In a remarkable leap forward for medical technology, a team of researchers led by Zou, X., Zhang, J., and Chan, C.P.Y. have unveiled a groundbreaking advancement in haptic feedback systems designed specifically for endoscopic teleoperation and remote palpation. Detailed in their recent publication in npj Flexible Electronics, this innovative approach employs dense elastomeric liquid metal microcoil-based interfaces to transform how surgeons and medical professionals interact with remote internal environments. The intersection of flexible electronics, smart materials, and precision control opens new vistas for minimally invasive procedures and telemedicine.

At the heart of this breakthrough lies the integration of liquid metal microcoils encapsulated within elastomeric substrates, forming a highly sensitive yet mechanically robust haptic interface. These microcoils are capable of generating precise electromagnetic fields which can be finely tuned to mimic various tactile sensations encountered during palpation of organic tissues. The elastomeric medium ensures that the device remains soft and compliant, paralleling the flexibility of biological tissues, a critical characteristic for interfacing with delicate anatomical structures during endoscopic maneuvers.

Traditionally, the lack of tactile feedback in endoscopic teleoperation has been a significant barrier limiting the surgeon’s ability to perform nuanced examinations and manipulations remotely. Without real-time haptic cues, operators must rely heavily on visual data, often constraining them to less precise interventions. The dense microcoil architecture introduced here circumvents this limitation, delivering graded force feedback that enhances situational awareness and operational dexterity. This certainly augurs well for improved patient outcomes and expanded applicability of robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgeries.

The engineering challenge of embedding electrically conductive liquid metals within stretchable matrices is particularly formidable due to factors such as metal leakage, durability under repeated mechanical deformation, and signal fidelity. By leveraging advanced microfabrication techniques, the research team has managed to arrange multiple liquid metal microcoils in closely packed networks, maintaining electrical continuity while allowing for substantial skin-like elasticity. The resulting elastomeric platform simultaneously exhibits excellent mechanical endurance and electromagnetic responsiveness, making it highly suitable for continuous use in clinical settings.

Further advancing the technology, the microcoils’ electromagnetic emissions can be dynamically modulated to emulate various textures and firmness levels characteristic of different tissue types. Thus, the interface can replicate sensations ranging from firm nodules to soft cystic formations, invaluable during diagnostic remote palpation. This capacity to differentiate subtle differences in tissue compliance could revolutionize tele-diagnostic methodologies and enable the virtual presence of expert clinicians regardless of their physical location.

Additionally, the researchers demonstrated that the compactness and biocompatibility of their design allow seamless integration with existing endoscopic instruments. Since these haptic interfaces are fabricated on flexible substrates that conform to complex geometries, retrofitting current devices for enhanced tactile perception becomes feasible without significant hardware overhaul. This compatibility introduces a pragmatic pathway for rapid clinical adoption and accelerates the translation from lab prototype to bedside tool.

Significantly, the device’s exceptional spatial resolution stems from the microcoil density that surpasses conventional haptic arrays by an order of magnitude. This density enables highly localized force feedback, empowering surgeons to discern minute anatomical features and manipulative pressures, akin to natural touch. Enhanced spatial acuity not only minimizes inadvertent tissue damage but also refines the precision of surgical gestures performed remotely, a vital enhancement for robotic endoscopy.

The durability tests conducted reveal that the elastomeric microcoil arrays withstand thousands of mechanical cycles without degradation in electrical or tactile function. This endurance is crucial for clinical reliability, as surgical procedures often extend over hours and necessitate consistent tactile feedback. The elastomer’s resistance to bodily fluids and sterilization processes further underscores its practicality for repeated use within sterile operating room environments.

Beyond endoscopy, the principles underpinning this technology have vast implications across medical robotics and wearable health devices. From remote rehabilitation to advanced prosthetics, densely packed liquid metal microcoil arrays embedded in soft elastomers could deliver highly intuitive haptic sensations that bridge the gap between man and machine. Their ability to accurately simulate touch and force presents a paradigm shift in direct human-machine interaction technologies.

Expanding the scope of teleoperation, this innovation paves the way for real-time remote palpation performed by specialists thousands of miles away. The combination of high-fidelity haptic feedback with tactile sensation mapping can enable remote diagnosis with unprecedented accuracy. This is particularly transformative for geographically isolated healthcare facilities, where access to expert practitioners is limited, enhancing healthcare equity on a global scale.

