue, 25 Apr 2023 19:00:03 EDT news601559673 Most of the world is covered in oceans, which are unfortunately highly polluted. One of the strategies to combat the mounds of waste found in these very sensitive ecosystems—especially around coral reefs—is to employ robots to master the cleanup. However, existing underwater robots are mostly bulky with rigid bodies, unable to explore and sample in complex and unstructured environments, and are noisy due to electrical motors or hydraulic pumps. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-jellyfish-like-robots-day-world-oceans.html Robotics Tue, 25 Apr 2023 14:03:41 EDT news601650216 Stanford University researchers have developed a generative AI model that can choreograph human dance animation to match any piece of music. It's called Editable Dance GEneration (EDGE). https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-ai-powered-animator-generative-ai-choreography.html Computer Sciences Tue, 25 Apr 2023 13:24:02 EDT news601647841 Supply chain networks can be incredibly complex, with multiple manufacturing and distribution points—and the location of each node in those networks has a significant effect on everything from profitability to product cost to environmental impact. New research from North Carolina State University shows that efficient mathematical tools serve almost as well as more computationally demanding optimization models for determining the best places to locate elements in a supply chain, and can provide businesses with the relevant information far more quickly. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-short-fast-complex-chain-problems.html Business Tue, 25 Apr 2023 13:22:04 EDT news601647721 Researchers at MIT say they have created a new material that will pave the way to faster charging batteries. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-04-materials-yield-stronger-faster-charging-batteries.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 25 Apr 2023 13:20:01 EDT news601646300