Huawei Technologies said on Monday it will make industry-leading semiconductors using a new technology in five years, underscoring Beijing’s efforts to neutralise U.S. sanctions that have made it hard for China to build cutting-edge chips.
Category: innovation – Page 2
New framework helps robots turn complex language into precise 3D actions
Over the past few decades, roboticists worldwide have introduced increasingly advanced robots that can understand human instructions, move in their surroundings and reliably complete basic manual tasks. While they perform well in some scenarios, many of these robots still struggle to translate the instructions of users into precise and executable actions that would allow them to successfully complete desired tasks.
Recently, computer scientists have been trying to improve how robots respond to user commands or queries using vision-language models (VLMs), artificial intelligence (AI) systems trained to process both images and texts. These models can typically interpret basic requests such as “place the bottle onto the plate,” yet they often do not exhibit the spatial reasoning capabilities required to interpret more elaborate instructions and translate them into executable actions in real-world settings.
Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center Co. Ltd and other institutes recently introduced Retrieval-Augmented Manipulation (RAM), a framework that could improve the ability of robots to connect abstract instructions with three-dimensional (3D) representations of the space around them. The new framework, presented in a Science Robotics paper, was found to improve the spatial reasoning capabilities of robots, allowing them to reliably follow more elaborate instructions, without requiring task-specific training.
NASA’s Fermi glimpses power source of supercharged supernovae
LSU researchers helped uncover what may be the first clear detection of gamma rays from a superluminous supernova, using data from NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope—a breakthrough that offers new insight into the powerful magnetars believed to drive some of the universe’s brightest stellar explosions.
An international team studying data from NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope concludes the mission detected a rare, unusually luminous supernova. The researchers say it likely received its power-up from a supermagnetized neutron star born in the stellar collapse that triggered the explosion.
The Fermi mission is part of NASA’s fleet of observatories monitoring the changing cosmos to help humanity better understand how the universe works.
Chemists use sea sponge bacteria to create new molecules for drug discovery
Florida State University chemists have synthesized new molecules derived from bacteria found in a Pacific Ocean sea sponge, a breakthrough for the future of drug development, particularly for rare forms of cancer.
“Around 50% of approved drugs are either natural products or derivatives of natural products,” said Zackary Firestone, a fourth-year doctoral student in FSU’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and the study’s lead author. “Synthetic access to these molecules is important because it allows for easier procurement for biological testing as well as the making of new derivatives.”
The research team is the first to successfully synthesize two new marine natural products: tetradehydrohalicyclamine B and epi-tetradehydrohalicyclamine B. Both were isolated from bacteria that lives in symbiosis with Acanthostrongylophora ingens, a Pacific-dwelling sea sponge.
The Cybernetic Teammate: A Field Experiment on Generative AI Reshaping Teamwork and Expertise
We examine how artificial intelligence transforms the core pillars of collaboration— performance, expertise sharing, and social engagement—through a pre-registered field experiment with 776 professionals at Procter & Gamble, a global consumer packaged goods company. Working on real product innovation challenges, professionals were randomly assigned to work either with or without AI, and either individually or with another professional in new product development teams. Our findings reveal that AI significantly enhances performance: individuals with AI matched the performance of teams without AI, demonstrating that AI can effectively replicate certain benefits of human collaboration. Moreover, AI breaks down functional silos. Without AI, R&D professionals tended to suggest more technical solutions, while Commercial professionals leaned towards commerciallyoriented proposals.
The Android Show: I/O Edition | Gemini Intelligence
Introducing Gemini Intelligence, an intelligence system that knows what matters to you, helps you stay a step ahead and works proactively to get things done throughout your day, bringing the best of Gemini to our most advanced devices.
Join Mindy Brooks (VP, PM and UX, Android Platform), Dieter Bohn (Director, Product Operations), and Ruchi Bezoles (Director, Android Marketing) to see how we’re making Gemini Intelligence handle the busywork so you can get back to what brings you joy.
Watch the full show now to check out all of the innovations and breakthroughs coming soon to Android! → https://www.youtube.com/live/dXCCleAddEA
Learn more about Gemini Intelligence → https://android.com/gemini-intelligence.
Catch up on all things Android → https://android.com/io-2026
#TheAndroidShow.
Human Minds Could Be Artificially Expanded and So Can AI
Further Reading
Brain implants revive cognitive abilities long after traumatic brain injury
https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-new…
Brain implants revive cognitive abilities long after traumatic brain injury
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science…
Neural co-processors for restoring brain function: results from a cortical model of grasping
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10…
Brain–computer interfaces: the innovative key to unlocking neurological conditions
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles…
MindPilot: Closed-loop Visual Stimulation Optimization for Brain Modulation with EEG-guided Diffusion
https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.
Advancing brain-computer interfaces with generative AI: A review of state-of-the-art and future outlook.
Quantum Breakthrough Turns Simple Forces Into Powerful New Interactions
Scientists have created a new way to generate powerful quantum interactions, achieving the first-ever demonstration of quadsqueezing.
This breakthrough makes previously hidden quantum effects visible and usable for advanced technologies.
Oxford scientists demonstrate first-ever quadsqueezing quantum interaction.
