African scaly-tailed squirrels use their scaled tails to safely move across the smooth bark of trees in their native rainforest habitats. Researchers from Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems have for the first time investigated the physics of these thorn-covered scales located on the underside of the squirrel tails through mathematical and physical models. Their findings could eventually enable agile and energy-efficient bionic robots and drones.

In this week’s issue of the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, Prof. Joohoon Kang at Yonsei University and his team provide a comprehensive review that sheds light on how atomically thin 2D materials—especially those processed through solution-based methods—could offer scalable and cost-effective approaches for producing memristors, a type of memory device promising for in-memory and neuromorphic computing hardware.

The leading researcher, Prof. Joohoon Kang, commented: “Our work will serve as a milestone in solution-processed 2D memristor research—being the first review to extensively cover 2D memristors specifically fabricated using solution-based processing, from fundamental principles and materials production to device fabrication, switching mechanisms, and potential applications.”

Analytical Chemistry researchers at the University of Amsterdam’s Van ‘t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS) have developed a novel algorithm that significantly improves the analysis of copolymers. It allows the determination of their block structure, which has until now been impossible using common analytical approaches. The researchers present their achievement in two recent scientific papers in ACS Macromolecules and Analytica Chimica Acta.

Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, have revealed that releasing treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant site have negligible short- and long-term effects on tritium concentrations in the ocean, which remain well below international safety standards.

Bimodal pressure sensors capable of simultaneously detecting static and dynamic forces are essential to medical detection and bio-robotics. However, conventional pressure sensors typically integrate multiple operating mechanisms to achieve bimodal detection, leading to complex device architectures and challenges in signal decoupling. In this work, we address these limitations by leveraging the unique piezotronic effect of Y-ion-doped ZnO to develop a bimodal piezotronic sensor (BPS) with a simplified structure and enhanced sensitivity. Through a combination of finite element simulations and experimental validation, we demonstrate that the BPS can effectively monitor both dynamic and static forces, achieving an on/off ratio of 1029, a gauge factor of 23,439 and a static force response duration of up to 600 s, significantly outperforming the performance of conventional piezoelectric sensors. As a proof-of-concept, the BPS demonstrates the continuous monitoring of Achilles tendon behavior under mixed dynamic and static loading conditions. Aided by deep learning algorithms, the system achieves 96% accuracy in identifying Achilles tendon movement patterns, thus enabling warnings for dangerous movements. This work provides a viable strategy for bimodal force monitoring, highlighting its potential in wearable electronics.

Researchers have developed a revolutionary non-invasive method combining 3D laser scanning technology and sensor data time-series analysis for identifying defective water treatment filters, achieving significant reductions in inspection time and labor costs while eliminating operational disruptions. Published in Smart Construction, this breakthrough has the potential to transform water treatment facility maintenance, ensuring safer and more efficient water processing by detecting subsurface structural defects through surface geometric changes and operational anomalies.