TechEBlog -

MIT Engineers Create Tiny Silicon Structures That Perform Calculations Using Waste Heat Instead Of Electricity

By Jackson Chung February 8, 2026

Photo credit: Jose-Luis Olivares, MIT
MIT engineers have come up with some ingenious work: they’ve created tiny silicon structures that can crunch numbers using heat that would otherwise be wasted rather than energy. It’s a game changer for dealing with heat in electronics, and a team of MIT researchers lead by undergraduate physics wiz Caio Silva has proved that it truly works. In a study published in Physical Review Applied, they show off the results of their simulation work, demonstrating that these small devices can do some rather important math operations with surprising accuracy.

Boston Dynamics Gives Its Research Atlas One Last Airborne Sprint Before Heading to Production

By Jackson Chung February 8, 2026

Boston Dynamics is finishing up a long chapter in the Atlas robot’s existence before shifting its focus to the electric production model that will be used on the factory floor. The company collaborated with the Robotics & AI Institute to push this robot’s full-body movement and control capabilities one last time.

Up-Close Look at the ‘Essential’ Torch Used at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics

By Bill Smith February 8, 2026

The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics torch, dubbed “Essential,” is a quiet game changer in an object that has been passing the flame around the world for decades. Carlo Ratti, the architect, approached the project with a question in mind: how does an object transmit emotion? His instruction was to pare down to the bare essentials and let the flame do the talking.

Astronaut Captures Grand Canyon from Space, Reveals Snow Outlining a Hidden Depth

By Jackson Chung February 7, 2026

On January 26, 2026, an astronaut on the International Space Station looked earthward and captured a view of the Grand Canyon that few people have ever seen. A fresh layer of snow from a few days of flurries clings to the canyon’s rim, framing the huge abyss in stark white against the deep red-brown rock below. The Colorado Plateau looks like a flat canvas sprinkled with dust, while the canyon itself, carved out by the Colorado River over millions of years, plunges into darkness.

Invisible Door Sensors are More Useful Than You Think, This Project Shows Why

By Jackson Chung February 7, 2026

This project takes regular door sensors and amps them up a few notches, providing a brilliant way to keep your smart house smart without having a single gadget attached to the frame. Dillan Stock of The Stock Pot got his hands on those cheap Aqara T1 touch sensors and decided to rebuild their housings from scratch, effectively stuffing everything inside the door and frame.

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus Turns Almost Any TV into a Portable Gaming Rig, Thanks to Xbox Game Pass

By Bill Smith February 7, 2026

Amazon’s latest Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, priced at $29.99 (was $49.99), is tiny, smaller than a pack of gum, but it packs a powerful punch, allowing you to stream 4K movies in super-sharp clarity and play console-quality games without the need for a large box under your TV. The new edition is the result of years of fine-tuning to provide you with a simple method to view your favorite shows or play games on virtually any screen with an HDMI connector.

NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Takes the Wheel, Completes First Drive Planned by AI

By Jackson Chung February 7, 2026

NASA’s Perseverance rover rolled across the rim of Jezero Crater for 700 feet on December 8, 2025, and another 800 feet a few days later, but these were no ordinary journeys. In fact, this was the first time on another planet that artificial intelligence handled route planning on its own, selecting safe courses without the assistance of human specialists on Earth.

Innovative Air-Powered Display Relies on 3D-Printed Microfluidic Logic

By Jackson Chung February 7, 2026

A display that uses air power to transform our perceptions of screens is a novel concept. Maker Soiboi Soft set out to create one using only 3D printing, a small amount of soft silicone, and the difference in air pressure between normal and vacuum. The end result is a 4×4 grid of pixels that light up various patterns and games, letters, numbers, and even a rudimentary snake game animation, all without the use of electricity.

SpaceX Plans to Launch Up to 1-Million Orbiting Data Centers Powered by the Sun

By Jackson Chung February 7, 2026

SpaceX has made a significant step toward making science fiction a reality. They’ve put in a request to the FCC to launch up to one million satellites to host data centers in orbit. This proposal was submitted to the FCC on January 30, 2026, and it was accepted for file just a few days later, opening the public comment period.

3D-Printed Bicycle Drivetrain Shows What Happens When You Have Gears Without a Chain

By Jackson Chung February 7, 2026

Sergii Gordieiev, the engineer behind “The Q,” is the mastermind behind some incredibly unique innovations, such as transforming regular bicycles into something entirely different. His new project involves disassembling a basic bike, removing the chain and derailleur, and replacing them with a chain composed of 3D printed gears. The end result is a stripped-down single-speeder that delivers power directly from the crank to the wheel, with no sign of chain slap or rattling worn chains.