See how an autonomous robot created a shock-absorbing shape no human ever could -- and what it means for designing safer helmets, packaging, car bumpers, and more. Inside a lab in Boston University's ...

Engineers find the hydrogel polyethylene glycol (PEG) doubles its water absorption as temperatures climb from 25 to 50 C, and could be useful for passive cooling or water harvesting in warm climates.

Plants may have no muscles, but they can grow upwards against the strain of gravity and their roots can even shift soil and rocks – because their cells can absorb water to form strong structures. Now ...

AZoM speaks with Sung Hoon Kang from Johns Hopkins University about his research into a material that protects like metal upon impact but is lighter and tougher than metal. This novel foam-like ...

The research team from The University of Hong Kong presented their findings at the Phononics 2025: 7th International Conference on Phononic Crystals/Metamaterials, Phonon Transport, Topological ...

The vast majority of absorbent materials will lose their ability to retain water as temperatures rise. This is why our skin starts to sweat and why plants dry out in the heat. Even materials that are ...

In everyday life, designing spaces that both let air flow and absorb sound can be a tricky balancing act. Usually, materials that allow air to pass through—like vents—also let sound escape, making it ...