Researchers from NII, Science Tokyo, and Tohoku University have developed a bio-inspired robotic system modeled after the silkworm moth's navigation. This resilient robot can accurately locate odor sources in diverse environments even with a failed sensor, mimicking the moth's ability to adapt to losing one of the antennae. This breakthrough provides a new framework for creating robust autonomous systems capable of maintaining performance under mechanical failure.

The newly updated Eurocode 4 will be used to shape safer, lower-carbon construction across Europe. 

Researchers at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) have developed a novel virtual reality (VR) system that could make the treatment of arachnophobia, also known as spider phobia, more targeted and personalised in the future. The “VRSpi” system is a prototype which analyses the EEG data and heart rate of the participants during a confrontation with spiders in a VR environment. Based on this objective measurement data, it adjusts the intensity of the stimuli in real time to the person’s current level of anxiety. This avoids over- or under-stimulation and optimises the effectiveness of the exposure in order to get the users used to the creatures.

There is a promising new drug for the rare disease mastocytosis, which is associated with skin lesions, among other things. Researchers at the University of Basel have now been able to use artificial intelligence to quantitatively measure for the first time the extent to which it reduces skin lesions.

Researchers developed a fireproof material from sawdust and mineral that can be used for internal partitions.

Initial estimates show material could achieve the same fire protection class as conventional cement-bonded particle board. 

Components of the composite material can be reused.

Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) confers broad-spectrum resistance in plants, offering a simple, environmental-friendly, and promising strategy for safeguarding crops against diverse phytopathogens. These findings also provide valuable insights for future in-depth studies into the functional mechanisms of NMN.

A new navigation integrity method could make maritime precise positioning both safer and more practical. 

Researchers developed high-performance, lead-free piezoelectric thin films on silicon that convert everyday vibrations into electricity. By using strain engineering and a novel sputtering method, they achieved record performance and demonstrated the compatibility of efficient, battery-free MEMS energy harvesters with standard semiconductor manufacturing processes. 

A research team led by researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, has, for the first time, successfully decoded leg movements directly from the remaining nerves in people with above-knee amputations. Using novel implantable neurotechnology and an AI method based on the nervous system’s own “language”, the researchers could do what was previously impossible and interpret detailed movements – even the will to wiggle toes. This technology opens the way to future leg prostheses that feel and act more like a natural part of the body.