Japanese researchers and a fireworks manufacturer have developed and commercialised water soluble eco fire works shells and canisters, which may be the world's first such products. The Japanese eco-friendly fireworks were developed by Ryukoku University professor Takahiko Nakaoki and Hiroyuki Kakinoki, president of Kakinoki Fireworks Industry Co., to reduce debris left behind after fireworks shows. Kakinoki plans to produce 20,000 fireworks this year, with a target of making around 10,000 new eco-friendly versions. The partnership began in 2018, when Kakinoki was exploring ways to
A China BCI exoskeleton robot is drawing attention for its ability to help patients regain movement through brain-computer interface technology. Developed by the Joint Laboratory for Universal AI in Disability Support in Hefei, the system combines non-invasive EEG signals, deep learning, and neuroplasticity principles to connect brain activity with assisted movement. The BCI exoskeleton robot uses high-precision EEG sensors to detect brain signals. Through a technique known as motor imagery, the system identifies a patient's intention to move and converts it into commands for the robotic e
The Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana (PM-SSY) marks India's biggest push towards floating solar development, with the Union Cabinet approving the scheme on July 31, 2026. Implemented by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), the central-sector programme aims to develop 5,000 MW (5 GW) of floating solar projects on reservoirs, industrial ponds, and inland water bodies by FY 2030-31. The floating solar scheme has a government outlay of ₹5,070 crore and offers Central Financial Assistance of up to ₹1 crore per MW after project commissioning. Every project must also include a co-
Researchers in Singapore have developed two advanced tools for predicting liver cancer recurrence that use artificial intelligence and machine learning to assess the risk of recurrence after surgery. Developed by teams from the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), Duke-NUS Medical School, A*STAR, and Singapore General Hospital (SGH), the tools could help doctors personalise treatment and improve long-term patient outcomes. The first breakthrough comes from the PLANet liver cancer study, published in the journal Gut. The machine-learning model combines genetic and clinical data to predi
Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace has launched the world's first lab-grown diamond jewellery payload into orbit aboard Vikram-1. It is India's first privately developed orbital launch vehicle. The mission carried the Cosmos Bloom Diamond, created in partnership with Bengaluru-based Cosmos Diamonds, making it a landmark for both the space and jewellery industries. The Skyroot Vikram-1 lab-grown diamond payload features a handcrafted lotus-shaped gold jewel set with 16.9 carats of lab-grown diamonds, all grown and crafted in India. The piece underwent more than 100 design sketches and 11 pro
Sarvam AI positions itself as India's full stack sovereign AI platform. It offers a suite of artificial intelligence solutions built entirely on domestic compute infrastructure. The platform supports speech to text, text to speech, translation, document digitisation, multilingual dubbing, and conversational AI across Indian languages. It has processed more than 10 billion tokens. It also delivers a median latency below 100 milliseconds and a 99.9% uptime service level agreement. The company recently introduced Sarvam Circle. It is also showcasing its latest innovations at the Sarvam Epoch
Google has launched "Ask Google Pay" in India, a Gemini-powered artificial intelligence assistant integrated into the Google Pay app. The new opt-in feature enables users to analyse their spending, receive personalised financial insights, and understand complex financial concepts through natural text or voice conversations. The AI assistant allows users to ask questions like how much they spent on dining last week. It analyses transaction history and credit report data to provide tailored insights and recommendations instead of simply displaying past transactions. In addition to spendin
Microsoft has unveiled MAI-Cyber-1-Flash, its first generative artificial intelligence model designed specifically for cybersecurity, as the company steps up efforts to strengthen its security business through AI-powered threat detection. During an event in San Francisco, Microsoft said the model, when paired with OpenAI's GPT-5.4, outperformed rival offerings from Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI on the CyberGym benchmark, while delivering comparable results at roughly half the cost. The new model will power Project Perception, a suite of AI agents capable of identifying security vulnerab
Indian astronomers, along with international collaborators, have reported the rare discovery of a Blue Straggler Star (BSS) caught in the process of formation, providing some of the strongest direct observational evidence yet for how these unusual stars are created. The research team, led by scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), studied the binary star system TIC 327546480 in the Collinder 261 star cluster, located around 9,500 light-years from Earth. Blue Straggler Stars are hotter, brighter, and more massive than other stars of a similar age within the same clust
China has completed and tested the world's largest superconducting fusion magnet, marking a significant step in its ambitious effort to develop an "Artificial Sun" capable of producing clean energy through nuclear fusion. Developed by the Institute of Plasma Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the toroidal field superconducting magnet measures 21 metres in height, 12 metres in width and weighs 582 tonnes. It is a key component of China's fusion energy programme and will be used in the China Fusion Engineering Demonstration Reactor (CFEDR). The magnet is designed to generate a