Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Published

Altered speech may be the first sign of Parkinson's disease      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers attempted to identify early symptoms of Parkinson's disease using voice data. In their study, the researchers used artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze and assess speech signals, where calculations are done and diagnoses made in seconds rather than hours.

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

How plants are inspiring new ways to extract value from wastewater      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists are drawing inspiration from plants to develop new techniques to separate and extract valuable minerals, metals and nutrients from resource-rich wastewater.

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

New soft robots poised to be more agile, controlled      (via sciencedaily.com) 

One of the virtues of untethered soft robots is their ability to mechanically adapt to their surroundings and tasks. Now they are poised to become even more agile and controlled.

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

'Smart' walking stick could help visually impaired with groceries, finding a seat      (via sciencedaily.com) 

For people who are blind or visually impaired, finding the right products in a crowded grocery store can be difficult without help. A team of computer scientists is trying to change that.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

A precision arm for miniature robots      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Until now, microscopic robotic systems have had to make do without arms. Now researchers have developed an ultrasonically actuated glass needle that can be attached to a robotic arm. This lets them pump and mix minuscule amounts of liquid and trap particles.

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

Feathered robotic wing paves way for flapping drones      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Birds fly more efficiently by folding their wings during the upstroke, according to a recent study. The results could mean that wing-folding is the next step in increasing the propulsive and aerodynamic efficiency of flapping drones.

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

Project aims to expand language technologies      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Only a fraction of the 7,000 to 8,000 languages spoken around the world benefit from modern language technologies like voice-to-text transcription, automatic captioning, instantaneous translation and voice recognition. Researchers want to expand the number of languages with automatic speech recognition tools available to them from around 200 to potentially 2,000.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels
Published

Cheap, sustainable hydrogen through solar power      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new kind of solar panel has achieved 9% efficiency in converting water into hydrogen and oxygen--mimicking a crucial step in natural photosynthesis. Outdoors, it represents a major leap in the technology, nearly 10 times more efficient than solar water-splitting experiments of its kind.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels
Published

A step towards solar fuels out of thin air      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Chemical engineers have invented a solar-powered artificial leaf, built on a novel electrode which is transparent and porous, capable of harvesting water from the air for conversion into hydrogen fuel. The semiconductor-based technology is scalable and easy to prepare.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Published

Can the AI driving ChatGPT help to detect early signs of Alzheimer's disease?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The artificial intelligence algorithms behind the chatbot program ChatGPT -- which has drawn attention for its ability to generate humanlike written responses to some of the most creative queries -- might one day be able to help doctors detect Alzheimer's Disease in its early stages. Research recently demonstrated that OpenAI's GPT-3 program can identify clues from spontaneous speech that are 80% accurate in predicting the early stages of dementia.

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

Words prove their worth as teaching tools for robots      (via sciencedaily.com) 

What is the best way to teach a robot? Sometimes it may simply be to speak to it clearly. Researchers found that human-language descriptions of tools can accelerate the learning of a simulated robotic arm lifting and using a variety of tools.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Published

Cheerful chatbots don't necessarily improve customer service      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Humans displaying positive emotions in customer service interactions have long been known to improve customer experience, but researchers wanted to see if this also applied to AI. They conducted experimental studies to determine if positive emotional displays improved customer service and found that emotive AI is only appreciated if the customer expects it, and it may not be the best avenue for companies to invest in.

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

Should we tax robots?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A small tax on robots, as well as on trade generally, will help reduce income inequality in the U.S., according to economists.

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

New winged robot can land like a bird      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed a method that allows a flapping-wing robot to land autonomously on a horizontal perch using a claw-like mechanism. The innovation could significantly expand the scope of robot-assisted tasks.

Energy: Fossil Fuels
Published

Producing fertilizer without carbon emissions      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have shown how nitrogen fertilizer could be produced more sustainably. This is necessary not only to protect the climate, but also to reduce dependence on imported natural gas and to increase food security.

Energy: Fossil Fuels
Published

Risk of population disruption as a result of decarbonization      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers analyzed the effects of decarbonization strategies by linking global resource inventories with demographic systems to generate a matrix showing the risks and benefits. The research suggests that increased demand for energy transition metals (ETMs) could be more disruptive to some communities than winding back production of thermal coal. The team calculated that while a complete phase-out of coal could disrupt mine-town systems with a minimum of 33.5 million people, an additional 115.7 million would be at risk from disruption by ETMs.

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

New robot does 'the worm' when temperature changes      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new gelatinous robot that crawls, powered by nothing more than temperature change and clever design, brings 'a kind of intelligence' to the field of soft robotics.

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

Model shows how intelligent-like behavior can emerge from non-living agents      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new model describes how biological or technical systems form complex structures equipped with signal-processing capabilities that allow the systems to respond to stimulus and perform functional tasks without external guidance.

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

Bolstering the safety of self-driving cars with a deep learning-based object detection system      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Self-driving cars need to implement efficient, effective, and accurate detection systems to provide a safe and reliable experience to its users. To this end, an international research team has now developed an end-to-end neural network that, in conjunction with the Internet-of-Things technology, detects object with high accuracy (> 96%) in both 2D and 3D. The new method outperforms the current state-of-the-art methods and the way to new 2D and 3D detection systems for autonomous vehicles.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Published

Computer vision technology effective at determining proper mask wearing in a hospital setting, pilot study finds      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In a survey and study of hospital employee volunteers, researchers found that a low-cost computer vision system was feasible and well received.