News
China's real-life 'transformer' mech is a giant humanoid robot that can switch from bounding on 4 legs to walking on 2
59+ min ago (538+ words) The new 'mecha' robot, which weighs over 1, 000 pounds and stands nearly 10 foot tall, is designed for urban mobility. Chinese engineers have built a mecha-style robot that can quickly transition from two legs to four while carrying people, resembling the power-loader…...
New water battery could last until the 24th century " and it can be safely discarded in the environment
2+ week, 7+ hour ago (563+ words) With no toxic elements to dispose of, the new aqueous battery design could dramatically improve the safety and longevity of battery energy-storage systems. Researchers in China have pioneered a formula for a nontoxic "aqueous battery" that they say could last…...
Scientists create new solid-state sodium-ion battery " they say it'll make EVs cheaper and safer
5+ mon, 1+ week ago (698+ words) A new sodium-ion battery offers a cheaper and safer alternative to conventional lithium-ion systems, scientists say, paving the way for more sustainable EVs. A breakthrough battery technology could vastly improve the safety of batteries used for electric vehicles (EVs) and…...
Physicists create electron 'catapult' that moves particles through solar material at record speed
2+ mon, 59+ min ago (520+ words) Using a new method, physicists found a way to 'catapult' electrons across solar materials in quadrillionths of a second. Molecular vibrations can "catapult" electrons across solar materials in quadrillionths of a second" " much faster than previously thought, a new study…...
China puts a sodium-ion battery into an EV for the first time " it can drive 248 miles on a single charge
2+ mon, 2+ week ago (639+ words) A new vehicle is the first mass-produced passenger EV with a viable sodium-based alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries. A Chinese car manufacturer has unveiled the world's first sodium-ion (Na-ion) electric vehicle (EV), opening the door to safer battery technologies and…...
Sodium-ion batteries are getting ready for prime time. How can they improve EVs?
2+ mon, 2+ week ago (1520+ words) With potential safety improvements and lower manufacturing costs, Na-ion batteries are coming of age at precisely the right time Most of the rechargeable batteries used in today's technology, from electric cars to the phones in our pockets, are lithium-ion (Li-ion)…...
Chinese EV maker claims it's engineered the world's first semi-solid-state EV battery with huge 620-mile range
2+ mon, 2+ week ago (618+ words) The experimental manufacturing process could one day deliver a vehicle with a 1, 000-plus mile range, researchers say. Researchers in China have tested a next-generation solid-state battery capable of pushing electric vehicles far beyond current range limits: potentially more than 620 miles…...
China has planted so many trees around the Taklamakan Desert that it's turned this 'biological void' into a carbon sink
3+ mon, 1+ week ago (416+ words) Quick, fun science challenges. Huge-scale ecological engineering around the edges of one of the world's largest and driest deserts has turned it into a carbon sink that absorbs more CO2 than it emits, research suggests. Mass tree planting in China is…...
Days numbered for 'risky' lithium-ion batteries, scientists say, after fast-charging breakthrough in sodium-ion alternative
3+ mon, 3+ week ago (629+ words) An innovative approach to battery materials could bring sodium-ion energy density and charging speeds far closer to those of lithium-ion, scientists say. Using Na-ion batteries, an alternative to the Li-ion batteries found in the majority of today's devices, researchers at…...
Why the rise of humanoid robots could make us less comfortable with each other
3+ mon, 4+ week ago (823+ words) Living with robots could lead to plenty of societal improvements, but they also pose risks to how we socialize and co-exist with other human beings. When Elon Musk talks about robotics, he rarely hides the ambition behind the dream. Tesla's…...