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MIT's conceptual "sun-in-a-box" energy storage system plugs into molten silicon

Michael Irving December 6, 2018

Lithium-ion batteries aren't necessarily the best choice for grid-scale energy storage. Researchers at MIT have outlined a new system they call a “sun in a box,” which stores energy as heat in molten silicon and harvests it by tapping into the bright light it emits.

A render of MIT's new grid-scale energy storage system

Materials

Graphene speaker creates sound through heat, not vibrations

Michael Irving May 4, 2017

In every speaker is a membrane that physically vibrates to generate sound waves. But now, researchers have developed a speaker that doesn’t need to mechanically vibrate at all. Instead, a graphene membrane is heated and cooled with carefully controlled electric currents to create sound waves.

Graphene may hold the key for a new type of speaker that doesn't need a vibrating ...

Science

Scientists create time crystals, a rule-bending new form of matter

Michael Irving March 9, 2017

A new phase of matter, called a time crystal, has been created for the first time. In a regular crystal, the atoms are arranged in a pattern that repeats in space, but in a time crystal, that pattern repeats through time. The creation of time crystals marks a new class of non-equilibrium phases.

Researchers have created time crystals, a new phase of matter that repeats a pattern through time, ...

Science

Heat flow method can levitate just about anything

Michael Irving February 17, 2017

Levitation may look like magic, but there are a few scientific tricks behind it. Magnetic systems, optical levitation and acoustics only work with certain objects, but researchers at the University of Chicago have developed a method to levitate basically anything, using differences in temperature.

Researchers at the University of Chicago have demonstrated a levitation technique that can move macroscopic objects, ...

Materials

"Near-perfect" broadband absorber with potential in solar cells, windows and stealth

Colin Jeffrey February 5, 2017

A new flexible material can block various portions of the electromagnetic spectrum while allowing others through. The material has the potential to improve solar cell efficiencies and create window coatings that not only let in visible light and keep out heat, but also block electromagnetic signals.

Researchers have created a material that is able to absorb one frequency of light while being ...

Materials

Bizarre metal conducts electricity without heating up

Colin Jeffrey February 1, 2017

Metals that conduct electricity also produce heat, right? Well, no, not all of them, according to recent research led by Berkeley Lab. They've found one type of metal that keeps its cool as electrical current moves through it, and may lead to a range of new and super-efficient electrical devices.

A team of researchers led by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory claims to have identified a ...

Digital Cameras

Flir expands thermal camera range

Paul Ridden January 7, 2016

Flir Systems has announced two new additions to its Lepton-based range of thermal imaging solutions. The pocket-sized Scout TK is aimed at outdoor types, while the entry-level TG130 is heading for home and small business use.

The TG130 spot thermal camera is one of two new thermal imaging devices launched by Flir ...

Space

Saturnian moon may have deep-ocean vents that harbor life

David Szondy March 13, 2015

Data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft now indicates that the plumes from Saturn's moon Enceladus may be due to present-day hydrothermal activity in the vast ocean beneath the crust of the frozen moon, raising the possibility that Enceladus may harbor life.

Artist's view of the interior of Enceladus (Image: NASA/JPL)

Space

Researchers theorize two mechanisms that prevent prolific star creation in galaxy clusters

Anthony Wood March 11, 2015

For a long time, scientists have been searching for an answer as to how galaxy clusters regulate the number of stars they create. A team of researchers from MIT, Columbia University and Michigan State University believe they have found the answer.

Image of NGC 1275 displaying filimentary structures of gas surrounding the galaxy in the centre (Image: ...

Around The Home

Thermal vision microwave shows when your food is cooked just right

Nick Lavars February 12, 2015

Former NASA engineer-turned-inventor Mark Rober thinks nuking our food shouldn't involve so much guesswork. His take on the microwave offers a thermal vision display of your food as it cooks, so you know exactly when it's time to chow down.

As your food moves from cold to hot, it morphs from blue, to red, and to ...