With growing concerns over fossil fuel depletion and the environmental impacts of petrochemical production, scientists are actively exploring renewable strategies to produce essential industrial chemicals. A collaborative research team—led by Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee, Senior Vice President for Research, from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, together with Professor Sunkyu Han from the Department of Chemistry at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)—has developed an integrated chemobiological platform that converts renewable carbon sources such as glucose and glycerol into oxygenated precursors, which are subsequently deoxygenated in the same solvent system to yield benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and p-xylene (BTEX), which are fundamental aromatic hydrocarbons used in fuels, polymers, and consumer products.

Bochum, Germany, October 29, 2025, Researchers from Research Center for Future Energy Materials and Systems at the Ruhr University Bochum, Software for Chemistry & Materials BV, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam have demonstrated that modern universal machine learning interatomic potentials (uMLIPs) can now accurately describe systems ranging from single molecules to bulk solids, representing a significant leap forward for uMLIPs in materials science. The study introduces the 0123D dataset, comprising 40,000 diverse structures specifically designed to benchmark model performance across all dimensionalities.

A research paper by scientists at the Soochow University proposed a novel magnetically actuated device based on a hybrid electromagnetic coil and permanent magnet control system.

The research paper, published on Jun. 24, 2025 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems, presented a hybrid magnetic actuation system that extends the functional capabilities of miniature ferrofluidic robot (MFR) through synergistic multi-physical interactions.

Researchers from the Technical University of Munich have developed URNet, a novel artificial intelligence model that helps autonomous driving systems perceive their surroundings more clearly—even in dark, fast-changing environments. By combining an unconventional “event camera” with a self-aware framework, URNet allows vehicles to build reliable 3D maps that measure how far objects are—a process known as depth estimation—while understanding how confident they should be about what they “see.” This innovation could make next-generation self-driving cars safer and more capable of navigating complex real-world conditions.

A research paper by scientists at the Harbin Institute of Technology proposed a novel centimeter-scale quadruped piezo robot. The robot’s locomotion is generated by multi-dimensional vibration trajectories at the feet, which are produced through a novel built-in actuation method.

The research paper, published on Jul. 22, 2025 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems, presented a novel centimeter-scale quadruped piezoelectric robot with high integration and strong robustness, which promises to bring new perspectives for the construction and application of centimeter-scale robots.