Technology

A new algorithm may make robots safer by making them more aware of human inattentiveness. In computerized simulations of packaging and assembly lines where humans and robots work together, the algorithm developed to account for human carelessness improved safety by about a maximum of 80% and efficiency by about a maximum of 38% compared to

A team of physicists envisions a modular system for scaling quantum processors with a flexible way of linking qubits over long distances to enable them to work in concert to perform quantum operations. The ability to carry out such correlated or 'entangling' operations between linked qubits is the basis of the enhanced power quantum computing

With 2D cameras and space robotics algorithms, astronautics engineers have created a navigation system able to manage multiple satellites using visual data only. They just tested it in space for the first time. Someday, instead of large, expensive individual space satellites, teams of smaller satellites -- known by scientists as a "swarm" -- will work

Scientists recently discovered a one-dimensional nanoscale material whose color changes as temperature changes. University of California, Irvine scientists recently discovered a one-dimensional nanoscale material whose color changes as temperature changes. The team's results appeared in Advanced Materials. "We found that we can make really small and sensitive thermometers," said Maxx Arguilla, UC Irvine professor of

A new study has found galaxies with more neighbors tend to be larger than their counterparts that have a similar shape and mass, but reside in less dense environments. The team, which used a machine-learning algorithm to analyze millions of galaxies, reports that galaxies found in denser regions of the universe are as much as

More efficient and longer-lasting fuel cells are essential for fuel cell-powered heavy-duty hydrogen vehicles to be an alternative to combustion fuelled counterparts. Researchers have developed an innovative method to study and understand how parts of fuel cells degrade over time. This is an important step towards the improved performance of fuel cells and them becoming

A new milestone has been set for levitated optomechanics as a group of scientists observed the Berry phase of electron spins in nano-sized diamonds levitated in vacuum. A new milestone has been set for levitated optomechanics as Prof. Tongcang Li's group observed the Berry phase of electron spins in nano-sized diamonds levitated in vacuum. Physicists

Between July and November of 2022, NASA's Perseverance rover collected seven samples of sediment from an ancient alluvial fan in Jezero crater. While onboard analysis gave researchers some information about their origins, only detailed analysis on Earth can retrieve evidence of when water flowed on Mars and whether life arose there. Geophysicists had hoped to

Scientists report that rock samples from Mars' Jezero Crater contain minerals that are typically formed in water. While the presence of organic matter is inconclusive, the rocks could be scientists' best chance at finding remnants of ancient Martian life. In a new study appearing today in the journal AGU Advances, scientists at MIT and NASA

Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of nanotechnology. They have developed a novel microscopy method that allows for the unprecedented visualization of nanostructures and their optical properties. Scientists from the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field

Using data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have confirmed hydroxyl molecules on the surface of the metallic asteroid Psyche. The presence of hydrated minerals suggests a complex history for Psyche, important context for the NASA spacecraft en route to this interesting asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. Using data from NASA's

A team has reported the first demonstration of selective electrochemical separation driven by halogen bonding. This was achieved by engineering a polymer that modulates the charge density on a halogen atom when electricity is applied. The polymer then attracts only certain targets -- such as halides, oxyanions, and even organic molecules -- from organic solutions