AI-Powered Stretchable Computing Patch Can Run Algorithms Directly on the Body
University of Chicago researchers unveiled a skin‑like, stretchable computing patch that runs AI algorithms directly on the body in milliseconds, eliminating the need for wireless data transmission. The device uses a dense array of organic electrochemical transistors—10,000 per square centimetre—fabricated with a UV‑curable polymer gel. In tests, it identified ventricular‑fibrillation wavefronts with 99.6% accuracy and assessed heart‑attack risk with 83.5% accuracy while stretched 1.5× its original length. The team aims to integrate the patch with sensors and wireless links for a fully autonomous health platform.
New Semiconductor Building Blocks Make Power Converters Smaller, More Affordable
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has demonstrated a power converter built with gallium‑nitride (GaN) semiconductors supplied by ROHM. The GaN devices switch 10‑20 times faster than traditional silicon, delivering higher efficiency while shrinking the converter’s size and weight. The compact,...
Alibaba Unveils New AI Chip as Nvidia Access Remains Stalled
Alibaba unveiled its Zhenwu M890 AI accelerator, claiming three‑times the performance of the earlier Zhenwu 810E and positioning it as a domestic alternative while Nvidia’s H200 chip remains stalled in China due to U.S. export restrictions. The new chip joins a Zhenwu...
Toward Power-Generating Displays: A Single Device that Harvests and Emits Light
Researchers at Institute of Science Tokyo have created an organic semiconductor device that simultaneously harvests light to generate electricity and emits bright visible light. By engineering a multi‑resonance TADF interface, the prototype achieved 1.36% power‑conversion efficiency and 2.0% electroluminescence efficiency,...
China Market for Nvidia AI Chips to Open 'over Time': Huang
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told Bloomberg that China will gradually allow sales of its high‑end H200 AI chip, which is currently licensed but blocked by U.S. export rules. He did not meet Chinese leaders directly, but noted President Trump has...
Researchers Solve Longstanding Problem in Measuring Semiconductor Defects
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories and Auburn University unveiled a physics‑based framework that precisely measures atomic‑scale defects at semiconductor‑insulator interfaces. By enforcing an electrostatic consistency constraint, the method removes reliance on estimated insulator capacitance, eliminating a major source of error...
Silicon Hybrid Captures High-Energy Sunlight for Fuel-Making Reactions, Study Finds
Researchers at the National Laboratory of the Rockies have engineered a silicon nanocrystal‑cobaloxime hybrid that captures high‑energy sunlight and sustains hot electrons for about 5 nanoseconds—roughly 25,000 times longer than in conventional silicon. The breakthrough hinges on an ethylenepyridine linker...
These Optical Sensors Don't Just See—They Think Fast Enough to Change Surgery, Space Exploration and More
Texas A&M researchers unveiled electrochromic hyperspectral embedding (ECHSE), a sensor that processes and compresses optical data internally, shifting AI from cloud servers to the hardware itself. Published in Nature Sensors, the framework shows compact photodetectors can perform hyperspectral classification without...
Copper's Biggest Rival Yet? New Carbon Nanotube Fibers Could Reshape Wiring for EVs, Drones and Aircraft
Spanish researchers at IMDEA Materials have demonstrated a scalable process for carbon‑nanotube (CNT) fibers that reach 24.5 MS m⁻¹ conductivity—about half that of copper but six times lighter. The breakthrough relies on gas‑phase intercalation of tetrachloroaluminate (AlCl₄⁻), which boosts conductivity more than...
Contact Between 2D and 3D Perovskites Reshapes Crystal Order, Lifting Efficiency to 26.25%
Researchers at Korea University, University of Toledo and Seoul National University introduced a contact‑induced crystallization (CCI) technique that merges 2D wide‑bandgap and 3D halide perovskite layers. By applying heat after the layers touch, the 3D FAPbI₃ film attains near‑ideal lattice...
Fiber-Optic Sensor Reads Strain Through Electrical Signals, Skipping Optical Analyzers
Researchers at Yokohama National University unveiled a fiber‑optic sensor that reads strain and displacement directly from the electrical spectrum of a photodetected signal, bypassing traditional optical spectrum analyzers. The technique employs a polymer optical‑fiber single‑mode‑multimode‑single‑mode (SMS) structure, where modal beating...
Focused Helium Ions Create Ferroelectric Regions in Aluminum Nitride for Lower-Power Chips
Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated that a tightly focused helium‑ion beam can write ferroelectric regions directly into aluminum nitride (AlN). The ion‑induced defects enable polarization switching with roughly 40% less energy and a stronger piezoresponse. Because AlN...
3D-MIND: A Flexible Device that Can Be Integrated with Living Brain Cells
Researchers at Princeton have unveiled 3D-MIND, a flexible electronic mesh that can be embedded inside three‑dimensional cultures of living brain cells. The device integrates sensors and micro‑stimulators within the neural tissue, enabling stable recording and stimulation for up to six...
Silicon Oscillators Solve Computer Problems that Would Take Thousands of Years Using Semiconductors
A KAIST research team has built an oscillatory Ising machine entirely from conventional silicon transistors, demonstrating that combinatorial optimization problems like Max‑Cut can be solved at room temperature. By implementing both oscillators and couplers with single‑transistor devices, the system achieves...
Durable Ionogel Withstands 5,000 Times Its Weight While Staying Soft on Skin
Researchers at the University of Hong Kong have unveiled a high‑strength ionogel that can bear more than 5,000 times its own weight while staying soft and conformal on skin. The gel’s nanofibrous composite network, engineered for stronger interfacial cohesion, gives...