Transportation

  • This triple-layer sunlight catalyst supercharges green hydrogen by 800%
    on June 23, 2025 at 11:27 am

    Researchers in Sweden have developed a powerful new material that dramatically boosts the ability to create hydrogen fuel from water using sunlight, making the process eight times more effective than before. This breakthrough could be key to fueling heavy transport like ships and planes with clean, renewable energy.

  • You hear the beep, but can’t find the car: The hidden flaw in electric vehicle safety
    on June 18, 2025 at 1:44 pm

    As electric vehicles grow more popular, their warning sounds may not be doing enough to protect pedestrians. A Swedish study shows that these signals are hard to locate, especially when multiple vehicles are involved, leaving people unable to tell where danger is coming from or how many cars are nearby.

  • Clean energy, dirty secrets: Inside the corruption plaguing california’s solar market
    on June 11, 2025 at 12:37 pm

    California s solar energy boom is often hailed as a green success story but a new study reveals a murkier reality beneath the sunlit panels. Researchers uncover seven distinct forms of corruption threatening the integrity of the state s clean energy expansion, including favoritism, land grabs, and misleading environmental claims. Perhaps most eyebrow-raising are allegations of romantic entanglements between senior officials and solar lobbyists, blurring the lines between personal influence and public interest. The report paints a picture of a solar sector racing ahead while governance and ethical safeguards fall dangerously behind.

  • A cheap and easy potential solution for lowering carbon emissions in maritime shipping
    on May 29, 2025 at 4:41 pm

    Reducing travel speeds and using an intelligent queuing system at busy ports can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from oceangoing container vessels by 16-24%, according to researchers. Not only would those relatively simple interventions reduce emissions from a major, direct source of greenhouse gases, the technology to implement these measures already exists.

  • Mid-air transformation helps flying, rolling robot to transition smoothly
    on May 28, 2025 at 7:08 pm

    Engineers have developed a real-life Transformer that has the 'brains' to morph in midair, allowing the drone-like robot to smoothly roll away and begin its ground operations without pause. The increased agility and robustness of such robots could be particularly useful for commercial delivery systems and robotic explorers.

  • Cryogenic hydrogen storage and delivery system for next-generation aircraft
    on May 27, 2025 at 10:09 pm

    Researchers have designed a liquid hydrogen storage and delivery system that could help make zero-emission aviation a reality. Their work outlines a scalable, integrated system that addresses several engineering challenges at once by enabling hydrogen to be used as a clean fuel and also as a built-in cooling medium for critical power systems aboard electric-powered aircraft.

  • New fuel cell could enable electric aviation
    on May 27, 2025 at 4:41 pm

    Engineers developed a fuel cell that offers more than three times as much energy per pound compared to lithium-ion batteries. Powered by a reaction between sodium metal and air, the device could be lightweight enough to enable the electrification of airplanes, trucks, or ships.

  • Remotely moving objects underwater using sound
    on May 21, 2025 at 2:44 am

    A metamaterial is a composite material that exhibits unique properties due to its structure, and now researchers have used one featuring a small sawtooth pattern on its surface to move and position objects underwater without touching them directly. Adjacent speakers exert different forces on the material based on how the sound waves reflect off it, and by carefully targeting the floating or submerged metamaterial with precise sound waves, researchers can push and rotate the object attached to it.

  • Robots learning without us? New study cuts humans from early testing
    on May 19, 2025 at 5:20 pm

    Humans no longer have exclusive control over training social robots to interact effectively, thanks to a new study. The study introduces a new simulation method that lets researchers test their social robots without needing human participants, making research faster and scalable.

  • Empowering robots with human-like perception to navigate unwieldy terrain
    on May 19, 2025 at 5:20 pm

    Researchers have developed a novel framework named WildFusion that fuses vision, vibration and touch to enable robots to 'sense' and navigate complex outdoor environments much like humans do.

  • Nimble dimples: Agile underwater vehicles inspired by golf balls
    on May 19, 2025 at 5:14 pm

    Underwater or aerial vehicles with dimples like golf balls could be more efficient and maneuverable, a new prototype has demonstrated.

