Research

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

The Millisecond That Could Change Cancer Treatment

Mar 06, 2026

Inside a cavernous hall at the Swiss-French border, the air hums with high voltage and possibility. From his perch on the wraparound observation deck, physicist Walter Wuensch surveys a multimillion-dollar array of accelerating cavities, klystrons, modulators, and pulse compressors—hardware being readied to drive a new generation of linear particle accelerators.Wuensch...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Scenario Modeling and Array Design for Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs)

Mar 06, 2026

Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) using low earth orbit (LEO) satellites present unique technical challenges, from managing large satellite constellations to ensuring reliable communication links. In this webinar, we’ll explore how to address these complexities using comprehensive modeling and simulation techniques. Discover how to model and analyze satellite orbits, onboard antennas and...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

From TV Repairman to Electromagnetic Compatibility Expert

Mar 06, 2026

No one had very high career aspirations for teenager David A. Weston—except for Weston himself. Growing up in London, he scored low on the U.K. national assessment test given to students finishing primary school. The result meant that his next path was either to become a laborer or attend a...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Laser-Based 3D Printing Could Build Future Bases on the Moon

Mar 07, 2026

Through the Artemis Program, NASA hopes to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon in its southern polar region. China, Russia, and the European Space Agency (ESA) have similar plans, all of which involve building bases near the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs)—craters that contain water ice—that dot the South...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Video Friday: A Robot Hand With Artificial Muscles and Tendons

Mar 06, 2026

Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion.ICRA 2026: 1–5 June 2026, VIENNAEnjoy today’s videos! The functional replication...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Military AI Policy Needs Democratic Oversight

Mar 08, 2026

A simmering dispute between the United States Department of Defense (DOD) and Anthropic has now escalated into a full-blown confrontation, raising an uncomfortable but important question: who gets to set the guardrails for military use of artificial intelligence — the executive branch, private companies or Congress and the broader democratic...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Raquel Urtasun on Level-4 Autonomous Trucks

Mar 13, 2026

Raquel Urtasun has spent 16 years in the self-driving space, long enough to navigate every metaphorical glorious hill and plunging valley. She took the trip from the early “pipe dream” dismissals, to the “we’re this close” certainty, and back again.The industry is now riding a new wave of optimism and...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Investing in Your Professional Community Yields Big Returns

Mar 13, 2026

Engineering is so much more than solving problems or writing efficient code. It is about creating solutions that affect billions of lives and contributing to a profession built on innovation, responsibility, and collaboration. Although technical skills remain critical, what truly will accelerate the growth of the next generation of engineers...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

40 Years of Wireless Evolution Leads to a Smart, Sensing Network

Mar 12, 2026

Every generation of mobile networks, from 1G to 5G, has rewritten the rules of how the world lives and works. The coming 6G revolution, by decade’s end, will represent a new direction still, toward a universal data fabric where millions of agents collaborate in real-time across the digital and physical...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

IEEE Launches Global Virtual Career Fairs

Mar 12, 2026

In 2025 IEEE launched its first virtual career fair to help strengthen the engineering workforce and connect top talent with industry professionals. The event, which was held in the United States, attracted thousands of students and professionals. They learned about more than 500 job opportunities in high-demand fields including artificial...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Keep Your Intuition Sharp While Using AI Coding Tools

Mar 11, 2026

This article is crossposted from IEEE Spectrum’s careers newsletter. Sign up now to get insider tips, expert advice, and practical strategies, written in partnership with tech career development company Parsity and delivered to your inbox for free!How to Keep Your Engineering Skills Sharp in an AI WorldEngineers today are caught...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

How Robert Goddard’s Self-Reliance Crashed His Rocket Dreams

Mar 11, 2026

There’s a moment in John Williams’s Star Wars overture when the brass surges upward. You don’t just hear it; you feel propulsion turning into pure possibility.On 16 March 1926, in a snow-dusted field in Auburn, Mass., Robert Goddard created an earlier version of that same feeling. His first liquid-fueled rocket—a...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Why AI Chatbots Agree With You Even When You’re Wrong

