https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researchers have developed a flexible optical fiber that can be threaded through a medical endoscope and steered into the larynx to destroy hard-to-reach tumors on the vocal folds, an advance that could expand outpatient laser treatment options for patients whose only other choice might be surgery under general anesthesia. The team's work is published in the Journal of Medical Devices. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-flexible-optical-fiber-technology-laser.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:00:05 EDT news694881602 A team led by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researcher Nitin J. Sanket has shown that ultrasound sensors and a form of artificial intelligence (AI) can enable palm-sized aerial robots to navigate with limited power and computation through fog, smoke, and other challenging conditions during search-and-rescue operations. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-ultrasound-palm-sized-drones-fog.html Robotics Thu, 26 Mar 2026 09:06:49 EDT news693734657 WPI researchers have used a form of artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze anatomical changes in the brain and predict Alzheimer's disease with nearly 93% accuracy. Their research, published in the journal Neuroscience, also revealed that the anatomical changes, involving loss of brain volume, differ by age and sex. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-ai-alzheimer-mri-brain-volume.html Thu, 05 Mar 2026 18:40:01 EST news691947301 Sometimes, cybersecurity isn't about passwords or computer chips or networks. Instead, it may be about what's on your wrist. New research led by WPI faculty members and students shows that electromagnetic signals from smartwatches that connect to cellular networks can be collected and used to make inferences about a wearer's behavior, activities, and even health. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-02-privacy-wrist-smartwatch-electromagnetic-expose.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 12 Feb 2026 13:04:20 EST news690123842 Researchers in Worcester Polytechnic Institute's Department of Chemical Engineering and at the University of Akron have published research in Chemical Engineering Journal about a new technology that seeks to solve long-standing challenges in plastic recycling that limit the overwhelming majority of plastics to a single use and contribute to the accumulation of plastic waste. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-chemi-mechanical-pigments-properties-recycled.html Polymers Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:59:53 EST news688928341 Researchers have developed a new artificial intelligence-based modeling tool that can accurately predict how infectious diseases spread in confined environments and help identify more effective containment strategies, according to new research. The study introduces the AI-GIS Infection Dynamics (AGID) model. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-ai-disease-outbreaks-confined-spaces.html Health informatics Tue, 27 Jan 2026 16:47:24 EST news688754822 The tiny opaque tube that Yonghui Ding holds up to the light in his laboratory looks like a bit of debris from a dismantled ballpoint pen. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-3d-scaffolds-blood-vessels-approach.html Cardiology Tue, 09 Dec 2025 12:42:33 EST news684506521 Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researchers have created a new carbon-negative building material that could transform sustainable construction. The breakthrough, published in the high-impact journal Matter, details the development of enzymatic structural material (ESM), a strong, durable, and recyclable construction material produced through a low-energy, bioinspired process. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-material-absorbs-quickly-sustainable.html Materials Science Sat, 06 Dec 2025 15:30:02 EST news684257372 To increase energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of hydrogen fuel production, Fanglin Che, associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, is leveraging the power and potential of machine learning and computational modeling. The multi-university team she leads has completed a study that was just published in Nature Chemical Engineering. The study utilized artificial intelligence to identify catalysts with the potential to facilitate cleaner and more efficient hydrogen production. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-ai-catalysts-hydrogen-production-hurdles.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 06 Oct 2025 15:34:04 EDT news678983642 Battery technology researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) recently published studies that address some of the biggest challenges in the field. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-09-advances-generation-lithium-batteries-safer.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 22 Sep 2025 14:22:04 EDT news677769722 In a major step forward for sustainable energy technology, researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), led by Professor Yan Wang, William B. Smith Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, have developed a new, scalable method to recycle lithium-ion batteries in a way that is both efficient and environmentally friendly. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-07-unveil-efficient-eco-friendly-method.html Energy & Green Tech Fri, 18 Jul 2025 07:50:01 EDT news672043234 Online reviews of products give consumers a chance to praise their favorite products and vent about the shortcomings. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-online-consumer-sway-product-deletion.html Economics & Business Tue, 29 Apr 2025 11:40:04 EDT news665145602 The world is rapidly transitioning to renewable power, but there are shortcomings. Solar power falls at night, and wind power recedes and ascends irregularly. New technologies need to be developed that can store energy from the electrical grid when there's a surplus and deploy it when there's not enough. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-10-silicate-magic-safer-cheaper-efficient.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 17 Oct 2024 14:57:23 EDT news648395828 WPI Researchers have developed a material to remove urea from water and potentially convert it into hydrogen gas. By building these materials of nickel and cobalt atoms with carefully tailored electronic structures, the group has unlocked the potential to enable these transition metal oxides and hydroxides to selectively oxidize urea in an electrochemical reaction. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-material-possibility-pollutants-hydrogen-gas.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 18 Jan 2024 16:26:04 EST news624817561 A lizard-like soft robot that can creep into walls, ductwork, and pipes to perform inspections and three-dimensional mapping tasks that could be dangerous or impossible for humans has been developed by WPI researchers partnered with the City of Worcester. