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For millions of years, living organisms have developed an impressive ability to change their shape and behavior when circumstances change. Cells can alter their structure, tissues can respond to forces, and animals can adapt their movements to their surroundings. This ability to adjust is an important part of survival and evolution. Now, researchers are bringing a similar idea into the world of artificial materials. A team led by Yao Du has developed metamaterials that can physically learn how to change shape . Unlike conventional materials, which are normally designed to perform a specific movement or function, these new metamaterials can be trained using examples. They can gradually modify their internal properties, remember learned behaviors, forget old ones, and learn new shape-changing responses. The research could open a new direction for adaptive materials, soft robotics and physical artificial intelligence . What Makes These Metamaterials Different? Metamaterials are specially ...

Imagine a construction site where dozens of small robots work together like a team of builders. Instead of relying on one massive construction machine, these robots could move around, connect with building materials, rearrange themselves, and cooperate to assemble structures. Researchers led by Samuel Leder have developed a modular collective robotic construction system that brings this idea closer to reality. What makes the approach particularly interesting is that the robots don't simply manipulate special laboratory materials. They use timber struts—wooden structural elements commonly used in construction—as both building materials and parts of the robotic system itself. The research combines robotics, architecture, and computer science into a single construction workflow designed for flexible, on-site building. From Factory Robots to Flexible Construction Teams Robots are already used extensively in manufacturing and construction-related processes. However, most industrial rob...

For the first time, Porsche has successfully produced battery cells using cathode active material recovered from its own end-of-life high-voltage batteries. The milestone could mark an important step toward creating a more circular and resource-efficient future for electric vehicles. As electric vehicles (EVs) become more common, the question of what happens to their batteries at the end of their useful life is becoming increasingly important. EV batteries contain valuable materials such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese. Instead of allowing these materials to become waste, manufacturers are exploring ways to recover them and use them again. German automaker Porsche is now testing this approach through a battery recycling pilot project carried out with recycling partners, including German company cylib. The project has reached an important new stage. Porsche has produced battery cells using recycled cathode active materials recovered entirely from its own high-voltage batteries...

When the Solar System began taking shape about 4.6 billion years ago, it was essentially a huge disk of gas and dust surrounding the young Sun. Over time, some of that material came together to form the planets, moons, asteroids, and other solid bodies we see today. But what exactly were these first solid bodies made from? According to a new study led by researchers at Yale University, the answer may reveal an important choice made very early in Solar System history. The first planet-building bodies appear to have strongly favored chondrules—tiny, heat-formed pieces of rock—over fine, icy dust known as matrix . The research, published in Nature Astronomy , provides the earliest geochemical evidence yet that this sorting was already happening within the first million years of Solar System formation. Two Main Ingredients for Building Planets The young Solar System contained a mixture of different materials. One important ingredient was chondrules . These are millimeter-sized, rounded gr...

Imagine a device that works like a leaf—using sunlight to produce clean fuel while also helping remove a dangerous pollutant from contaminated water. Scientists at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, have developed an artificial leaf that can do just that. The solar-powered device can generate hydrogen from seawater while simultaneously breaking down hydrazine, a highly toxic chemical found in some industrial wastewater. The research, published in Nature Communications in 2026, combines renewable-energy production with pollution treatment in a single system. The approach could eventually contribute to technologies that produce clean fuels while treating contaminated water. How Does the Artificial Leaf Work? Hydrogen is considered a promising clean fuel because using it in fuel cells can produce electricity with water as the main byproduct. One common way to produce hydrogen is through electrolysis. During electrolysis, electricity is passed through water using two elect...

Imagine a robot so small that it can move through tight spaces, inspect tiny objects, detect gas leaks, and even perform microscopic observations—without needing to rotate its entire body to change direction. Researchers led by Yu Gao have developed a miniature, untethered robot designed to solve one of the biggest challenges in small-scale robotics: how to move freely in confined spaces while carrying its own power, sensors, communication and control systems. The tiny robot uses piezoelectric actuators and a unique three-legged design to achieve what researchers describe as omnidirectional movement with an extremely small turning requirement. Its compact body measures about 3.10 cm in diameter and 2.75 cm in height , while weighing only 12.2 grams . The technology could eventually support inspection and exploration tasks in places where conventional robots cannot easily maneuver. The Problem With Making Robots Smaller Miniature robots are increasingly being developed for application...

Imagine a small robot traveling along a coastline. First, it crawls across dry ground. A few moments later, it encounters a step or steep bank. Then, without changing its body or attaching new parts, it enters the water and starts swimming. That sounds like a difficult challenge for a robot—but researchers at New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering have developed a machine designed to do exactly this. Called WorMa , the worm-like robot can move across different environments, including flat surfaces, slopes, steps and open water. Instead of using complicated mechanical systems to adapt to each terrain, WorMa changes how it moves by redistributing water inside its body . The research could eventually help create robots for environmental monitoring, coastline inspection and infrastructure surveys, where machines may need to travel through several types of terrain during a single mission. The Challenge of Amphibious Robots Robots that move like snakes or worms are naturally usef...