EurekAlert! News by Subject: Tech & Engineering - News by Subject: Tech & Engineering

Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 8-Apr-2026 12:16 ET (8-Apr-2026 16:16 GMT/UTC)

Sultan Qaboos University advances commercial production of nutrient-rich spirulina

Sultan Qaboos University
Business Announcement

Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) has achieved a significant milestone in the commercial production of spirulina, a highly nutritious microalgae increasingly recognized worldwide for its role in food security, health supplements, and sustainable production systems.

Funder: Agricultural and Fisheries Development Fund

Prof. Noam Nisan elected as 2025 Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Grant and Award Announcement

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is pleased to announce that Professor Noam Nisan, of the Rachel and Selim Benin School of Computer Science and Engineering, has been named a 2025 Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). Professor Nisan is one of 71 new Fellows recognized this year for achieving significant results through technical innovation and service to the computing community. We extend our sincere congratulations to Professor Nisan on this professional milestone, which reflects his long-standing dedication to the advancement of theoretical computer science.

KAIST transforms hydrogen energy by flattening granular catalysts into paper-thin sheets

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Catalysts are the “invisible engines” of hydrogen energy, governing both hydrogen production and electricity generation. Conventional catalysts are typically fabricated in granular particle form, which is easy to synthesize but suffers from inefficient use of precious metals and limited durability. KAIST researchers have introduced a paper-thin sheet architecture in place of granules, demonstrating that a structural innovation—rather than new materials—can simultaneously reduce precious-metal usage while enhancing both hydrogen production and fuel-cell performance.

Journal: Nano Letters
Funder: Ministry of Science and ICT

Unpredictable movements of autonomous robots increase human discomfort

Toyohashi University of Technology (TUT)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team from the Visual Perception and Cognition Laboratory and the Cognitive Neurotechnology Unit at Toyohashi University of Technology investigated how the movements of autonomous mobile robots influence human emotional responses during passing encounters in virtual reality (VR) environments. The study found that when the robot moved monotonously in a straight path, participants initially exhibited increased arousal and skin conductance responses, which gradually diminished over repeated trials—indicating habituation. In contrast, when the robot’s motion included unpredictable pauses and restarts, both arousal and skin conductance responses remained elevated throughout the experiment, suggesting a lack of habituation and a greater tendency for participants to experience discomfort. These findings highlight the importance of predictability in robot behavior as a critical factor affecting human comfort in shared spaces. The results of this study were published online in the International Journal of Social Robotics on January 19, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-025-01341-3

Journal: International Journal of Social Robotics
Funder: New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization

Heavy transport using green hydrogen is more expensive in the Nordic region

Linköping University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Green hydrogen produced using solar and wind power would be cheaper to produce at more southerly latitudes than in the Nordic region. This is shown in a study from Linköping University, Sweden. The results can be used as a basis for building a European network of refuelling stations that supply locally produced green hydrogen.

Journal: Transportation Research Part E Logistics and Transportation Review
Funder: Familjen Kamprads Stiftelse

A single plate captures multiple frequencies at once

Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

POSTECH Professor Junsuk Rho’s Team Develops the World’s First Multi-Frequency Elastic Wave Control Technology.

Journal: Nature Communications

New algorithms allow scientists to simulate nanodevices on a supercomputer

National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) MARVEL
Reports and Proceedings

A research team led by Mathieu Luisier from ETH Zurich and MARVEL has introduced a software package called QuaTrEx (Quantum Transport Simulations at the Exascale and Beyond), that combines in a new way DFT, the GW approximation and the non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF). By running it on two supercomputers - one in Switzerland and one in the USA – the Alps supercomputer at the Swiss National Supercomputing Center in Lugano, and on the Frontiers machine at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility in Tennesse, USA - they were able to simulate the behavior of a nanoribbon, the fundamental component of next-generation transistors, made out of over 42,000 atoms. For this work, the group was awarded an Honorable Mention (or second place) at the 2025 ACM Gordon Bell Prize.