Showing 20 articles starting at article 181
< Previous 20 articles Next 20 articles >
Categories: Energy: Technology, Engineering: Robotics Research
Published How 3D printers can give robots a soft touch
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Soft skin coverings and touch sensors have emerged as a promising feature for robots that are both safer and more intuitive for human interaction, but they are expensive and difficult to make. A recent study demonstrates that soft skin pads doubling as sensors made from thermoplastic urethane can be efficiently manufactured using 3D printers.
Published Novel robotic training program reduces physician errors placing central lines
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source More than five million central lines are placed in patients who need prolonged drug delivery, such as those undergoing cancer treatments, in the United States every year, yet the common procedure can lead to a bevy of complications in almost a million of those cases. Researchers developed a robotic simulation training program to provide trainee physicians with more practice on the procedure. A year after deploying the program the team found that all complication types -- mechanical issues, infections and blood clots -- were significantly lower.
Published Cooler transformers could help electric grid
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Simulations on the Stampede2 supercomputer of the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) are helping scientists engineer solutions to overheating of grid transformers -- a critical component of the electric grid.
Published Global North energy outsourcing demands more attention
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Manufacturing nations in the Global North are stockpiling energy and emission problems by outsourcing energy-intensive industrial processes to countries in the Global South.
Published Quantum precision: A new kind of resistor
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a method that can improve the performance of quantum resistance standards. It's based on a quantum phenomenon called Quantum Anomalous Hall effect.
Published Pyrite, also known as fool's gold, may contain valuable lithium, a key element for green energy
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The technology revolution and development of new renewable energy resources is driving demand for lithium to new heights, but it is not a common mineral. Scientists say they have found lithium in an unexpected place; fool's gold, or pyrite, deposits.
Published With inspiration from 'Tetris,' researchers develop a better radiation detector
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new detector system based on the game 'Tetris' could enable inexpensive, accurate radiation detectors for monitoring nuclear sites.
Published Star Trek's Holodeck recreated using ChatGPT and video game assets
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Star Trek's Holodeck is no longer just science fiction. Using AI, engineers have created a tool that can generate 3D environments, prompted by everyday language.
Published New device gathers, stores electricity in remote settings
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Wirelessly connected devices perform an expanding array of applications, such as monitoring the condition of machinery and remote sensing in agricultural settings. These applications hold much potential for improving the efficiency, but how do you power these devices where reliable electrical sources are not available? Research points to a possible solution in the form of a novel type of battery.
Published BESSY II: How pulsed charging enhances the service time of batteries
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An improved charging protocol might help lithium-ion batteries to last much longer. Charging with a high-frequency pulsed current reduces aging effects, an international team demonstrated.
Published Engineers design soft and flexible 'skeletons' for muscle-powered robots
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Engineers designed modular, spring-like devices to maximize the work of live muscle fibers so they can be harnessed to power biohybrid robots.
Published New four-terminal tandem organic solar cell achieves 16.94% power conversion efficiency
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have fabricated a new four-terminal organic solar cell with a tandem configuration with a 16.94% power conversion efficiency (PCE). The new device is composed by a highly transparent front cell that incorporates a transparent ultrathin silver (Ag) electrode of only 7nm, which ensures its efficient operation.
Published Using pulp and paper waste to scrub carbon from emissions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have come up with an innovative approach to improve the energy efficiency of carbon conversion, using waste material from pulp and paper production. The technique they've pioneered not only reduces the energy required to convert carbon into useful products, but also reduces overall waste in the environment.
Published 'Tug of war' tactic enhances chemical separations for critical materials
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Lanthanide elements are important for clean energy and other applications. To use them, industry must separate mixed lanthanide sources into individual elements using costly, time-consuming, and waste-generating procedures. An efficient new method can be tailored to select specific lanthanides. The technique combines two substances that do not mix and that prefer different types of lanthanides. The process would allow for smaller equipment, less use of chemicals, and less waste production.
Published 'Smart swarms' of tiny robots inspired by natural herd mentality
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers gave nanorobots a trait called adaptive time delay, which allows them to better work together.
Published Drawing inspiration from plants: A metal-air paper battery for wearable devices
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Drawing inspiration from the way plants breathe, a group of researchers has created a paper-based magnesium-air battery that can be used in GPS sensors or pulse oximeter sensors. Taking advantage of paper's recyclability and lightweight nature, the engineered battery holds promise for a more environmentally friendly source of energy.
Published Magnetic fields boost clean energy
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers show that using magnetic fields can boost electrocatalysis for sustainable fuel production by enhancing the movement of the reactants, which improves the efficiency of energy-related reactions.
Published Intelligent liquid
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a programmable meta-fluid with tunable springiness, optical properties, viscosity and even the ability to transition between a Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid. The first-of-its-kind meta-fluid uses a suspension of small, elastomer spheres -- between 50 to 500 microns -- that buckle under pressure, radically changing the characteristics of the fluid. The meta-fluid could be used in everything from hydraulic actuators to program robots, to intelligent shock absorbers that can dissipate energy depending on the intensity of the impact, to optical devices that can transition from clear to opaque.
Published A simple way to harvest more 'blue energy' from waves
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source As any surfer will tell you, waves pack a powerful punch. Now, we are one step closer to capturing the energy behind the ocean's constant ebb and flow with an improved 'blue energy' harvesting device. Researchers report that simply repositioning the electrode -- from the center of a see-sawing liquid-filled tube to the end where the water crashes with the most force -- dramatically increased the amount of wave energy that could be harvested.
Published Elastocaloric cooling: Refrigerator cools by flexing artificial muscles
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source There is room for just one small bottle in the world's first refrigerator that is cooled with artificial muscles made of nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy. But the mini-prototype is groundbreaking: it shows that elastocalorics is becoming a viable solution for practical applications. This climate-friendly cooling and heating technology is far more energy-efficient and sustainable than current methods.