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Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory used additive manufacturing to produce the first defect-free complex tungsten parts for use in extreme environments. The accomplishment could have positive implications for clean-energy technologies such as fusion energy.

Tungsten has the highest melting point of any metal, making it ideal for fusion reactors where plasma temperatures exceed 180 million degrees Fahrenheit. In comparison, the sun’s center is about 27 million degrees Fahrenheit.

In its pure form, tungsten is brittle at room temperature and easily shatters. To counter this, ORNL researchers developed an electron-beam 3D-printer to deposit tungsten, layer by layer, into precise three-dimensional shapes. This technology uses a magnetically directed stream of particles in a high-vacuum enclosure to melt and bind metal powder into a solid-metal object. The vacuum environment reduces foreign material contamination and residual stress formation.

From University of Maryland, ELLIS Institute Tubingen, Max Planck Institute, & Tubingen AI Center.

Be like a Goldfish, Don’t Memorize!

Official implementation of Goldfish Loss: Mitigating Memorization in Generative LLMs — ahans30/goldfish-loss.

The US$5 billion facility would be cheaper, bigger and faster to build than a similar one proposed by European scientists.

Enel Green Power Australia has announced that it has secured project financing for a $190 million solar and battery hybrid project it plans to build in western NSW.

The Quorn Park hybrid project will combine a 98 MW (dc) solar farm with a 20 MW, 40 MWh battery that will be built around 10kms north west of Parkes. Construction will commence within the next few months and it will be operational in 2026.

The new hybrid is one of the first to be announced since new rules were introduced that allow wind or solar farms to be truly “paired” with a battery storage facility, rather than operating and dispatching as separate units. This may impose some restrictions on operations, but can save on connection and other costs.

Fully edible robots could soon be a reality, according to scientists behind a project to create truly edible robots and robotic food.

Food and tech are intrinsically linked. Whether it’s in the increasing amount of high-tech kitchen gadgets, or that you can have just about any food you desire delivered to your door through the touch of a button on your smart device.

Now, one group of scientists is bringing food and tech together in a brand-new way, by creating edible robots and robotic food.

Chinese researchers developed a photonic chip, the OPCA, capable of processing 100 billion pixels in 6 nanoseconds, revolutionizing high-speed image processing for edge AI applications.

The use of AI to streamline drug discovery is exploding. Researchers are deploying machine-learning models to help them identify molecules, among billions of options, that might have the properties they are seeking to develop new medicines.

A novel 256-element wirelessly powered transceiver array for non-line-of-sight 5G communication, featuring efficient wireless power transmission and high-power conversion efficiency, has been designed by scientists at Tokyo Tech.

Polish artist Piotr Wasniowski is a bit of a mad scientist. An expert in 3D printed clay, Wasniowski’s tool of choice is a “Gaia Multitool Polish clay 3D printer with cheap de-airing clay extruder with rotational nozzle,” for which he fabricates his own nozzles.

These variants allow him to print a variety of crazy textures.