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Engineering

Scientists program materials just by spinning them

There is something universally appealing about the slap bracelet, and the way a simple tap causes it to switch between a straight shape and a curled one. What you probably didn't know is that a slap bracelet's satisfying ...

Machine learning & AI

AI training method helps robots carry lab-learned skills into real-world tasks

Robots are trained for specific tasks, such as cutting, using simulation. However, collecting real-world data is expensive, slow, and sometimes unsafe, particularly for tasks involving physical interaction. A new AI-based ...

Engineering

Recycled concrete slabs match or beat traditional builds, even at 100% replacement

Steel and recycled concrete composite slabs with equivalent—and in some cases superior—performances compared to traditional ones: This is the outcome of the SARCOS (Steel And Recycled Concrete Slab) project, conducted by ...

Engineering

Vanadium batteries could stabilize power grids and help prevent blackouts in Ecuador

The transition toward renewable energy is redefining the operation of power systems worldwide. However, this shift brings a growing technical challenge: the loss of grid stability. Unlike conventional power plants, renewable ...

Technology news

Engineering

Move over cassette tapes, adhesive tape has memory too

Materials can store information about their past—like a crease in a piece of paper that has been unfolded is a "memory" of being folded—that can be retrieved or read out and used for various purposes. In everyday life, combination ...

Computer Sciences

A simple physics-inspired model sheds light on how AI learns

Artificial intelligence systems based on neural networks—such as ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek or Gemini—are extraordinarily powerful, yet their internal workings remain largely a "black box." To better understand how these systems ...