Arizona State University

For Cheaper Solar Cells, Thinner Really is Better

Costs of solar panels have plummeted over the last several years, leading to rates of solar installations far greater than most analysts had expected. But with most of the potential areas for cost savings already pushed to the extreme, further cost reductions are becoming more challenging to find.

New efficiency record for low-cost solar cell

Researchers have achieved a new record efficiency for low-cost semi-transparent perovskite solar cells in a breakthrough that could bring down the cost of generating solar electricity.

Study contributes to the production of flexible electronic devices

Extremely light and even bendable optoelectronic equipment that supplies, detects and controls light will become commonplace in the near future. A great deal of research is progressing in this direction, as exemplified by a paper recently published.

Using DNA templates to harness the sun's energy

As the world struggles to meet the increasing demand for energy, coupled with the rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere from deforestation and the use of fossil fuels, photosynthesis in nature simply cannot keep up with the carbon cycle. But what if we could help the natural carbon cycle by learning from photosynthesis to generate our own sources of energy that didn't generate CO2?

Proofreading the book of life: Gene editing made safer

Making CRISPR immunosilent is the next step towards safe clinical applications.

How to make self-driving cars safer on roads

It's a big question for many people in traffic-dense cities: When will self-driving cars arrive? But following a series of high-profile accidents in the United States, safety issues could bring the autonomous dream to a screeching halt.

3D printed brick generates electricity

An international team of scientists have developed a thermogalvanic brick that generates electricity as long as the two faces of the brick are at different temperatures.

Engineers break solar cell record

Arizona State University researchers continue to break solar cell efficiency records in an effort to harness the sun's energy more economically as a renewable source for electricity.

Prosthetic system allows user to feel again

A new prosthetic hand system with a fully implanted, wirelessly controlled neurostimulator that has restored "feeling" to a person with a hand amputation.

Powering the Flexible World

From 2019 we will come to a world with flexible electronics and batteries to power these devices have attracted tremendous attention. These devices may require batteries with special mechanical properties or form factors. For more details about thin, flexible and printed batteries, please refer to IDTechEx's report Flexible, Printed and Thin Film Batteries 2019-2029.

Teaching chores to an artificial agent

For many people, household chores are a dreaded, inescapable part of life that we often put off or do with little care. But what if a robot assistant could help lighten the load?

Cancer-fighting nanorobots seek and destroy tumors

In a major advancement in nanomedicine, scientists have successfully programmed nanorobots to shrink tumors by cutting off their blood supply.

Engineering electronic medicine

Targeting a certain nerve very precisely with sound, light or electricity can modulate bleeding or inflammation. Ultrasound, for example, can go deep into tissue. Nerves can be stimulated with electricity via wires, but wires create a lot of problems: tugging and pulling and instability.

Synthetic circuits can harvest light energy

Novel structures made with DNA scaffolds could be used to create solar-powered materials.

Energy harvested from evaporation

In the first evaluation of evaporation as a renewable energy source, researchers find that US lakes and reservoirs could generate 325 gigawatts of power, nearly 70 percent of what the United States currently produces.

Solar Powered Educational Learning Library (SolarSPELL)

The PLuS Alliance has announced the winning candidates of its inaugural PLuS Alliance Prize, which recognises Research Innovation and Education Innovation.

Solar powered education in resource-constrained locations

SolarSPELL is a Solar Powered Educational Learning Library: a ruggedized, portable solar-powered digital library over an off-line WiFi hotspot, designed to simulate an online experience.