Technology

Researchers from The University of Osaka created a reagent for important building-block molecules with an abundant main-group element, gallium. These early findings show that an organic gallium compound can display transition-metal-like reactivity under light irradiation. Using common main-group elements like gallium offers a new way to make sustainable catalysts that do not need expensive transition metals, which are environmentally damaging and vulnerable to supply disruption.

Researchers from The University of Osaka developed mirror-image semiconductor polymer molecules for organic solar cells. The new acceptor molecules prevent recombination of electrons and holes by generating currents with spin-polarization of about 70% in which one electron spin dominates. Solar cells containing the new acceptors showed three times higher efficiency than the non-mirror-image version. Using mirror-image acceptor molecules provides a new way of increasing efficiency in clean energy technology.

Superconductive materials can conduct electricity with no resistance, but typically only at very low temperatures. Realizing superconductivity at room temperature could enable advanced, energy-efficient electronics and other technologies. Now, an international research team is one step closer to such an achievement.

Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo detect the motion of hydrogen atoms in palladium at low temperatures using channeling nuclear reaction analysis

Prof Song Yongduan, Dean of the School of Data Science and Chair Professor of the Division of Industrial Data Science at Lingnan University, has been elected as a Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE). The result was announced today (21 November), naming him one of the 24 newly elected foreign academicians for 2025. The honour recognises Prof Song’s outstanding contributions to control science and engineering at the international level.

Physicists at The University of Osaka have unveiled a breakthrough theoretical framework that uncovers the hidden physical rule behind one of the most powerful compression methods in laser fusion science — the stacked-shock implosion. While multi-shock ignition has recently proven its effectiveness in major laser facilities worldwide, this new study identifies the underlying law that governs such implosions, expressed in an elegant and compact analytic form.

Scientists from National Taiwan University and the National Institutes of Applied Research of Taiwan develop a rapid and accurate microfluidic device that generates precise drug gradients and outperforms manual dilution, enabling reliable multi-drug screening for high-throughput and personalized medicine.

Researchers at The University of Osaka developed the Balloon-Assisted Bronchoscope Delivery (BDBD) technique and in a first-in-human clinical trial, the team successfully demonstrated that this technique is both safe and effective, enabling access to lesions smaller than 20 mm. By using a small balloon to gently widen airways, it allows endoscopes to reach deep, peripheral lung tumors, promising more accurate cancer diagnosis and new minimally invasive treatment options.

Researchers from The University of Osaka and Daikin Industries, Ltd. have discovered a key metric, "electrolyte lithium-ion chemical potential," that governs lithium-ion battery performance. This quantitative indicator shows that efficient charging occurs when lithium ions are sufficiently “unstable” in the electrolyte. This breakthrough replaces trial-and-error methods with a rational design approach, enabling faster development of safer, higher-performance batteries for applications like EVs and renewable energy storage.

A discovery of electrically controlled triple quantum dots in zinc oxide by the Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University, moves us closer to energy-efficient quantum devices can be used practically.

Untangling cosmic knots, Samurai jellyfish, Controlling rogue antibodies, Search for anti-ulcer vaccine & Metal-recovering yeast. Plus next SciCom coffee talk on experiences in science journalism in the AI era and WHO guide to reporting on non communicable diseases. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

Three distinguished scholars from Lingnan University have been named Highly Cited Researchers 2025 in the annual list compiled by leading global analytics company in academia and research Clarivate. The list is of exceptional researchers who have demonstrated significant and wide-ranging influence in their respective fields through the publication of multiple highly cited papers reflecting their substantial contributions to advancing innovation and addressing global challenges.

The University of Osaka D3 Center and NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) have jointly commenced a demonstration aimed at the application of a wide-area distributed campus AI processing platform that enables on-demand use of GPU’s from compute servers. This demonstration will leverage NEC's "ExpEther," a technology that transmits signals from IT equipment with high reliability and low latency, to build a high-performance AI processing platform that can connect and disconnect compute servers and GPUs on-demand, even when they are in different buildings across campus.

On 20 November 2025, the Young Activists Summit (#YAS25) will honour five outstanding young people using technology to drive positive change. The event will take place at the European headquarters of the UN, in the recently renovated Assembly Hall of the historic Palais des Nations, in Geneva (Switzerland). The Summit will be webcast live and open to media participation.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs), known for their high efficiency and low manufacturing costs, are considered a revolutionary photovoltaic (PV) technology that can further reduce the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE), thus promoting the development of green and renewable energy technology in order to reach our carbon reduction goals. However, state-of-the-art PSCs still face serious stability problems, especially during long-term continuous operation at high temperatures, which seriously hinder commercialisation.

Researchers have developed an eco-friendly method to create gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using microalgae. This "green synthesis" avoids harsh chemicals, resulting in nanoparticles that are more stable than conventional ones. When activated by a laser, these AuNPs effectively destroy cancer cells while showing lower toxicity to healthy cells. This breakthrough promises a more sustainable and safer approach to photothermal cancer therapy and other applications in nanomedicine.

