IEEE Spectrum

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SoftCom and Skeye have partnered to launch a solar-powered, uncrewed, lighter-than-air aircraft that will hover in the atmosphere and beam down phone service. It covers the equivalent area of 500 cell towers. buff.ly/vM3bG55

#China dominates vital rare-earth markets, which are used in semiconductors, LEDs, and many other electronics. For the U.S., moving forward without Chinese rare-earth supply will require processing sometimes radioactive monazite ore. buff.ly/OllhxGO

Can a 10-hour-endurance airship outscale drones and helicopters for grid, pipeline, and rail inspections? spectrum.ieee.org/infrastruc…

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This ultra-thin piezoelectric mesh could one day pull usable energy from heartbeats, challenging the idea that implants must rely on bulky batteries. spectrum.ieee.org/medical-im…

There’s a global transformer shortage. And on top of that, the E.U. has raised the cost of importing the specific steel used to manufacture transformers, which could slow down Europe’s #energy transition plans. buff.ly/cVOK9CJ

Go, Perseverance, Go! In five years, Perseverance has driven farther than any other Mars rover. IEEE Spectrum talked to #NASA about designing rovers for autonomy and what it means for the future of space exploration. buff.ly/sbWVgRn

For any aspiring electric aviation company, the long path to FAA certification is daunting. Learn how Beta Technologies's unique approach to certification "retired a lot of the risk."  spectrum.ieee.org/beta-techn…

FAA Gets Serious About Aviation Airwaves spectrum.ieee.org/faa-aviati…

The U.S. #semiconductor R&D sector is growing, with investments from Applied Materials, Micron, and SK Hynix in recent months. Investments are in part due to a push from the U.S. government and in part due to anticipating future profits from AI demand. buff.ly/N1E6no8

A pilot test of an undersea geothermal #power plant failed 8.7 seconds after it started producing power, IEEE Spectrum has learned. Here's what happened: buff.ly/PYGJ0n4

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One paper described research that never happened. The other was produced by an AI system that conducted its own computational experiment. What happened when I submitted them to a publisher? spectrum.ieee.org/ai-generat…

Sign up for our #newsletters for current analysis of events in engineering: #Career Alert: buff.ly/kc8PWbo #AI Alert: buff.ly/obn0gq4 #Tech Alert: buff.ly/Wa1OMCE #Robotics News: buff.ly/FT8z83S #Climate Tech Alert: buff.ly/Cf44lLU

Rune Energy is focusing on creating #dataCenters where there is already excess power, eliminating the drain data centers usually have on the power grid. Its modular data centers will connect to solar farms that produce more energy than can be used. buff.ly/Nb0dC0E

Space-made ZBLAN fiber shows lower attenuation and higher strength, but impurity limits remain—how far can microgravity really take photonics? spectrum.ieee.org/zblan-fibe…

It is imperative that #engineers understand the ethical and social implications of their technologies, argue three engineering professors. Solutions include integrating ethics into foundational engineering courses. buff.ly/eOD3fy2

U.S. #nuclear reactors are integrating #AI virtual assistants into their systems. It is helping with documentation, filing paperwork, and searching. There are no plans to have AI make decisions about operating a nuclear plant. buff.ly/55tR9nR

IEEE Spectrum is on other platforms with news, discussion, and analysis. Follow us on: Threads: buff.ly/vYbrPw1 Bluesky: buff.ly/Ne2CRUN Mastodon: buff.ly/SDA57Y2 #bluesky #threads #mastodon

What Biometrics Do and Don't Add to Elections spectrum.ieee.org/biometric-…