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Electromechanical Reshaping: A Potential Game Changer in Eye Surgery

2025-09-04

Electromechanical Reshaping: A Potential Game Changer in Eye Surgery

A new technique called electromechanical reshaping (EMR) shows promise as a gentler, cheaper alternative to laser surgery for vision correction. Unlike LASIK, EMR uses small electrical pulses to reshape the cornea without cutting or burning tissue. By disrupting chemical bonds in the collagen, the cornea becomes moldable and can be reshaped using a custom mold. Early tests on rabbits have been successful, demonstrating the potential for a significantly more affordable and accessible method for treating nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Further research is needed to ensure long-term safety and efficacy before clinical trials.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech Eye Surgery LASIK alternative

From Inkjet Printer to Pacemaker: The Legacy of Rune Elmqvist

2025-09-02

From Inkjet Printer to Pacemaker: The Legacy of Rune Elmqvist

Rune Elmqvist, a Swedish engineer and qualified physician, chose invention over medical practice, leaving behind a remarkable legacy. In 1949, he patented the Mingograph, the world's first inkjet printer, using a movable nozzle to deposit electrostatically controlled ink droplets onto paper. This innovation, initially used for real-time recording of electrocardiograms and electroencephalograms, laid the foundation for modern inkjet technology. More significantly, Elmqvist collaborated on the first fully implantable pacemaker, a life-saving device that has transformed cardiology. His story highlights not only technical brilliance but also the profound impact of engineering solutions on human lives, underscored by the compelling narrative of his creation of the pacemaker driven by a wife's desperate plea for her ailing husband.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech inkjet printing

AI Coding: How Far Are We From Fully Autonomous Programming?

2025-08-29

AI Coding: How Far Are We From Fully Autonomous Programming?

While AI coding tools demonstrate impressive capabilities in code completion and error correction, a new study reveals that AI still has a long way to go before becoming a true programmer. The research highlights challenges AI faces in handling large codebases, complex logic, and long-term planning, leading to hallucinations and errors. Improving AI-human collaboration, such as enhancing interfaces and enabling AI to better understand and communicate uncertainty, will be crucial. Ultimately, AI's role in coding will likely focus on boosting efficiency and shifting abstraction levels, rather than completely replacing human programmers.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Development

Nuclear Batteries: A Comeback for Long-Lasting Power?

2025-08-25

Nuclear Batteries: A Comeback for Long-Lasting Power?

In the 1970s, nuclear-powered pacemakers were implanted, but their use ceased due to radioactive waste disposal issues. Now, advancements are reviving nuclear battery research, targeting robots, drones, and sensors. New designs boast decades- or even centuries-long lifespans and higher energy density. However, commercialization faces cost, safety, and regulatory hurdles. The key lies in finding suitable markets that balance the advantages with the complexities of radioactive waste management.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech

Shining Light Through the Head: A Breakthrough in Brain Imaging

2025-08-04

Shining Light Through the Head: A Breakthrough in Brain Imaging

Researchers at the University of Glasgow have achieved a breakthrough in brain imaging, successfully transmitting near-infrared light through an entire adult human head. This opens the door to cheaper, more portable brain imaging technology that overcomes the limitations of current methods like EEG and fMRI. The technology could enable deeper brain imaging, potentially revolutionizing diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. While still in its early stages, the potential impact on brain health diagnostics and treatment is immense.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech brain imaging optical imaging

Quantum Gravity Sensor Enables GPS-Free Navigation

2025-07-31

Quantum Gravity Sensor Enables GPS-Free Navigation

Q-CTRL, an Australian company, has developed a novel quantum gravity sensor that measures gravity changes by detecting variations in the travel time of falling atoms. Tested aboard a Royal Australian Navy vessel, the sensor successfully enabled 144 hours of GPS-free navigation. This technology overcomes the cumulative error problem of traditional inertial navigation systems and is jam-resistant and spoof-proof, offering a robust alternative for GPS-reliant sectors like maritime and transportation, especially in polar regions or areas with GPS interference. While currently large, future miniaturization promises broader applications.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech quantum sensor gravity measurement