  • UCF's 'bridge doctor' combines imaging, neural network to efficiently evaluate concrete bridges' safety
    on May 16, 2025 at 8:51 pm

    New research details how infrared thermography, high-definition imaging and neural network analysis can combine to make concrete bridge inspections more efficient. Researchers are hopeful that their findings can be leveraged by engineers through a combination of these methods to strategically pinpoint bridge conditions and better allocate repair costs.

  • Satellite data from ship captures landslide-generated tsunami
    on May 14, 2025 at 9:54 pm

    New research demonstrates shipborne navigation systems have potential to improve tsunami detection and warning.

  • Eldercare robot helps people sit and stand, and catches them if they fall
    on May 13, 2025 at 9:20 pm

    Engineers built E-BAR, a mobile robot designed to physically support the elderly and prevent them from falling as they move around their homes. E-BAR acts as a set of robotic handlebars that follows a person from behind, allowing them to walk independently or lean on the robot's arms for support.

  • Scientists define the ingredients for finding natural clean hydrogen
    on May 13, 2025 at 3:23 pm

    Researchers have detailed the geological ingredients required to find clean sources of natural hydrogen beneath our feet. The work details the requirements for natural hydrogen, produced by the Earth itself over geological time, to accumulate in the crust, and identifies that the geological environments with those ingredients are widespread globally. Hydrogen is $135 billion industry, essential for making fertilizer and other important societal chemicals, and a critical clean energy source for future low carbon emission technologies, with a market estimated to be up to $1000 billion by 2050. These findings offer a solution to the challenge of hydrogen supply, and will help industry to locate and extract natural hydrogen to meet global demands, eliminating the use of hydrocarbons for this purpose.

  • Submarine robot catches an underwater wave
    on May 12, 2025 at 7:33 pm

    Engineers have taught a simple submarine robot to take advantage of turbulent forces to propel itself through water.

  • A small bicycle handlebar sensor can help map a region's riskiest bike routes
    on May 9, 2025 at 4:23 pm

    Researchers have developed a system, called ProxiCycle, that logs when a passing car comes too close to a cyclist (four feet or less). A small, inexpensive sensor plugs into bicycle handlebars and tracks the passes, sending them to the rider's phone. The team tested the system for two months with 15 cyclists in Seattle and found a significant correlation between the locations of close passes and other indicators of poor safety, such as collisions.

  • Urine, not water for efficient production of green hydrogen
    on May 9, 2025 at 4:22 pm

    Researchers have developed two unique energy-efficient and cost-effective systems that use urea found in urine and wastewater to generate hydrogen. The unique systems reveal new pathways to economically generate 'green' hydrogen, a sustainable and renewable energy source, and the potential to remediate nitrogenous waste in aquatic environments.

  • Ping pong bot returns shots with high-speed precision
    on May 8, 2025 at 8:14 pm

    Engineers developed a ping-pong-playing robot that quickly estimates the speed and trajectory of an incoming ball and precisely hits it to a desired location on the table.

  • Eco-friendly aquatic robot is made from fish food
    on May 8, 2025 at 3:25 pm

    An edible robot leverages a combination of biodegradable fuel and surface tension to zip around the water's surface, creating a safe -- and nutritious -- alternative to environmental monitoring devices made from artificial polymers and electronics.

  • Transforming hospital sanitation: Autonomous robots for wiping and UV-C disinfection
    on May 7, 2025 at 5:07 pm

    A research team develops disinfection robot combining physical wiping and UV-C sterilization.

  • Gender characteristics of service robots can influence customer decisions
    on May 6, 2025 at 7:22 pm

    While service robots with male characteristics can be more persuasive when interacting with some women who have a low sense of decision-making power, 'cute' design features -- such as big eyes and raised cheeks -- affect both men and women similarly, according to new research.

  • Do manta rays benefit from collective motion?
    on May 6, 2025 at 5:13 pm

    Researchers model the motions of groups of manta rays to study how group dynamics affect their propulsion, studying different formations of three manta rays: in tandem, in a triangular setup with one manta ray in front leading two behind, and in an inverse triangular configuration with one manta ray trailing the other two. They found the tandem formation only significantly increases propulsion for the middle manta ray, and the two triangular setups result in overall decreased efficiency compared to a single swimmer on its own. These findings can help optimize formations for underwater vehicle operations.

  • Stronger and safer: New design strategy for aluminium combines strength with hydrogen embrittlement resistance
    on April 30, 2025 at 6:20 pm

    International researcher team develops scalable aluminium alloys for the hydrogen economy.

