Energy
Are induction stoves better? These chefs think so.
Induction stoves use electromagnetism to heat food more efficiently than any other kind of stovetop. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Ask someone in the United States about "electric cooking" and they'll probably describe one of those awful coil stoves, the ones that take forever to heat up and then burn your dinner to a crisp the moment you take your eyes off it. This unfortunate association is perhaps one reason why induction cooking hasn't quite taken off in the U.S. the way it has elsewhere in the world--in Europe, for example, where induction stoves are commonplace. How do induction stoves differ from electric stoves?
The Download: what's next for electricity, and living in the conspiracy age
Plus: Donald Trump wants to outlaw individual states' right to regulate AI The International Energy Agency recently released the latest version of the World Energy Outlook, the annual report that takes stock of the current state of global energy and looks toward the future. It contains some interesting insights and a few surprising figures about electricity, grids, and the state of climate change. Let's dig into some numbers . This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review's weekly climate newsletter. Everything is a conspiracy theory now. Our latest series " The New Conspiracy Age " delves into how conspiracies have gripped the White House, turning fringe ideas into dangerous policy, and how generative AI is altering the fabric of truth.
Optimizing the flight path for a scouting Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle
Adhikari, Raghav, Khatiwada, Sachet, Poudel, Suman
Hu et al. [1] suggested using uncrewed vehicles in civil infrastructure asset management. Similarly, Bechtsis et al. [2] propose using uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs) in precision farming. One of the emerging areas where such vehicles can prove helpful is assisting in postdisaster evacuation. Natural disasters, including earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and volcanic eruptions, can severely damage the urban infrastructure, leading to considerable losses. Following such events, providing timely relief and disseminating crucial information, such as safe evacuation routes, becomes essential for affected individuals' safe and organized movement. Recently, among the advanced technologies integrated into disaster response missions include uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) that have been crucial in assessing the state of critical infrastructure essential services, including telecommunications, transportation, and buildings, to facilitate efficient disaster response and evacuation [3]. UAV systems have proven to be increasingly valuable in disaster relief and emergency response (DRER) efforts by enhancing the capabilities of the first responders, offering advanced predictive insights, and enabling early warning systems [4]. UAVs have assisted in diverse tasks, including remote sensing, search and rescue, forest fire detection, survey and surveillance [5].
Reservoir Computing via Multi-Scale Random Fourier Features for Forecasting Fast-Slow Dynamical Systems
Forecasting nonlinear time series with multi-scale temporal structures remains a central challenge in complex systems modeling. We present a novel reservoir computing framework that combines delay embedding with random Fourier feature (RFF) mappings to capture such dynamics. Two formulations are investigated: a single-scale RFF reservoir, which employs a fixed kernel bandwidth, and a multi-scale RFF reservoir, which integrates multiple bandwidths to represent both fast and slow temporal dependencies. The framework is applied to a diverse set of canonical systems: neuronal models such as the Rulkov map, Izhikevich model, Hindmarsh-Rose model, and Morris-Lecar model, which exhibit spiking, bursting, and chaotic behaviors arising from fast-slow interactions; and ecological models including the predator-prey dynamics and Ricker map with seasonal forcing, which display multi-scale oscillations and intermittency. Across all cases, the multi-scale RFF reservoir consistently outperforms its single-scale counterpart, achieving lower normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) and more robust long-horizon predictions. These results highlight the effectiveness of explicitly incorporating multi-scale feature mappings into reservoir computing architectures for modeling complex dynamical systems with intrinsic fast-slow interactions.
Optimus-Q: Utilizing Federated Learning in Adaptive Robots for Intelligent Nuclear Power Plant Operations through Quantum Cryptography
Puppala, Sai, Hossain, Ismail, Alam, Jahangir, Talukder, Sajedul
The integration of advanced robotics in nuclear power plants (NPPs) presents a transformative opportunity to enhance safety, efficiency, and environmental monitoring in high-stakes environments. Our paper introduces the Optimus-Q robot, a sophisticated system designed to autonomously monitor air quality and detect contamination while leveraging adaptive learning techniques and secure quantum communication. Equipped with advanced infrared sensors, the Optimus-Q robot continuously streams real-time environmental data to predict hazardous gas emissions, including carbon dioxide (CO$_2$), carbon monoxide (CO), and methane (CH$_4$). Utilizing a federated learning approach, the robot collaborates with other systems across various NPPs to improve its predictive capabilities without compromising data privacy. Additionally, the implementation of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) ensures secure data transmission, safeguarding sensitive operational information. Our methodology combines systematic navigation patterns with machine learning algorithms to facilitate efficient coverage of designated areas, thereby optimizing contamination monitoring processes. Through simulations and real-world experiments, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the Optimus-Q robot in enhancing operational safety and responsiveness in nuclear facilities. This research underscores the potential of integrating robotics, machine learning, and quantum technologies to revolutionize monitoring systems in hazardous environments.
PCARNN-DCBF: Minimal-Intervention Geofence Enforcement for Ground Vehicles
Yu, Yinan, Scheidegger, Samuel
Runtime geofencing for ground vehicles is rapidly emerging as a critical technology for enforcing Operational Design Domains (ODDs). However, existing solutions struggle to reconcile high-fidelity learning with the structural requirements of verifiable control. We address this by introducing PCARNN-DCBF, a novel pipeline integrating a Physics-encoded Control-Affine Residual Neural Network with a preview-based Discrete Control Barrier Function. Unlike generic learned models, PCARNN explicitly preserves the control-affine structure of vehicle dynamics, ensuring the linearity required for reliable optimization. This enables the DCBF to enforce polygonal keep-in constraints via a real-time Quadratic Program (QP) that handles high relative degree and mitigates actuator saturation. Experiments in CARLA across electric and combustion platforms demonstrate that this structure-preserving approach significantly outperforms analytical and unstructured neural baselines.