Author: Connected World
Road infrastructure is entering a new era as research and technology continue to improve the safety, sustainability, and performance of transportation networks. Through collaboration between industry leaders and academic researchers, innovative solutions are helping shape the future of road construction and maintenance. One example is the Roads Research Alliance, a partnership led by National Highways that is advancing breakthrough technologies for safer, greener, and smarter roads. Current research focuses on digital twins, AI (artificial intelligence), robotics, advanced materials, and non-destructive testing methods that can improve road maintenance while reducing disruptions for drivers. Here is how this can help: As transportation…
As researchers work to develop new cancer treatments, one of the biggest challenges is identifying promising drug candidates quickly and efficiently. Now, researchers at Purdue University have developed a next-generation technology platform designed to dramatically speed up the early stages of cancer drug discovery. By combining chemical synthesis, biological testing, and mass spectrometry into a single automated workflow, the platform can reduce processes that once took weeks down to just hours. The new system enables scientists to generate, evaluate, and refine potential drug candidates within the same platform. It also supports the growing use of AI (artificial intelligence) by producing…
Smart water metering is entering a new phase of growth. According to Berg Insight, the installed base of water AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) endpoints in Europe and North America reached 79.1 million units in 2025 and is projected to grow to 154.5 million by 2031. That’s nearly double in just six years. Who said the IoT was dead? Could water utilities become one of the next major drivers of IoT (Internet of Things) adoption? The momentum is being fueled by a combination of factors: aging infrastructure, increasing pressure to reduce water loss, regulatory requirements, and growing demand for realtime visibility…
#Fact of the Week: Data and analytics are entering a new era, one where governance, trust, and sovereignty are becoming just as important as AI (artificial intelligence) innovation itself. According to Gartner, the top data and analytics trends for 2026 include sovereign AI, decision governance for AI agents, and AI governance platforms. As organizations increasingly rely on autonomous AI systems, the focus is shifting from simply deploying AI to ensuring its decisions are transparent, auditable, and aligned with business objectives. Could this be the next phase of enterprise AI adoption? As AI agents take on more strategic and operational responsibilities,…
As data volumes continue to grow across scientific research, so does the need for advanced computing infrastructure to manage, analyze, and connect information from myriad sources. Now, a new high performance data facility aims to help researchers unlock discoveries faster by combining AI (artificial intelligence), high-performance computing, and large-scale data management. The facility is supported through partnerships that include Virginia Tech and the U.S. Dept. of Energy. The high-performance data facility will serve as a national hub for scientific data, enabling researchers to access and analyze information from laboratories, experiments, and simulations across the country. By bringing together computing power,…
Fact of the Week: Rail freight wagon tracking devices will reach nearly 1.4 million by 2030. That’s a 60% increase from 875,000 units in 2025. Berg Insight forecasts the global installed base of tracking devices for rail freight wagons will grow from 875,000 units at the end of 2025 to nearly 1.4 million by 2030, highlighting the growing demand for realtime visibility across rail freight operations. The growth reflects a broader digital transformation taking place across the rail industry. Rail operators and wagon owners are increasingly investing in telematics solutions that provide location tracking as well as realtime data on…
As AI (artificial intelligence) and LLMs (large language models) continue to transform software development, universities are investing in research that explores new ways to help developers build, maintain, and secure increasingly complex software systems. As one example, Virginia Tech computer science researcher Muhammad Ali Gulzar recently received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award to advance research on how large language models understand and interpret software code. His project, titled “Foundations of Semantic Code Understanding by Large Language Models for Software Maintenance,” seeks to improve the ability of AI systems to reason about code in ways that more closely align with…
In industrial and rugged environments, batteries have long been treated as a necessary part of connected technology. But for many organizations, batteries introduce a hidden cost that extends far beyond the device itself: maintenance, downtime, and user frustration. When companies invest in connected sensors, wearables, or monitoring systems, the goal is usually to improve productivity, visibility, or reliability. Yet too often, the technology creates a new burden. Someone has to charge the battery. Someone has to replace it. Someone has to remember when it’s running low. That burden becomes a barrier to adoption and scale. We’ve seen firsthand how this…
In this conversation, Connected World Editorial Director Peggy Smedley gets right to the point asking Twisthink CEO Dave Moelker practical questions about what it really takes to modernize automation. Dave explains how robotics and hardware teams can add secure wireless connectivity to legacy machines, run AI at the edge for high‑speed vision, and turn raw realtime data into predictive insights that prevent downtime. He doesn’t shy away from the tough issues, mixed‑vendor environments, fragmented data, and the challenge manufacturers face when trying to scale a single automation cell into a full factory rollout. Dave also shares how Twisthink’s human‑centered design…
As major international events continue to grow in scale and influence, researchers are examining how global competitions and new innovations can shape tourism, business, and economic activity. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching, new research highlights how success evolves in a new era of work. Researchers at Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business have explored the relationship between international sporting success and economic performance, particularly within tourism markets. Their findings suggest that strong performances in events like the FIFA World Cup can increase global awareness of a country, strengthen destination branding, and create opportunities for tourism-related businesses. Here is…