Topic: material science
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Inertia Enterprises speeds up fusion fuel production
Inertia Enterprises has reduced fuel pellet production time from days to 2-3 hours by scaling up a process originally developed at the National Ignition Facility, clearing a key hurdle toward its commercial fusion plant. The startup achieved this by hiring industrial engineers, growing crystals i...
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Kyoto Fusioneering begins work on key fusion reactor device
Kyoto Fusioneering, a Japanese startup, has secured $121 million in funding and DOE/Tennessee grants to build a fuel-breeding prototype at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, while relocating its U.S. headquarters there. The company specializes in fusion plant auxiliary systems, notably the Unity-3 br...
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Samsung's new foldable display resists creases and damage
Samsung introduced Flex Titanium, a new foldable display technology designed to be thinner, tougher, and less prone to the visible crease that has long affected foldable phones. The technology, derived from seven generations of foldable devices, will debut in the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Gala...
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Arcturus’ Nano-Metals Could Halve Grid Electrical Losses
Global copper demand is set to skyrocket due to the energy transition and data center growth, with a study suggesting more copper will be needed by 2050 than has been mined in all of human history, primarily to upgrade the aging and strained U.S. electrical grid. Startup Arcturus uses lasers to i...
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HaloBraid raises $7M to replace six-hour salon appointments
HaloBraid is a new robotics startup that created a braiding assistant device to dramatically reduce the time professional stylists spend on braiding, addressing the exhausting 12-hour salon sessions and 8 billion hours spent braiding hair annually. The company raised $7 million in seed funding le...
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Gold's fake inertness: protected by bodyguards
Gold was traditionally considered inert due to its filled electron orbitals shielding reactive electrons, but this explanation failed to account for gold nanoparticles' catalytic properties. Two researchers now propose that gold's inertness is not an atomic property but stems from the surfaces fo...
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Microsoft, Atom Computing, EeroQ share new quantum advances
Recent progress reports from multiple quantum computing companies represent essential groundwork and painstaking labor needed for practical quantum computing, rather than any seismic breakthroughs. Microsoft is pursuing a fundamentally different approach using topological qubits based on exotic p...
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AI-Designed Thermoelectric Generator Cuts Design Time by 90%
Researchers in Japan have developed an AI-powered tool called TEGNet that designs thermoelectric generators 10,000 times faster than conventional methods, with prototypes performing comparably to leading devices. The AI tool rapidly screens thousands of potential device configurations by learning...
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iPhone 17 Pro Max Dents and Scuffs Restored Like New
The iPhone 17 Pro Max's aluminum frame makes it prone to cosmetic damage, but specialized repair services in China can expertly restore severely scratched or dented devices to a like-new condition. This professional restoration is a cost-effective alternative for owners in regions with lower medi...
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How 'Ghost' Photons Shape Superconductivity
A recent experiment manipulated virtual photons, or 'ghost' particles, to alter a superconducting material's properties, using superconductivity as a sensitive quantum effects detector. Virtual photons are fleeting, undetectable force carriers from quantum fields that influence matter, distinct f...
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X-Rays Uncover Kingfisher Feather Secrets
Scientists have revealed that the vibrant blue of kingfisher feathers, used in the historic Chinese art of *tian-tsui*, comes not from pigment but from nanostructures called photonic crystals, which manipulate light to create color. These natural photonic crystals are incredibly precise structure...
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World's Smallest Autonomous Aquatic Robot
Researchers have created a fully autonomous robot smaller than a grain of salt, shattering a long-standing miniaturization barrier for independent machines. It uses a novel propulsion method, generating an electric field to move water around it, as traditional swimming is ineffective at microscop...
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Night-Time Solar Power: The Future of Satellite Energy
Researchers are developing a "reverse solar panel" that generates electricity by emitting infrared light, aiming to capture energy from Earth's nighttime glow. The technology, a thermoradiative diode, has minimal power output on Earth but holds significant potential in space, where the extreme co...
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Apple's Foldable iPhone May Use Liquid Metal, Titanium
Apple's rumored foldable iPhone will feature a hinge made from durable liquid metal and a chassis using a next-generation titanium alloy, aiming for enhanced durability and reduced weight. The liquid metal hinge offers exceptional strength and fatigue resistance for repeated folding, while the re...
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Shape-Shifting Material Unlocked by a Simple Pull
Inspired by kirigami, researchers have developed a flat material that transforms into complex 3D structures with a single pull of a string, promising applications in medical devices, robotics, and space habitats. A computational algorithm converts a desired 3D shape into a flat, interconnected gr...
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Scientists Build Real-World Magnetic Cloaking Device for Complex Shapes
Engineers have developed a functional magnetic cloaking device that shields complex objects from detection, moving the technology from theory to practical application. The cloak, detailed in *Science Advances*, uses a composite shell to redirect magnetic fields, making enclosed objects invisible ...
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Everbloom's AI Turns Chicken Feathers Into Cashmere
Traditional cashmere production faces sustainability issues due to over-shearing and high demand, creating a need for ethical alternatives. Startup Everbloom uses AI and keratin waste (like feathers and textile scraps) to engineer biodegradable fibers that mimic cashmere's qualities. Their proces...
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The Rare Earth Metal Fueling US-China Tensions
A supply crisis for the rare earth metal yttrium is escalating tensions between the U.S. and China, causing price surges and shipment delays that threaten advanced technology manufacturing globally. Yttrium is indispensable for its thermal and mechanical strength in critical applications like air...
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Head(amame) Launches 3D-Printed Pro Headphones on Kickstarter
The Head(amame) Pro headphones are a professionally assembled, 3D-printed product offering high-fidelity audio at an accessible price, evolving from the brand's DIY kits. Key innovations include a glass diaphragm driver for precise sound tuning and a lightweight, open-backed design reinforced wit...
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Google's Quantum Breakthrough: Outpaces World's Fastest Supercomputers
Google has developed a quantum algorithm called Quantum Echoes that operates 13,000 times faster than current supercomputers, potentially advancing applications in medicine and materials science within five years. The algorithm is the first verifiable quantum algorithm, running on Google's Willow...
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