Research reveals that EV batteries only require a little AI enhancement to receive a significant 23% increase in their lifespan.

      Charging rapidly while maintaining battery life has often seemed unachievable. However, a new AI approach suggests otherwise.

      EV Charging

      The advancements in EV battery charging technology have consistently aimed to strike a suitable balance between fast charging and battery endurance. If the charging speed is excessive, it can damage the battery, while inadequate charging speed leads to dissatisfaction among users.

      Researchers Meng Yuan from Victoria University of Wellington and Changfu Zou from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden may have found a solution to this ongoing issue through an AI technique known as deep reinforcement learning, yielding promising results.

      Their research, published in IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification, presents a novel AI charging system that can charge batteries quickly while simultaneously safeguarding their long-term integrity.

      What sets this AI-driven charging system apart?

      This system employs a machine learning method called TD3, which essentially means the AI learns through trial and error over thousands of simulated charging sessions. Its distinguishing feature is its ability to adjust its charging strategy based on the current condition of the battery.

      Most conventional chargers follow a predetermined pattern, starting at maximum power and then reducing the output as the battery nears its full charge. However, this approach does not account for whether the battery is new or has been charged multiple times.

      The innovative AI-based charging method circumvents this limitation by learning the correlation between the battery's state of health and the maximum safe charging voltage, allowing it to make better-informed decisions in real-time.

      Does this lead to increased battery lifespan?

      In simulations with an actual battery model, this new method improved battery longevity by nearly 23% compared to standard charging techniques, achieving 703 equivalent full cycles versus just 572 with traditional charging methods. The charging time also remained competitive, taking about 24 minutes to reach an 80% charge.

      The team trained the entire system using a consumer-grade desktop equipped with an Intel i5 processor and an NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU. As noted by the researchers, this illustrates that the proposed framework can be efficiently trained on commonly available hardware without the need for specialized high-performance computing resources.

      Though it is still in the early stages and requires validation beyond simulations, if successful, this smarter charging approach could become a significant enhancement for future electric vehicles.

      Rachit is an experienced tech journalist with over seven years of experience covering the consumer technology industry.

      Alexa for Shopping is a talkative AI assistant with unique features to facilitate your shopping on Amazon

      After years of using Alexa for answering queries, managing smart home devices, playing music, and assisting with daily tasks, Amazon has identified a more straightforward role for it. Alexa is evolving into a personal shopping assistant, designed to help you locate items more quickly and add them to your cart with fewer hesitations.

      Amazon is launching Alexa for Shopping for U.S. customers via the Amazon Shopping app, Amazon.com, and Echo Show devices. It combines the existing Rufus shopping chatbot with Alexa's personalization features, allowing the assistant to utilize product knowledge, shopping history, browsing behavior, prior purchases, preferences, and Alexa dialogues to enhance recommendations. The assistant is available at no cost to signed-in Amazon users and does not require a Prime membership, an Echo device, or the Alexa app.

      This transparent smart ring translates sign language and is almost magical

      For individuals who are hard of hearing, sign language serves not just as a means of communication but as their primary language. Unfortunately, sign language is typically not taught to those with normal hearing, creating a challenging gap. However, a team of researchers in South Korea may have discovered an unexpectedly elegant solution to this longstanding issue.

      A recent study published in Science Advances reveals that a system named WRSLT (wirelessly connected, ring-type sign language translator) can accurately recognize and translate American Sign Language and International Sign Language phrases with about 88% accuracy. And indeed, it operates in real-time.

      The Android Show 2026: Gemini Intelligence, Googlebooks, Android 17 updates, and more

      Gemini Intelligence, Googlebooks, Android 17, and a revamped Android Auto were highlights from Google's pre-I/O event, which took place ahead of the main event in a week.

      Each year, Google prefaces its Android announcements with a separate show before its annual I/O conference. This year was no different, and The Android Show: I/O Edition proved to be more than just a warmup.

      Google presented itself well-prepared, showcasing numerous software updates alongside a major surprise hardware announcement. In a detailed discussion, we'll cover everything from a thoroughly integrated AI overhaul and a crucial security upgrade to an Android Auto redesign that feels like it was created for 2026, as well as an entirely new category of laptops.