Technology Update
Reinventing Nuclear Fuel Recycling
For decades, we have treated used nuclear fuel as high-level waste to be buried and forgotten, but wait a minute, it could be possible to use it as a power source.
Understanding Dust in Emergency Environment
Being prepared for an emergency is key to keeping everyone and everything safe. This means more than just having supplies, sometimes the most important preparation is having the right data to help first responders and the community stay safe.
Cyborg Cockroaches Learn to Navigate
Cyborg insects combine the mobility of living organisms with miniature electronic devices, offering potential applications in search-and-rescue operations, infrastructure inspection, and exploration of environments that are difficult for conventional robots.
Smart Highways Need Stronger Protection
Highways people use to go to school, work, or shopping truly depends on networked systems using optical fiber, sensors, video cameras, and programmable logic controllers (PLCs).
Device Detects Ammonia Leaks as Low as 1PPM
An ultrasensitive ammonia gas sensor using an environmentally friendly, lead-free perovskite material is now in development.
Device can Take Over Aircraft’s Computer
No ever thought physical access to an aircraft was a cybersecurity risk; but that line of thinking may soon change as it could be possible to take over communications between onboard computers.
Teaching AI not to Hallucinate
Multimodal large language models (MLLMs), which process multiple types of sensory information such as text, images, and audio at the same time, are rapidly expanding the range of applications for artificial intelligence (AI).
Malicious SIMs can Capture Smartphones
Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), the secure element used to connect devices to a mobile network, can pose severe security risks.
Connecting Humans, Machines, and Digital
As intelligent electronics integrate more and more into daily life, human–machine interfaces (HMIs) require sensing platforms that are not only wearable and self-powered but also capable of translating human signals into adaptive machine functions.
Securing AI Used in Scientific Research
As artificial intelligence becomes central to scientific discovery, researchers face a growing but often overlooked risk: AI models, datasets, and automated systems they depend on can end up compromised in ways conventional cybersecurity tools cannot detect.
Creating a Chemical Risk Assessment Database
DDT, asbestos, CFCs, and PFAS are a few chemical substances that were once widely used, only to be later identified as harmful to humans and the environment and then banned.
Testing for Rapid Detection, Response
Getting data in real time is a huge accomplishment for any security system, but then being able to transmit that information to the proper authorities is another, and it appears those capabilities are on the verge of becoming a reality.
Creating Passwords Without Saving Them
There is a constant struggle to create and manage strong, unique passwords across multiple accounts while online.
Anti-theft Systems Vulnerable on 2M Cars
At least 2.2 million cars on the road today are vulnerable to an attack that allows thieves to lock and unlock doors and immobilize vehicle engines remotely via a Bluetooth connection.
Stronger Battery Safety by Spray, Immersion Cooling
A spray-based immersion cooling technology is in development that is capable of effectively cooling lithium-ion battery packs and reducing fire risks using a small amount of dielectric liquid.
To Find Vulnerable Software, AI Should Attack
In an effort to guard against software vulnerabilities, the best way is to teach artificial intelligence (AI) to identify and attack them.
Using Electricity to Remove Water Pollutants
Developing ways to clean and reuse water is essential as populations grow, extreme weather increases, infrastructure ages and demand for water outpaces current resources – and to get there electricity is an answer.
Bees, Ants Help Make Mining Safer
A new type of robotic system inspired by bees and ants is in development that could make mining safer, more efficient and more sustainable.
Enabling a Secure 6G via AI
The new sixth-generation (6G) telecommunications standard will not only transmit data but will also function as sensors capable of locating objects within reach.
Graphene Sensor Detects Harmful Gases
A chlorinated graphene (Cl-Gr) gas sensor is in development that can use readily available saltwater to rapidly detect and recover from harmful gases at room temperature.