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More grip on smart devices? Why legislation falls short

8 September 2026 at 20:20
From smart vacuum cleaners and doorbell cameras to complex medical equipment in hospitals, many devices around us are connected to the internet. But are we adequately protected against the risks this poses? Legal scholar Mattis van 't Schip is calling for improved European legislation regulating digital devices as ecosystems. His Ph.D. defense will take place Sept. 16 at Radboud University.

Should people marry AI agents?

11 August 2026 at 13:00
The widespread use of conversational platforms such as ChatGPT and Gemini is raising important new ethical, anthropological and legal questions regarding the potential risks, misuses and shortcomings of artificial intelligence (AI). In discussing their personal experiences, some people have shared that they formed emotional attachments to AI agents or even felt that they had formed romantic relationships with them.

'You're a 4 out of 10': The troubling rise of AI appearance ratings

10 August 2026 at 18:00
A teenager joins an online video chat. Within seconds, artificial intelligence analyzes their face and gives them a score out of 10 for "attractiveness." They are compared in real time with another user who scores higher and is declared the winner. The game is live-streamed, and the audience ridicules the loser in the chat.

Thinking about trading your car in for an EV? Here's a compelling new reason to do it now

6 August 2026 at 19:00
In recent months, American drivers have felt the pain of increased prices at the gas pump. There's some evidence that higher prices may be fueling interest in greener ways of getting around. Battery electric cars, more commonly called electric vehicles or EVs, can be cheaper to own and operate than gas-powered internal combustion engine cars, and they offer considerable sustainability benefits. But just how much better for the planet are electric vehicles, really?

Wearable patch vibrates when it detects environmental hazards

24 July 2026 at 19:40
Researchers have created a wearable patch that can detect hazards in the environmentβ€”such as dangerous gases or heavy metals in waterβ€”and then notify wearers by vibrating against their skin. The researchers have also extended the work to create an "e-skin" for robotic devices, allowing robots to detect and avoid hazards in their environment. The paper is published in the journal Device.

Tracking what consumers think before they buy

24 June 2026 at 15:40
Manufacturers have traditionally relied on sales figures to understand where they stand with consumers, but by the time those numbers arrive, consumers' buying decisions have already been made. A study co-authored by UC Riverside business professor Hai Che offers a way to capture what consumers are thinking while they are still weighing options, comparing products and deciding whether to buy at all.

Wearable glove turns data into heat and touch for more personal insights

18 June 2026 at 21:00
University of Adelaide researchers have developed a wearable glove that uses heat, touch and physical objects to transform data into a sensory experience. The prototype, called ThermoPhy, was developed as part of a remote internship run by the Australian Research Center for Interactive and Virtual Environments (IVE) at the University of Adelaide.

Intelligent, but not conscious: A warning about AI chatbots

18 June 2026 at 14:49
Have you ever said "thanks" to ChatGPT, or "please" to Claude? Maybe you're just being polite, showing some civility to a helpful and eloquent conversational partner. You may even consider politeness a safe choice, just in case machines someday reveal that they were conscious all along and decide to take revenge on those who were rude to them.

Harsh critics are the most loyal fans of video game brands, study shows

16 June 2026 at 15:20
Dr. Naser Pourazad, senior lecturer in marketing at Flinders University's College of Business, Creative Arts, Law and Social Sciences, has examined how video game fans express their brand advocacy through online forumsβ€”and this reveals distinct consumer engagement patterns that challenge traditional marketing approaches. "This isn't just about games," says Dr. Pourazad. "As brands try to build passionate fan bases, our study shows the traditional marketing playbook is broken."

AR-assisted Japanese flower arrangement helps beginners learn at home while preserving mindfulness

15 June 2026 at 19:00
Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement, is an important form of Japan's Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) that fosters creativity, mindfulness and aesthetic sensitivity. Also known as "Kado," or way of the flower, ikebana offers people living in metropolitan areas a way to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and connect with nature, which significantly benefits mental well-being.

Love at first prompt? How AI-assisted courtship is rewriting the rules of online dating

15 June 2026 at 16:20
In the famous French play Cyrano de Bergerac, the brilliant but insecure Cyrano lends his eloquence to the handsome, tongue-tied Christian to help him woo his lover. Today, a remarkably similar scene is playing out among millions of dating app users, with the role of the lovelorn poet played not by a human but by AI. New research from Constructor University professor Dr. Lennart Ante analyzes the growing impact of dating app users outsourcing the delicate work of courtshipβ€”from the witty opening line to the flirtatious replyβ€”to AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini or even specialized "wingman" apps like Rizz and Winggg.

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