The USC Professor Who Pioneered Socially Assistive Robotics
Maja Matarić, a USC professor of computer science, neuroscience and pediatrics, helped define socially assistive robotics in 2005 and has since built robots that provide therapeutic social interaction. Her work includes the Bandit, Kiwi and Blossom platforms, which support children with autism, elderly patients, and students coping with anxiety or depression. In 2025 she received the MassRobotics Robotics Medal, and a recent National Institute of Mental Health grant funds a six‑week clinical trial using Blossom for cognitive‑behavioral therapy with 120 students. Matarić’s research bridges robotics, AI and mental‑health care, positioning her as a leading voice in human‑centric automation.
How Engineers Kick-Started the Scientific Method
The article traces how 17th‑century engineers Cornelis Drebbel and Salomon de Caus inspired Francis Bacon’s vision of a systematic, experiment‑driven science, later dramatized in his utopian novel *New Atlantis*. Drebbel’s submersible and iterative testing, and de Caus’s hydraulic spectacles, demonstrated that hands‑on...
Squishy Photonic Switches Promise Fast Low Power Logic
Researchers at the University of Ljubljana have created a liquid‑crystal photonic switch that controls light with light using two sub‑nanosecond laser pulses. The device exploits whispering‑gallery resonances and stimulated emission depletion to suppress the first pulse while amplifying the second,...
Temple University Student Highlights IEEE Membership Perks
Temple University junior Kyle McGinley, an IEEE student member, showcases how the society’s perks have propelled his academic and professional growth. He helped rebuild an older lab robot into an AI‑integrated android that assists Parkinson’s patients and their caregivers, using Python,...
Invences Empowers Small Businesses With Smart Telecom Networks
Invences, founded in 2023 by telecom veteran Bhaskara Rallabandi, delivers autonomous, low‑cost private 5G/6G networks for small businesses, farms, factories and universities, especially in underserved areas. The Texas‑based startup leverages Open RAN, virtualized RAN, digital twins and agentic AI to...
30 Years Ago, Robots Learned to Walk Without Falling
In 1996 Honda unveiled Prototype 2 (P2), the first self‑contained bipedal robot that could walk dynamically without falling, standing 183 cm tall and weighing 210 kg. The robot’s real‑time posture control, multi‑joint coordination, and stair‑climbing capability earned it IEEE Milestone status, with a...
Nigerian Firms Embrace Kit-Based EV Assembly for Cost Savings
Nigerian firms are increasingly using kit‑based assembly to produce electric vehicles, with Saglev Micromobility partnering with China’s Dongfeng to build 18‑seat electric vans. The approach sidesteps high import duties on fully built EVs, making electric vans, minibuses and three‑wheelers more...
Wanted: Europe’s Missing Cloud Provider
European policymakers have launched the EURO-3C project, a pan‑European sovereign cloud backed by Telefónica, other firms and the European Commission. The initiative seeks to reduce the EU’s reliance on U.S. hyperscalers, which currently deliver about 70 % of cloud services in...
IEEE Launches Global Virtual Career Fairs
IEEE is scaling its virtual career fairs worldwide after a successful U.S. launch that attracted nearly 8,000 participants and showcased more than 500 AI, semiconductor, and power‑sector opportunities. The events, hosted on the vFairs platform, feature AI‑driven job matching, live...
How Robert Goddard’s Self-Reliance Crashed His Rocket Dreams
On March 16, 1926 Robert Goddard launched the world’s first liquid‑fuel rocket, lifting 12.5 meters before crashing after 2.5 seconds. Despite early successes and funding from the Guggenheim family and the Smithsonian, Goddard’s distrust of collaboration kept his work isolated. The...