- Signal extrapolation yields high-resolution Doppler estimation without complex computation - Expected to improve unmanned system performance

More than 40% of existing and planned offshore wind farm sites in Europe and Asia are exposed to wind speeds above the maximum capacity of some turbines, highlighting the need for these energy infrastructures to adapt to extreme wind events associated with climate change.

The use of drones in search and rescue, patrolling, and environmental monitoring has become increasingly common. However, their performance is still constrained by complex environmental factors such as harsh weather conditions, and Prof Sam Kwong Tak-wu, a leading scholar in artificial intelligence (AI), Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research), Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and J.K. Lee Chair Professor of Computational Intelligence at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, and his research team have conducted a pioneering project titled “Key Technologies for Intelligent Enhancement and Content Understanding in Constrained Environments”.

Recent discoveries have shown that MFC systems can be combined with soil to form soil microbial fuel cells (SMFCs), or further combined with plants to form plant microbial fuel cells (PMFCs). Researchers at National Taiwan University investigated the effects of SMFCs and PMFCs on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from soil.

Researchers from SANKEN at The University of Osaka have successfully developed a groundbreaking “self-evolving” edge AI technology that enables real-time learning and forecasting capabilities directly within compact devices. This innovation, termed MicroAdapt, achieves unprecedented speed and accuracy. It processes data up to 100,000 times faster and achieves up to 60% higher accuracy compared to conventional state-of-the-art deep learning methods. This achievement represents a major advance toward next-generation real-time AI applications across manufacturing, automotive IoT, and medical wearables, addressing critical limitations of existing cloud-dependent AI.

SINGAPORE, 29 October 2025 – TechInnovation 2025, organised by IPI Singapore, returns from 29–31 October at Sands Expo & Convention Centre and is expected to bring together over 4,000 attendees from more than 40 countries. The event features 100 emerging “Tech Offers” spanning artificial intelligence, HealthTech, sustainability, circular food innovation, and advanced manufacturing.

Kuala Lumpur, 28 October 2025 - Day 1 of the World AI Show – Malaysia, by Trescon, concluded with resounding success, drawing over 1500+ business leaders, policymakers, investors, and innovators to DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur. The summit opened as Malaysia’s definitive platform for AI collaboration - uniting public and private stakeholders committed to advancing the nation’s digital economy.

Researchers at The University of Osaka and The University of Tokyo developed a photoactivatable alkyne tag that enables stable, selective visualization of biomolecules inside living cells. The technology would contribute to reveal previously unseen molecular communication, paving the way for advances in cell biology and drug discovery.

28 October, Singapore – Terrapinn announces the 10th anniversary edition of EDUtech Asia, Asia’s largest and most influential education event, taking place on 5 - 6 November 2025 at Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Singapore. Under the theme “Positive disruption: unlocking limitless potential in education with AI and tech,” the event will bring together more than 8,000 education leaders, policymakers and technology innovators to explore how AI is transforming learning while ensuring that human connection, purpose and equity remain at the heart of education.

The regulatory directions of Agentic AI systems and Open-Source AI have become hot topics globally. In light of this, Lingnan University and the University of Bologna in Italy co-hosted the 2nd International Workshop on Technologies for AI Governance (TAIG) from 25 to 26 October, as part of the 28th European Conference on Artificial Intelligence (ECAI 2025). The workshop brought together numerous world-leading experts, academics, and policymakers, aiming to enhance governance in areas such as AI risk assessment, accountability tracking, and safety assurance, and to foster cross-regional exchange on AI governance between Asia and Europe. The two-day event attracted over 150 academics and students.

The official plaque unveiling ceremony of Asia’s first UNU Hub on Humanitarian Innovation and Technology at Lingnan University (UNU Hub at Lingnan University) was held today (25 Oct), marking a new milestone in advancing international collaboration between Lingnan and the United Nations. The ceremony was officiated by Prof Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector of the United Nations University and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, together with Mr Ernest Chan, Vice-President (Administration) of Lingnan University.

The University of Osaka researchers developed a world-first sustainable method for synthesizing pharmaceutical-grade NOBIN. By cooperatively utilizing a vanadium catalyst and energy-efficient LED light, the process eliminates byproducts, reduces waste, and allows for ideal raw material ratios, paving the way for greener and more efficient chiral molecule production.

Miniaturized electronics and intricate objects require a certain finesse. Here, researchers look into the development of a machine capable of these fine movements, as well as identifying and categorizing the objects using machine learning.

A research team led by Associate Professor Tomoya Kataoka at Ehime University, in collaboration with Yachiyo Engineering Co., Ltd., Nippon Koei Co., Ltd., and Wageningen University’s Associate Professor Tim van Emmerik, has developed AI software using deep learning to detect, classify, and track plastics flowing in rivers. The system automatically estimates transport volumes from video data, supporting continuous monitoring and advancing understanding of land-to-sea plastic transport. The findings appear in Water Research.