University of California

Liquid tin-sulfur compound shows thermoelectric potential

Glass and steel makers produce large amounts of wasted heat energy at high temperatures, but solid-state thermoelectric devices that convert heat to electricity either don't operate at high enough temperatures or cost so much that their use is limited to special applications such as spacecraft.

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.

Nano fiber feels forces and hears sounds made by cells

Engineers have developed a miniature device that's sensitive enough to feel the forces generated by swimming bacteria and hear the beating of heart muscle cells.

Texas team debuts battery-less pacemaker

A wireless, battery-less pacemaker that can be implanted directly into a patient's heart is being introduced.

Meet the most nimble-fingered robot ever built

Grabbing the awkwardly shaped items that people pick up in their day-to-day lives is a slippery task for robots.

Giving robots a sense of touch

By mounting GelSight sensors on the grippers of robotic arms, teams have given robots greater sensitivity and dexterity.

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.

A glove powered by soft robotics to interact with VR environments

Engineers are using soft robotics technology to make light, flexible gloves that allow users to feel tactile feedback when they interact with virtual reality environments.

Printed, flexible and rechargeable battery can power wearable sensors

Nanoengineers have developed the first printed battery that is flexible, stretchable and rechargeable. The zinc batteries could be used to power everything from wearable sensors to solar cells and other kinds of electronics.

3D printed soft four legged robot can walk on sand and stone

Engineers have developed the first soft robot that is capable of walking on rough surfaces, such as sand and pebbles

Battery-free implantable medical device powered by human body

Researchers have designed a new biofriendly energy storage system called a biological supercapacitor, which operates using charged particles, or ions, from fluids in the human body.

The shock tactics set to shake up immunology

Vagus-nerve stimulation, has been used since the 1990s to treat epilepsy, and since the early 2000s to treat depression

Underwater robots help predict how and when ice shelves collapse

To outer space and the deep ocean, add "beneath the ice" to the list of rarely charted frontiers of science exploration.

Improving next-gen materials for solar cells

New findings by an engineer outline new advances in solar cell technology and point to the incredible potential of the material used to fabricate the cell — gallium nitride.

Device pulls water from dry air, powered only by the sun

Imagine a future in which every home has an appliance that pulls all the water the household needs out of the air, even in dry or desert climates, using only the power of the sun.

Sensor-filled glove could help doctors

Researchers have developed new wearable sensors and robotics technology that could be used to accurately measure muscle stiffness during physical exams.

Project turns waste heat to electricity

Vast amounts of energy are wasted every year in the form of heat. A new project seeks to efficiently capture that heat and convert it to electricity.

Wearable sweat sensor can diagnose cystic fibrosis

A wristband-type wearable sweat sensor could transform diagnostics and drug evaluation for cystic fibrosis, diabetes and other diseases.

New battery coating could improve smart phones and electric vehicles

High performing lithium-ion batteries are a key component of laptops, smart phones, and electric vehicles. Currently, the anodes, or negative charged side of lithium ion batteries, are generally made with graphite or other carbon-based materials.

How robots can help kids stay in school

Telepresence robots — Internet-enabled, two-way-video-streaming automatons that have wheels for feet and a screen showing the child's face at the top of a vertical "body" — act as surrogates.