Two faculty members from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Tickle College of Engineering are part of a nearly $1 million National Science Foundationinterdisciplinary project aimed at optimizing and expanding the production and distribution of locally grown food. Jon Hathaway, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Catherine Schuman, an assistant professor in the Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, are collaborating with a local nonprofit, Three3, and other University of Tennessee researchers and community partners to develop DFARM, a smart, connected community food production and distribution system.

Novel framework enables fine control over the intensity and expressiveness of AI-generated human motion, as reported by researchers from Science Tokyo. The “Motion Style Slider” framework enables animators to control the style and adjust a virtual character’s motion, from subtle to overly exaggerated, based on only two motion samples. The proposed approach achieves consistent style control and smooth transitions without the need for extensive motion-capture datasets.

Researchers at Fudan University have developed a crosslinked potassium polyacrylate skin membrane that lets microrobots generate electricity by walking on metal or silicon surfaces. The membrane uses atmospheric moisture and oxygen to convert environmental chemical energy into power, achieving 133 mW cm⁻² on zinc. It also senses substrate material and roughness, enabling active energy pursuit. The system powered over 10,000 walking steps and remained stable after 1,000,000 steps.

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have developed an AI scientist capable of generating scientific hypothesis, designing experiments, and interpreting results. Making new biological discoveries with minimal human intervention is an important advance in self-driving laboratories.Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have developed an AI scientist capable of generating scientific hypothesis, designing experiments, and interpreting results. Making new biological discoveries with minimal human intervention is an important advance in self-driving laboratories.