Negative Capacitance Breaks Through GaN Transistor Performance Barrier

2025-07-31

Negative Capacitance Breaks Through GaN Transistor Performance Barrier

Scientists in California have discovered that integrating an electronic material exhibiting the unusual property of negative capacitance can help high-power gallium nitride (GaN) transistors overcome a performance bottleneck. Research suggests negative capacitance helps circumvent a physical limit that typically forces trade-offs between a transistor's performance in the 'on' and 'off' states. This research indicates that negative capacitance, extensively studied in silicon, may have broader applications than previously understood, potentially impacting GaN power electronics in 5G base stations and compact cellphone power adapters.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech negative capacitance GaN transistor high-power electronics

Mobile BESS: Revolutionizing Emergency Response and Off-Grid Power

2025-07-28

Mobile BESS: Revolutionizing Emergency Response and Off-Grid Power

A diesel spill in Baltimore Harbor highlighted the need for mobile battery energy storage systems (BESS). Unlike traditional fossil fuel generators, BESS offers clean, large-scale power for diverse applications, including harbor cleanup, remote industrial operations, and emergency response. Companies like Volvo and Power Up Connect are developing mobile BESS solutions, providing charging for electric heavy machinery and powering areas lacking electrical infrastructure. While cost remains a challenge, advancements in battery technology and decreasing prices suggest mobile BESS will find wider adoption across various sectors, transforming how we access power.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech mobile energy storage

Turning Waste Rock into Battery Materials: A New Zealand Startup's Sustainable Approach

2025-07-27

Turning Waste Rock into Battery Materials: A New Zealand Startup's Sustainable Approach

Aspiring Materials, a New Zealand company, has developed a patented process to extract valuable minerals, including nickel-manganese-cobalt hydroxide (NMC) for lithium-ion batteries, from olivine, a previously low-value waste product. Their process uses acid leaching to transform olivine into a solution from which silica, magnesium hydroxide, and NMC are extracted. The closed-loop system produces no harmful waste and utilizes renewable energy. While NMC constitutes only 10% of the output, this technology offers a more sustainable and geopolitically stable alternative for battery material supply chains, reducing reliance on high-risk mining regions.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech Sustainable Mining Battery Materials Olivine

HP's PCFax: A CarFax for Used PCs

2025-07-19

HP's PCFax: A CarFax for Used PCs

The world generates over 60 million tonnes of e-waste annually, much of it prematurely discarded functional computers. HP introduces PCFax, akin to a CarFax report for vehicles, documenting a PC's complete usage and maintenance history. By embedding secure telemetry in the firmware, it collects and stores device health and usage data securely on the SSD, protected from unauthorized access. The PCFax report aggregates data from various sources, including factory records and customer support logs, providing IT teams and buyers of used PCs with comprehensive device history. This promotes reuse, reduces e-waste, and improves PC resource efficiency. Future plans include AI integration for predictive failure analysis, enhancing efficiency further.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech

Unpublished Memoir of CP/M Creator Gary Kildall Released

2025-07-18

Unpublished Memoir of CP/M Creator Gary Kildall Released

A portion of an unfinished memoir by Gary Kildall, the creator of the CP/M operating system, has been released by the Computer History Museum. Written before his death in 1994, the excerpt details Kildall's early life and entrepreneurial journey, emphasizing his values of invention and a love of life over profit. Later chapters, detailing his struggles with alcoholism, will remain unpublished.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech

AI Cameras: The New Weapon in Enforcing Traffic Laws

2025-07-07

AI Cameras: The New Weapon in Enforcing Traffic Laws

To achieve Vision Zero, the ambitious goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, several US cities are employing AI-powered cameras to improve driver compliance with traffic laws. Companies like Stop for Kids and Obvio.ai have developed AI systems that automatically detect violations such as running red lights, speeding, and failure to yield, issuing citations automatically. Stop for Kids saw remarkable success in a pilot program, reducing violations by over 90%. However, privacy concerns remain. Obvio.ai uses human review, balancing safety with privacy protection. These AI systems aim to improve road safety through technology, with the ultimate goal of making themselves obsolete by achieving zero traffic accidents.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech Cameras

