Science News

When it comes to mapping new territory, NASA's record swamps Lewis and Clark's. And the space agency doesn't only chart other stars and planets—a vantage point from space also allows a great view of Earth. Now a recent NASA invention could allow robots to map our planet's entire seafloor, helping to unlock valuable resources while protecting marine habitats. While the aquatic sonar devices for such an operation are not new, they've been severely hampered by batteries that leave them dead in the water.

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In Australia's electricity system, more and more energy from sunlight and wind is being "spilled"—or not converted to electricity.

Have you ever wished you could understand what your dog is trying to say to you? University of Michigan researchers are exploring the possibilities of AI, developing tools that can identify whether a dog's bark conveys playfulness or aggression.

Researchers at Huazhong University of Science and Technology have achieved a significant breakthrough in emotion recognition technology, introducing a novel system that could transform the way we interact with machines and monitor mental health. The new technology, known as Domain Generalization and Residual Network-Based Emotion Recognition from Physiological Signals (DGR-ERPS), leverages complex physiological signals to accurately determine human emotions.

Researchers at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, have developed a model that enables computers to interpret and understand human emotions, utilizing principles of mathematical psychology.

Accurate time-keeping is essential for satellite navigation, as even minor time deviations can result in significant positioning errors. Traditional systems rely heavily on ground-based atomic clocks, which pose risks of service interruptions. Due to these challenges, advanced research is necessary to develop more reliable and autonomous satellite time-keeping systems.

A study conducted by researchers at the Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Robotics, Soochow University, presents the development of a highly sensitive and responsive mechanosensor. This novel device is inspired by the ultrasensitive trigger hairs found in Venus flytraps, known for their rapid response to external stimuli. The study was published in the latest issue of Cyborg and Bionic Systems.

When robots come across unfamiliar objects, they struggle to account for a simple truth: Appearances aren't everything. They may attempt to grasp a block, only to find out it's a literal piece of cake. The misleading appearance of that object could lead the robot to miscalculate physical properties like the object's weight and center of mass, using the wrong grasp and applying more force than needed.

Created by nature, the human skin shows powerful sensing capabilities that have been pursued by scientists for a very long time. However, it is challenging for today's technologies to replicate the spatial arrangement of the complex 3D microstructure of human skin.

Aerogels, known for their porosity and low density, are solid materials that offer versatile functionality—from gobbling up fat globules in weight-management supplements to facilitating more sustainable metal-recycling processes.

Nations are falling short of the goal agreed at UN climate talks to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 as part of efforts to curb global warming, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday.

Floating solar photovoltaic panels could supply all the electricity needs of some countries, new research has shown.

The world of robotics is witnessing a transformative shift with the rise of soft robotics, which offers unparalleled flexibility and adaptability in various applications, from medical interventions to intricate rescue operations.

In an advance for robotics technology, researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University have unveiled a novel hybrid-driven origami gripper, designed to tackle the challenge of grasping and manipulating objects with unprecedented versatility and precision.

Researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, in collaboration with the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior at Radboud University, have developed a new method for the rapid identification of network topologies.

New Brunswick researchers conducting a study at a high-traffic intersection in a Jersey Shore town have found that the installation of a bike lane along the road approaching the convergence reduced driving speeds.

Whether it is coincidence or careful planning, the infrastructures of both power systems and telecommunications are heading in a similar direction: toward the edge. Solar panels on a roof are like 5G towers in a neighborhood—in both cases, distributed assets increasingly underpin these important systems.

Precision is paramount in high-stakes industries such as aerospace, electronics, and medical devices, where traditional polishing techniques fall short. The rise of magnetorheological (MR) polishing technology offers a beacon of efficiency and quality, crucial for overcoming the limitations of conventional methods. The quest for enhanced processing precision and efficiency has never been more pertinent, spurring the necessity for intensive research into MR polishing advancements.

Some parts of the world have been so successful in making inexpensive renewable electricity that we occasionally have too much of it. One possible use for that low-cost energy: Converting carbon dioxide into fuel and other products using a device called a membrane-electrode assembly.