Further insights from the study highlight that the electromagnetic microcoils can operate efficiently with low power consumption, vital for portable and battery-operated surgical tools. Efficient energy usage not only extends operational time but reduces heat generation, an important factor in preserving tissue safety and user comfort. The smart material approach balances functionality with operational pragmatism, addressing key limitations in current haptic technologies.

From a materials science perspective, the marriage of liquid metal and elastomer illustrates a masterclass in multifunctional composite design. The liquid metal component, inherently conductive and deformable, harmonizes with the elastomer’s resilience to achieve electro-mechanical transduction without compromising softness. This synergy redefines the possibilities of flexible electronics by providing a multi-physics platform capable of sensing, actuating, and adapting simultaneously.

Another notable aspect lies in the scalability of the fabrication method. This enables mass production of the microcoil arrays with reproducible quality and design flexibility tailored to varied endoscopic devices. Scalability is essential for widespread clinical deployment and cost-effectiveness. By providing a reliable route for industrial manufacturing, the researchers have addressed one of the critical barriers to translating cutting-edge soft electronics into real-world medical accessories.

In conclusion, Zou et al.’s pioneering contribution in developing dense elastomeric liquid metal microcoil-based haptic interfaces represents a landmark achievement with far-reaching consequences for telemedicine and minimally invasive surgery. Their meticulous integration of fluid mechanics, materials engineering, and electromagnetic control offers a new standard for tactile interaction in remote medical procedures. This breakthrough invigorates the field of flexible electronics and sets a blueprint for next-generation human-machine interfaces enhancing surgical precision and patient care worldwide.

As the medical community faces the continuing challenge of providing expert care in increasingly complex and constrained environments, innovations such as these provide a beacon for safely extending human touch beyond physical boundaries. Dense elastomeric liquid metal microcoil haptics are poised to redefine surgical telepresence, promising a future where distance no longer limits the healing power of human touch.

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Subject of Research: Dense elastomeric liquid metal microcoil-based haptic interfaces for improving tactile feedback in endoscopic teleoperation and remote palpation.

Article Title: Dense elastomeric liquid metal microcoil-based haptic interfaces for endoscopic teleoperation and remote palpation.

Article References:
Zou, X., Zhang, J., Chan, C.P.Y. et al. Dense elastomeric liquid metal microcoil-based haptic interfaces for endoscopic teleoperation and remote palpation. npj Flex Electron (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-026-00608-7

Image Credits: AI Generated

Social media company Snap officially unveiled its new AR glasses priced at $2,195, the company’s latest push into the segment.

A decade in the making, Snap stated the AR glasses developed by its dedicated Specs subsidiary would bring AI assistance, work tools, entertainment and shared experiences “into the world around us”.

The device is scheduled to ship later this year, initially in the US, UK and France.

Specs are priced at more than 15-times the price of Snap’s original $130 camera-only Spectacles, which debuted in 2016 and struggled to gain traction.

Snap emphasised main selling points of Specs as being fully standalone, made from Swiss TR90 polymer and available in two sizes.

A 47mm model weighs 132 grams and a 52mm version 136 grams.

Snap argued current smart glasses are lightweight but limited in what they can do, while headsets “are powerful but can feel isolating and cumbersome”.

Specs are designed to address those drawbacks. The display system is powered by Snap’s proprietary liquid crystal on silicon technology, delivering a 51-degree field of view and 16 million colours. It claimed the display “feels like a 24-inch monitor” while working, or a 115-inch home cinema screen placed 10 feet away when watching a movie.

Other highlights include up to four hours of mixed battery life spanning audio and video playback, AI assistance for services including maps and general queries, and the ability to cast a screen and stream content wherever the user is.

Specs run two Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, with one dedicated to computer vision and the other running developer tool Lenses.

Lenses enables the glasses to access interactive features including academic and music educational tools.

Qualcomm struck a multi-year platform deal with the Specs subsidiary in April.

The post Snap sets out vision for $2,000 smart glasses appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Google started rolling out Android 17 on its Pixel devices, though some of its headline AI features will not arrive for another few months.