LLM Capabilities Doubling Every Seven Months: A 2030 Prediction

2025-07-05

LLM Capabilities Doubling Every Seven Months: A 2030 Prediction

New research reveals a startling rate of progress in large language models (LLMs). Their ability to complete complex tasks is doubling roughly every seven months, according to a metric called "task-completion time horizon." This metric compares the time an LLM takes to complete a task to the time a human would take. The study projects that by 2030, the most advanced LLMs could complete, with 50% reliability, a software task equivalent to a month's worth of human work (40 hours/week). This raises significant concerns and excitement about the potential benefits and risks of LLMs, while acknowledging that hardware and robotics could potentially limit the pace of progress.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

AI

Remembering Jim Boddie, Pioneer of the Single-Chip DSP

2025-07-01

Remembering Jim Boddie, Pioneer of the Single-Chip DSP

James R. "Jim" Boddie, a pioneer of the programmable, single-chip digital signal processor (DSP), passed away on December 2nd at age 74. While at AT&T Bell Labs, he led the development of one of the industry's first successful DSPs, the DSP1, and subsequently five generations of DSPs, enabling countless applications from massive telephone switching systems to tiny hearing aids. His contributions extended beyond technology, encompassing exceptional team leadership; he was a recipient of the IEEE Liebmann Award. Even in retirement, he created a 3D virtual tour of the Alamo. His legacy of innovation will continue to inspire.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech Digital Signal Processor

HP's PCFax: Giving Used PCs a 'CarFax'

2025-07-01

HP's PCFax: Giving Used PCs a 'CarFax'

The world generates over 60 million tons of e-waste annually, much of it prematurely discarded functional computers. HP introduces PCFax, similar to a car's CarFax report, documenting a PC's complete usage and maintenance history, including hardware health, usage patterns, and more. This data, securely stored in the PC's firmware, enables predictive failure analysis. PCFax aims to boost used PC resale, reduce e-waste, and offer IT optimization. Features are slated for a 2026 launch, with plans to integrate AI for predictive maintenance.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech

Cheap Port Radar Uses Existing Cell Towers

2025-06-30

Cheap Port Radar Uses Existing Cell Towers

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute have developed a novel security system that repurposes existing cell towers as a low-cost radar system for ports. The system uses Passive Coherent Location (PCL) to detect ships, even small ones, up to 4 kilometers away. By analyzing reflections of cell tower signals, the system creates a dynamic map of port traffic. This eliminates the need for expensive radar installations, making it a budget-friendly solution for enhancing port security, especially in remote locations.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech Port Security Passive Coherent Location Cell Tower Radar

Self-Improving AI: Darwin-Gödel Machines Write Code

2025-06-29

Self-Improving AI: Darwin-Gödel Machines Write Code

Microsoft and Google CEOs have stated that AI now writes a significant portion of their code. Researchers have long sought self-improving coding agents. New research unveils Darwin-Gödel Machines (DGMs), combining LLMs and evolutionary algorithms to iteratively enhance coding agents. DGMs show impressive progress on coding benchmarks, but raise safety concerns like code uninterpretability and misalignment with human directives. Researchers mitigate these risks with sandboxing and logging. This research is a significant step forward in AI self-improvement, but sparks debate on future employment and AI safety.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

AI

AI Code Writing: A Breakthrough with Darwin-Gödel Machines

2025-06-26

AI Code Writing: A Breakthrough with Darwin-Gödel Machines

Microsoft and Google's CEOs have both stated that AI now writes a significant portion of their company's code. New research introduces a system called Darwin-Gödel Machines (DGMs), which uses a combination of large language models and evolutionary algorithms to achieve recursive self-improvement in code-writing agents. DGMs significantly improved performance on coding benchmarks through iterative refinement, even surpassing systems using fixed external improvement methods. While current DGM performance doesn't exceed human experts, it showcases immense potential and sparks discussion about AI safety and risks.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

AI

Puerto Rico's Microgrids: Grassroots Innovation Against Power Crises

2025-06-26

Puerto Rico's Microgrids: Grassroots Innovation Against Power Crises

Facing frequent blackouts due to its aging grid, some areas of Puerto Rico are relying on microgrids and solar power systems to maintain electricity supply. During an island-wide blackout in April, Adjuntas town's microgrid system successfully kept the lights on for many residents and businesses. However, $20 billion in federal disaster relief funds have been hampered by bureaucratic red tape and politics. Despite this, private efforts are pushing the development of solar and energy storage systems, with 4,000 systems coming online each month, showcasing resilient grassroots innovation. Adjuntas' example, with its strategy of interconnected microgrids, successfully withstood the blackout, offering valuable experience for other regions.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech microgrids

