Pipelines are extensively used in environments such as nuclear power plants, chemical factories, and medical devices to transport gases and liquids. These tubular environments often feature complex geometries, confined spaces, and millimeter-scale height restrictions, presenting significant challenges to conventional inspection methods. Here, we present an ultrasonic microrobot (weight, 80 mg; dimensions, 24 mm × 7 mm; thickness, 210 μm) to realize agile and bidirectional navigation in narrow pipelines. The ultrathin structural design of the robot is achieved through a high-performance piezoelectric composite film microstructure based on MEMS technology. The robot exhibits various vibration modes when driven by ultrasonic frequency signals, its motion speed reaches 81 cm s⁻¹ at 54.8 kHz, exceeding that of the fastest piezoelectric microrobots, and its forward and backward motion direction is controllable through frequency modulation, while the minimum driving voltage for initial movement can be as low as 3 V_P-P. Additionally, the robot can effortlessly climb slopes up to 24.25° and carry loads more than 36 times its weight. The robot is capable of agile navigation through curved L-shaped pipes, pipes made of various materials (acrylic, stainless steel, and polyvinyl chloride), and even over water. To further demonstrate its inspection capabilities, a micro-endoscope camera is integrated into the robot, enabling real-time image capture inside glass pipes.

Since the first design of tactile sensors was proposed by Harmon in 1982, tactile sensors have evolved through four key phases: industrial applications (1980s, basic pressure detection), miniaturization via MEMS (1990s), flexible electronics (2010s, stretchable materials), and intelligent systems (2020s-present, AI-driven multimodal sensing). With the innovation of material, processing techniques, and multimodal fusion of stimuli, the application of tactile sensors has been continuously expanding to a diversity of areas, including but not limited to medical care, aerospace, sports and intelligent robots. Currently, researchers are dedicated to develop tactile sensors with emerging mechanisms and structures, pursuing high-sensitivity, high-resolution, and multimodal characteristics and further constructing tactile systems which imitate and approach the performance of human organs. However, challenges in the combination between the theoretical research and the practical applications are still significant. There is a lack of comprehensive understanding in the state of the art of such knowledge transferring from academic work to technical products. Scaled-up production of laboratory materials faces fatal challenges like high costs, small scale, and inconsistent quality. Ambient factors, such as temperature, humidity, and electromagnetic interference, also impair signal reliability. Moreover, tactile sensors must operate across a wide pressure range (0.1 kPa to several or even dozens of MPa) to meet diverse application needs. Meanwhile, the existing algorithms, data models and sensing systems commonly reveal insufficient precision as well as undesired robustness in data processing, and there is a realistic gap between the designed and the demanded system response speed. In this review, oriented by the design requirements of intelligent tactile sensing systems, we summarize the common sensing mechanisms, inspired structures, key performance, and optimizing strategies, followed by a brief overview of the recent advances in the perspectives of system integration and algorithm implementation, and the possible roadmap of future development of tactile sensors, providing a forward-looking as well as critical discussions in the future industrial applications of flexible tactile sensors.

A 3D model of the Sea of Japan reveals a three-layer vertical structure of PCBs, with dissolved PCB concentrations peaking at intermediate depths (100–600 m). Among the congeners, CB28 exhibits the highest concentration, CB180 the lowest. CB153 and CB101 are enriched below the surface. Heavier congeners are scavenged during spring blooms, showing high concentration at intermediate depths due to sinking of biogenic particles. Thus, the biological pump likely concentrates the high-chlorinated PCBs at intermediate depths.

On 8:00 PM (EST) November 6, 2025, leading scientists from across the globe will gather online for the Extreme Manufacturing Webinar Series: “Additive Manufacturing and the 21st Century Industrial Revolution.” The event brings together four pioneering researchers whose work is pushing the boundaries of what can be made—and how fast, sustainable, and intelligent manufacturing can become.

Research teams from Lanzhou University, Shandong University of Technology, University of California, Irvine, and Hanyang University have published a comprehensive review on solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) for next-generation solid-state batteries. Their study, recently accepted in Materials Futures, explores the safety, flexibility, and scalable processability of SPEs, and illustrates how molecular design enables tunable ion-conduction pathways, stable electrode contact, and large-scale manufacturability. Key topics covered include ion-transport mechanisms, polymer chemistry strategies, inorganic filler engineering, and future research directions.

Protein designers have now created new calcium channels, built bottom-up from scratch. Naturally occurring ion channels, present in the membrane of excitable cells, generate electrical impulses. These electrophysiological signals help direct muscle contraction, the heartbeat and the release of neurotransmitters. Synthetic ion channels could serve as tools for biomedical research, from neuroscience experiments to heart biology models and synthetic cell signaling circuits.