Bendable Batteries Could Reshape the Future of Flexible Tech

The size and shape of your favorite gadgets are often determined by one limiting factor: the battery. But that may soon change thanks to a breakthrough from scientists at Linköping University in Sweden, who have developed a new kind of battery with a unique “toothpaste-like consistency”—a flexible, stretchable power source that could redefine how electronics are designed.

Instead of the traditional solid electrodes found in today’s batteries, this innovative design uses liquid electrodes, allowing the battery to bend, twist, and stretch without losing its ability to supply power. In a successful early test, the team used the battery to power an LED both in its relaxed form and while it was being deformed.

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Whispers in the Wind: How Wind Phones Are Helping the World Grieve

Like many mothers and daughters, Amy and Emily Dawson once filled their phone calls with everything from life’s biggest moments to the everyday details. But now, Amy speaks to Emily through a phone that isn’t connected to any line. After Emily passed away from a terminal illness in 2020 at the age of 25, Amy found solace in creating a “wind phone”—a quiet place where words float into the air, carried by the breeze to someone who can no longer answer.

The idea behind the wind phone isn’t new. For millennia, people have imagined the wind as a messenger. In ancient Greece, the god Zephyrus used it to communicate. In Christianity, the Holy Spirit moves through it. But the modern wind phone offers something tangible—an actual phone to hold and speak into, helping mourners process grief in a personal and symbolic way.

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The Hidden Hardware Powering the Humanoid Revolution: Planetary Roller Screws Take Center Stage

The humanoid robotics revolution is fast approaching. Across the globe, test models are already working side-by-side with humans in factories, while AI companies race to develop advanced foundation models that enable robots to perceive and interact with the world as naturally as people do. But while much attention is focused on the artificial intelligence driving these machines, their physical forms—the “bodies” that make movement possible—are just as critical.

At the core of these robotic bodies are mechanical components like motors, gears, bearings, and screws. Among them, screws play a vital role by converting the rotational energy of motors into the linear motion humanoids need to walk, lift, or perform delicate tasks. Traditionally, ball screws—which use a circulating track of small balls between a threaded shaft and nut—have been the standard. But that’s starting to change.

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Protoclone: The Most Anatomically Accurate Android Yet from Clone Robotics

Clone Robotics has unveiled a new video showcasing its musculoskeletal humanoid robot, Protoclone, marking a major milestone in the evolution of lifelike androids. Built on a human skeletal framework and powered by artificial muscles, Protoclone is being hailed as the most anatomically accurate robot ever developed.

The android’s design mimics the human body in remarkable detail. Using Clone’s proprietary Myofiber artificial muscles—synthetic musculotendon units attached to anatomically correct bone points—Protoclone moves in a way that closely resembles natural human motion. This biologically inspired structure gives it over 200 degrees of freedom, more than 1,000 Myofibers, and 500 sensors, enabling dynamic and responsive movement.

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Chinese Scientists Develop Eco-Friendly Moss-Based Material to Revolutionize Oil Spill Cleanups

Chinese researchers have created a groundbreaking new material derived from moss that could significantly improve how we manage oil spills. A team from Guizhou Education University has modified sphagnum moss to absorb oil effectively while repelling water—offering a powerful new tool in environmental protection.

Oil spills, often caused by damaged oil rigs or burst pipelines, can devastate marine ecosystems and pose serious health risks to humans. Cleanup efforts can stretch over months or even years, underscoring the need for fast, efficient, and sustainable solutions.

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Flexible Soft Robots Poised to Transform Disaster Response and Medicine

A new generation of soft, flexible robots is emerging with the potential to save lives in disaster zones and revolutionize how medicine is delivered within the human body. Developed by an international research team led by Penn State, these robots combine flexible electronics with magnetically guided movement, enabling them to crawl through tight spaces or navigate internal organs.

Unlike traditional rigid machines, these soft robots are made from pliable materials that mimic the natural motion of living organisms. Their ability to squeeze through confined areas makes them ideal for complex environments like collapsed buildings or the human gastrointestinal tract. Until now, one of the main challenges in soft robotics has been embedding sensors and electronics without compromising flexibility.