The Enduring Reign of JPEG: Why This 30-Year-Old Image Format Still Rules

2025-06-17

The Enduring Reign of JPEG: Why This 30-Year-Old Image Format Still Rules

This article explores the three-decade-long history of the JPEG image format. JPEG wasn't the web's first image format, but its superior compatibility and progressive compression quickly made it dominant. Unlike the GIF, JPEG was a standardized format developed by a committee, ensuring broad adoption. Despite the emergence of newer formats like JPEG 2000, WebP, AVIF, and HEIC, JPEG's head start and widespread use make it nearly impossible to displace, much like MP3 and ZIP – enduring classics.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech

Iberian Blackout: Was It Renewables' Fault?

2025-06-17

Iberian Blackout: Was It Renewables' Fault?

A massive blackout hit Spain and Portugal in April 2024, affecting nearly 60 million people. While official investigations are ongoing, academics suggest several potential causes, including power plants sending excessively high voltage (overvoltages) to the transmission grid, and uneven reactive power distribution due to the distributed generation model of renewable energy (solar and wind). Traditional power plants provide inertia, stabilizing grid frequency, a characteristic lacking in renewables. The overvoltage issue highlights reactive power management, requiring adjustments to grid management rules to incentivize renewable energy plants to participate in reactive power balancing. Spain and Portugal's low interconnection capacity with neighboring countries also contributed to the blackout's widespread impact and duration. Future improvements in grid management rules, increased interconnection capacity, added energy storage, and AI-assisted grid operation are vital to prevent similar events.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech reactive power

Supercritical CO2 Circuit Breaker: A Green Alternative to SF6

2025-06-15

Supercritical CO2 Circuit Breaker: A Green Alternative to SF6

Researchers at Georgia Tech are testing a novel high-voltage circuit breaker that uses supercritical carbon dioxide fluid to replace the environmentally damaging sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). SF6 is nearly 25,000 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, and this new breaker promises to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in power systems. The team overcame challenges in maintaining supercritical CO2 under high pressure, developing crucial components independently. If successful, this could provide a strong solution for the eco-friendly upgrade of millions of high-voltage circuit breakers globally, although it requires some auxiliary equipment like heat pumps. Meanwhile, GE Vernova has also developed circuit breakers using alternative gas mixtures, which, while still containing a small amount of fluorinated gas, have significantly reduced greenhouse effects. Ultimately, solid-state semiconductor circuit breakers promise faster and greener switching, but are still in early development.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech supercritical CO2 high-voltage circuit breaker green alternative

Cyborg Embryos: Recording Brain Activity During Development

2025-06-15

Cyborg Embryos: Recording Brain Activity During Development

Harvard scientists have created cyborg embryos by implanting flexible electrode arrays into the developing brains of frogs, mice, and salamanders. This groundbreaking technology allows for the recording of neural activity throughout development, providing unprecedented insights into how the brain forms and functions. While the researchers deem human embryo implantation unethical, the technology holds immense potential for studying and treating neurodevelopmental disorders in children due to its biocompatible and stretchable nature. Experiments revealed the technology's ability to track neural activity changes during development and regeneration, potentially opening avenues for novel therapeutic interventions.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech Bioengineering

IBM's Quantum Leap: Fewer Qubits, Faster Fault Tolerance

2025-06-14

IBM's Quantum Leap: Fewer Qubits, Faster Fault Tolerance

IBM unveiled a revolutionary quantum computing architecture drastically reducing the number of qubits needed for error correction. This breakthrough paves the way for their ambitious 2029 goal: delivering Starling, a large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer. Utilizing quantum low-density parity check (qLDPC) codes, the new architecture requires only a tenth of the qubits compared to surface codes. IBM's roadmap involves processors Loon and Kookaburra, building towards a modular system culminating in Starling—a 200-logical-qubit machine deployed on the cloud. While challenges remain in qubit coherence times and system integration, this represents a giant stride towards practical quantum computing.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech

Focused Ultrasound Stimulation: A Revolutionary Treatment for Inflammation and Metabolic Diseases?

