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Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 5-Apr-2026 16:15 ET (5-Apr-2026 20:15 GMT/UTC)

Wearable sensor-assisted exercise program helps frail older adults live longer even better

Shanghai Jiao Tong University Journal Center

A new study published in Translational Exercise Biomedicine (ISSN: 2942-6812), an official partner journal of International Federation of Sports Medicine (FIMS), reveals that a progressive, multi-component exercise program, enhanced by wearable sensor technology, can significantly counteract the debilitating effects of frailty in older adults. The 12-week intervention led to remarkable improvements not only in physical strength and balance, but also in cognitive abilities and overall quality of life, presenting an effective and practical strategy for community health management in an aging global population.

Journal: Translational Exercise Biomedicine

Scientists create a 'lymphatic system' for robots, paving the way for self-powered wearables and machines

Journal Center of Harbin Institute of Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Soft robots offer incredible potential in fields from medicine to exploration, but their fluid-driven actuators are often tethered to bulky, rigid pumps. Researchers from Zhejiang University have developed a new-type, soft fiber pump inspired by the body's lymphatic system. This pump is not only highly flexible and easy to manufacture but can also be powered by a built-in triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), harvesting energy from motion to create untethered, self-sufficient soft robotic systems.

Journal: SmartBot

Robots learn to 'see' and control themselves with simple 2D cameras, paving the way for greater autonomy

Journal Center of Harbin Institute of Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A model of a robot is crucial for controlling, but it is always hard to obtain for a new robot. Researchers from Sun Yat-sen University have introduced "NeRFSim," a novel framework that enables robots to autonomously construct their own morphological and kinematic models using only standard RGB images. The resulting self-model enables robots to accurately predict poses, solve inverse kinematic problems, and generate trajectories for task execution, providing a cost-effective and highly adaptive solution for robotic self-awareness.

Journal: SmartBot

Kids’ reading apps failing to deliver educational value

Flinders University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Many mobile apps claiming to support early reading skills in children fail to deliver actual educational benefit, with positive app store reviews seemingly driven by aesthetics and functionality, a new Flinders University analysis has found. The first-of-its-kind study had an expert panel of speech pathologists appraise 309 mobile apps claiming to support the development of phonics and phonological awareness skills; foundational skills critical to early reading development. Almost 1 in 5 apps were found to be of poor quality, with expert reviewers only recommending 85 of the 309 apps appraised, for their potential to support development of foundational reading skills.

Journal: Early Childhood Education Journal
Funder: Flinders University

Six University of Tennessee faculty among world’s most highly cited researchers

University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Grant and Award Announcement

Six faculty members from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville — five from the Tickle College of Engineering and one from the College of Arts and Sciences — have been named to Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers list for 2025, an honor bestowed on only one in 1,000 of the world’s scientists and social scientists.

Biochar shows powerful potential to build cleaner and more sustainable cities worldwide

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

As cities continue to expand and face rising environmental pressure, scientists are seeking innovative solutions that can help urban areas become cleaner, greener, and more resilient. A new perspective paper highlights biochar, a carbon rich material made from organic waste, as a transformative tool that could significantly improve the environmental future of cities around the world.

Biochar offers a new, sustainable tool for nuclear safety

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University

A common, charcoal-like material made from plant waste could become an unexpected ally in making nuclear technology cleaner and safer, according to a new review in the journal Biochar. The study highlights how “biochar” can help trap radioactive elements, improve radiation shielding, and support cleaner nuclear processes, all while storing carbon in the ground.

Journal: Biochar