EurekAlert! News by Subject: Tech & Engineering

Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 30-Oct-2026 22:16 ET (31-Oct-2026 02:16 GMT/UTC)

18-Jun-2026

AI speed up the use of optical tweezers

University of Gothenburg
Peer-Reviewed Publication

By teaching an AI to use optical tweezers, researchers from the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology, have sped up the analysis of life’s smallest components. The AI platform captures particles, takes measurements and loads new samples, all without human intervention.

Journal: Nature Methods

18-Jun-2026

Language processing Human brain and AI both work with predictions

Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Even while listening, the brain attempts to anticipate the next words. This is the conclusion reached by a current study conducted by an interdisciplinary team of researchers led by PD Dr. Patrick Krauss, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), and PD Dr. Achim Schilling, Heidelberg University. The researchers combined three methods: a natural listening situation, high resolution measurements of brain activity, and an AI language model as reference. The higher the probability of a certain word occurring in the relevant context, the weaker the neural reaction during processing. At the same time, the data indicate a rise in pre-onset activity before the word begins, suggesting the brain works with predictions.

Journal: NeuroImage

18-Jun-2026

UT San Antonio's Center for Military Affiliated Students receives enhanced technology support through T-Mobile partnership

University of Texas at San Antonio
Business Announcement

Expanding digital infrastructure at Center for Military Affiliated Students (CMAS) will help UT San Antonio deliver more flexible, responsive and secure support for a student population that is central to the university’s mission and community impact.

18-Jun-2026

Teenagers whose parents are more distracted by phones are more insecure

Frontiers
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Debates about whether teenagers’ phone use is healthy are constant — but much less attention has been paid to the impact of others’ device use on adolescents. Now a study looking at the impact of parental figures’ device behaviors on teenagers suggests an unexpected hazard for their future wellbeing. Of the teens surveyed, those who perceived that their parental figures were often distracted by their phones were much more likely to demonstrate an insecure attachment style, which makes it harder to form healthy relationships and is associated with poorer mental and physical health.

Journal: Frontiers in Psychology

17-Jun-2026

AI unlocks the secrets of viruses: Birth of large protein structures for vaccine delivery

Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

- Prof. Sangmin Lee of POSTECH publishes findings in Nature, the world's most prestigious academic journal, through joint research with Prof. David Baker of the University of Washington, Nobel Prize laureate.

- Viral structural principles reproduced using AI, with promising applications as next-generation drug delivery systems.

Journal: Nature

17-Jun-2026

Crack-resistant, ultra-stretchable ionic hydrogel for high-performance wearable physiological sensors

Chinese Journal of Polymer Science
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A tough and notch-insensitive conductive hydrogel is developed by introducing L-arginine-regulated polyoxometalatenano-crosslinking domains. The hydrogel exhibits high stretchability, robust ionic conductivity, and sensitive strain sens-ing, enabling stable electrocardiogram (ECG) and electromyography (EMG) signal monitoring for wearable bioelectronics.

Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Science Research Project of the Hebei Education Department

17-Jun-2026

Closing the loop: One-step toxic lead recovery from flexible perovskite solar cells

Kanazawa University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Kanazawa University, Japan – Researchers led by Associate Prof. Md. Shahiduzzaman and Prof. Tetsuya Taima in collaboration with Prof. Katsuhiro Maeda and Prof. Hiroshi Hasegawa developed a one-step recycling method for flexible perovskite solar cells. The technology enables highly efficient recovery of toxic Pb (99.7%) and valuable metals including Au and In from end-of-life devices. This environmentally responsible approach reduces environmental risks, conserves valuable resources and supports sustainable commercialization of next-generation perovskite solar energy technologies.

Journal: ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering

17-Jun-2026

KAIST develops next-generation self-powered wearable sensor resilient to 668% elongation

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

-Professor Miso Kim’s team at the Department of Mechanical Engineering develops a piezoelectric fiber sensor with no performance degradation under repeated deformation through coil/knot structures and a stable electrode design

-Application expected in battery-free motion and pressure sensing for wearable medical devices, electronic skins, and soft robots

Journal: ACS Nano
Funder: National Research Foundation of Korea, National Research Foundation of Korea, National Research Foundation of Korea

17-Jun-2026

AI model proves to be a heavyweight in tumor assessment: Mesothelioma patients and physicians benefit

Netherlands Cancer Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Physicians and researchers at the Netherlands Cancer Institute have developed an AI model that outperforms physicians at evaluating treatment response in pleural mesothelioma. Being far more accurate than the current international standard criteria (RECIST), the model provides patients with greater certainty and tailored treatments. It radically changes how physicians assess tumors and could accelerate the development of new treatments by making clinical trials more reliable and efficient.

Journal: The Lancet Oncology
Funder: KWF Kankerbestrijding, AVL Foundation, Nederlandse Vereniging van Artsen voor Longziekten en Tuberculose