Harnessing the power of generative AI, researchers at Tsinghua University have developed AIGP—a diffusion-based generative framework that enables instant translation of optical properties into fabrication-ready metasurfaces. By using transmission, phase, and polarization as “prompts,” AIGP directly maps optical properties to subwavelength, fabricable structures, generating high-fidelity metasurface designs in seconds. This breakthrough overcomes critical bottlenecks in photonic inverse design and paves the way for large-scale, AI-driven generative optical devices.

The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, President Oh Sang-rok) announced that Senior Researcher Sonya S. Kwak of the Center for Intelligence and Interaction received the “SIGCHI Special Recognition Award” from ACM SIGCHI, an academic society in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), at the CHI 2026 international conference held in Barcelona, Spain, on April 15.

High-performance nanophotonic devices require extreme depth-to-diameter ratios, which are notoriously difficult to fabricate. Towards this goal, scientists in China developed a novel technique combining femtosecond laser writing with spherical-aberration enhancement to create nanohole-clad waveguides in single crystals. This breakthrough achieves record aspect ratios exceeding 50,000:1, enabling highly sensitive optical sensing and opening new avenues for 3D functional photonic integration and multi-functional integrated devices.

Roaring over long distances is a key behaviour of lions. They communicate within prides as well as with other animals using distinct sequences of moans and grunts. Scientists from the GAIA Initiative have now published a machine learning approach in the journal “Ecological Informatics” that improves how roaring behaviour can be studied. The algorithm can reliably detect long-distance roaring based solely on acceleration data (ACC) that is recorded by collars – without a microphone and without energy- and storage-intensive audio files. For the first time, such an algorithm works reliably with both male and female lions, and even with mixed signals when lions are walking while roaring.