The initial version of Android 17 became available yesterday (16 June) on its devices, with other hardware brands to follow throughout 2026.

A new feature available in the launch is Bubbles, a multitasking tool which lets users collapse any app into a floating window which stays visible on screen, Google stated in a blog post.

Bubbles can be stacked, dragged to position and resized as required. On large-screen and foldable devices, bubbles are docked in a dedicated bar at the bottom of the display.

Google positions the feature as useful for referencing maps, writing notes during a call or keeping texts visible without opening the app switcher.

Screen recording has been updated with a new toolbar and feature called Screen Reactions, which lets users record themselves via the selfie camera while simultaneously capturing what’s on their phone screens.

Bloomberg reported the tool is Google’s response to the growing popularity of reaction-style video across social media, building the format directly into Android to reduce reliance on third-party apps such as CapCut and Instagram Edits.

For foldable device owners, Android 17 introduces a dedicated gaming mode with an optimised 50/50 layout placing a game view on top and a dynamic gamepad below.

Google has also reduced frame drops and improved memory cleanup for high-definition gaming, with native controller remapping available for external controllers.

Security
On the security and privacy front, users can now grant apps one-time location access rather than making a permanent decision and share only specific contacts rather than their full address book.

Lost Mode has been tightened to require biometric authentication alongside a PIN, making it harder for thieves to access a missing device even if they know the passcode.

Live Threat Detection has also been improved to block a greater range of suspicious apps and scams, and enhanced Advanced Protection mode helps keep users safe from sophisticated threats.

To stop bad actors trying to guess their way into users’ phones, Google reduced the number of times someone can guess a PIN and added longer wait times between failed attempts.

Many of Android 17’s more advanced features will follow later this year. Gemini Intelligence, redesigned emoji, smarter voice dictation and vibe-coded widgets will arrive soon, coming first to the Pixel 11 series and upcoming Samsung devices.

Google is also updating Wear OS 7 with longer battery life, better interoperability with connected devices including smart glasses, and Gemini Intelligence features including multi-step app automations.

The Android updates came a week after Apple unveiled a long list of AI and Siri improvements due in the coming months, highlighting the intensifying rivalry between the two mobile platforms.

The post Google launches Android 17 with multitasking, security upgrades appeared first on Mobile World Live.

In a groundbreaking development that promises to revolutionize the way artificial intelligence perceives the world, a collaborative research team from KAIST, MIT, and Microsoft has unveiled a novel technology named “Upsample Anything.” This pioneering innovation substantially enhances the visual acuity of AI systems while drastically reducing the memory demand on hardware, specifically GPU memory. The new method achieves up to a sixteenfold increase in memory efficiency, addressing one of the most critical bottlenecks in real-time AI vision applications for mobile and embedded devices.

The cornerstone of this advancement lies in overcoming the traditional compromise faced by AI-driven image processing systems. Historically, achieving higher resolution visual input required extensive GPU memory and computational power, creating a significant barrier to real-time implementation on resource-constrained devices such as smartphones and humanoid robots. Conversely, compressing images into low-resolution features, which is a common practice to conserve resources, often leads to the loss of crucial visual details like small objects and fine structural elements. This trade-off has long hindered the deployment of precise AI vision in dynamic and mobile environments.

The “Upsample Anything” technology ingeniously sidesteps this issue by introducing a training-free upsampling mechanism capable of reconstructing high-resolution features from low-resolution inputs without additional data training. Unlike conventional methods that necessitate retraining or complex optimization when exposed to new data or environmental conditions, this approach adapts instantly by leveraging the edge and structural information inherent within a single input image. This capability drastically simplifies deployment and customization across diverse AI vision applications.

At the heart of the method is a sophisticated process called test-time optimization (TTO), which refines pixel-wise anisotropic kernel parameters based on the specific low-resolution image. These learned kernels are then applied to foundational feature maps to generate high-resolution representations. The final phase involves pixel-wise anisotropic Joint Bilateral Upsampling, a technique that preserves edge details and texture fidelity while reconstructing the image in high resolution. This multi-stage pipeline ensures that essential visual information is restored with remarkable accuracy and efficiency.