  • Nearly one-quarter of e-Scooter injuries involved substance impaired riders
    on April 29, 2025 at 11:53 pm

    About 25% of 7350 patients hospitalized for scooter-related injuries between 2016 and 2021 were using substances such as alcohol, opioids, marijuana and cocaine when injured. The findings underscore the urgent need to strengthen safety regulations, enforce helmet use, and reduce substance use among scooter riders.

  • High-wire act: Soft robot can carry cargo up and down steep aerial wires
    on April 29, 2025 at 2:19 am

    Researchers have created a light-powered soft robot that can carry loads through the air along established tracks, similar to cable cars or aerial trams. The soft robot operates autonomously, can climb slopes at angles of up to 80 degrees, and can carry loads up to 12 times its weight.

  • Breakthrough extends fuel cell lifespan beyond 200,000 hours, paving the way for clean long-haul trucking
    on April 29, 2025 at 2:09 am

    Researchers have developed a new catalyst design capable of pushing the projected fuel cell catalyst lifespans to 200,000 hours. The research marks a significant step toward the widespread adoption of fuel cell technology in heavy-duty vehicles, such as long-haul tractor trailers. While platinum-alloy catalysts have historically delivered superior chemical reactions, the alloying elements leach out over time, diminishing catalytic performance. The degradation is further accelerated by the demanding voltage cycles required to power heavy-duty vehicles. To address this challenge, the team has engineered a durable catalyst architecture with a novel design that shields platinum from the degradation typically observed in alloy systems.

  • Robot see, robot do: System learns after watching how-to videos
    on April 22, 2025 at 7:59 pm

    Researchers have developed a new robotic framework powered by artificial intelligence -- called RHyME (Retrieval for Hybrid Imitation under Mismatched Execution) -- that allows robots to learn tasks by watching a single how-to video.

  • In US, saving money is top reason to embrace solar power
    on April 22, 2025 at 5:14 pm

    Financial benefits, such as saving on utility payments and avoiding electricity rate hikes, are a key driver of U.S. adults' willingness to consider installing rooftop solar panels or subscribing to community solar power, a new study suggests.

  • Should farm fields be used for crops or solar? Or both
    on April 21, 2025 at 8:26 pm

    As farmers debate whether fields should be used for agriculture or solar panels, new research says the answer could be both. Scientists analyzed remote sensing and aerial imagery to study how fields have been used in California for the last 25 years. Using databases to estimate revenues and costs, they found that farmers who used a small percentage of their land for solar arrays were more financially secure per acre than those who didn't.

  • RoboBee comes in for a landing
    on April 16, 2025 at 7:19 pm

    A recently created RoboBee is now outfitted with its most reliable landing gear to date, inspired by one of nature's most graceful landers: the crane fly. The team has given their flying robot a set of long, jointed legs that help ease its transition from air to ground. The robot has also received an updated controller that helps it decelerate on approach, resulting in a gentle plop-down.

  • A new super metal stands strong, no matter the temperature
    on April 16, 2025 at 5:59 pm

    A research team develops a new alloy that maintains tensile properties from -196 degrees Celsius to 600 degrees Celsius.

  • Explainable AI for ship navigation raises trust, decreases human error
    on April 15, 2025 at 6:40 pm

    A team has developed an explainable AI model for automatic collision avoidance between ships.

  • Marine shipping emissions on track to meet 2030 goals, but expected to miss 2050 target
    on April 11, 2025 at 9:54 pm

    The United Nations organization responsible for international marine shipping today approved new emission reduction policies. A new paper highlights the need. Researchers surveyed 149 marine shipping experts in 2021 and found they expect the sector to see a reduction of 30 to 40 per cent in the carbon intensity of shipping -- a measure of the amount of CO2 emitted to ship cargo over a given distance -- by 2030 compared with 2008 levels. But they expect the sector won't meet its net-zero goal for 2050, instead achieving about 40 to 75 per cent reductions from 2008 levels.

  • Government urged to tackle inequality in 'low-carbon tech' like solar panels and electric cars
    on April 11, 2025 at 3:00 pm

    The UK government needs to go beyond offering subsidies for low-carbon technologies (LCTs) like electric cars and solar panels for energy and heating, if it is to meet its net-zero targets by 2050, a report suggests.

