A battery prototype has been designed using salt water and materials that are non-toxic and charge quickly, paving the way for new types of battery. The design principles behind the new prototype, which changes colour as it charges, could also be applied to existing battery technologies to create new devices for energy storage, biological sensing, and smart colour-changing materials.…

A new review, published today in Science Robotics and co-authored by Imperial researcher Dr. Mirko Kovac, who directs the Aerial Robotics Laboratory in the Department of Aeronautics, looks at the state-of-the-art in robot construction and where we need to go next to make a robot-built environment a reality. It comes as the UKRI has announced £18m in funding to…

Researchers have created a 3D printed cosmic microwave background — a map of the oldest light in the universe — and provided the files for download. The cosmic microwave background (CMB) is a glow that the universe has in the microwave range that maps the oldest light in the universe. It was imprinted when the…

Rows of aluminum studs help solar panels extract more energy from sunlight than those with flat surfaces. Most solar cells used in homes and industry are made using thick layers of material to absorb sunlight, but have been limited in the past by relatively high costs. Many new, lower cost designs are limited as their…