ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

A maze is a popular device among psychologists to assess the learning capacity of mice or rats. But how about robots? Can they learn to successfully navigate the twists and turns of a labyrinth? Now, researchers have demonstrated they can. Their robot bases its decisions on the very system humans use to think and act: the brain. The study paves the way to exciting new applications of neuromorphic devices in health and beyond.

Researchers have used the chemical materials open platform framework to develop an AI technique capable of increasing the accuracy of machine learning-based predictions of material properties (e.g., strength, brittleness) through efficient use of material structural data obtained from only a small number of experiments. This technique may expedite the development of various materials, including polymers.

Since superconductivity in three-layered graphene was discovered in September, the physics community has been left puzzled. Now, three months later, physicists can successfully explain the results by drawing from a theory of unconventional superconductivity.

A cosmic object originally classified as a gas and dust cloud actually consists of three stars and could resolve a controversy among astronomers.

While all atomic nuclei except hydrogen are composed of protons and neutrons, physicists have been searching for a particle consisting of two, three or four neutrons for over half a century. Experiments by a team of physicists now indicate that a particle comprising four bound neutrons may well exist.

Computer engineers have developed a new AI method for accurately predicting the power consumption of any type of computer processor more than a trillion times per second while barely using any computational power itself. Dubbed APOLLO, the technique has been validated on real-world, high-performance microprocessors and could help improve the efficiency and inform the development of new microprocessors.

A silicon device that can change skin tissue into blood vessels and nerve cells has advanced from prototype to standardized fabrication, meaning it can now be made in a consistent, reproducible way.

Organ-on-a-chip technology has provided a push to discover new drugs for a variety of rare and ignored diseases for which current models either don't exist or lack precision. In particular, these platforms can include the cells of a patient, resulting in patient-specific discovery.

Detecting the activity of CRISPR gene editing tools in organisms with the naked eye and an ultraviolet flashlight is now possible using new technology.

Chemical engineers have developed a protective coating that helps anaerobic microbes survive the manufacturing process, making it potentially easier to use them to treat gastrointestinal disease.

Engineers have developed a lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6) nanowire-based field emission gun that is installable on an aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope (TEM). This combined unit is able to perform atomic resolution observation at an energy resolution of 0.2 eV -- the highest resolution ever recorded for non-monochromatic electron guns -- with a high current stability of 0.4%.

Cooled to almost absolute zero, atoms not only move in waves like light but also can be focused into shapes called caustics, similar to the reflecting or refracting patterns light makes on the bottom of a swimming pool or through a curved wine glass. In experiments, scientists have developed a technique to see these matter wave caustics by placing attractive or repulsive obstacles in the path of a cold atom laser. The results are curving cusps or folds, upward or downward 'V' shapes. These caustics have potential applications for highly precise measurement or timing devices such as interferometers and atomic clocks.

A study showed that -- within an appropriate framework -- gait recognition could be a viable technique for protecting individuals and their data from potential crime.

Researchers have successfully developed artificial intelligence technology that can extract hidden equations of motion from regular observational data and create a model that is faithful to the laws of physics. This technology could enable us to discover the hidden equations of motion behind phenomena for which the laws were considered unexplainable. For example, it may be possible to use physics-based knowledge and simulations to examine ecosystem sustainability.

A new study shows that machine learning techniques can offer powerful new tools for advancing personalized medicine, care that optimizes outcomes for individual patients based on unique aspects of their biology and disease features.

A global hacker 'red team' and rewards for hunting algorithmic biases are just some of the recommendations from experts who argue that AI faces a 'tech-lash' unless firm measures are taken to increase public trust.