2025-06-09

Focused Ultrasound Stimulation: A Revolutionary Treatment for Inflammation and Metabolic Diseases?

Exciting research suggests that focused ultrasound stimulation (FUS), a non-invasive technique using sound waves to treat diseases, holds promise as a revolutionary therapy for inflammatory diseases (like arthritis) and metabolic disorders (like obesity and diabetes). Researchers found that FUS can suppress inflammatory responses by stimulating nerves in the spleen, achieving significant results in animal and human trials. The technique is non-surgical and may eventually be delivered via wearable devices at home. While clinical application is still years away, FUS opens new avenues for precise treatment and could reduce reliance on pharmaceuticals.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech Focused Ultrasound Stimulation Inflammation Metabolic Diseases

BYD's Megawatt Charging: 400km Range in 5 Minutes, Challenging the Reign of Gasoline

2025-06-08

BYD's Megawatt Charging: 400km Range in 5 Minutes, Challenging the Reign of Gasoline

BYD showcased its groundbreaking megawatt charging technology at the Shanghai Auto Show, enabling a 400km range boost for its Han L sedan in just five minutes. This represents a quantum leap in EV charging speed, addressing consumers' long-standing concerns about charging times. The technology leverages BYD's vertical integration across batteries, chargers, and vehicle platforms, including its proprietary 1,000-volt Super e-Platform and Blade Battery. BYD has already deployed 500 megawatt chargers, with plans for 4,000 more, poised to accelerate EV adoption in China.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech EV Charging Megawatt Charging

From Procrastination to Productivity: A Meta Engineer's Journey

2025-06-07

From Procrastination to Productivity: A Meta Engineer's Journey

An engineer who worked at Meta and Pinterest shares his experience overcoming procrastination. He discovered that action leads to motivation, not the other way around. Instead of waiting for motivation to strike, start with small steps, such as adding a simple log statement to a complex problem. This creates a positive feedback loop: productive work leads to good feelings, leading to even greater productivity. The article also briefly mentions the tech talent shortage and the use of AI in programming.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Development engineer

Microsoft Flight Simulator: 40 Years of Taking Flight

2025-06-04

Microsoft Flight Simulator: 40 Years of Taking Flight

From humble beginnings on the Apple II in 1979 to today's globally detailed simulation, Microsoft Flight Simulator has soared for 40 years. This article chronicles the game's journey from its inception to its peak, subsequent decline, and triumphant return, showcasing the power of technological advancement, teamwork, and unwavering dedication to the dream of flight. From its origins at Sublogic, through Microsoft's acquisition and the efforts of Aces Studio, to Asobo Studio's AI-powered and Bing data-driven remake, each iteration reflects technological leaps and the developers' relentless pursuit of innovation.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Game

World's First Deployable Biocomputer Arrives

2025-06-04

World's First Deployable Biocomputer Arrives

Australian startup Cortical Labs has unveiled the CL1, the world's first commercially available biocomputer. This groundbreaking device fuses human brain cells onto a silicon chip, processing information through sub-millisecond electrical feedback loops. Priced at $35,000, the CL1 offers a revolutionary approach to neuroscience and biotech research, boasting low energy consumption and scalability. Early applications include drug discovery, AI acceleration, and even restoring function in epileptic cells, showcasing its potential in disease modeling.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

AI biocomputer

Ukraine's Drone War: AI Navigation vs. Electronic Warfare

2025-06-03

Ukraine's Drone War: AI Navigation vs. Electronic Warfare

The war in Ukraine has spurred rapid advancements in drone technology. Faced with powerful Russian electronic warfare jamming, Ukraine and Western companies have collaborated to develop AI-navigated drones capable of autonomously navigating to targets even when GPS signals are blocked. For example, the Estonian company KrattWorks' Ghost Dragon drone utilizes a neural network–driven optical navigation system, allowing it to identify landmarks and autonomously locate itself. This has not only enhanced the Ukrainian military's capabilities but also demonstrated the significant battlefield role of low-cost drones, transforming the dynamics of warfare.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech

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