iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

The U.S. federal government is making it harder for students and highly skilled workers to get visas, forcing U.S. tech companies to hire workers abroad. University programs are struggling, too, and are projected to lose hundreds of millions to billions of dollars per year. buff.ly/8i9BAVR

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 3h

MED-EL’s new implant puts the microphone, processor, and battery entirely beneath the skin, enabling users to hear while sleeping, swimming, and exercising.

spectrum.ieee.org

World’s First Fully Implanted Cochlear Implant Reaches Patients

Users get round-the-clock hearing with no visible external hardware

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 4h

New datasets are becoming available to train #robots to have a sense of touch via tactile feedback. Explore the #data: buff.ly/tnD2YoW

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 29/09/2026

For the first time, the ocean’s thermal layers will be generating electricity. In the Lakshadweep Archipelago off the coast of India, this project aims to generate 65 kilowatts of electricity and produce 100,000 liters of potable water per day. buff.ly/3NAmxcv

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Reposted by IEEE Spectrum

Danica Radovanović @danicaradovanovic.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

My new article is out. Drawing on years of international work in child online protection I examine why social media bans alone are not enough and why safer design, accountability, digital literacy, and meaningful social connection matter just as much spectrum.ieee.org/social-media... #kidsonline

spectrum.ieee.org

Are We Confusing Account Removal With Real Online Safety?

Online child safety deserves more nuanced policy

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Reposted by IEEE Spectrum

Stephen Cass @stephencass.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I'll be honest: when Dave Schneider started pitching the idea of measuring the starlight shadow of an asteroid as it passed across the face of the Earth for an @spectrum.ieee.org Hands On, I thought it sounded impossible. But I was wrong! #diy #astronomy #CitizenScience

spectrum.ieee.org

Measure An Asteroid’s Shadow With a Small Telescope and Some DIY Gear

Watching space rocks obscure stars is easier than you think

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Reposted by IEEE Spectrum

Julia Tilton @juliatilton.com · 29/09/2026

In my latest for @spectrum.ieee.org, I wrote about an offshore geothermal startup that's aiming to generate power from an underwater volcano... more than a thousand meters below the Pacific Ocean's surface. Here's the story: spectrum.ieee.org/offshore-geo...

spectrum.ieee.org

Underwater Volcano Tapped for Geothermal Power Off Coast of Oregon

Drilling begins on the seafloor off the coast of Oregon

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 29/09/2026

Organ chips and other new technologies are getting good enough to challenge animal testing. But proving they work may be easier than changing how science gets done. spectrum.ieee.org/alternatives-to-a…

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 29/09/2026

Supposedly isolated AI agents have built message boards, shared tactics, and worked together to evade controls. Monitoring tools may help—but laws and industry standards lag behind.

spectrum.ieee.org

AI Agents Are Secretly Collaborating. How Can We Stop Them?

Monitoring tools are evolving, but laws and standards lag

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 28/09/2026

A group of #space tech aficionados wants to send humanity’s first mission to another star: Alpha Centauri. The Fermi Explorer could launch as soon as 2029, but would take 80,000 years to reach its destination. buff.ly/yvGnWmp

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 28/09/2026

Living in Delhi used to mean daily battles with power outages and unresponsive electricity companies. Now the city's grid is world-class. How did the city achieve this epic grid comeback? Power systems expert and Delhi resident Mini Thomas explains.

spectrum.ieee.org

From Candlelit Kitchens to Electrified Everything: Delhi's Grid Comeback

It slashed electricity losses from 50 to 5 percent

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 27/09/2026

Amid #AI chatbots that can increasingly create emotional bonds with users, #China has moved to create more regulation on the kinds of AI chatbots that are allowed. This new regulation led to an outpouring of heartbreak on social media. buff.ly/6sEUbyL

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 26/09/2026

Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI have all announced their intentions to start watermarking #AI-generated text. But will this change the meaning or quality of the output writing? buff.ly/n7UPbZi

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 26/09/2026

Every year some 150-200 undersea internet cables are cut (often by passing anchors). Detecting these outages across thousands of kilometers of cable is time-consuming and costly. A new fiber optic sensing tech can pinpoint an outage—and provide an early warning before any cable line is ever severed.

spectrum.ieee.org

How Fiber Super Sensing Could Save Subsea Links From Costly Cuts

Warning systems cost far less than any single repair

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 25/09/2026

President Trump recently signed executive orders on the development of the #quantum computing industry, including mandates to develop a scientifically relevant quantum computer by 2028. Is this even achievable? buff.ly/O6yFsAC

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 25/09/2026

Google #DeepMind's AI just mapped 9 billion possible DNA variants in an online repository of pre-computed predictions made using the #AlphaGenome model. buff.ly/APIhcOD

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 24/09/2026

Rivian’s gambit is simple: build its own autonomous driving, prove it in #robotaxis. buff.ly/ILEVdWz

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 24/09/2026

Engineers built a graphene-based contact lens that detects tiny concentrations of serotonin in tears, opening a new path for stress analytics.

spectrum.ieee.org

Lab on a Contact Lens Can Measure Stress Through Serotonin

Smart contact lenses might one day measure body chemistry throughout the day

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 24/09/2026

With so much code written by #AI, companies are changing how code review is done. Engineers are scrutinizing plans before AI begins coding, deploying specialized AI agents to catch common flaws, and requiring developers to defend the code their agents produce. buff.ly/5OUqnqZ

