How do you develop an AI system that perfectly mimics the way humans speak? Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have taken a significant step forward to achieve this. They have created J-Moshi, the first publicly available AI system specifically designed for Japanese conversational patterns.  

J-Moshi captures the natural flow of Japanese conversation, which often has short verbal responses known as "aizuchi" that Japanese speakers use during conversation to show they are actively listening and engaged. Responses such as “Sou desu ne” (that’s right) and “Naruhodo” (I see) are used more often than similar responses in English.  

Traditional AI has difficulty using aizuchi because it cannot speak and listen at the same time. This capability is especially important for natural-sounding Japanese AI dialogue. Consequently, J-Moshi has become very popular with Japanese speakers who recognize and appreciate its natural conversation patterns.  

Led by Assistant Professor Kou Li, a research group in Chuo University, Japan, has developed chemically enriched photo-thermoelectric (PTE) imagers using semiconducting carbon nanotube (CNT) films, resulting in the achievement of enhanced response intensity and noise reduction, that enables efficient remote and on-site inspections, according to a recent paper publication in Communications Materials. CNT film-based PTE imagers are crucial for multimodal non-destructive inspection, but conventional device design strategies have faced challenges in achieving high response intensity for wireless data logging.

　CNT film-based PTE imagers enable functional electromagnetic-wave monitoring, potentially facilitating multimodal non-destructive inspection device usage. The CNT film compositions govern the fundamental device performance, and satisfying high PTE conversion efficiency (higher response and lower noise) is essential for sensitive operations. Although typical sensitive design focuses on minimising noise, the associated levelling-off response intensity (up to a few millivolts) induces technical limitations in device operations. These issues include mismatching for coupling with compact wireless circuits, which are indispensable for on-site inspection applications and require high-intensity responses at least a few millivolt orders. This work develops chemically enriched PTE imagers comprising semiconducting CNT (semi-CNT) films. While semi-CNTs provide greater intensity thermoelectric responses than semi-metal mixture compositions in the conventional PTE device, the presented imager employs p-/n-type chemical carrier doping to relax inherent significant bottlenecking noise. Such doping enhances material properties for PTE conversion with semi-CNTs up to 4,060 times. The imager satisfies similar performances to conventional CNT film devices, including ultrabroadband sensitive photo-detection (with minimum noise sensitivity of 5 pWHz^−1/2) under repeatedly deformable configurations, and advantageously exhibits response signal intensity exceeding a few–tens of millivolts. These features enable remote on-site non-destructive PTE imaging inspection with palm-sized wireless circuits.

For thousands of years, humans have combined metals to collectively harness properties found in individual components, producing such practical materials as bronze, brass and, more recently, steel. However, predicting the exact microstructures underpinning these alloys to understand how specific properties of the constituent materials may manifest across scales is still a complex mystery researchers are working to solve. Now, thanks to a team based in Japan, that work could take minutes instead of years.

Analog repeaters dramatically enhance millimeter-wave (mmWave) coverage in mobile networks by overcoming signal blockage, report researchers from Science Tokyo. As demonstrated in a field experiment at Ookayama Campus, low-cost repeaters connected either wirelessly or via optical fiber offer a promising solution for 5G and 6G networks. Both configurations achieved over 1 Gbps throughput and enhanced mmWave signal stability, showing strong potential for practical deployment in urban and high-traffic areas.

Researchers in Japan have developed a needle-type multi-enzyme biosensor that enables real-time monitoring of sucrose levels inside living plants. The sensor revealed daily patterns of sugar transport in strawberry guava and demonstrated that Japanese cedar can absorb sucrose through light-regulated stomata. The device, with its high sensitivity and stability, opens new avenues for studying plant physiology and optimizing agricultural practices through continuous, in vivo tracking of sugar dynamics under natural and controlled conditions.

Magnetic hysteresis loss or iron loss in soft magnetic materials accounts for approximately 30% of energy loss in electric motors. This loss results in significant energy loss globally, representing a pressing environmental concern. However, the origin of iron loss remains elusive despite decades of research. Now, scientists have developed a new physics-based machine-learning approach that automatically identifies the origin of iron loss, establishing a new paradigm for designing efficient soft magnetic materials.

An Osaka Metropolitan University-led research team has developed a protein aggregation inhibitor that shows improved treatment results for mice with acute strokes. 

Subaru Telescope has made an exciting discovery: a small body beyond Pluto, with implications for the formation, evolution, and current structure of the outer Solar System.

Researchers at The University of Osaka have developed a novel method for generating ultrahigh magnetic fields via laser-driven implosions of blade-structured microtubes. This method achieves field strengths approaching one megatesla—a breakthrough in compact, high-field plasma science.

A research team has discovered an electrochemical method that allows highly selective para-position single-carbon insertion into polysubstituted pyrroles. Their approach has important applications in synthetic organic chemistry, especially in the field of pharmaceuticals.

Their work is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on July 14.