Technology
press releases.

Technology9 Apr 2025

Your skin is breathing. New wearable device can measure it.

Northwestern University researchers have developed the first wearable device for measuring gases emitted from and absorbed by the skin. By analyzing these gases, the device offers an entirely new way to assess skin health, including monitoring wounds, detecting skin infections, tracking hydration levels, quantifying exposure to harmful environmental chemicals and more. The new technology comprises a collection of sensors that precisely measure changes in temperature, water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which each give valuable ...

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Technology9 Apr 2025

Engineers bring sign language to ‘life’ using AI to translate in real-time

For millions of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals around the world, communication barriers can make everyday interactions challenging. Traditional solutions, like sign language interpreters, are often scarce, expensive and dependent on human availability. In an increasingly digital world, the demand for smart, assistive technologies that offer real-time, accurate and accessible communication solutions is growing, aiming to bridge this critical gap. American Sign Language (ASL) is one of the most widely used sign languages, consisting of distinct hand gestures that represent letters, ...

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Technology9 Apr 2025

3D-printed open-source robot offers accessible solution for materials synthesis

FLUID, an open-source, 3D-printed robot, offers an affordable and customizable solution for automated material synthesis, making advanced research accessible to more scientists. A team of researchers led by Professor Keisuke Takahashi at the Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, have created FLUID (Flowing Liquid Utilizing Interactive Device), an open-source robotic system constructed using a 3D printer and off-the-shelf electronic components. To demonstrate FLUID’s capabilities, the team used the robot to automate the co-precipitation of cobalt and nickel, creating ...

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Technology8 Apr 2025

Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening announces $100,000 Graduate Education Fellowship Grant awarded to Vasu Rao of the University of Michigan

Oak Brook, IL (USA) – The Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) is pleased to announce Vasumitra “Vasu” Rao, M.S., Ph.D. candidate in the Biomedical Engineering program at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA), as the 2025 SLAS Graduate Education Fellowship Grant recipient. Rao’s innovative work at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI), laboratory automation and microbiology exemplifies SLAS’s mission to support emerging leaders in quantitative biosciences through the grant. The awarded funding will enable Rao to continue his research under advisor Paul Jensen, Ph.D. (Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering) ...

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Technology8 Apr 2025

A surprise contender for cooling computers: lasers

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia National Laboratories is helping a tech company test a bright new idea for cooling computers. Minnesota-based startup Maxwell Labs has entered into a cooperative research and development agreement with Sandia and the University of New Mexico to demonstrate laser-based photonic cooling for computer chips. The company is pioneering the new technology to regulate the temperature of chips, significantly lower the power consumption and increase the efficiency of conventional air and water-based systems. “About 30 to 40 percent of the energy data centers use is spent on cooling,” said Raktim Sarma, the ...

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Technology8 Apr 2025

AI threats in software development revealed in new study from The University of Texas at San Antonio

UTSA researchers recently completed one of the most comprehensive studies to date on the risks of using AI models to develop software. In a new paper, they demonstrate how a specific type of error could pose a serious threat to programmers that use AI to help write code. Joe Spracklen, a UTSA doctoral student in computer science, led the study on how large language models (LLMs) frequently generate insecure code. His team’s paper has been accepted for publication at the USENIX Security Symposium 2025, a premier cybersecurity ...

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Technology8 Apr 2025

The Lancet: Nearly 500,000 children could die from AIDS-related causes by 2030 without stable PEPFAR programmes, expert policy analysis estimates

Peer-reviewed/ Review, Analysis and Opinion / People The Lancet: Nearly 500,000 children could die from AIDS-related causes by 2030 without stable PEPFAR programmes, expert policy analysis estimates Experts assessed the potential impacts on HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention efforts in sub-Saharan Africa if the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is suspended or only receives limited, short-term funding, estimating that 1 million additional children could become infected with HIV and nearly 500,000 children could ...

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Technology7 Apr 2025

Researchers demonstrate the UK’s first long-distance ultra-secure communication over a quantum network

Researchers have successfully demonstrated the UK’s first long-distance ultra-secure transfer of data over a quantum communications network, including the UK’s first long-distance quantum-secured video call. The team, from the Universities of Bristol and Cambridge, created the network, which uses standard fibreoptic infrastructure, but relies on a variety of quantum phenomena to enable ultra-secure data transfer. The network uses two types of quantum key distribution (QKD) schemes: ‘unhackable’ encryption keys hidden inside particles of light; and distributed entanglement: a phenomenon that causes quantum particles to be intrinsically ...

