Chemistry: General Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Technology
Published

New method creates material that could create the next generation of solar cells      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Perovskites, a family of materials with unique electric properties, show promise for use in a variety fields, including next-generation solar cells. A team of scientists has now created a new process to fabricate large perovskite devices that is more cost- and time-effective than previously possible and that they said may accelerate future materials discovery.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Neutrons reveal key to extraordinary heat transport      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Warming a crystal of the mineral fresnoite, scientists discovered that excitations called phasons carried heat three times farther and faster than phonons, the excitations that usually carry heat through a material.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Physics: General Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Physicists give the first law of thermodynamics a makeover      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Physicists at West Virginia University have made a breakthrough on an age-old limitation of the first law of thermodynamics.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Technology Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Study offers details on using electric fields to tune thermal properties of ferroelectric materials      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research sheds light on how electric fields can be used to alter the thermal properties of ferroelectric materials, allowing engineers to manipulate the flow of heat through the materials. Ferroelectric materials are used in a wide variety of applications, from ultrasound devices to memory storage technologies.

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

Robot helps students with learning disabilities stay focused      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Engineering researchers are successfully using a robot to help keep children with learning disabilities focused on their work.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Reactive fabrics respond to changes in temperature      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New textiles change shape when they heat up, giving designers a wide range of new options. In addition to offering adjustable aesthetics, responsive smart fabrics could also help monitor people’s health, improve thermal insulation, and provide new tools for managing room acoustics and interior design. 

Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Solid-state thermal transistor demonstrated      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An effective, stable solid-state electrochemical transistor has been developed, heralding a new era in thermal management technology.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Add-on device makes home furnaces cleaner, safer and longer-lasting      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Natural gas furnaces not only heat your home, they also produce a lot of pollution. Even modern high-efficiency condensing furnaces produce significant amounts of corrosive acidic condensation and unhealthy levels of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and methane. These emissions are typically vented into the atmosphere and end up polluting our soil, water and air. Scientists have developed an affordable add-on technology that removes more than 99.9% of acidic gases and other emissions to produce an ultraclean natural gas furnace. This acidic gas reduction, or AGR, technology can also be added to other natural gas-driven equipment such as water heaters, commercial boilers and industrial furnaces.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General
Published

Smash or pass? This computer can tell      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Could an app tell if a first date is just not that into you? Engineers say the technology might not be far off. They trained a computer to identify the type of conversation two people were having based on their physiological responses alone.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Technology
Published

Chiral phonons create spin current without needing magnetic materials      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers chiral phonons to convert wasted heat into spin information -- without needing magnetic materials. The finding could lead to new classes of less expensive, energy-efficient spintronic devices for use in applications ranging from computational memory to power grids.

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

Compact, non-mechanical 3D lidar system could make autonomous driving safer      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new system represents the first time that the capabilities of conventional beam-scanning lidar systems have been combined with those of a newer 3D approach known as flash lidar. The nonmechanical 3D lidar system is compact enough to fit in the palm of the hand and solves issues of detecting and tracking poorly reflective objects.

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

New AI technology could change game prep for Super Bowl teams      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New artificial intelligence technology being developed by engineers could significantly cut down on the time and cost that goes into film study for Super Bowl-bound teams (and all NFL and college football teams), while also enhancing game strategy by harnessing the power of big data.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels Engineering: Nanotechnology Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

'Game-changing' findings for sustainable hydrogen production      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Hydrogen fuel could be a more viable alternative to traditional fossil fuels, according to University of Surrey researchers who have found that a type of metal-free catalysts could contribute to the development of cost-effective and sustainable hydrogen production technologies.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Published

AI can predict the effectiveness of breast cancer chemotherapy      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Engineers have developed artificial intelligence (AI) technology to predict if women with breast cancer would benefit from chemotherapy prior to surgery.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Offbeat: Computers and Math
Published

AI-Powered FRIDA robot collaborates with humans to create art      (via sciencedaily.com) 

FRIDA, a robotic arm with a paintbrush taped to it, uses artificial intelligence to collaborate with humans on works of art. Ask FRIDA to paint a picture, and it gets to work putting brush to canvas. The robot uses AI models similar to those powering tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT and DALL-E 2, which generate text or an image, respectively, in response to a prompt. FRIDA simulates how it would paint an image with brush strokes and uses machine learning to evaluate its progress as it works. FRIDA's final products are impressionistic and whimsical. The brushstrokes are bold. They lack the precision sought so often in robotic endeavors. If FRIDA makes a mistake, it riffs on it, incorporating the errant splotch of paint into the end result.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Solving a machine-learning mystery      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have explained how large language models like GPT-3 are able to learn new tasks without updating their parameters, despite not being trained to perform those tasks. They found that these large language models write smaller linear models inside their hidden layers, which the large models can train to complete a new task using simple learning algorithms.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Can pigeons match wits with artificial intelligence?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Can a pigeon match wits with artificial intelligence? Researchers tested pigeons' learning abilities and concluded the birds employ the same basic process, called associative learning, as the most advanced AI technologies.

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

Interactive cyber-physical human: Generating contact-rich whole-body motions      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Performing human-like motions that involve multiple contacts is challenging for robots. In this regard, a researcher has envisioned an interactive cyber-physical human (iCPH) platform with complementary humanoid (physical twin) and simulation (digital twin) elements. iCPH combines human measurement data, musculoskeletal analysis, and machine learning for data collection and augmentation. As a result, iCPH can understand, predict, and synthesize whole-body contact motions.

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

Robot: I'm sorry. Human: I don't care anymore!      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Humans are less forgiving of robots after multiple mistakes -- and the trust is difficult to get back, according to a new study.