Mar 11, 2026

In April of 2025, OpenAI released a new version of GPT-4o, one of the AI algorithms users could select to power ChatGPT, the company’s chatbot. The next week, OpenAI reverted to the previous version. “The update we removed was overly flattering or agreeable—often described as sycophantic,” the company announced. Some...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Intel Demos Chip to Compute With Encrypted Data

Mar 10, 2026

SummaryFully homomorphic encryption (FHE) allows computing on encrypted data without decryption, but it’s currently slow on standard CPUs and GPUs.Intel’s Heracles chip accelerates FHE tasks up to 5,000 times faster than top Intel server CPUs.Heracles uses a 3-nanometer FinFET technology and high-bandwidth memory, enabling efficient encrypted computing at scale.Startups and...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Finite-Element Approaches to Transformer Harmonic and Transient Analysis

Mar 10, 2026

Explore structured finite-element methodologies for analyzing transformer behavior under harmonic and transient conditions — covering modelling, solver configuration, and result validation techniques.What Attendees will LearnHow FEM enables pre-fabrication performance evaluation — Assess magnetic field distribution, current behavior, and turns-ratio accuracy through simulation rather than physical testing.How harmonic analysis uncovers saturation...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

How Cross-Cultural Engineering Drives Tech Advancement

Mar 10, 2026

Innovation rarely happens in isolation. Usually, the systems that engineers design are shaped by global teams whose members’ knowledge and ideas move across borders as easily as data.That is especially true in my field of robotics and automation—where hardware, software, and human workflows function together. Progress depends not only on...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Do Offshore Wind Farms Pose National Security Risks?

Mar 09, 2026

When the Trump administration last year sought to freeze construction of offshore wind farms by citing concerns about interference with military radar and sonar, the implication was that these were new issues. But for more than a decade, the United States, Taiwan, and many European countries have successfully mitigated wind...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Exploring Light and Life: Nanophotonics and AI for Molecular Sequencing and Single-Cell Phenotyping

Mar 16, 2026

The biosphere transmits data 9 orders of magnitude faster than the technosphere. A new class of nanophotonic tools is beginning to close that gap.In this webinar, Prof. Dionne will present VINPix: Si-photonic resonators with high-Q factors (thousands to millions), subwavelength mode volumes, and densities exceeding 10M/cm². Combined with acoustic bioprinting...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Video Friday: These Robots Were Born to Run

Mar 13, 2026

Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion.ICRA 2026: 1–5 June 2026, VIENNAEnjoy today’s videos! All legged robots...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

“Sensorveillance” Turns Ordinary Life Into Evidence

Mar 17, 2026

Every time you unlock your smartphone or start your connected car, you are generating a trail of digital evidence that can be used to track your every move.In Your Data Will Be Used Against You: Policing in the Age of Self-Surveillance, just published by NYU Press, law professor Andrew Guthrie...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

New Polymer Blend Could Help Store Energy for the Grid and EVs

Mar 17, 2026

As electronics demand higher energy density, one component has proved challenging to shrink: the capacitor. Making a smaller capacitor usually requires thinning the dielectric layer or electrode surface area, which has often resulted in a reduction of power. A new polymer material could help change that.In a study published 18...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Wanted: Europe’s Missing Cloud Provider

Mar 17, 2026

Looming over the internet lasers and firestarting phones companies were touting at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this month, was a more nebulous but much larger announcement: a pan-European cloud called EURO-3C.EURO-3C’s backers – Spanish telecoms giant Telefónica, dozens of other European companies, and the European Commission (EC) – aim...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Utilities Study How to Protect Grids From Rising Physical Threats

Mar 17, 2026

In the fictional nation of Beryllia, the 2026 World Chalice Games were set to begin as the country faced an unrelenting heat wave. The grid, already under strain from the circumstances, was dealt a further blow when a coordinated set of attacks including vandalism, drone, and ballistic attacks by an...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

IEEE Young Professionals Help Bridge the U.S. Tech Skills Gap

Mar 17, 2026

The America’s Talent Strategy: Building the Workforce for the Golden Age report, published last year by the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Education, and Labor, identified a significant engineering and skills gap. The 27-page report concluded that the shortage of talent in essential areas—including advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

