Telecoms group e& signed an agreement in August 2023 to purchase EU telecoms assets. The European Union on Monday announced a formal anti-subsidy probe targeting an Emirati telecoms company, the first action under new rules to focus on a foreign bid to buy EU assets. Brussels has ramped up its scrutiny of foreign investment into […]
June 2024
Researchers develop Superman-inspired imager chip for mobile devices
Researchers, including electrical engineering graduate student Walter Sosa Portillo BS’21 (left) and Dr. Kenneth K. O, have made advances to miniaturize an imager chip inspired by Superman’s X-ray vision for handheld mobile devices. Credit: University of Texas at Dallas Researchers from The University of Texas at Dallas and Seoul National University have developed an imager […]
Inside the race to train more workers in the chip-making capital of the world
Credit: AI-generated image Build the technology of the future. Protect the nation from attack. Buy a sports car. These were some of the rewards of working in the semiconductor industry, 200 high school students learned at a recent daylong recruiting event for one of Taiwan’s top engineering schools. “Taiwan doesn’t have many natural resources,” Morris […]
An open-source generalist model for robot object manipulation
These are the robots we tested Octo on – you can see that there is a wide range of different robot arms, from small to large, single arm to bimanual. Octo was able to control all these robots. Credit: Team et al. The public release of ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs) has allowed […]
Swiss approve law boosting renewable energy generation
The Swiss government wants to use a new climate bill to boost wind and solar power’s current miniscule contribution to Switzerland’s energy mix. Switzerland approved a law on Sunday aimed at accelerating the development of renewable energies, as part of the country’s bid to attain carbon neutrality by 2050. Official results showed that just under […]
Apple expected to enter AI race with ambitions to overtake the early leaders
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Apple’s annual World Wide Developers Conference on Monday is expected to herald the company’s move into generative artificial intelligence, marking its late arrival to a technological frontier that’s expected to be as revolutionary as the invention of the iPhone. The widely anticipated display of AI to be embedded in the iPhone […]
Tunisian all-women’s team eye inventors’ prize for smart wheelchair
Tunisian engineers Khaoula Ben Ahmed and Souleima Ben Tamime work on their team’s new wheelchair system. A smart wheelchair system built by a team of young Tunisian women engineers has reached the finals for a prestigious European inventors’ prize, setting a hopeful precedent in a country embroiled in multiple crises. Their project, Moovobrain, allows wheelchair […]
‘Call of Duty’ leads packed Xbox video game lineup
Microsoft’s video game team says ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’ will be available on Xbox Game Pass as well as Xbox console play when it is released in October. Microsoft’s Xbox team on Sunday showcased action-packed coming video games and a new digital-only version of its console to launch by the end of this […]
Cryptocurrencies use massive amounts of power, but eco-friendly alternatives come with their own risks
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain As the urgency of climate change ramps up, focus is increasing on digital currencies to address their environmental impact. According to industry forecasts, the global cryptocurrency market is expected to surge to US$4.94 billion by 2030. But the process of mining digital currencies such as Bitcoin requires immense computational power—causing a […]
Netflix’s recipe for success includes ‘secret sauce’ spiced with Silicon Valley savvy
Awards, including an Emmy, are displayed at Netflix headquarters Los Gatos, Calif. on March 7, 2024. Netflix wins awards for its shows like a Hollywood studio, but still relies on the sophisticated technology of a Silicon Valley company to reel in viewers and subscribers. Credit: AP Photo/Mike Liedtke Although its video streaming service sparkles with […]
Swiss vote on renewable energy plan for 2050 carbon neutrality
Wind turbines have been installed on Mont Soleil mountain in the Jura range. Swiss voters were expected to approve in a referendum Sunday a law aimed at accelerating the development of renewable energy as the country aims for carbon neutrality by 2050. According to the final opinion polls published in May, 73 percent of voters […]
Discovery highlights ‘critical oversight’ in perceived security of wireless networks
A research team led by Rice University’s Edward Knightly has uncovered an eavesdropping security vulnerability in high-frequency and high-speed wireless backhaul links. Credit: Rice University. A research team led by Rice University’s Edward Knightly has uncovered an eavesdropping security vulnerability in high-frequency and high-speed wireless backhaul links, widely employed in critical applications such as 5G […]
