Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

A solar hydrogen system that co-generates heat and oxygen      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have built a pilot-scale solar reactor that produces usable heat and oxygen, in addition to generating hydrogen with unprecedented efficiency for its size.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Microwaves advance solar-cell production and recycling      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New technology advances solar-cell production and recycling. New microwave technology will improve the manufacture of solar cells and make them easier to recycle.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Gentle method allows for eco-friendly recycling of solar cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

By using a new method, precious metals can be efficiently recovered from thin-film solar cells. The method is also more environmentally friendly than previous methods of recycling and paves the way for more flexible and highly efficient solar cells.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

It's all in the wrist: Energy-efficient robot hand learns how not to drop the ball      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have designed a low-cost, energy-efficient robotic hand that can grasp a range of objects -- and not drop them -- using just the movement of its wrist and the feeling in its 'skin'.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology Environmental: General
Published

Electrification push will have enormous impacts on critical metals supply chain      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The demand for battery-grade lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and platinum will climb steeply as vehicle electrification speeds up and nations work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through mid-century. This surge in demand will also create a variety of economic and supply-chain problems, according to new research.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Solar cells charging forward      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An environmentally friendlier solution to solar cell production with enhanced performance utilizes PEDOT:PSS/silicon heterojunction solar cells. This hybrid type is made of organic-inorganic material, which could potentially ease the production process compared to conventional silicon-only solar cells. It avoids manufacturing solar cells in vacuums and high-temperature processes, which require large and expensive equipment and a great amount of time.

Computer Science: General Engineering: Graphene Engineering: Nanotechnology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Fully recyclable printed electronics ditch toxic chemicals for water      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Engineers have produced fully recyclable printed electronics that replace the use of chemicals with water in the fabrication process. By bypassing the need for hazardous chemicals, the demonstration points down a path industry could follow to reduce its environmental footprint and human health risks.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

AI-equipped eyeglasses read silent speech      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a silent-speech recognition interface that uses acoustic-sensing and artificial intelligence to continuously recognize up to 31 unvocalized commands, based on lip and mouth movements.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Physics: Optics
Published

Technology advance paves way to more realistic 3D holograms for virtual reality and more      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a new way to create dynamic ultrahigh-density 3D holographic projections. They now describe their new approach, called three-dimensional scattering-assisted dynamic holography (3D-SDH). They show that it can achieve a depth resolution more than three orders of magnitude greater than state-of-the-art methods for multiplane holographic projection.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers
Published

How to overcome noise in quantum computations      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have made significant progress in quantum computing by deriving a formula that predicts the effects of environmental noise. This is crucial for designing and building quantum computers capable of working in our imperfect world.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Robots predict human intention for faster builds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Humans have a way of understandings others' goals, desires and beliefs, a crucial skill that allows us to anticipate people's actions. Taking bread out of the toaster? You'll need a plate. Sweeping up leaves? I'll grab the green trash can. This skill, often referred to as 'theory of mind,' comes easily to us as humans, but is still challenging for robots. But, if robots are to become truly collaborative helpers in manufacturing and in everyday life, they need to learn the same abilities. Computer science researchers aim to teach robots how to predict human preferences in assembly tasks, so they can one day help out on everything from building a satellite to setting a table.

Computer Science: General
Published

Students use machine learning in lesson designed to reveal issues, promise of A.I.      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In a new study, researchers had 28 high school students create their own machine-learning artificial intelligence (AI) models for analyzing data. The goals of the project were to help students explore the challenges, limitations and promise of AI, and to ensure a future workforce is prepared to make use of AI tools.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Absolute zero in the quantum computer      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Absolute zero cannot be reached -- unless you have an infinite amount of energy or an infinite amount of time. Scientists in Vienna (Austria) studying the connection between thermodynamics and quantum physics have now found out that there is a third option: Infinite complexity. It turns out that reaching absolute zero is in a way equivalent to perfectly erasing information in a quantum computer, for which an infinetly complex quantum computer would be required.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Sailing cargo ships can benefit from new aerodynamic tech      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team has demonstrated a unique method that reduces the aerodynamic resistance of ships by 7.5 per cent. This opens the way for large cargo ships borne across the oceans by wind alone, as wind-powered ships are more affected by aerodynamic drag than fossil-fueled ones.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Origami-inspired robots can sense, analyze and act in challenging environments      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A multidisciplinary team has created a new fabrication technique for fully foldable robots that can perform a variety of complex tasks without relying on semiconductors.

Computer Science: General
Published

Smart watches could predict higher risk of heart failure      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study looked at data from 83,000 people who had undergone a 15-second electrocardiogram (ECG) comparable to the kind carried out using smart watches and phone devices. The researchers identified ECG recordings containing extra heart beats which are usually benign but, if they occur frequently, are linked to conditions such as heart failure and arrhythmia (irregular heartbeats). They found that people with an extra beat in this short recording (one in 25 of the total) had a twofold risk of developing heart failure or an irregular heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation) over the next 10 years.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Forgive or forget: What happens when robots lie?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Student researchers investigate how intentional robot deception affects trust, examining the effectiveness of apologies after robots lie.

Computer Science: General Space: Exploration Space: General
Published

AI algorithm unblurs the cosmos      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers adapted a well-known computer-vision algorithm used for sharpening photos and, for the first time, applied it to astronomical images from ground-based telescopes. While astrophysicists already use technologies to remove blur, the adapted AI-driven algorithm works faster and produces more realistic images than current technologies. The resulting images are blur-free and truer to life.

Computer Science: General
Published

Prototype taps into the sensing capabilities of any smartphone to screen for prediabetes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers at the University of Washington have developed GlucoScreen, a system that could enable people to self-screen for prediabetes.