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New AI models could slash energy use while dramatically improving performance

Researchers at Tufts University developed a proof-of-concept for efficient AI systems using neuro-symbolic AI, reducing power consumption by 100 times while providing accurate results. The approach uses symbolic reasoning to limit trial and error during learning, leading to faster completion and significant energy savings.

Can DNA be used to build robots?

Scientists create functional machines using DNA, adapting macro-scale robotics principles for nanoscale performance. Control strategies use biochemical methods and physical stimuli to direct movement.

Apple iPhone 17 Pro

Apple iPhone 17 Pro delivers top performance and advanced cameras for field documentation, data collection, and secure research communications.

Toward autonomous self-organizing biological robots with a nervous system

In a breakthrough study, researchers successfully integrated neuronal precursor cells into biobots, resulting in the formation of functional nervous systems. This development has significant implications for neuroscience, bioengineering, and regenerative medicine, enabling the investigation of fundamental questions about the origin of ...

Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope

Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope combines portable Schmidt-Cassegrain optics with GoTo pointing for outreach nights and field campaigns.

A better method for planning complex visual tasks

MIT researchers developed a generative AI-driven approach for planning long-term visual tasks, surpassing existing techniques with a 70% success rate. The system combines vision-language models with formal planners, enabling robots to navigate complex environments and assemble multi-robot teams with high efficiency.

Press program now available for the world's largest physics meeting

The Global Physics Summit will feature over 12,000 individual presentations on new research in astrophysics, particle physics, and quantum information science. Registered journalists and public information officers will receive daily emails with information during the meeting.

SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB

SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB transfers large imagery and model outputs quickly between field laptops, lab workstations, and secure archives.

New robotic microfluidic platform brings ai to lipid nanoparticle design

Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed LIBRIS, an automated microfluidic platform capable of generating lipid nanoparticle formulations at high speed and scale. This enables the creation of large, systematic datasets needed to train predictive AI models, accelerating the design of lipid nanoparticles for mRNA delivery.

New ultra-low-cost technique could slash the price of soft robotics

Researchers at Oxford University developed an ultra-low-cost technique for manufacturing soft robots, using common lab equipment. The new method enables rapid and affordable production of soft robotic actuators, with a material cost of less than $0.10 per unit, and demonstrated strong mechanical performance and durability.

Evolved robots are born to run and refuse to die

Researchers at Northwestern University have developed AI-designed robots called 'legged metamachines' that can combine and recombine in the wild, recover from injury and transform into new shapes. The robots can adapt to the environment, survive catastrophic damage and even recover from being chopped in half or cut into pieces.

NASA robot’s 10-year mission complete as uni marks rare feat

Researchers have advanced humanoid robot control, motion planning, and perception using Valkyrie, a 10-year mission robot developed by NASA. The university will continue research with Talos, a 1.75-metre-tall robot, to study human-robot cooperation and adapt to changing environments.

Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (M4)

Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) runs demanding GIS, imaging, and annotation workflows on the go for surveys, briefings, and lab notebooks.

Listening to the body’s quietest, yet most dynamic movements

Researchers developed a wearable vibration sensor capable of detecting subtle body movements without external power, opening new possibilities for healthcare technologies. The sensor accurately captures physiological signals and detects extremely faint vibrations across a broad frequency range.

FAU lands $4.5M US Air Force T-1A Jayhawk flight simulator

Florida Atlantic University has received a $4.5 million grant from the US Air Force to establish a high-fidelity platform for autonomous decision-making and real-time sensor fusion research. The T-1A Jayhawk simulator will be used to study cognitive performance, situational awareness, stress and decision-making under pressure.

GQ GMC-500Plus Geiger Counter

GQ GMC-500Plus Geiger Counter logs beta, gamma, and X-ray levels for environmental monitoring, training labs, and safety demonstrations.

CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock

CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock simplifies serious desks with 18 ports for high-speed storage, monitors, and instruments across Mac and PC setups.

Rise of the rice robots – creating active smart materials

A new material composed of rice grains can bend, buckle, or stiffen differently under slow movements versus sudden impacts without electronics or sensors. This innovative material has potential applications in soft robotics, creating machines lighter, safer, and more adaptable.

Ionogel actuators: a review

This review constructs a tripartite analytical framework for ionogel actuators, covering material construction, actuation mechanisms, and system integration. It presents a function-oriented classification of materials and evaluates the applicability of seven distinct actuation modes.

Max Planck spin-off draws Epic Games to Tübingen

Epic Games has acquired Meshcapade, a Max Planck startup that develops solutions for creating and animating digital humans. The technology, based on the SMPL body model, enables realistic human movement and expression in 3D.

Sky & Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas, 2nd Edition

Sky & Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas, 2nd Edition is a durable star atlas for planning sessions, identifying targets, and teaching celestial navigation.

3D printing soft robots

Researchers at Harvard's John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have developed a new fabrication method for printing robotic devices with long filaments featuring precisely placed hollow channels. This allows the device to bend and deform in predetermined ways, enabling the creation of soft robots with predictable s...

A more accurate measure of calories burned

A new machine learning model interprets leg motion as expended energy, providing a more accurate measure of calories burned. The device has been shown to have double the accuracy of commercial smartwatches and activity trackers.

Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation, USB-C)

Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation, USB-C) provide clear calls and strong noise reduction for interviews, conferences, and noisy field environments.

Personal perception of body movement changes when using robotic prosthetics

Researchers found that participants initially overestimated the awkwardness of their gait but improved as they practiced using the prosthetic device. Despite significant performance gains, participants remained inaccurate in assessing their own body movement, focusing on torso position rather than prosthetic behavior.

