Author: Connected World

#Factoftheweek 9 in 10 construction workers in 24 states are not union members. Let’s break this down. The data comes from ABC (Associated Builders and Contractors). And it found at least 90% of construction workers in 24 states did not belong to a union in 2025. Overall, there was a record of 9 million nonunion construction workers compared to 995,000 union members. What does this mean? ABC urges state policymakers to advance policies that level the playing field, preserve worker choice, and address the issues the construction industry faces—issues like the worker shortage which will amount to 349,000 in 2026.…

Can AI (artificial intelligence) aid in the education of students? This is the question many higher education program leaders are aiming to answer. Now, one new trial is underway to teach future doctors how evidence is generated and evaluated. As one example, at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, professors created the IDEA (Independent Data Exploration and Analysis) project, which is required for first-year medical students at the school. The yearlong curriculum uses AI tools. When the project first launched, students used ChatGPT and Claude, but the class has since transitioned to TrialMind, a platform tailored specifically to…

#Factoftheweek How smart are our cities? Maybe not quite smart enough, but they will be smarter in the future. Smart cities contain several key areas of research. Let’s look at the most research figures in 2024 from Berg Research: Another key area is smart-city surveillance, which is measured in dollars rather than units. Berg Insight suggests this market, which includes both fixed and mobile video and audio surveillance solutions, reached a global market value of € 13.6 billion in 2024. This market is anticipated to grow at a rate of 15.6% through 2029. Looking to the future, the smart-street lighting…

Energetic materials have been produced using manufacturing methods such as casting and milling, which emphasize efficiency and scalability. Although these approaches are well suited for large-scale batch production, they offer limited flexibility for customization—restricting innovation and potentially preventing performance optimization. This is where new additive manufacturing and 3D printing research enters the equation. Purdue University engineer Monique McClain is developing new methods to control materials’ behaviors throughout the manufacturing process. Professor McClain specializes in the early manufacturing stages such as selecting binders with unique properties to hold energetic particles together and determine how they are mixed. As an example, a…

This popped up in a recent edition of Wired magazine, featuring the upcoming use of “robot dogs” to enhance security at a major public event. Robots used for security at major venues are not new. Back in 2018, I met B-3PO (“she” was intentionally designated as a female) at New York’s LaGuardia Airport Terminal B. As I was entering the terminal, she rolled up to me and stopped. I had a “conversation” with her (and found out later that the robot had a realtime connection to a real NYC police officer (a lady) that could make the conversation seem “real”).…

Quantum computers are big, expensive, and often need to operate at temperatures near -459 degrees Fahrenheit, or absolute zero. Now, material scientists at Stanford University are researching a new nanoscale optical device that works at room temperature. The new device uses twisted light from molybdenum diselenide to entangle photons and electrons, stabilizing quantum states for effective communication. The new device is small, relatively inexpensive, and pragmatic. The team is currently working to refine the device. Here is how this can help: The researchers are looking at ways to integrate their device into larger quantum networks. To do this, the field…

#Factoftheweek $2.4 billion 6,500 network deployments Those are the numbers related to private LTE/5G network deployments in 2025, excluding PoC (proof-of-concept) projects, according to Berg Insight. The analyst firm anticipates the market value will grow steadily in the next five years, driven by: Berg suggests the market will reach $12 billion in 2030, which is a 38% growth rate. The market is being shaped by trends such as virtualization of network functions, the implementation of O-RAN in radio products, and the emergence of neutral host network solutions. Other key trends identified by the research firm that could significantly impact private…

Predicting topological defects has traditionally required slow, resource-intensive simulations—but that is all starting to change. Researchers at Chungnam National University are looking to solve this problem, with a deep learning method that predicts stable defect configurations in nematic liquid crystals in milliseconds rather than hours. In nematic liquid crystals, molecules can rotate freely while remaining roughly aligned. Now, researchers led by Professor Jun-Hee Na from Chungnam National University, Republic of Korea, have developed a faster way to predict stable defect configurations using deep learning, replacing time-consuming conventional numerical simulations. The model employs 3D U-Net architecture, a convolutional neural network widely…

#Factoftheweek The number of devices using eSIMs will grow by 30% in 2026; rising from 1.2 billion in 2025. Where will we see the greatest growth? Juniper Research says look to: Why? Juniper Research says these industries will benefit the most from the GSMA’s SGP.32 standard, which launched in 2025. This new standard for the IoT (Internet of Things) will enable scalable, server-driven remote SIM provisioning, offering benefits such as bulk activation, reduced operational costs, and greater flexibility to switch connectivity providers. With all this in mind, eSIM platforms must now pivot the model for the IoT. In fact, Juniper…

If you are like me, then over the past twenty years you’ve paid attention to Gartner’s Hype Cycle predictions on the evolution of various technologies. In fact, you are not alone. It is estimated more than 75% of the Fortune 500 companies rely upon Gartner’s technology assessments. Talk about having influence! When I saw this press release from Gartner, I sat up and paid attention. With its focus on supply-chain applications, I breathed a sigh of relief that the “polyfunctional robot” described in the press release matched the type of “cobot” that I described in my article: Cobots on the…