About US $100 billion each year of energy produced in the United States each year is wasted as heat. Now a new study finds that microscopic pillars built into thermoelectric materials could dramatically boost the conversion of heat into electricity to recycle that energy that would otherwise be lost. Thermoelectric materials can either consume electricity […]
The idea of artificial photosynthesis is an enticing one: Devices that could soak up sunlight and carbon dioxide, and then, in the presence of water, produce fuels. The designs have evolved from systems in 2011 that split water to produce hydrogen fuels to more recent, more complex ones that aimed to reduce carbon dioxide by […]
A group of researchers from NASA, MIT, and other institutions have achieved the fastest space-to-ground laser communication link yet, doubling the record they set last year. With data rates of 200 gigabits per second, a satellite could transmit more than 2 terabytes of data—roughly as much as 1,000 high-definition movies—in a single five-minute pass over […]
An octopus-like soft robot can unfurl itself inside the skull on top of the brain, a new study finds. The novel gadget may lead to minimally invasive ways to investigate the brain and implant brain-computer interfaces, researchers say. In order to analyze the brain after traumatic injuries, help treat disorders such as seizures, and embed […]
For decades, scientists have explored spintronics, which manipulate electron spin to theoretically operate more quickly and burn less energy than conventional electronics. Now researchers find that lasers can generate stable patterns of electron spins in a thin layer of semiconductor material, a discovery that may help lead to advanced spin-based memory and computing, a new […]
Using holograms, a nanoscale 3D printer can now rapidly fabricate complex items with details smaller than a wavelength of visible light, a new study finds. This research can rapidly manufacture nanotechnological arrays of wires, lenses, rotating magnetic gears, and other structures—suggesting applications in electronics, photonics, microrobotics and more. Currently, the most precise 3D-printing technique for […]
By combining atomically thin devices with conventional microchips, scientists have created brain-mimicking hybrid electronics that can help implement neural-network artificial-intelligence systems in a far more energy-efficient way than standard electronics, a new study finds. As electronics become tinier and tinier, scientists are investigating atomically thin 2D materials for next-generation electronics. For example, graphene consists of […]
A new all-solid-state lithium battery can not only store nearly twice as much energy as a standard lithium-ion battery, but it’s also not prone to catching fire like its present-day, commercial counterparts. The secret behind this novel prototype’s success? Getting rid of one of a battery’s usual electrodes, a new study finds. Conventional batteries supply […]
When it comes to developing new ways to fabricate microchips, the best approach may be not to rely on either human- or computer-developed designs alone but instead a blending of the two. Such collaborations might reduce costs by half compared to depending on human experts alone, a new study finds. “While humans are still essential […]
Not only can electricity drive electronics, it can help people heal. The first electronic bandage the body can absorb can apply electric signals to speed the healing of wounds by 30 percent, a new study finds. In the body, electricity helps the heart beat, causes the muscles to twitch, and allows the body to communicate […]