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April 11^th 2025

💻 Technology

🇪🇸 Spanish engineers create world's first 3D hologram users can physically touch and control

Researchers at the Public University of Navarra have developed FlexiVol, the first interactive 3D holographic display that users can safely manipulate with their hands using elastic diffuser strips. Unlike traditional volumetric displays, FlexiVol lets users perform gestures like pinching and swiping directly on the hologram without risking damage to the system. In user tests, participants found this method faster, more accurate, and more intuitive than using a 3D mouse.

🇺🇸 US researchers develop smartphone tool to bring real objects’ look and feel into virtual worlds

MIT’s CSAIL team has unveiled InteRecon, a tool that uses smartphone scans to create interactive digital versions of real-world objects—capturing not just their appearance but also their motions and sounds. Users can replicate how items like bobbleheads nod or vintage electronics function, enabling lifelike experiences in VR and AR environments. Designed for use in education, museums, and healthcare, InteRecon bridges emotional and functional connections between physical and virtual worlds.

⚡️ Energy

🇺🇸 US researchers create palm-sized solar device that produces hydrogen fuel and clean water from seawater

A Cornell University-led team has developed a 10×10 cm device that uses sunlight to simultaneously generate green hydrogen and drinking water from seawater. The hybrid solar distillation-water electrolysis (HSD-WE) system captures waste heat from solar panels to desalinate seawater, then uses the purified water for hydrogen production via electrolysis—achieving 12.6% energy efficiency. Published in Energy and Environmental Science, the innovation could cut green hydrogen costs tenfold and address both clean energy and water scarcity.

🚘 Transport

🇰🇷 South Korean scientists boost EV battery life 7× using ultra-thin lithium anode with silver additive

Researchers at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology have developed a method to extend lithium metal battery life by over seven times using an ultra-thin 20μm lithium anode stabilized with a silver-based electrolyte additive. The additive forms a protective dual-layer of silver and lithium fluoride, which suppresses dendrite growth and reduces electrolyte depletion—key challenges in lithium metal battery design. This advancement, supported by computational validation from Pusan National University, could accelerate the commercialization of safer, longer-lasting batteries for electric vehicles and other applications. The research was published in Advanced Energy Materials.

🤖 Artificial Intelligence

🇺🇸 US engineers develop AI tool that builds real walking robots from simple text in under a day

Engineers at Duke University have created Text2Robot, an AI system that converts natural language commands into fully functional 3D-printed robots—no engineering expertise required. The tool uses generative models, simulations, and reinforcement learning to design, optimize, and fabricate robots from user descriptions like “a six-legged robot that walks on rough terrain.” Set to be presented at ICRA 2025, this breakthrough could democratize robotics by making design as accessible as writing text.

💉 Biotechnology

🇺🇸 US researchers develop RNA-only gene editing tool to replace entire faulty genes at once

Scientists at Mass General Brigham and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have created STITCHR, a new gene editing system that inserts entire therapeutic genes into precise genome locations without causing off-target mutations. Unlike CRISPR, which edits individual mutations, STITCHR can address diseases caused by multiple mutations—such as cystic fibrosis—using a single treatment. Fully RNA-based and inspired by retrotransposons, the system simplifies delivery and offers a promising one-and-done alternative for gene therapy. Published in Nature.

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Max

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