  • Unsafe driving during school drop offs at 'unacceptable' levels
    on April 10, 2025 at 5:09 pm

    Risky driving by parents and other motorists who do the school run is putting children in danger, according to a new study.

  • Potable water happy byproduct of low-cost green hydrogen technology
    on April 9, 2025 at 7:48 pm

    Engineers have hit the trifecta of sustainability technology: A group has developed a low-cost method to produce carbon-free 'green' hydrogen via solar-powered electrolysis of seawater. A happy byproduct of the process? Potable water.

  • Hopping gives this tiny robot a leg up
    on April 9, 2025 at 7:46 pm

    A hopping, insect-sized robot can jump over gaps or obstacles, traverse rough, slippery, or slanted surfaces, and perform aerial acrobatic maneuvers, while using a fraction of the energy required for flying microbots.

  • Termite stowaways: Study reveals boats as perfect vessels for global termite spread
    on April 7, 2025 at 9:30 pm

    A study reveals that termites are not simply spreading through natural processes, suggesting humans may be helping them 'conquer the world' by unknowingly transporting them aboard private boats.

  • How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads
    on April 3, 2025 at 6:37 pm

    New research shows that Sat Nav systems are helping keep older drivers on the roads for longer. The study reveals that over 65s with a poorer sense of direction rely more on help from GPS navigation systems such as Sat Nav or smartphone maps. Those using GPS tended to drive more frequently -- suggesting that the technology helps older people maintain driving independence.

  • An answer to green energy in hydrogen-generating marine microbes
    on April 3, 2025 at 4:30 pm

    A genomic study of hydrogen-producing bacteria has revealed entirely new gene clusters capable of producing large volumes of hydrogen.

  • Solar cells made of moon dust could power future space exploration
    on April 3, 2025 at 4:26 pm

    The same dirt that clings to astronauts' boots may one day keep their lights on. Researchers created solar cells made out of simulated Moon dust. The cells convert sunlight into energy efficiently, withstand radiation damage, and mitigate the need for transporting heavy materials into space, offering a potential solution to one of space exploration's biggest challenges: reliable energy sources.

  • Speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood
    on April 2, 2025 at 10:13 pm

    New York City's automated speed cameras reduced traffic crashes by 14% and decreased speeding violations by 75% over time, according to new research. The research revealed most cameras achieve their safety purpose within six months, with violations dropping and staying low -- showing drivers have changed behavior to drive more slowly and the cameras are working as intended, to deter speeding.

  • Reducing risk of embankment slope failures along roads
    on April 2, 2025 at 4:23 pm

    Based on their findings, the researchers noted there are practical solutions that could have prevented collapse of the embankment slope investigated in this study. Their recommendations include using stabilizing agents, like cement, to reduce the impact of moisture and the placement of perforated pipes to drain the water quickly.

  • Mini rolling robot takes virtual biopsies
    on March 26, 2025 at 7:44 pm

    A tiny magnetic robot which can take 3D scans from deep within the body, that could revolutionize early cancer detection, has been developed by researchers. The team say this is the first time it has been possible to generate high-resolution three-dimensional ultrasound images taken from a probe deep inside the gastrointestinal tract, or gut.

  • E-scooter crashes mainly caused by reckless driving
    on March 25, 2025 at 3:58 pm

    Crashes on electric scooters are mostly due to the behavior of the riders, with one-handed steering and riding in a group being some of the largest risk factors. The researchers are also concerned about riders who deliberately crash or cause dangerous situations when riding, a phenomenon that seems to be specific to electric scooters.

  • Geometric design of material provides safer bicycle helmet
    on March 25, 2025 at 3:58 pm

    By using geometric shapes in the shock-absorbing material, researchers have developed a bicycle helmet that provides better protection against head injuries. The material absorbs shock by contracting bilaterally.

  • These electronics-free robots can walk right off the 3D-printer
    on March 25, 2025 at 3:51 pm

    This a robot can walk, without electronics, and only with the addition of a cartridge of compressed gas, right off the 3D-printer. It can also be printed in one go, from one material.

  • EPA regulations cut power sector emissions but miss opportunities for deeper reductions
    on March 19, 2025 at 6:30 pm

    Regulations finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2024 could cut emissions from the power sector by 51% over 2022 levels, compared to only 26% without the rules, according to a new analysis. The study helps identify the likely effects of current regulations, highlights the impact of potential repeal on U.S. emissions, and quantifies the overall efficiency of emissions reductions achieved by the current rules.