AI search answers are no substitute for good sources
Credit: CC0 Public Domain If you have used Google lately and been lucky—or unlucky—enough to encounter an answer to your query rather than a bunch of links, you have been subjected to something called AI Overviews. This is a new core feature that Google has been rolling out, a move widely anticipated since the company’s […]
BYD says to build second EU factory despite EV slowdown
BYD’s Stella Li shrugged off a European Union inquiry that could lead to tariffs on Chinese EVs. Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD is still committed to building a second factory in Europe and will roll out hybrid cars as the EV market slows down, a group executive told AFP. Stella Li, vice president for Europe […]
Meta’s AI can translate dozens of under-resourced languages
Architecture of the LASER3 teacher-student approach. Credit: Nature (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07335-x The technology behind Meta’s artificial intelligence model, which can translate 200 different languages, is described in a paper published in Nature. The model expands the number of languages that can be translated via machine translation. Neural machine translation models utilize artificial neural networks to […]
Researchers harness the power of satellites to constantly monitor damaged infrastructure from space
A rendering of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology. Credit: Texas A&M University Engineering As infrastructure ages, it becomes more susceptible to failure, which can cause safety and mobility concerns for drivers and pedestrians, and economic woes for taxpayers. A study published in Transportation Research Record shows that high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite data can […]
Developing efficient anode catalysts for direct ammonia solid oxide fuel cells
Synthesis and utilization of green ammonia. Credit: Frontiers in Energy (2024). DOI: 10.1007/s11708-024-0948-2 The quest for efficient and clean energy sources has led to the exploration of ammonia as a hydrogen carrier due to its high hydrogen content, energy density, and ease of liquefaction. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are highly efficient electrochemical devices that […]
How can Switzerland tax electric cars without slowing down the electromobility transition?
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Anyone driving an electric car on Swiss roads today is traveling cheaply. Whether they are driving a minimobility vehicle, limousine or SUV—their fully electric cars run on electricity and are not subject to mineral oil tax. In contrast, petrol and diesel car drivers pay a tax of just under 80 cents […]
Scientists propose converting natural gas into hydrogen directly in gas fields
The process of hydrogen production from gas fields. Credit: Mukhina et al. / Fuel, 2024 Skoltech researchers have found a way to produce hydrogen from natural gas with 45% efficiency right in the gas field by injecting steam and a catalyst into a well and adding oxygen to ignite the gas. Catalyst-assisted combustion produces a […]
Home Buyers Remain Cautious Amid Increasing Spring Listings
May 15, 2024 Home Buyers Remain Cautious Amid Increasing Spring Listings Ottawa, ON May 15, 2024 – Canadian home sales dipped in April 2024 when compared to March, even as the number of properties available for sale rose to kick off the spring market. Home sales activity recorded over Canadian MLS® Systems fell 1.7% between […]
Using 3D printer students design attachment for a quieter leaf blower
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Nate Greene, an engineer at Towson’s Stanley Black & Decker, calls the innovation “extremely atypical.” A group of students from Johns Hopkins University signed onto a class project and were tasked with building a new product for the multinational tool company. And they actually did it. Using a campus 3D printer, […]
Bank of Canada Cuts Policy Rate for First Time Since March 2020
June 5, 2024 Bank of Canada Cuts Policy Rate for First Time Since March 2020 In a scheduled announcement on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, the Bank of Canada decided to reduce its target for the overnight lending rate from 5% to 4.75%. The move was widely expected by financial markets and marked the Bank’s first […]
A renewable energy transition that doesn’t harm nature? It’s not just possible, it’s essential
Wind turbines North Queensland. Australia is putting renewable energy projects in places that damage the species and ecosystems we depend on. Credit: Steve Nowakowski, Rainforest Reserves Australia Earth is facing a human-driven climate crisis, which demands a rapid transition to low-carbon energy sources such as wind and solar power. But we’re also living through a […]