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Technology7 Apr 2025

Dust in the Wind: How cities alter natural airborne particles

Airborne dust pollution is a growing problem for residente of Utah and other Western states, especially with the exposed lakebed of Great Salt Lake potentially becoming more hazardous as the lake dries. Natural dust blows from the Great Basin and settles along the western edge of the Wasatch Front, Utah’s major population center, and the surrounding mountains. While airborne, the dust mixes with local human-made materials, potentially contaminating the nearby watershed and resulting in other negative consequences, according ...

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Technology4 Apr 2025

Texas Tech to develop semiconductor power devices through $6 million grant

Summary: Texas Tech University’s Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering has secured a $6 million U.S. Department of Defense grant to develop advanced semiconductor materials and devices, particularly for high-power electronics and optoelectronics. The project aims to enhance the performance of wide and ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors, leading to more reliable, high-performance electronics for military applications. Why This Matters: Technology Advancement: The research will improve the development of high-performance, high-power electronic devices critical for modern technologies. Military/Defense Applications: The project targets key military systems, ...

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Technology4 Apr 2025

Artificial intelligence has potential to aid physician decisions during virtual urgent care

Do physicians or artificial intelligence (AI) offer better treatment recommendations for patients examined through a virtual urgent care setting? A new Cedars-Sinai study shows physicians and AI models have distinct strengths. The late-breaking study presented at the American College of Physicians Internal Medicine Meeting and published simultaneously in the Annals of Internal Medicine compared initial AI treatment recommendations to final recommendations of physicians who had access to the AI recommendations but may or ...

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Technology3 Apr 2025

New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening

All states should adopt updated screening protocols so more newborns with cystic fibrosis can be diagnosed in the first weeks of life, when interventions can have the greatest benefit, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation guidelines published April 2 in the International Journal of Neonatal Screening. Current newborn screening protocols vary across states. Some states use outdated protocols that often miss cases of the inherited disease, especially in newborns with Black, Hispanic and Asian, as well as American Indian and multiracial ancestry, said ...

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Technology3 Apr 2025

Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand

How does a robotic arm or a prosthetic hand learn a complex task like grasping and rotating a ball? The challenge for the human, prosthetic or robotic hand has always been to correctly learn to control the fingers to exert forces on an object. The sensitive skin and nerve endings that cover our hands have been attributed with helping us learn and adapt our manipulation, so roboticists have insisted on incorporating sensors on robotic hands. But–given that you can still learn to handle objects with gloves on– there must be something else at play. This mystery is what inspired researchers in the ValeroLab in the Viterbi School of Engineering ...

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Technology3 Apr 2025

Riding the AI wave toward rapid, precise ocean simulations

AI has created a sea change in society; now, it is setting its sights on the sea itself. Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University have developed a machine learning-powered fluid simulation model that significantly reduces computation time without compromising accuracy. Their fast and precise technique opens up potential applications in offshore power generation, ship design and real-time ocean monitoring. Accurately predicting fluid behavior is crucial for industries relying on wave and tidal energy, as well as for design of maritime structures and vessels. ...

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Technology2 Apr 2025

New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

People living in Bronze Age-era Denmark may have been able to travel to Norway directly over the open sea, according to a study published April 2, 2025, in the open-access journal PLOS One by Boel Bengtsson from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and colleagues. To complete this study, the research team developed a new computer modeling tool that could help other scientists better understand how ancient peoples traversed the sea. The Bronze Age cultures of what are now northern Denmark and southwestern Norway are quite alike, with similar ...

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Technology2 Apr 2025

Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes

Technology can improve on existing platforms’ sensitivity and speed by 20 times Microcantilevers coated in specific antibodies exhibited very high affinity for corresponding HIV antigens Platform could bring cost-effective HIV testing to remote settings where lab-based testing is impractical EVANSTON, Ill. --- A team of Northwestern University scientists spanning disciplines have developed new technology that could lead to the creation of a rapid point-of-care test for HIV infection competitive with traditional lab-based HIV ...

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Technology2 Apr 2025

Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly

Article URL: https://plos.io/4hxJYYP Article title: First unambiguous record of pneumaticity in the axial skeleton of alvarezsaurians (Theropoda: Coelurosauria) Author countries: Argentina, China Funding: We thank P. Chafrat from Museo Patagónico de Ciencias Naturales, General Roca, Río Negro Province, Argentina. The authors gratefully acknowledge "Fundacion Patagonica de Ciencias Naturales" and "Sanatorio Juan XXIII" for making the CT images possible. MP was supported by the Faculty of Science of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. We thank Hans-Dieter Sues, an anonymous reviewer, and the editorial team of PLOS ONE for their comments ...