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-09-flexible-robot-small-spaces.html Robotics Wed, 20 Sep 2023 13:01:40 EDT news614433696 Sodium, potassium and zinc have all been promising contenders for lithium's place in rechargeable batteries of the future, but researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) have added an unusual and more abundant competitor to the mix: chloride, the richest negatively charged ions in seawater. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-08-chloride-ions-seawater-lithium-batteries.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 10 Aug 2023 15:33:34 EDT news610900409 A team led by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researcher Yan Wang has developed a solvent-free process to manufacture lithium-ion battery electrodes that are greener, cheaper, and charge faster than electrodes currently on the market, an advance that could improve the manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-05-solvent-free-cheaper-lithium-ion-battery-electrodes.html Engineering Thu, 18 May 2023 11:44:49 EDT news603629086 A new study led by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) brings into sharper focus the structural details of the COVID-19 virus, revealing an elliptical shape that "breathes," or changes shape, as it moves in the body. The discovery, which could lead to new antiviral therapies for the disease and quicker development of vaccines, is featured in the journal Structure. https://phys.org/news/2023-03-team-uncovers-sars-cov-.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:28:06 EDT news599398080 A team of researchers and clinicians at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and Harvard Medical School-affiliated McLean Hospital in Belmont is using artificial intelligence technology to better predict suicide risk in women who suffer from certain trauma-related disorders. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-02-artificial-intelligence-suicide-key-predictors.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 09 Feb 2023 09:09:04 EST news595156141 An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has developed a potential breakthrough in green aviation: a recipe for a net-zero fuel for planes that will pull carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the air. The research, which used sophisticated computational modeling and analysis, was recently published in the journal Fuel. https://techxplore.com/news/2022-11-potential-method-net-zero-aviation-fuel.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 29 Nov 2022 13:47:02 EST news588952021 With gas prices soaring and food costs pinching family budgets, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at WPI is looking at ways to use food waste to make a renewable and more affordable fuel replacement for oil-based diesel. The work, led by Chemical Engineering Professor Michael Timko, is detailed in a new paper in the journal iScience. https://techxplore.com/news/2022-09-easing-pain-food-method-biodiesel.html Energy & Green Tech Fri, 02 Sep 2022 12:30:42 EDT news581340639 A group of researchers led by Elke Rundensteiner has developed a highly effective technology that screens voice recordings for signs that a speaker is depressed, an important advance that could alert physicians and other clinicians to people who need help. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-04-technology-screen-voice-depression.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 26 Apr 2022 10:47:29 EDT news570188847 Inspired by healthcare needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, Assistant Professor of Robotics Engineering Jane Li is leading a team of researchers on a project to develop advanced remote-controlled humanoid nursing robots that can help medical workers care for patients who are in quarantine or isolation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-04-pandemic-humanoid-nursing-robots-medical.html Medical economics Wed, 20 Apr 2022 10:12:12 EDT news569668324 Mitigating climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing the world's population. Now, a team of researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute has developed an entirely new material that's a low-cost, high-impact sustainable solution to address one of the largest contributors to climate change—concrete. https://phys.org/news/2022-02-negative-emission-material-mitigate-climate-infrastructure.html Materials Science Tue, 22 Feb 2022 10:00:07 EST news564746404 Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) are using an enzyme found in red blood cells to create self-healing concrete that is four times more durable than traditional concrete, extending the life of concrete-based structures and eliminating the need for expensive repairs or replacements. The work, published in the peer-reviewed journal Applied Materials Today, uses an enzyme that automatically reacts with atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) to create calcium carbonate crystals, which mimic concrete in structure, strength, and other properties, and can fill cracks before they cause structural problems. https://phys.org/news/2021-06-self-healing-concrete-lifespans.html Materials Science Tue, 15 Jun 2021 09:08:53 EDT news542966928 A team of researchers that includes Worcester Polytechnic Institute Biology Professor Pamela Weathers has found that extracts from the leaves of the Artemisia annua plant, a medicinal herb also known as sweet wormwood, inhibit the replication of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and two of its recent variants. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-05-early-sweet-wormwood-inhibit-covid-.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 04 May 2021 10:18:00 EDT news539342266 A WPI researcher and team of students were part of a group of 244 laboratories around the world that demonstrated a solution to a long-standing problem in biology—estimating the number of bacteria in a liquid sample. https://phys.org/news/2020-10-probe-bacteria-liquid-samples.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 26 Oct 2020 09:50:10 EDT news522924595 A team of researchers led by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Provost Wole Soboyejo has identified targeted drugs that reduced the sizes of hard-to-treat breast cancer tumors in mice without inducing the toxic side effects that are typically associated with conventional chemotherapy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-05-team-breast-cancer-tumors-mice.html Medical research Thu, 28 May 2020 13:10:02 EDT news509889630 Two months after creating a structural 3-D roadmap of the novel coronavirus and sharing it with the scientific community worldwide, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) bioinformatics researcher Dmitry Korkin has published a paper on the topic in Viruses, a leading virology journal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-covid-paper-parallels-sars-virus.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 15 Apr 2020 13:54:18 EDT news506177653 Fermentation gives the world some of its most delicious foods and beverages, like cheese, chocolate, beer, wine, and more. https://phys.org/news/2020-02-fermentophone-edible-musical-instrument-fermented.html Environment Fri, 07 Feb 2020 08:20:20 EST news500286016