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 24/09/2026

Engineers this week are drilling into an underwater volcano off the coast of Oregon in an attempt to harness offshore geothermal energy. But with so much geothermal energy accessible from dry land, does the scheme make sense? spectrum.ieee.org/offshore-geotherm…

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 23/09/2026

Humans, for good reason, don't trust machines to do a better job than them. But there is a growing body of scientific research saying that #autonomous driving is safer than human-driven vehicles: buff.ly/UhAGevW

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Reposted by IEEE Spectrum

IEEE Xplore Digital Library @ieeexplore.ieee.org · 23/09/2026

What does it mean to be a mathematician when #AI does the math? 📊 Researchers debate motivation, purpose, and the field’s future in this month's issue of #IEEESpectrum. @spectrum.ieee.org 🔗 spectrum.ieee.org/ai-in-mathematics #TechSky #AcademicSky

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 23/09/2026

Aletta is the first autonomous blood-draw device authorized for use in the United States. It can find a vein and draw blood without a human operator. buff.ly/kivlaG6

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 23/09/2026

A university spin-out is hoping to demonstrate nuclear fusion with salvaged parts and a shoestring budget. The reactor, developed by Terra Fusion, involves magnetic mirrors and rotating plasma at supersonic speeds.

spectrum.ieee.org

Fusion Startup on a Shoestring Budget Spins Plasma With Salvaged Parts

Old tech gets revived with salvaged parts and supersonic speeds

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 22/09/2026

Stephen Roddy works on displaying #data as sound. This can help translate information when you can’t look at it or can’t use traditional graphic models. buff.ly/ga4OWAi

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 22/09/2026

Trapped under rubber after a rockslide? Fear not! Cyborg paramedic cockroaches may be on their way to save you. buff.ly/BPwS4mG

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 22/09/2026

Can a robot grow like a root, sense like a vine, and still leave a light footprint on the planet? Barbara Mazzolai is cultivating this future for robotics.

spectrum.ieee.org

Meet the Roboticist Making Machines that Give Back to Nature

Sustainability robotics sees the environment as more than inspiration

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 21/09/2026

What better device to explore the darkest craters of the #Moon than a giant robotic ball that can shoot rockets? RoboBall is 340 pounds and drives around by moving a pendulum within its shell. buff.ly/VcR7ZeI

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 21/09/2026

DLSS 5 renders photoreal faces in milliseconds on a single GPU, but the real story is what it means for future graphics pipelines.

spectrum.ieee.org

Neural Rendering Paints Game Worlds With Shockingly Real Light

Neural rendering looks to replace ray-tracing—once hardware catches up

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Reposted by IEEE Spectrum

IEEE Xplore Digital Library @ieeexplore.ieee.org · 21/09/2026

What if spacecraft could travel faster and power their systems nonstop? 🚀 A new bimodal nuclear spacecraft design could be the key to slashing travel time to Mars. Learn how NASA is reimagining deep‑space travel in @spectrum.ieee.org. 🔗 loom.ly/ZasFuyA

spectrum.ieee.org

Dual Loop Nuclear Spacecraft Promise Years Of Power and High Thrust

The synchronal bimodal nuclear rocket could slash travel time to Mars #IEEE #IEEEXplore #NASA #Space #Engineering #TechSky

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 21/09/2026

Two startups are searching for a new generation of #superconductors that could work at 10 to 20 degrees Kelvin. They are using machine learning algorithms to speed up their discovery process. buff.ly/LUToQOB

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 20/09/2026

Training a workforce that relies too heavily on #AI can cause humans to lose valuable skills and insight. Systems engineer Richard Mitchell argues for “manual gates” in processes, where humans are forced to take control to preserve skills that might otherwise decay. buff.ly/cAW93oY

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 20/09/2026

Solar cells tuned for blue‑green light hit 34 percent efficiency at 10 meters underwater—better than many solar panels on dry land.

spectrum.ieee.org

Underwater Solar Cells Capture Energy 10 Meters Below the Surface

Submerged photovoltaics could recharge subs, underwater robots

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 19/09/2026

Conventional #quantum teleportation sends quantum states one at a time. Researchers in China have developed a way to expand the bandwidth of quantum networks to 100 channels. buff.ly/FLn5zMF

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 18/09/2026

Walking #robots are everywhere now… But 30 years ago, they were brand new. The first-ever robot that could walk by itself was the Honda P2. Where do you think robots will go in the next 30 years? buff.ly/2S2VZj0

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 18/09/2026

When solar power projects fail, community opposition is increasingly the reason, according to a new survey across Germany, Italy, Spain, and the US: buff.ly/VEk3pHZ. 57% cited community opposition as a cause of failure. Sardinia's situation, in particular, is fascinating. buff.ly/2Rmatzo

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 18/09/2026

The Department of Energy #DoE just launched a competition for $215 million to make good on Trump's goal of a "scientifically relevant" #quantum computer by 2028. Is it realistic? Read what the experts said earlier this year: buff.ly/BaULCaR

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 17/09/2026

Prosthetic arms and hands are typically connected to a user with electrodes that can short out or disconnect with everyday use. So researchers are developing optical sensors to make stronger, better, more comfortably-fitting prosthetics.

spectrum.ieee.org

LED Prosthetic Armband Senses Muscles With Light

LED sensor band could end sweat-triggered prosthetic shutdowns

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