Stanford University

New source of energy-critical lithium found in supervolcanoes

Most of the lithium used to make the lithium-ion batteries that power modern electronics comes from Australia and Chile. But Stanford scientists say there are large deposits in sources in America: supervolcanoes.

Smart windows go from clear to dark in under a minute

Engineers have developed dynamic windows that can switch from transparent to opaque or back again in under a minute, a significant improvement over dimming windows currently being installed to reduce cooling costs in some buildings.

Molecular movie exposes perovskite solar cell's inner workings

A 'molecular movie' has revealed how perovskite solar cells respond to light. The work could help to explain why these structures are so adept at converting light into electricity.

Lumo and Puma

Lumo partnered with Puma to integrate their technology within Puma's products.

How CRISPR proteins find their target

Researchers have discovered how Cas1-Cas2, the proteins responsible for the ability of the CRISPR immune system in bacteria to adapt to new viral infections, identify the site in the genome where they insert viral DNA so they can recognize it later and mount an attack.

Upconverted light has a bright future

A professor's method to "upconvert" light could make solar cells more efficient and disease-targeting nanoparticles more effective.

Camera improves robot vision and virtual reality

A new camera that builds on technology first described by researchers more than 20 years ago could generate the kind of information-rich images that robots need to navigate the world. This camera, which generates a four dimensional image, can also capture nearly 140 degrees of information.

SRI International

James Hayward visited SRI International's robotics lab to learn about their latest developments, including active cooling in apparel, soft powered exoskeletons, electrolaminates/haptics and new motor designs.

Acellent Technologies

Acellent Technologies work on the structural health monitoring of composite and metallic parts. Dr Richard Collins interviewed Dr Amrita Kumar (Executive Vice President).

Intelligent baby breathing video monitor uses computer vision

ocoon Cam, the world's first intelligent baby breathing video monitor, has announced that it has closed a $4MM Series A funding.

A robotic gripper for cleaning up space debris

Right now, about 500,000 pieces of human-made debris are whizzing around space, orbiting our planet at speeds up to 17,500 miles per hour.

Wireless charging of moving electric vehicles overcomes major hurdle

If electric cars could recharge while driving down a highway, it would virtually eliminate concerns about their range and lower their cost, perhaps making electricity the standard fuel for vehicles.

Research aims to make artificial intelligence explain itself

Eight computer science professors in Oregon State University's College of Engineering have received a $6.5 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to make artificial-intelligence-based systems like autonomous vehicles and robots more trustworthy.

Tethered soft exosuit reduces metabolic cost of running

Researchers have demonstrated that a tethered soft exosuit can reduce the metabolic cost of running on a treadmill by 5.4%.

Miracle material discovery could end cracked smart devices

Currently, most parts of a smart phone are made of silicon and other compounds, which are expensive and break easily.

CRISPR gene editing can cause hundreds of unintended mutations

As CRISPR-Cas9 starts to move into clinical trials, a new study has found that the gene-editing technology can introduce hundreds of unintended mutations into the genome.

C-Turtle robot teaches itself to get around

C-Turtle has to dig hard to propel itself across the sand, but not so hard it digs holes. Nature-inspired, the design succeeds.

Hand-held thermoelectric generator wins top award

The Spark is a hand-held thermoelectric generator that converts excess heat from any cook stove or fire into useable electricity.

Aluminium set to make a charge on battery technology

Aluminium ion technology is expected to possess similar performance characteristics to existing battery designs. However, in contrast to the currently dominant technologies such as lithium ion, aluminium is a very common element and is therefore easily obtained at a relatively low cost.

A peek inside the 'black box' of machine learning systems

Many astounding feats of computer intelligence, from automated language translation to self-driving cars, are based on neural networks: machine learning systems that figure out how to solve problems with minimal human guidance. But that makes the inner workings of neural networks like a black box, opaque even to the engineers who initiate the machine learning process.