AI Aims for Autonomous Wheelchair Navigation

Mar 21, 2026

Wheelchair users with severe disabilities can often navigate tight spaces better than most robotic systems can. A wave of new smart-wheelchair research, including findings presented in Anaheim, Calif., earlier this month, is now testing whether AI-powered systems can, or should, fully close this gap.Christian Mandel—senior researcher at the German Research...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

IEEE Partners With Academia to Create Microcredential Programs

Mar 21, 2026

The rapid ascent of artificial intelligence and semiconductor manufacturing has created a paradox: Industries are booming yet they face a critical shortage of skilled workers. Demand for data center technicians, fabrication facility workers, and similar positions is growing. There aren’t enough candidates with the right skill sets to fill the...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Nigerian Firms Embrace Kit-Based EV Assembly for Cost Savings

Mar 19, 2026

A growing number of Nigerian companies are turning to kit-based assembly to bring electric vehicles to market in Africa. Lagos-based Saglev Micromobility Nigeria recently partnered with Dongfeng Motor Corporation, in Wuhan, China, to assemble 18-seat electric passenger vans from imported kits.Kit-based assembly allows Nigerian firms to reduce costs, create jobs,...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

How Your Virtual Twin Could One Day Save Your Life

Mar 19, 2026

One morning in May 2019, a cardiac surgeon stepped into the operating room at Boston Children’s Hospital more prepared than ever before to perform a high-risk procedure to rebuild a child’s heart. The surgeon was experienced, but he had an additional advantage: He had already performed the procedure on this...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Overcoming Core Engineering Barriers in Humanoid Robotics Development

Mar 19, 2026

A technical examination of the sensing, motion control, power, and thermal challenges facing humanoid robotics engineers — with component-level design strategies for real-world deployment.What Attendees will LearnWhy motion control remains the hardest unsolved problem — Explore the modelling complexity, real-time feedback requirements, and sensor fusion demands of maintaining stable bipedal...

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ENIAC, the First General-Purpose Digital Computer, Turns 80

Mar 19, 2026

Happy 80th anniversary, ENIAC! The Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, the first large-scale, general-purpose, programmable electronic digital computer, helped shape our world.On 15 February 1946, ENIAC—developed in the Moore School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia—was publicly demonstrated for the first time. Although primitive by today’s...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Rising Attacks on Power Grids Push Utilities to Prepare

Mar 17, 2026

In the fictional nation of Beryllia, the 2026 World Chalice Games were set to begin as the country faced an unrelenting heat wave. The grid, already under strain from the circumstances, was dealt a further blow when a coordinated set of attacks including vandalism, drone, and ballistic attacks by an...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Transforming Data Science With NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Workstation Edition

Mar 23, 2026

This is a sponsored article brought to you by PNY Technologies.In today’s data-driven world, data scientists face mounting challenges in preparing, scaling, and processing massive datasets. Traditional CPU-based systems are no longer sufficient to meet the demands of modern AI and analytics workflows. NVIDIA RTX PROTM 6000 Blackwell Workstation Edition...

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Why Thermal Metrology Must Evolve for Next-Generation Semiconductors

Mar 23, 2026

An in-depth examination of how rising power density, 3D integration, and novel materials are outpacing legacy thermal measurement — and what advanced metrology must deliver.What Attendees will LearnWhy heat is now the dominant constraint on semiconductor scaling — Explore how heterogeneous integration, 3D stacking, and AI-driven power density have shifted...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

What Happens If AI Makes Things Too Easy for Us?