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A Hidden Gateway: Scientists Uncover New Plant Tissue That Controls Seed Growth

Despite decades of research, the process of plant seed formation continues to surprise scientists. In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers from Nagoya University in Japan have identified an entirely new plant tissue—something that has remained undetected for over 160 years.

This newly discovered tissue, which resembles the shape of a rabbit, is the first of its kind to be identified since the mid-19th century. It plays a critical role in seed development, particularly in the transfer of nutrients after fertilization. At the center of this discovery is a structure now called the Kasahara Gateway, a crucial mechanism that regulates nutrient flow to the developing seed.

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MIT’s Hopping Micro-Robot Leaps Over Big Challenges With Tiny Power

Tiny robots face two major hurdles: limited energy and navigating terrain that dwarfs their size. While walking robots perform well on smooth, flat surfaces, they stumble on rough ground. On the other hand, flying robots easily clear obstacles but burn through power quickly just to stay airborne.

Now, researchers at MIT have designed a new kind of robot that combines the best of both worlds—a miniature hopping robot that can traverse challenging environments with agility, stability, and exceptional energy efficiency.

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Revolutionizing Gas Detection: Korea Develops World’s First Flexible Ammonia Sensor Using Copper Bromide Film

A groundbreaking achievement in sensor technology has emerged from the Energy & Environmental Materials Research Division at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS). Led by Dr. Jongwon YoonDr. Jeongdae Kwon, and Dr. Yonghoon Kim, the research team has developed the world’s first ammonia (NH₃) gas sensor built on a copper bromide (CuBr) film, manufactured through a low-temperature, solution-based process.

This innovation marks a significant leap forward in gas sensing technology. The new sensor is flexible, highly sensitive, selectively responsive to ammonia, and cost-effective to produce—opening the door for widespread use in fields like environmental monitoring, industrial safety, and medical diagnostics.

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Text2Robot: How AI Is Making Robot Design as Simple as Typing a Sentence

When personal computers first emerged, they were tools reserved for a select few who understood complex programming languages. Fast forward to today, and nearly anyone can check the weather, stream music, or even generate code—all with just a few keystrokes. This evolution has dramatically reshaped how people interact with technology, making powerful computational tools accessible to the general public. Now, artificial intelligence (AI) is doing the same for robotics through an innovative platform called Text2Robot.

Developed by engineers at Duke University, Text2Robot is a groundbreaking framework that enables anyone—regardless of technical background—to design and build functional robots simply by describing them in natural language. This revolutionary tool will be featured at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2025), held May 19–23 in Atlanta, Georgia.

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AI Trailblazers: How Virtual Hikers Are Helping Locate the Lost in the Wilderness

Researchers at the University of Glasgow have developed an innovative computer system that could revolutionize search and rescue missions in remote areas. By analyzing patterns in how real people behave when lost, this new method predicts the most likely locations where missing individuals might be found—without relying on guesswork or chance.

The technology, led by PhD candidate Jan-Hendrik Ewers from the James Watt School of Engineering, uses artificial intelligence to simulate the actions of lost individuals. These “simulated agents” behave according to psychological models and real-world data, factoring in needs like finding water, shelter, paths, or roads. The result is a detailed heat map showing high-probability search areas across a given landscape.

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A Touch-Free Window into the Body: New Sensor Monitors Health Without Skin Contact

Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a groundbreaking wearable device that monitors key health indicators—without even touching the skin. This new system, called the Epidermal Flux Sensor (EFS), opens up unprecedented possibilities for tracking wound healing, hydration, infections, and environmental exposure by analyzing the molecular exchange occurring just above the skin’s surface.

Unlike traditional wearables that rely on direct contact with the skin to collect data, the EFS maintains a small, carefully designed air chamber that hovers above the skin. Inside this chamber, sensors detect water vapor, carbon dioxide, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) naturally emitted or absorbed by the body. This setup allows the device to gather crucial health information without disrupting sensitive areas like wounds or damaged tissue.

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