Category: Science & Technology News

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.

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 Yoon, Dr. 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.

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.

Researchers at Cornell University have developed a groundbreaking device that uses two of Earth’s most abundant resources—sunlight and seawater—to create carbon-free green hydrogen and clean drinking water simultaneously. This compact invention, known as the hybrid solar distillation-water electrolysis system (HSD-WE), measures just 10 by 10 centimeters and could significantly impact the future of sustainable energy and water access.

Traditionally, producing green hydrogen involves splitting pure water into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis, a process that requires vast amounts of clean water and is often energy-intensive and costly. In contrast, Cornell’s device turns the limitations of solar panels—specifically their low efficiency—into an advantage.

Every year, more than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced worldwide. A significant portion of that—about five percent—finds its way into rivers and oceans, either from general waste or directly through the fishing industry. Regardless of whether it breaks down into microplastics or remains intact, plastic pollution continues to pose a serious environmental and health threat to ecosystems and communities around the world.

In response to this growing problem, researchers have introduced a promising new material called transparent paperboard, or tPB. Designed to look and function like plastic, tPB offers the added benefits of being biodegradable, recyclable, and made entirely from cellulose—the same plant-based material found in traditional paper. It provides a sustainable alternative to plastic without compromising performance.

In the race toward carbon neutrality, innovation is everything—and a research team in Japan may have just taken a major leap forward. Scientists from Tohoku University, Hokkaido University, and AZUL Energy have developed a rapid, cost-effective method to convert carbon dioxide (CO₂) into carbon monoxide (CO)—a crucial building block for synthetic fuels.

This method dramatically reduces processing time from 24 hours to just 15 minutes, signaling a potential game-changer for carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies.

In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists in the U.S. have identified a previously unknown group of microbes thriving deep underground—up to 70 feet beneath the surface. This newly classified microbial phylum, named CSP1-3, not only survives in these harsh subterranean conditions but also plays a significant role in purifying groundwater, with exciting implications for future water filtration technologies.

The study, led by Dr. James Tiedje, university distinguished professor emeritus and director of the Center for Microbial Ecology at Michigan State University (MSU), uncovered CSP1-3 in soil samples collected from Iowa in the U.S. and China. Both sites belong to Earth’s Critical Zone, a vast region that stretches from the tree canopy down through soil layers to bedrock, sometimes extending as deep as 700 feet.

Humans have exceptional eyesight—better than most creatures in terms of color range, detail, and distance. But eyes evolved to handle life in jungles and prairies, not a world shaped by urban warfare, global tensions, and climate change. Today’s complex challenges demand the ability to see more, see faster, and see better. That’s why the United States is leaning into a new era of remote sensing—one driven by powerful commercial space imagery.

This revolution is fueled by advances in satellite technology and the plummeting costs of space launches. Companies are racing to equip spacecraft with next-generation sensors that can capture high-resolution images of Earth more frequently, affordably, and with greater clarity. At the forefront of this movement is Maxar’s WorldView Legion satellite platform, featuring cutting-edge imaging instruments designed by Raytheon.

A groundbreaking collaboration between Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) in Austria and the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) in India has resulted in the development of a 3D-printed skin model designed to replace animal testing in the cosmetic industry. This innovation aligns with increasingly strict European regulations—such as Directive 2010/63/EU—which significantly limit the use of animal testing for cosmetic purposes.

At the core of the research are specially engineered hydrogels, which serve as the foundation for creating lifelike, biomimetic skin structures. These hydrogels are infused with living skin cells and processed using a biocompatible 3D printing method. Their high water content makes them ideal for supporting cell growth and proliferation, but it also presents unique challenges in maintaining mechanical and chemical stability. To address this, TU Graz developed innovative crosslinking techniques that stabilize the structures under mild, cell-friendly conditions, avoiding substances that could damage the delicate cells.

Modern technologies—from shock absorbers and energy-efficient machinery to advanced robotics—depend on materials that can efficiently store and release mechanical energy. This essential process involves converting motion or mechanical work into elastic energy, which can later be recovered and reused. At the core of this transformation is enthalpy, a key measure of how much energy a material can absorb and release. Yet maximizing enthalpy remains a significant engineering challenge. According to Professor Peter Gumbsch of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the difficulty lies in balancing often conflicting properties: high stiffness, high strength, and large recoverable strain.

To overcome this, Gumbsch—who also directs the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials in Freiburg—collaborated with researchers from China and the United States to develop an innovative mechanical metamaterial. These are materials with engineered internal structures that do not exist in nature, granting them extraordinary properties. The team’s starting point was deceptively simple: a round rod. They discovered a way to store large amounts of elastic energy in it without breaking or causing permanent deformation. By cleverly arranging these rods, they integrated the mechanism into a full-scale metamaterial.

In a major step forward for regenerative medicine, researchers have developed a new bioceramic material that closely mimics the micro- and nanoscale structure of natural bone. The team overcame significant technical challenges by leveraging prenucleation clusters—tiny molecular structures naturally found in bone that play a key role in guiding mineralization.

By incorporating these clusters into a transparent calcium phosphate resin, the researchers were able to replicate the intricate architecture of real bone, bringing them one step closer to creating implants that don’t just support the body but become part of it. Their groundbreaking results were recently published in Advanced Materials.

Germany is tackling its mounting plastic waste crisis head-on with an innovative approach led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (IFAM). In 2023 alone, the country generated a staggering 5.6 million metric tons of plastic waste—most of it single-use packaging consumed in homes. With less than a third of that being recyclable, scientists are under pressure to find new ways to reuse this waste.

Fraunhofer IFAM has developed a cutting-edge system that converts everyday household plastic waste into high-quality filaments used for 3D printing. The breakthrough comes at a critical time as industries increasingly demand sustainable materials for manufacturing.