Mar 22, 2026

Most people who regularly use AI tools would say they’re making their lives easier. The technology promises to streamline and take over tasks both professionally and personally—whether that’s summarizing documents, drafting deliverables, generating code, or even offering emotional support. But researchers are concerned AI is making some tasks too easy,...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Video Friday: Humanoid Learns Tennis Skills Playing Humans

Mar 21, 2026

Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion.ICRA 2026: 1–5 June 2026, VIENNASummer School on Multi-Robot Systems: 29...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

The ’80s Submersible That Transformed Underwater Exploration

Mar 31, 2026

As a kid, I loved the 1980s aquatic adventure show Danger Bay. True to the TV show’s name, danger was always lurking at the Vancouver Aquarium, where the show was set. In one memorable episode, young Jonah and a friend get trapped in a sabotaged mini-submarine, and Jonah’s dad, a...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Invences Empowers Small Businesses With Smart Telecom Networks

Mar 31, 2026

To stay competitive, many small businesses need advanced wireless communication networks, not only to communicate but also to leverage technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and robotics. Often, however, the businesses lack the technical expertise needed to install, configure, and maintain the systems.Bhaskara Rallabandi, who spent more...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Facial Recognition Is Spreading Everywhere

Mar 30, 2026

Facial recognition technology (FRT) dates back 60 years. Just over a decade ago, deep-learning methods tipped the technology into more useful—and menacing—territory. Now, retailers, your neighbors, and law enforcement are all storing your face and building up a fragmentary photo album of your life.Yet the story those photos can tell...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Social Media Addiction Trial Should Lead to Platform Redesigns

Mar 28, 2026

In a landmark case, a jury found this week that Meta and YouTube negligently designed their platforms and harmed the plaintiff, a 20-year-old woman referred to as Kaley G.M. The jury agreed with the plaintiff that social media is addictive and harmful and was deliberately designed to be that way....

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

IEEE Professional Development Suite Teaches In-Demand Skills

Mar 28, 2026

In today’s technological landscape, the only constant is the rate of obsolescence. As engineers move deeper into the eras of 6G, ubiquitous artificial intelligence, and hyper-miniaturized electronics, a traditional degree is only a starting point.To remain competitive in today’s job market, technical specialists must evolve into future-ready professionals by cultivating...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Video Friday: Beep! Beep! Roadrunner Bipedal Bot Breaks the Mold

Mar 27, 2026

Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion.ICRA 2026: 1–5 June 2026, VIENNARSS 2026: 13–17 July 2026, SYDNEYSummer...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

A New Way to Spray Paint Color

Mar 27, 2026

We’re all familiar with mixing red, yellow, and blue paint in various ratios to instantly make all kinds of colors. This works great for oils or watercolors, but fails when it comes to cans of spray paint. The paint droplets can’t be blended once they are aerosolized. Consequently, although spray...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

How NYU’s Quantum Institute Bridges Science and Application

Mar 27, 2026

This sponsored article is brought to you by NYU Tandon School of Engineering.Within a 6 mile radius of New York University’s (NYU) campus, there are more than 500 tech industry giants, banks, and hospitals. This isn’t just a fact about real estate, it’s the foundation for advancing quantum discovery and...

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Improve Engineering Communication by Translating Technical Detail

Mar 26, 2026

This article is crossposted from IEEE Spectrum’s careers newsletter. Sign up now to get insider tips, expert advice, and practical strategies, written in partnership with tech career development company Parsity and delivered to your inbox for free!Engineers Aren’t Bad at Communication. They’re Just Speaking to the Wrong Audience.There’s a persistent...

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Training Driving AI at 50,000× Real Time

Mar 26, 2026

This is a sponsored article brought to you by General Motors. Visit their new Engineering Blog for more insights.Autonomous driving is one of the most demanding problems in physical AI. An automated system must interpret a chaotic, ever-changing world in real time—navigating uncertainty, predicting human behavior, and operating safely across...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

30 Years Ago, Robots Learned to Walk Without Falling

Mar 26, 2026

When you hear the term humanoid robot, you may think of C-3PO, the human-cyborg-relations android from Star Wars. C-3PO was designed to assist humans in communicating with robots and alien species. The droid, which first appeared on screen in 1977, joined the characters on their adventures, walking, talking, and interacting...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

How IEEE 802.11bn Delivers Ultra-High Reliability for Wi-Fi 8

Mar 25, 2026

A technical exploration of IEEE 802.11bn’s physical and MAC layer enhancements — including distributed resource units, enhanced long range, multi-AP coordination, and seamless roaming — that define Wi-Fi 8.What Attendees will LearnWhy Wi-Fi 8 prioritizes reliability over raw throughput — Understand how IEEE 802.11bn shifts the design philosophy from peak...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

What Happens When You Host an AI Café

Mar 25, 2026

“Can I get an interview?” “Can I get a job when I graduate?” Those questions came from students during a candid discussion about artificial intelligence, capturing the anxiety many young people feel today. As companies adopt AI-driven interview screeners, restructure their workforces, and redirect billions of dollars toward AI infrastructure,...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Are U.S. Engineering Ph.D. Programs Losing Students?