  • Squirrel-inspired leaping robot can stick a landing on a branch
    on March 19, 2025 at 6:28 pm

    A leaping robot could have application in search and rescue, construction, even forest monitoring. But how do you design a robot to stick a landing on a branch or pipe? Biologists worked with robot designers to discover how squirrels do it, and used what they learned to design a one-legged robot with the balancing ability and leg biomechanics to correct for over- and undershooting and land successfully on a narrow perch.

  • Artificial muscle flexes in multiple directions, offering a path to soft, wiggly robots
    on March 17, 2025 at 8:35 pm

    Engineers developed a method to grow artificial muscle tissue that twitches and flexes in multiple, coordinated directions. These tissues could be useful for building 'biohybrid' robots powered by soft, artificially grown muscle fibers.

  • Scientists develop solar-powered method to convert sewage sludge into green hydrogen and animal feed
    on March 12, 2025 at 4:50 pm

    Scientists have developed an innovative solar-powered method to transform sewage sludge -- a by-product of wastewater treatment -- into green hydrogen for clean energy and single-cell protein for animal feed.

  • Security veins: Advanced biometric authentication through AI and infrared
    on March 7, 2025 at 6:01 pm

    A researcher succeeded developing highly accurate biometric authentication based on images of the palms of hands taken with a hyperspectral camera.

  • Smart, energy-efficient robot grippers cut production costs
    on March 6, 2025 at 5:33 pm

    Energy remains a significant factor in industrial production processes. High levels of energy consumption make production more expensive and exacerbate the climate crisis. A new type of robot technology needs 90% less electricity than conventional systems. The technology uses lightweight, shape memory materials to construct novel, non-pneumatic, industrial gripper systems that function without the need for additional sensors.

  • My compliments to the chef: Researcher studies robots in the kitchen
    on March 5, 2025 at 9:46 pm

    Walking into your favorite restaurant and seeing a robot chef in the kitchen may seem far-fetched, but new research suggests that bots could be a solution to persistent labor shortages in the industry.

  • Engineered cartilage from nasal septum cells helps treat complex knee injuries
    on March 5, 2025 at 9:44 pm

    Injuries to the articular cartilage in different joints, including the knee, are painful and limit mobility. Therefore, researchers are developing cartilage implants using cells from the patient's nasal septum. A recent study shows that giving these cartilage implants more time to mature significantly improved clinical efficacy, even in patients with complex cartilage injuries. This suggests that the method could also be suitable for the treatment of degenerated cartilage in osteoarthritis.

  • Study shines headlights on consumer driverless vehicle safety deficiencies
    on March 4, 2025 at 7:35 pm

    Researchers have demonstrated that multicolored stickers applied to stop or speed limit signs on the roadside can 'confuse' self-driving vehicles, causing unpredictable and possibly hazardous operations.

  • Breakthrough in clean energy: Palladium nanosheets pave way for affordable hydrogen
    on March 4, 2025 at 4:40 pm

    Hydrogen energy is widely recognized as a sustainable source for the future, but its large-scale production still relies on expensive and scarce platinum-based catalysts. In order to address this challenge, researchers have developed Bis(diimino)palladium coordination nanosheets (PdDI), a novel two-dimensional electrocatalyst that effectively facilitates the hydrogen evolution reactions while minimizing the use of precious metals like platinum, paving the way for affordable hydrogen production.

  • Self-driving cars learn to share road knowledge through digital word-of-mouth
    on February 27, 2025 at 9:57 pm

    A research team has developed a way for self-driving vehicles to share their knowledge about road conditions indirectly, making it possible for each vehicle to learn from the experiences of others even when they rarely meet on the road.

  • A springtail-like jumping robot
    on February 26, 2025 at 7:25 pm

    Springtails, small bugs often found crawling through leaf litter and garden soil, are expert jumpers. Inspired by these hopping hexapods, roboticists have made a walking, jumping robot that pushes the boundaries of what small robots can do. The research glimpses a future where nimble microrobots can crawl through tiny spaces, skitter across dangerous ground, and sense their environments without human intervention.

Sarah Ibrahim