Feature Stories
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 22-Dec-2024 19:08 ET (23-Dec-2024 00:08 GMT/UTC)
Transforming education with virtual reality and artificial intelligence
Texas A&M UniversityEngineers are creating artificial intelligence (AI) applications and AI-based virtual reality (VR) platforms to provide dynamic and immersive educational experiences. Song’s innovations include a VR platform aimed at advancing college algebra education and a generative AI app used to strengthen the communications skills of medical students. The Human-AI Collaboration Engineering Lab, Einbrain, plays a central role in both projects.
Sustainable, cost-effective electric motors cut rare earth materials
Texas A&M UniversityFor their two-year project, “Advancing electric vehicle propulsion: High power rare-earth-free electric motor development,” a research team aims to replace rare earths like neodymium magnets with abundant and environmentally friendly materials such as copper.
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- Texas A&M University’s Advancing Discovery to Market (ADM) Innovation Awards
New research aims to improve speech anonymization technology
Texas A&M UniversityFrom law-enforcement operations, witness protection, and privacy concerns caused by deepfakes, the ability to anonymize speech is sought after by both government agencies and individuals concerned with their privacy. A new research study will enable users to alter their voice in real time using the power of AI.
PolyU multimodal robot for post-stroke ankle-foot rehabilitation wins CES 2025 Innovation Award
The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityNondestructive microwave radar finds moisture hiding inside a building’s walls
DOE/Oak Ridge National LaboratoryFor homeowners, moisture buildup can cause the biggest headaches. Mold grows on drywall and wood-based materials, creeping along walls, floors and ceilings. Building materials begin to erode and rot. As insulation becomes damaged, the home’s energy-efficiency decreases. Even human health suffers, as moisture also leads to air-quality issues.
The key to preventing extensive moisture damage is discovering it early, when it can be easily fixed.
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are using microwave radar reflection to nondestructively detect and measure the moisture content of materials within walls without removing drywall or cladding. This also expedites moisture identification and enables mold growth to be treated in the early stages.
Stor4Build heats up thermal energy storage solutions for buildings, grid
DOE/Oak Ridge National LaboratoryThroughout the United States, more than 100 million buildings tap into electrical energy to keep heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration units functioning. HVAC systems cause most of the peak load demand on the electric grid; one way to alleviate the grid burden is to develop new storage options for heating and cooling.
As a partner in the Department of Energy’s Stor4Build Consortium, Oak Ridge National Laboratory is co-leading research with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy to develop thermal energy storage as a complement to electrical battery storage.
UT sees record growth in research expenditures
University of Tennessee at KnoxvilleEnabling breakthroughs and building foundations: The Office of Science’s 2024 year-in-review
DOE/US Department of EnergyThe new Polarstern: Contract for new German research icebreaker awarded
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine ResearchGood news for the German research fleet, German shipbuilding, and international polar research alike: the new Polarstern will be constructed in Wismar by thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. The company received the official contract to construct a new research icebreaker from the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) today, marking the end of a two and a half-year-long Europe-wide call for tenders. The new flagship of German climate research will cost an estimated 1.185 billion euros. Following five years of construction, she is to be handed over to the research community in 2030.