A research team at the University of Tsukuba reported that 43.3% of Japanese esports players were classified as having poor subjective sleep quality, according to a cross-sectional survey. In particular, poor sleep quality was common among individuals who engaged in esports play between 3:00 a.m. and 8:59 a.m. The study also identified differences in sleep patterns according to competitive level: Professional players were more likely to have later bedtimes and wake-up times, and amateur players tended to report a shorter total sleep time.
A new type of gamma-ray sensor developed by NASA, called AstroPix, will take part in a robotic arm demonstration on the agency's upcoming Fly Foundational Robots mission, set to launch in late 2027.
Engineers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a jacket that harvests drinking water directly from the air. The technology could benefit anyone who spends a lot of time in areas without easy access to drinking water, from hobbyist hikers, campers and runners to agricultural workers, emergency responders and soldiers. The advance in fabric technology comes alongside a new benchmark for atmospheric water harvesting.
Northwestern University scientists have developed a new liquid material that charges like a battery, transforms like a living organism and then resets itself in open air. Traditionally, harvesting energy, storing it and using it require separate materials or devices. The new platform merges all three functions into a single material, opening the door for adaptive, clean, renewable systems that don't require plastics or metals.
As artificial intelligence, cloud computing and digital services continue to expand, the world is facing a growing need for faster and more energy-efficient ways to store and process information. A team led by the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) has developed a new magnetic memory material that can be rewritten using laser light instead of electric current, a step that could help reduce power consumption in data centers and support future high-speed information systems.
A single photograph contains a wealth of information, but determining 3D spatial relationships from a 2D scene is no simple task. Many attempts have been made to develop a method to reconstruct both depth and sharp color images from a single snapshot, but many struggle to deliver accurate and reliable output.
In order to stabilize global warming at less than 1.5Β°C in the long term, there is a need not only for a drastic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions but also for technologies to remove and store hundreds of billions of tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. This is also the underlying basis of the scenarios set out in the latest Assessment Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Autonomous vehicles are already a reality on some of our streets and could become a major part of future transportation systems. Safety, of course, is the main concern, as with all vehicles. To help evaluate and improve its autonomous driving technology, U.S. driverless vehicle company Waymo has created a virtual representation of human driver behavior in near-crash situations.
Every underground coal mine has one thing in common: Coal seams leak methane gas into the tunnel network, presenting a serious safety hazard. The control is the same the world over: continuously pump fresh air through the workings, diluting and pushing out the methane. High-volume mechanical ventilation systems are a cornerstone of mine safety, but they create a stubborn environmental problem.
Hydrogen could be the key to a clean energy future, but a tiny problem has been holding it back: bubbles. In a paper published in Energy & Environmental Science, a multidisciplinary team of UNSW researchers, in collaboration with researchers from TotalEnergies and EPFL, has found a new way to boost the efficiency of green hydrogen production.
Imagine a catalyst that can heal itself after being damaged. A POSTECH-led research team has developed an electrocatalyst that regenerates its own metallic surface after oxidation, much like how a wound heals naturally. This breakthrough addresses one of the most critical challenges in hydrogen energy technology: the irreversible degradation of catalysts during operation.
What's it like to play a physical game with or against a robot that both looks and behaves like a person? That's what NTNU researchers wanted to find out when they conducted a controlled laboratory experiment with Pepper, a social robot designed to interact with humans.
If you've ever stood on a Victorian beach and felt the wind from the Southern Ocean, you'll know this is not a gentle force. Whipped up across thousands of kilometers of cold ocean, these winds are relentless and powerful.
Researchers in Japan have developed quantum multi-programming auto mode, a function that automatically runs quantum programs from different users in parallel. Launched on the Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Biology (QIQB) quantum computer cloud service at the University of Osaka, the system reduces idle qubit resources, improves throughput and may help ease congestion in quantum cloud computing.
For remotely operated underwater vehicles, cloudy and turbulent waters are often a no-go. When vehicles settle on the seafloor or dig through a sand bed, they can kick up clouds of sediment that make it tough for onboard cameras to see through. Often, the only thing to do is wait until the marine dust settles before a vehicle can safely proceed.
Coupling a power uprate with burnup extensionβor how long fuel can produce power before being replacedβallows fuel to operate at a higher power for longer periods. Fuels with accident-tolerant and higher-burnup capabilities allow reactor operators to do both, effectively producing more power, more effectively, at a lower cost.
As Australian motorists continue to grapple with rising fuel prices and electric vehicle (EV) sales steadily increase across the country, new research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has found that petrol costs alone are not the primary factor shaping drivers' decisions to switch to electric vehicles.
As robots increasingly move out of factories and into workplaces, hospitals, warehouses and public spaces, a simple challenge becomes increasingly important: helping people understand what those machines are about to do.
The use of a sea drone to rescue two U.S. Army aviators apparently shot down by Iran underscores the growing importance of such vessels in Washington's naval operations, analysts said Wednesday.
Beijing cleaner Lin Meiqiong found her work a little easier the day she was paired with an unlikely new colleagueβa tall, wheeled robot with AI-powered tidying skills.