Mar 25, 2026

U.S. doctoral programs in electrical engineering form the foundation of technological advancement, training the brightest minds in the world to research, develop, and design next-generation electronics, software, electrical infrastructure, and other high-tech products and systems. Elite institutions have long served as launchpads for the engineers behind tomorrow’s technology. Now that...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Data Centers Are Transitioning From AC to DC

Mar 24, 2026

Last week’s Nvidia GTC conference highlighted new chip architectures to power AI. But as the chips become faster and more powerful, the remainder of data center infrastructure is playing catch-up. The power-delivery community is responding: Announcements from Delta, Eaton, and Vertiv showcased new designs for the AI era. Complex and...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

What Will It Take to Build the World’s Largest Data Center?

Mar 24, 2026

The undying thirst for smarter (historically, that means larger) AI models and greater adoption of the ones we already have has led to an explosion in data-center construction projects, unparalleled both in number and scale. Chief among them is Meta’s planned 5-gigawatt data center in Louisiana, called Hyperion, announced in...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

The Coming Drone-War Inflection in Ukraine

Mar 24, 2026

WHEN KYIV-BORN ENGINEER Yaroslav Azhnyuk thinks about the future, his mind conjures up dystopian images. He talks about “swarms of autonomous drones carrying other autonomous drones to protect them against autonomous drones, which are trying to intercept them, controlled by AI agents overseen by a human general somewhere.” He also...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Remembering IEEE Power & Energy Society Leader Mel Olken

Mar 24, 2026

Mel OlkenFormer executive director of the IEEE Power & Energy SocietyFellow, 92; died 9 JanuaryOlken became the first executive director of the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) in 1995. In 2002 he left the position to serve as founding editor in chief of the society’s Power & Energy Magazine....

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What Exoskeletons Learned From One Relentless User

Apr 01, 2026

It’s easy to assume that Robert Woo was defined by the accident that took away his ability to walk.Certainly, the day of his accident—14 December 2007—was a turning point. Woo, an architect working on the new Goldman Sachs headquarters in New York City, hadn’t attended his company’s holiday party the...

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IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

ENIAC’s Architects Wove Stories Through Computing

Apr 03, 2026

This year marks the 80th anniversary of ENIAC, the first general-purpose digital computer. The computer was built during World War 2 to speed up ballistics calculations, but its contributions to computing extend well beyond military applications. Two of ENIAC’s key architects—John W. Mauchly, its co-inventor, and Kathleen “Kay” McNulty, one...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Young Professional’s AI Tool Spots Mental Health Conditions

Apr 03, 2026

Abhishek Appaji has committed his career to bringing lifesaving technology to underresourced communities. The IEEE senior member weaves together artificial intelligence, biomedical engineering, deep learning, and neuroscience to make doctors’ jobs easier and to improve patient outcomes.“The intersection of these fields is where the most impactful breakthroughs in diagnostic precision...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

How 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks Enable Ubiquitous Global Connectivity

Mar 30, 2026

5G covers under 40% of landmass. This Whitepaper details how 3GPP Release 17 addresses six satellite challenges: delay, Doppler, path loss, polarization, spectrum, and architecture.What Attendees will LearnWhy non-terrestrial networks are now integral to the 5G roadmap — Understand how the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 17 incorporates satellite-based...

IEEE Spectrum Semiconductors

Video Friday: Digit Learns to Dance—Virtually Overnight

Apr 03, 2026

Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion.ICRA 2026: 1–5 June 2026, VIENNARSS 2026: 13–17 July 2026, SYDNEYSummer...

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