Stanford scientists have discovered a novel way to make plastic from CO2 and inedible plant material, such as agricultural waste and grasses. Researchers say the new technology could provide a low-carbon alternative to plastic bottles and other items currently made from petroleum. "Our goal is to replace petroleum-derived products with plastic made from CO2," said Matthew Kanan, an assistant professor of chemistry at Stanford.

When Stanford's autonomous car Shelley nears speeds of 120 mph as it tears around a racetrack without a driver, observers' natural inclinations are to exchange high-fives or simply mouth, "wow." Chris Gerdes and his students, however, flip open laptops and begin dissecting the car's performance. How many g-forces did Shelley pull through turns 14 and 15? How did it navigate the twisty chicane? What did the braking forces look like through the tig...

A team led by William Chueh, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering, and Nicholas Melosh, an associate professor in the same department, has made a discovery that could make large-scale solar power storage a reality. The breakthrough is based on the fact that ordinary metal oxides, such as rust, can be fashioned into solar cells capable of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Meet Hedgehog, who could become our guide to exploring the small bodies such as asteroids and comets whirling about the solar system. Designed by Stanford’s Marco Pavone, assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics, and Ben Hockman, graduate student in mechanical engineering, this space rover has no wheels for rolling, no arms for grabbing and no legs for stepping.  By Ian Chipman

Remember Ghost Protocol, when Ethan Hunt climbed the Burj Khalifa by means of adhesive gloves? Well, my friend, this is the kind of technology which may keep your dream of a wall-climbing Spider-Man alive...

Scientists have been trying for years to make a practical lithium-ion battery anode out of silicon, which could store 10 times more energy per charge than today’s commercial anodes and make high-performance batteries a lot smaller and lighter. But two major problems have stood in the way: Silicon particles swell, crack and shatter during battery charging, and they react with the battery electrolyte to form a coating that saps their performa...

Imagine communicating with your bank, the IRS or your doctor by way of an Internet that was perfectly secure. Your most private data would be protected with absolute certainty and, better yet, if any bad actor were to try to eavesdrop you would know immediately. Such is the promise of secure quantum communication.

Stanford researchers are using spiky nanoparticles of graphene-coated nickel to create a lithium-ion battery that shuts down when it's too hot, then quickly restarts when it cools. The new technology could prevent the kind of fires that have prompted recalls and bans on a wide range of battery-powered devices, from computers to hoverboards.

Researchers from Stanford University have extended the record for macroscopic quantum superposition (the idea of being in two places, or states, at once) from 1 to 54 centimeters (0.39 to 21 inches) by launching a supercooled cloud of rubidium atoms, all in the same state, 10 meters (33 feet) into the air using a laser. Their results were published in Nature.

The basic process of force-generation in muscle has been known for decades, but until now no one has ever seen it work at a microscopic level in a living human. The new microscope could provide unique insights into treating muscular degenerative diseases.

When Jeff Bezos unveiled his vision of drones delivering packages to Amazon customers during a 60 Minutes segment in late 2013, it caught many people as science fiction. Scarcely two years later, drones are poised to become a technology for not just delivering packages, but monitoring agriculture, gathering news in urban environments and even conducting search and rescue missions.

Zhenan Bao, a professor of chemical engineering at Stanford, has been trying, for a long time, to develop a material that mimics skin's ability to flex and heal, while also serving as the sensor net that sends touch, temperature and pain signals to the brain. Ultimately she wants to create a flexible electronic fabric embedded with sensors that could cover a prosthetic limb and replicate some of skin's sensory functions.

When Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy needs to diagnose an ill member of the Starship Enterprise, he simply points his tricorder device at their body and it identifies their disease. Similarly, when Capt. Kirk beams down to an alien world, his tricorder quickly analyses if the atmosphere is safe to breathe. Much like them, Stanford engineers are using microwaves and ultrasound to create a safe and portable way to detect hidden objects.

  Taking a cue from plants, researchers discover how to use the sun's energy to combine CO2 with H2O and create benign chemical products, as part of a futuristic technology called artificial photosynthesis.

Every time you stroll outside you emit energy into the universe. Heat from the top of your head radiates into space as infrared light. Now three Stanford engineers have developed a technology that improves on solar panel performance by exploiting this basic phenomenon. Their invention shunts away the heat generated by a solar cell under sunlight and cools it in a way that allows it to convert more photons into electricity.

Researchers from the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have developed a manufacturing technique that could double the electricity output of inexpensive solar cells by using a microscopic rake when applying light-harvesting polymers.  

In a study that could improve the safety of next-gen batteries, researchers at Stanford University discovered that adding two chemicals to the electrolyte of a lithium metal battery prevents the formation of dendrites, ‘fingers’ of lithium that pierce the barrier between the battery’s halves, causing it to short out, overheat and sometimes burst into flame.

Try on any virtual reality headset and within a few minutes the sense of wonder might wear off and leave you with a headache. Computational imaging experts say that's because current virtual reality headsets don't simulate natural 3D images. Now, researchers in the Stanford Computational Imaging Group have created a prototype for a next-gen virtual reality headset that uses light-field technology to create a natural, comfortable 3D viewing e...

Stanford engineers have partnered with the U.S. ARL (Army Research Laboratory) to set a computational record. Stanford Professor Charbel Farhat and his research team at the Army High Performance Computing Research Center (AHPCRC) used a high-end, parallel computer to demonstrate the power of algorithms that instruct processors to work together to solve challenging problems.

  One potential way to combat ongoing climate change, eliminate air pollution mortality, create jobs and stabilise energy prices involves converting the world's entire energy infrastructure to run on clean, renewable energy.