Highlighted through an illustrative example, the research team demonstrated the restoration of a 224×224 pixel image— a common resolution in AI research— to a clarity nearly identical to the original, within approximately 0.4 seconds of computation. This substantial leap in processing speed and memory efficiency heralds a new era for real-time AI vision, where systems can now maintain high precision without the prohibitive cost of extensive hardware resources. The direct implication is that AI can better understand and interact with its environment, making it invaluable for applications requiring fine object detection and manipulation.

The utility of “Upsample Anything” stretches far beyond humanoid robots. Autonomous driving systems stand to benefit immensely, as they depend heavily on the rapid and accurate interpretation of complex visual scenes. With this technology, vehicles can process crucial visual cues in a more resource-efficient manner, enhancing safety and navigation capabilities. Additionally, on-device AI for smartphones and other portable gadgets can achieve superior visual comprehension while minimizing battery drain and thermal load— critical factors for consumer electronics.

The research team’s achievement was officially recognized at CVPR 2026, the most prestigious conference dedicated to computer vision and artificial intelligence. The work earned the “CVPR Compute Gold Star” award, a distinction granted to research that excels in computational efficiency. Furthermore, it was named the “Transparency Champion” for leading in research process transparency and reproducibility, emphasizing the team’s commitment to responsible and open scientific practices. This dual recognition highlights not only the technological ingenuity but also the ethical and procedural rigor of the research.

One of the most remarkable attributes of this technology is its universality and plug-and-play nature. Its training-free design means that no additional datasets or retraining cycles are required when deploying it in different settings. This contrasts sharply with existing upsampling methods that often demand labor-intensive tuning or environment-specific learning. Consequently, “Upsample Anything” can seamlessly integrate into a wide array of AI frameworks, simplifying engineering workflows and accelerating the timeline from development to deployment.

Professor Changick Kim, the project lead from KAIST’s School of Electrical Engineering, emphasized the transformative potential of this technology. He noted that by boosting visual precision with minimal resource demands, the algorithm can catalyze the commercial viability of complex AI entities like humanoid robots and enable more powerful on-device AI applications. The convergence of computational efficiency and high visual fidelity, he added, represents a critical step forward in the quest to bring sophisticated AI capabilities to everyday devices.

This advancement is particularly significant in the context of emerging AI models based on world models— frameworks that aim to understand and predict changes in physical environments. Effective deployment of such models often requires processing a large volume of visual data accurately and expediently. By enabling high-resolution feature upsampling without overwhelming hardware limitations, “Upsample Anything” paves the way for smarter, faster, and more adaptive AI models that truly comprehend their surroundings in detail.

The first author of the study, Minseok Seo, a doctoral student at KAIST, alongside co-authors from MIT and Microsoft, detailed their findings in a paper titled “Upsample Anything: A Simple and Hard to Beat Baseline for Feature Upsampling.” The work is publicly accessible via the arXiv repository (DOI: 10.48550/arXiv.2511.16301), facilitating further exploration and innovation by the wider research community. Their approach exemplifies a blend of elegance and practicality, challenging the assumption that high computational cost is a prerequisite for high-quality visual reconstruction in AI.

In conclusion, the “Upsample Anything” technology marks a significant leap in AI visual processing by resolving a longstanding dilemma between image resolution and hardware resource constraints. Its immediate applicability across various AI-driven fields— ranging from robotics to autonomous systems and portable devices— underscores its impact and longevity. As AI continues to entwine itself with daily human interaction and technological progress, innovations like this will form the backbone of smarter, more capable, and accessible intelligent systems.

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Subject of Research: Not applicable

Article Title: Upsample Anything: A Simple and Hard to Beat Baseline for Feature Upsampling

News Publication Date: 17-June-2026

Web References: https://dx.doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2511.16301

References: Upsample Anything: A Simple and Hard to Beat Baseline for Feature Upsampling, DOI:10.48550/arXiv.2511.16301 (Seo et al., 2026)

Image Credits: KAIST

Keywords

AI vision, upsampling technology, GPU memory efficiency, real-time image processing, test-time optimization, pixel-wise anisotropic kernels, Joint Bilateral Upsampling, on-device AI, humanoid robots, autonomous driving, world models, computer vision, computational efficiency