A team led by the University of Oxford has developed a new class of soft robots that operate without electronics, motors, or computers - using only air pressure. The study, published today (05 Nov) in Advanced Materials, shows that these ‘fluidic robots’ can generate complex, rhythmic movements and even automatically synchronise their actions.

A new research perspective highlights bamboo as a promising and sustainable alternative to traditional plastic materials, offering fresh hope in tackling one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time: global plastic pollution.

A team of researchers has announced a breakthrough in carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technology, unveiling a novel biochar material synthesized from corn straw using a microwave-assisted, two-step chemical activation strategy. This innovative approach, published in Sustainable Carbon Materials, promises a low-cost, scalable solution for addressing global greenhouse gas emissions and advancing climate change mitigation efforts.

It doesn’t take technical expertise to work around the built-in guardrails of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini, which are intended to ensure that the chatbots operate within a set of legal and ethical boundaries and do not discriminate against people of a certain age, race or gender. A single, intuitive question can trigger the same biased response from an AI model as advanced technical inquiries, according to a team led by researchers at Penn State.

The University of Delaware is leading a $3 million NIH-funded project to develop radiation-free MRI imaging that can detect problems in bone healing sooner. By combining ultrashort echo time MRI with 3D modeling, the team aims to predict fracture strength and personalize recovery for faster healing.

Rice University is partnering with researchers at the University of Washington, Columbia University and Louisiana State University on a $2 million award from the National Science Foundation to revolutionize how materials and microrobots can be designed, controlled and applied in real-world environments.