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Tech

Robotics

FlexiQuad: the collision-resistant ring drone from ETH Zurich

Robotics researchers at ETH Zurich have designed a quadcopter without a rigid central body that absorbs collisions without crashing. Invented by Luca Girardi and Stefano Mintchev, the ring-shaped FlexiQuad drone uses an elastic frame that flexes laterally on impact while retaining the vertical stiffness required for flight. The inventors have filed a patent application for the device, which has also earned a nomination for the university's Spark Award.

Mobile

AT&T and AST SpaceMobile complete first cellular to satellite network handoff

Engineers in Washington state have completed what they describe as the first successful live handoff between a terrestrial cellular network and a direct-to-device satellite link. The demonstration by AT&T and AST SpaceMobile allowed standard mobile devices to maintain connectivity as they moved beyond the reach of ground towers. If deployed commercially, the architecture could eliminate dead zones on highways and remote regions without requiring specialized hardware.

Tech

Fraunhofer FKIE Connects Seafloor Sensors to Shore With Gateway Buoys

Underwater sensors and uncrewed vessels cannot rely on conventional Wi-Fi or cellular networks because water absorbs electromagnetic waves. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE have built an acoustic network to bridge this gap, using floating gateway buoys to pass critical seafloor data to command stations on land.

Robotics

Humanoid Robot Learns Complex Sequences Without Unified Training Data

Teaching a bipedal machine to walk across a room and manipulate objects usually requires unbroken demonstration sequences that are difficult to record reliably. A research team at Seoul National University has built a vision-language-action architecture called RISE, which connects independently gathered walking and handling data to perform sequential tasks. The system advances practical robotics by cutting the burden of training physical machines.

AI

OpenAI and Anthropic claim AI solved a 27-year-old computer science problem

Teams at OpenAI and Anthropic claim that artificial intelligence has cracked a 27-year-old pillar of computer science. The achievement forms one of three major claims from OpenAI, opening fresh debates on intellectual property and the distribution of machine-generated scientific findings.

Giovanni Sapere

AI

BBERT uses artificial intelligence to identify hidden bacteria in soil

Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and partner institutions have developed an artificial intelligence tool called BBERT to identify unknown bacterial DNA fragments directly from environmental soil samples. The software, detailed in a study published in Nucleic Acids Research, borrows mechanisms from language processing to evaluate genetic material without needing exact matches in reference catalogs. The invention allows laboratories to reconstruct microbial genomes in less than half the usual time using conventional personal computers.

Letizia Giugliano

Tech

Transmitting Odors Over the Internet with Scentronic

Two research teams from The Ohio State University and Zhejiang Laboratory have demonstrated a method to digitize and transmit odors over network connections. The setup pairs an electronic nose with an emitting unit called Scentronic, using machine learning to classify scents before misting preloaded liquid fragrances. So far, the system has successfully transmitted the aromas of coffee, beer, cake, oranges and red wine.

Letizia Giugliano

Robotics

China tests experimental submersible trimaran warship

Naval shipbuilders in China are testing an uncrewed missile vessel at Huludao on the Bohai Sea that conceals its hull beneath the surface before emerging to fire. The experimental trimaran design measures roughly 65 metres in length and reflects a growing convergence of naval engineering and autonomous robotics.

Letizia Giugliano

Robotics

Magnetic Bead Implants Give Robotic Prosthetics Real Time Muscle Tracking

Three human amputees have successfully tested an implantable magnetic tracking system that measures muscle movements in real time. The study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, published in the journal Nature Sensors, offers a new physical interface for robotics controllers that guide advanced prosthetic limbs.

Letizia Giugliano

Robotics

Penn Engineers Speed Up Event Camera Vision to 440 Times per Second

Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed an artificial intelligence tool that processes event-camera visual data up to 440 times per second. The software invention, called Fast Feature Field, allows machines to interpret rapid environmental changes between two and five times faster than earlier methods. Reported in the journal Science Robotics, the system helps autonomous drones, wheeled vehicles, and walking robots react quickly in cluttered spaces and low-light conditions.

Letizia Giugliano

Motors

Beehive Industries tests Frenzy 6 jet engine prototype for drones

Colorado-based defense propulsion manufacturer Beehive Industries has conducted the first test of its Frenzy 6 engine prototype. The trial took place on September 23 at the company's headquarters, assessing a compact propulsion unit tailored for unmanned aerial systems and munitions. The demonstration marks a rapid transition from technical design to physical hardware.

Letizia Giugliano

Tech

EPFL Shrinks Ultra-Fast Blue Laser Onto a Photonic Chip

Engineers at EPFL in Switzerland have mounted a high-precision blue laser onto a miniature photonic chip, keeping frequency variation below 30 kilohertz while tuning rapidly. The compact invention sends optical signals through water and identifies airborne particles that standard infrared beams miss.

Letizia Giugliano

AI

Beijing researchers design bone scaffolds in 12 seconds with AI

Engineers and medical researchers at Beijing Rehabilitation Hospital, affiliated with Capital Medical University, have introduced ScaffoldForge, a generative artificial intelligence system for bone repair. The tool designs customized bone scaffolds in roughly 12 seconds, shifting a calculation process that previously required hours of computing time.

Giovanni Sapere

Tech

NUS Engineers Weave a Touchscreen Display Directly Into Garment Fabric

Engineers at the National University of Singapore have turned clothing fibers into an interactive display. Led by assistant professor Tural Khudiyev, the team integrated 54 electronic threads into a shirt sleeve to produce a touch-sensitive screen that plays video, registers finger presses and tracks body temperature.

Letizia Giugliano

Tech

Rockefeller University Engineers TrUDI Platform for Deep Brain Imaging

Biophysicists at Rockefeller University have developed a microscopy system that records neural activity deep within living brain tissue without requiring the surgical removal of overlying layers. The technical innovation, described in Nature Methods, boosts three-photon imaging efficiency by roughly 250 times while protecting delicate neural structures from heat damage.

Letizia Giugliano

Robotics

MIT engineers build a snake-inspired soft robot to explore the small intestine

Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have built a flexible robotic enteroscope designed to navigate the narrow curves of the human small intestine. The new system combines soft robotics with snake-like locomotion to inspect tissue, apply medication and remove small polyps deep inside the digestive tract.

Giovanni Sapere

AI

OpenAI Models Generate Proofs in Mathematics, Computing and Quantum Physics

Research systems powered by artificial intelligence have generated formal mathematical proofs addressing long-standing conjectures in harmonic analysis, computational complexity, and quantum field theory. The results, announced by [Interesting Engineering](https://interestingengineering.com/ai-robotics/openai-proofs-math-computing-physics), have been formalized using computer-checked verification and handed over to independent mathematicians and physicists for peer assessment.

Letizia Giugliano

AI

OpenAI Reports Breakthroughs in Mathematics, Computer Science and Physics

OpenAI announced a series of automated discoveries in mathematics, computer science and theoretical physics on October 27, 2026. The releases expand upon earlier mathematical papers, introducing model-generated proofs that challenge long-standing foundational assumptions across scientific fields.

Letizia Giugliano