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Technology2 Apr 2025

Exploring AI’s role in decarbonizing the chemical industry: A multi-scale perspective

As the chemical industry seeks sustainable transformation, decarbonization requires intelligent solutions across multiple scales to enhance efficiency and reduce emissions. A research team led by Professor Xiaonan Wang at Tsinghua University has systematically reviewed AI-driven multi-scale smart systems for decarbonizing this energy-intensive sector. Published in Technology Review for Carbon Neutrality, the study explores innovations from materials discovery to industrial park optimization, highlighting ...

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Technology2 Apr 2025

A review on structured magnetic soft robots: Locomotion innovation driven by structural engineering

Recently, Dr. Renheng Bo, Research Associate Professor at the State Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics Technology, Tsinghua University, and his colleagues published a new review article entitled "Structured Locomotive Magnetic Soft Robots" in Flextech. This article focuses on the relationship between structural configurations and locomotion modes of magnetic soft robots, which systematically summarizes the material compositions, fabrication methods, locomotion mechanisms, and applications of existing magnetic soft robots. Furthermore, it emphasizes current challenges and future research directions in the field of structured ...

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Technology2 Apr 2025

Plant doctor: An AI system that watches over urban trees without touching a leaf

Urban trees and plants do more than just beautify city landscapes. They purify the air, reduce urban heat islands, provide recreational spaces, and even boost property values. As essential components of sustainable urban ecosystems, plants silently contribute to our well-being. However, urban trees face many threats, including pests, diseases, and climate change, making it essential to keep their health in check. Urban greenery monitoring has traditionally been a very labor-intensive process, requiring botanical expertise and considerable resources. With cities expanding ...

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Technology2 Apr 2025

Program takes aim at drinking, unsafe sex, and sexual assault on college campuses

PISCATAWAY, NJ – A prevention program that teaches college students about the links between risky drinking and sexual assault—and how to protect themselves and their friends—has shown early promise, according to a new report in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. It’s well known that alcohol and sex can sometimes be a dangerous mix for young adults. Alcohol intoxication raises the odds of having unprotected sex and, possibly, contracting a sexually transmitted disease or having an unplanned pregnancy. Drinking can also increase the risk of falling victim to sexual assault or becoming the perpetrator. Yet college prevention programs have traditionally ...

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Technology1 Apr 2025

UVA Engineering Dean Jennifer West earns AIMBE’s 2025 Pierre Galletti Award

Jennifer L. West, Dean of the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Saunders Family Professor of Engineering, has been awarded the 2025 Pierre Galletti Award, the highest honor from the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). West is recognized for her “innovative research in biomaterials and nanomedicine, her leadership in the field, and her dedication to mentoring the next generation of biomedical engineers.” The Galletti Award is named after AIMBE’s founding member and past president and recognizes a career-long commitment to advancing the field ...

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Technology1 Apr 2025

FAU secures $1.3 million NIH grant for breakthrough in HIV self-test technology

As of the end of 2023, nearly 40 million people worldwide were living with HIV, including approximately 1.2 million in the United States. In the same year, about 630,000 people globally died from AIDS-related illnesses. Although this is a significant decline from previous years, AIDS-related deaths remain a critical global health challenge. While antiretroviral therapy (ART) has improved the life expectancy of people with AIDS, a lack of effective diagnostics and disease management tools has hindered its global implementation. Only 59% of those in need have access to treatment, and about one in four people living with HIV are unaware of their status. Additionally, ...

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Technology1 Apr 2025

AI propaganda: prolific and persuasive

A study of the use of AI by a Russian-backed propaganda outlet shows how AI allows propagandists to increase their production capacity without any loss in persuasive power. In December 2023, journalists at the BBC and Clemson University’s Media Forensics Hub published an investigation revealing that the site DCWeekly.org was a Russian propaganda outlet, part of a broader network disseminating pro-Kremlin and anti-Ukrainian narratives. Morgan Wack and colleagues found that prior to September 20, 2023, much of the content on the site was simply lifted from other right-leaning outlets. After that date, however, the stories were generally rewritten by AI, allowing the site to use a broader ...

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Technology1 Apr 2025

New 3D technology paves way for next-generation eye-tracking

Eye tracking plays a critical role in the latest virtual and augmented reality headsets and is an important technology in the entertainment industry, scientific research, medical and behavioral sciences, automotive driving assistance and industrial engineering. Tracking the movements of the human eye with high accuracy, however, is a daunting challenge. Researchers at the University of Arizona Wyant College of Optical Sciences have now demonstrated an innovative approach that could revolutionize eye-tracking ...

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