Engineering & Technology

A new study published in Nature addresses long-standing technical barriers that have hindered the commercialization of metalenses

Researchers from National Taiwan University break traditional frameworks by unveiling a new symmetry-transition mechanism in ZrO2 thin films, achieving ultra-stable antiferroelectric behavior for up to one hundred million cycles.

Researchers have succeeded in improving mobility efficiency by having the snake-like robot move using an “undulating motion” on uneven terrain and a “rolling motion” on level ground.

Researchers in Japan have developed a new LED structure that generates circularly polarized light from a single chip. The advance could support smaller and more energy-efficient optical devices for AR/VR, 3D displays, quantum communication, and optical security. By combining a semipolar InGaN light-emitting structure with a stripe-shaped silicon nitride metasurface, the team created a compact light source that reduces energy-conversion loss and operates at room temperature. This advancement could help bring ultra-compact, durable light sources closer to practical use in AR/VR, 3D displays, quantum communication, and optical security.

Matcha surprise, Smart sea urchin spines, Breaking biomass bonds, Hybrid air-conditioning, Alga in gloom & A touch of tech. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice. Plus Early Bird submissions for Asia Research News 2027

Researchers from National Taiwan University and Chulalongkorn University developed a copper-based catalyst system that improves low-temperature methanol synthesis from carbon dioxide hydrogenation by balancing two key steps in the reaction.

Researchers have demonstrated the world’s first simultaneous generation of 3,070 optical vortices at megawatt-class peak power (58 MW). By reformulating Hermite–Gaussian to Laguerre–Gaussian mode conversion and implementing it through a compact multibeam interference architecture, the team achieved more than three orders of magnitude improvement in both vortex number and peak power. The work establishes a scalable framework for high-intensity structured-light generation.

Single monomer containing thiolactone and pyridyl disulfide molecules allows for variable polymer functionalities

Researchers from National Taiwan University have engineered a novel dynamic chitosan hydrogel that senses environmental changes and redefines the boundaries of 3D printing.

Concrete harbors distinct microbial zones whose signatures survive the heat of routine core sampling, a discovery researchers say could one day put structural health diagnostics within reach of general maintenance staff and even residents.

When donning an augmented or mixed reality headset, typing via air gestures can be tiring. To remedy this, researchers at Tohoku University developed an approach that turns everyday surfaces into keyboards.

A research team from Taiwan has developed a novel hybrid air-conditioning system integrating shallow geothermal energy and a desiccant wheel. Field tests confirm it significantly reduces energy consumption by up to 34.3% in hot and humid climates, offering a promising solution for net-zero buildings.

Researchers from The University of Osaka have proposed a compact LED design that directly emits circularly polarized light using a nanoscale GaN metasurface integrated onto the device. This design removes the need for bulky optical components traditionally used to create polarized light and could help enable smaller optical systems for applications such as 3D displays, augmented reality, and photonic technologies.

This study introduces a co-assembly strategy using two newly designed donor–acceptor self-assembled materials, LYS-H and fluorinated LYS-F, to overcome aggregation, wettability, interfacial contact, and crystallinity limitations of Me-4PACz in inverted perovskite solar cells. The fluorinated LYS-F delivers a power conversion efficiency of 25.02%, a fill factor of 83.64%, and improved ambient stability, highlighting its strong potential for the future commercialization of high-efficiency perovskite photovoltaic technologies.

A research team led by Prof. Boseok Kang at Sungkyunkwan University has uncovered the origin of polarity inversion—a long-standing phenomenon in polymer semiconductors that occurs only in certain materials—attracting significant attention.

Researchers at National Taiwan University developed a unified model that explains how thickness, defects, interface quality, and roughness together control the behavior of ultrathin oxide transistors. The work provides practical design rules for building low-leakage, normally-off devices suitable for future 3D chip stacking.

The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA), in partnership with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), convened the ASEAN Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and Space Traffic Management (STM) Seminar-Workshop on 12-13 March 2026 in Manila.

- A research team led by DGIST Professor Junghyup Lee implements a core technology for a “high-resolution analog-to-digital converter (ADC)” that eliminates motion interference - Overcomes conflicting circuit design challenges such as low noise and ultra-low power consumption, with strong potential for next-generation medical device applications

A study, published in Small, has introduced a breakthrough solution in the form of a 3D-printed, auxetic hydrogel dressing known as MX/CPDs@PBGC.

Through protein binding, molecular heavy drugs are effectively transported to cancerous tissues

- Research team led by Jae Eun Jang and Goeun Pyo demonstrates stable “dual-modulated vertically stacked transistors” even with two-dimensional nanochannels - Enables large-area and multilayer scalability without costly ultra-precision fabrication processes, which is promising for high-density 3D chips and flexible devices - Published in the leading international journal Advanced Science

- Breaking through the limitations of conventional oxygen-defect-based memories... Simultaneously performing AI computation and storage through precise hydrogen atom control - First case of successfully controlling hydrogen in a two-terminal vertical structure, accelerating the era of ultra-low-power, high-density neuromorphic chips - Selected as cover paper for the prestigious international journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

Kelli canines, Healthy fats in rice, Mercury and Earth in chorus, AI lights up materials discovery, Radiation detection with phones and Down to one. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice. Plus Women's Month 2026.

An Osaka Metropolitan University-led research team used hourly precipitation data from 1981 to 2020 and spatial modeling to predict extreme precipitation events for the next 100 years in Japan.

- DGIST Professor Minyoung Song’s team develops a low-power digital IR-UWB transmitter that maximizes spectrum utilization while complying with global spectrum regulations - Achieves 9 times higher area efficiency than before, with expectations for communications and high-precision localization applications with the core technology of next-generation low-power wireless systems

Researchers at The University of Osaka have created highly transparent wood without plastic additives and revealed that its clarity depends on structural direction. Alkali treatment softens cellulose-based cell walls, allowing internal cavities to collapse during drying and reduce light scattering. Tangential sections become more transparent than radial ones due to anisotropic swelling and densification. The findings offer new design principles for sustainable transparent materials in buildings and advanced devices.

To further the development of 6G wireless communication systems, we need to develop antennas that can dynamically adapt to ever-changing signal environments. Researchers from Tohoku University and the University of Surrey have recently developed an innovative pattern-reconfigurable Yagi–Uda antenna integrated with a magnetic gear. The new design enables precise beam scanning while avoiding many of the drawbacks that have limited conventional reconfigurable antenna technologies.

Offers a promising route for precise glass manufacturing

Researchers developed a compact device that converts sunlight and waste heat into clean hydrogen fuel while simultaneously purifying water. This innovative system improves energy efficiency and offers a promising solution for sustainable energy and environmental remediation.

The approach uses 3D printing to produce WC–Co cemented carbides—ultra-hard materials used in cutting and construction tools—while reducing the waste and cost of conventional manufacturing.