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August 23^rd 2025

💻 Technology

🇺🇸 US scientists decode inner speech with brain implant, offering hope to paralyzed patients

Stanford University researchers have developed a brain implant system that decodes a person’s inner monologue, enabling communication for people with severe paralysis who cannot speak or move. The AI-powered system interprets silent thoughts with up to 74% accuracy and includes a mental “password” to prevent unintentional decoding, preserving user privacy. Published in Cell, this breakthrough could transform brain-computer interfaces by enabling faster, more natural communication using only inner speech.

🦾 Robotics

🇨🇳 Chinese firm unveils plan for world’s first pregnancy robot with artificial womb to replace gestation

China’s Kaiwa Technology has announced plans to build a humanoid robot equipped with an artificial womb, capable of carrying a fetus through full-term pregnancy. Revealed at the 2025 World Robot Conference, the robot would use lab-proven gestation technology to simulate natural pregnancy and delivery, offering an alternative for those unable or unwilling to carry a child. The proposed system raises major ethical and legal questions but signals a potential shift in reproductive technology.

🇦🇺 Australian surgeons use dual robots in world-first throat tumor surgery, preserving patient’s voice

Doctors at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney performed a groundbreaking dual-robot surgery to remove a throat tumor while preserving the patient's voice and swallowing function. The team combined the da Vinci robot for tumor removal and the Symani system for microsurgical reconstruction, avoiding a total laryngectomy. This first-ever integration of two robotic systems in a single operation marks a major advance in precision surgery, showcasing how collaborative robotics can enhance outcomes in complex procedures.

🌎 Sustainability

🇺🇸 US engineers launch world’s first subsea desalination plant to supply 60 million gallons of clean water daily

OceanWell, in partnership with California water agencies, is deploying the first subsea desalination system off the Malibu coast to address worsening drought conditions. The project uses deep-sea pressure and reverse osmosis pods to filter seawater - removing salt, microplastics, bacteria, and PFAS - without harming marine life and with 40% less energy than traditional plants. Set to deliver 60 million gallons of clean water daily by 2030, this initiative marks a major leap in sustainable freshwater generation.

🇧🇪 Belgian innovators launch world-first fossil-free plastics complex to cut carbon emissions

Vioneo, in partnership with Lummus Technology, will build the world’s first industrial-scale fossil-free plastics production complex in Belgium. The facility will use green methanol-derived feedstocks and renewable hydrogen, producing fully traceable, carbon-negative polypropylene through Lummus’ Novolen polymerization technology. This large-scale project demonstrates that sustainable plastic production can be both technically viable and economically competitive.

💊 Healthcare

🇺🇸 US scientists develop incision-free vision correction using electricity as safer LASIK alternative

Researchers from Occidental College and UC Irvine have developed a non-invasive vision correction technique that reshapes the cornea using electricity instead of lasers. In rabbit tests, the method - called electromechanical reshaping - successfully corrected nearsightedness in minutes using electric pulses and platinum contact lenses, avoiding surgical incisions and preserving corneal integrity. Presented at the American Chemical Society Fall 2025 meeting, the approach promises a cheaper, reversible alternative to LASIK with fewer risks.

🇺🇸 US researchers create portable device to keep donor eyes alive, enabling future functional eye transplants

Scientists at the University of Miami have developed the first portable system - called eye-ECMO - that keeps donor eyes alive by circulating oxygenated blood through them, preserving retinal function after extraction. Inspired by life-support machines used in organ transplants, the device maintained eye viability for hours, marking a major advance toward true, vision-restoring eye transplants. Funded by ARPA-H, this breakthrough lays the groundwork for overcoming the long-standing challenge of reconnecting the optic nerve.

🇮🇳 Indian researchers create tooth-repairing nanorobots to permanently cure sensitivity pain

Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science have developed magnetic nanorobots - called CalBots - that travel into exposed tooth tubules and plug them with a bioceramic material, permanently blocking pain signals. Steered by magnetic fields, the 400-nanometer bots form cement-like plugs that mimic natural enamel and showed success in both human teeth and mice. Published in Advanced Science, this innovation could replace temporary treatments like desensitizing toothpaste and marks a major step toward nanorobotics in dental care.

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