Resource-sharing boosts robotic resilience

A team of EPFL roboticists has designed a modular robot that shares power, sensing, and communication resources among its individual units, significantly increasing its resistance to failure. The approach, called hyper-redundancy, allows the robot to continue functioning even if one module fails, by compensating with neighboring modules.

Creality K1 Max 3D Printer

Creality K1 Max 3D Printer rapidly prototypes brackets, adapters, and fixtures for instruments and classroom demonstrations at large build volume.

Elephant trunk whiskers exhibit material intelligence

Researchers discovered functional gradients in elephant and cat whiskers, allowing for precise touch sensing. The stiff-to-soft transition enables elephants to navigate their environment with ease, including picking up delicate objects.

Open-source modular robot for understanding evolution

A new tool has arrived: a highly customizable, open-source robot design called The Robot of Theseus (TROT), developed at the University of Michigan. TROT can model most mammals and enable direct comparisons of variations on the same structure, helping researchers discover the advantages related to limb length and segmentation.

Path Planning Transformers supervised by IRRT*-RRMS for multi-mobile robots

The Path Planning Transformer (PPT) model learns to plan efficient paths from occupancy maps, avoiding obstacles with a modified right-of-way rule. This approach improves path smoothness and adaptability while reducing computational requirements, with potential applications in industrial automation and collaborative robot systems.

Robots that can see around corners using radio signals and AI

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed HoloRadar, a system that enables robots to reconstruct hidden 3D spaces beyond their line of sight using radio waves processed by AI. This capability can improve safety and performance in driverless cars and cluttered indoor settings.

AmScope B120C-5M Compound Microscope

AmScope B120C-5M Compound Microscope supports teaching labs and QA checks with LED illumination, mechanical stage, and included 5MP camera.

No brain, no problem: What robots can learn from sea stars

Researchers at USC's Kanso Bioinspired Motion Lab discovered that sea stars' tube feet respond independently to changing loads, enabling local control strategy. This decentralized approach can optimize robot locomotion and adapt to environmental changes.

Optimizing robotic joints

Researchers at Harvard University have developed a new design method for optimizing rolling contact joints in robots, which can lead to better grippers, assistive devices, and more efficient robotic movement. The optimized joints performed spectacularly, correcting misalignment by 99% in knee-assist devices.

Kennesaw State researcher looking to give robots a human touch

A Kennesaw State University researcher is working on a new type of robotic hand that can move more naturally, enabling robots to handle objects with greater precision. The research uses advanced artificial intelligence to replicate human-like behavior, allowing robots to interact with their environment in a more intuitive way.

Five researchers at Italian Institute of Technology win new ERC funding

Five IIT researchers receive Proof-of-Concept grants to develop innovative health technologies, including a smart microscope and edible pills. These projects aim to tackle cancer, dyslexia, and diagnostics with cutting-edge technologies like quantum computing and near-infrared photonic chips.

Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 46mm)

Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 46mm) tracks health metrics and safety alerts during long observing sessions, fieldwork, and remote expeditions.

AI learns better when it talks to itself

Researchers at OIST found that combining inner speech with working memory enhances AI learning, enabling easier adaptation to new situations. This discovery holds promise for developing more human-like AI systems capable of handling complex, dynamic environments.

Misleading text in the physical world can hijack AI-enabled robots

Researchers have identified a new vulnerability in AI-powered robots, where malicious text on signs or objects can hijack their decision-making. The study, led by UC Santa Cruz professors Alvaro Cardenas and Cihang Xie, presents the first academic exploration of environmental indirect prompt injection attacks against embodied AI systems.

Leading Danish universities join forces to boost innovation capacity

A partnership between University of Copenhagen and Danish Technical University aims to improve Europe's resilience and competitiveness by boosting innovation. The initiative seeks to develop the innovation ecosystem, drive urban development, and attract talent, companies, and investors.

How can robots learn from humans?

Researchers developed a new approach to teach robots to learn human grasping skills, enabling adaptive and universal grasping to diverse objects. The framework captures multimodal tactile data and encodes it into high-level semantic grasping states, allowing robots to recognize general states of interaction.

A robot learns to lip sync

Researchers at Columbia University develop a robot that can learn facial lip motions through observational learning, enabling it to articulate words in various languages and sing songs. The robot's ability to move its lips in sync is expected to improve with time and practice, paving the way for more holistic robot communication.

Aranet4 Home CO2 Monitor

Aranet4 Home CO2 Monitor tracks ventilation quality in labs, classrooms, and conference rooms with long battery life and clear e-ink readouts.

Hydrogel cilia set new standard in microrobotics

Scientists created biologically realistic artificial cilia using hydrogel, enabling precise control over their motion. The tiny structures can be powered by low-voltage electrical signals and have shown remarkable durability and versatility.

GoPro HERO13 Black

GoPro HERO13 Black records stabilized 5.3K video for instrument deployments, field notes, and outreach, even in harsh weather and underwater conditions.

A researcher’s long quest leads to a smart composite breakthrough

Researchers have developed a strong, defect-free composite material that can phase-shift under stress to dissipate energy. The material, created using additive friction stir deposition, has potential applications in defense, infrastructure, aerospace, and sporting equipment.

AI learns to build simple equations for complex systems

A new AI framework uncovers simple, understandable rules governing complex dynamics in nature and technology. The AI generates equations that accurately describe complex systems, revealing hidden variables that govern their behavior. This approach offers scientists a new way to leverage AI for understanding complex systems.

Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 Weather Station

Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 Weather Station offers research-grade local weather data for networked stations, campuses, and community observatories.