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Journal articlePeters A, Pinson P, Banovic O, et al., 2027, , Electric Power Systems Research, Vol: 263, ISSN: 0378-7796
This work presents the novel open-source platform Wind Power Forecast for open and accessible wind power forecasting across Europe. The platform is motivated by the limited accessibility of wind power forecasting tools, which are often not openly available, difficult to adapt to arbitrary wind power plants (WPPs), or restricted by limited data availability. To address this, a model based on Multi-Layer Perceptrons (MLPs) is developed to generalise across arbitrary WPPs, enabling forecasts for existing and custom WPPs without asset-specific training. In this work, ”real-time forecast” refers to forecasts that are automatically updated using the most recent available weather forecast data. The model is trained on wind speeds at 100 m and WPP data, namely turbine type, hub height, age, and recorded production data, and it outperforms a power-curve benchmark. A web application renders the forecasts publicly available, visualises them on an interactive map, and allows users to define custom WPPs. In addition, a crowdsourcing feature enables users to upload production time series in order to extend the database and continuously improve the model. The platform is intended to particularly benefit smaller stakeholders and researchers by improving accessibility, transparency, interpretability, and opportunities for community-based contribution.
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Journal articleChurkin A, Pinson P, Pozo D, et al., 2027, , Electric Power Systems Research, Vol: 263, ISSN: 0378-7796
Operation of modern power systems depends on high-quality data and forecasts. As the provision of valuable forecasts shifts to independent providers, such as renewable and distributed generators, there is a growing need for forecast-sharing markets. However, existing forecast valuation mechanisms, often inspired by game theory, overlook physical network constraints and the dispersed locations of forecast providers in realistic power systems. This work shows that widely used valuation methods, such as the Shapley value, can yield counterintuitive results when applied to load forecasting in distribution networks. Specifically, due to the location of providers and voltage constraints, less accurate forecasts may appear more valuable than precise ones, while some providers may even be penalised. Moreover, value-oriented mechanisms lack incentive compatibility, as certain providers may systematically misreport load forecasts to receive higher payments. These findings expose the limitations of existing forecast valuation approaches and suggest that incorporating accuracy-based scoring may enhance value-oriented mechanisms.
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Journal articleBigestans D, Cardin MA, Dowell NM, et al., 2027, , Applied Energy, Vol: 427, ISSN: 0306-2619
Meeting national or corporate net zero targets requires addressing residual emissions that persist after wide-scale electrification, efficiency increases and point-source carbon capture. Direct air capture (DAC) has emerged as a leading option, offering permanent, verifiable removals at gigaton scale, with cost projections ranging from $100 to more than $1000/tCO<inf>2</inf>. DAC comprises two competing technologies: liquid solvent systems benefiting from economies of scale, and solid sorbent systems offering modular deployment and cost reduction through economies of large numbers. This creates a strategic dilemma for CDR investors: concentrate on a single technology or diversify to hedge technology-specific risks? We address this with two-stage stochastic MILP optimising DAC portfolio allocation strategies under demand and cost uncertainty, optimising facility deployment, energy sourcing and expansion decisions for fixed and flexible facility designs across four regions (US, UK, Australia, Brazil) and three demand scenarios (0.5–2.5 Mtpa, 0.1–0.3 Mtpa, 10–100 ktpa) with sample average approximation. Three findings emerge. (1) Under fixed allocation shares, pure-technology portfolios outperform diversified ones: pure liquid solvent achieves $204–490/tCO<inf>2</inf> versus $636–1451/tCO<inf>2</inf> for pure solid sorbent. Diversification paradoxically increases costs because fixed shares force deployment of expensive technology even when cheaper alternatives could meet demand alone. (2) Except for UK, liquid solvent preference reverses only below 100 ktpa, where solid sorbent learning rates (18%) dominate, though realising these benefits requires coordinated procurement beyond any single country's capacity. (3) Flexible deployment reduces mean levelised costs by 16–45% through demand-responsive capacity addition. Findings offer direct guidance for DAC investors: prioritise pure-technology strateg
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Journal articleAmatuni L, Clemm C, Sprecher B, et al., 2026, , Communications Earth and Environment, Vol: 7
Product reuse advances circular economy by reducing material demand. However, environmental assessments often assume reused products fully replace new ones, or they overlook market changes and shortened lifespans driven by resale and repurchase opportunities. This study presents an empirically based analysis of the second-hand smartphone market and its cumulative effects on manufacturing demand and carbon emissions. Integrating consumer survey data and product lifetime estimates in a stock-and-flow model, we find that in the United States, each second-hand transaction currently extends smartphone use time by 40%, displaces 0.40 new devices, and that circular consumption results in a 34% lower annual carbon footprint. With 25% of consumers purchasing used phones, production demand and carbon emissions are lowered by 15% and 14%, respectively. Yet, shortened use times offset nearly half the potential gains. If reuse became the norm, manufacturing demand could decline by one-third, revealing both the promise and the limits of reuse.
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Journal articleRiley S, Vamvakeros A, Quino G, et al., 2026, , Communications Materials, Vol: 7
Understanding the strain tolerance of both standard and mechanically flexible battery electrodes is prerequisite for optimizing performance, safety, and longevity, particularly in heavy-duty applications, flexible electronics and wearables. Achieving this requires a deeper understanding of how mechanical strain drives electrode degradation. In this work, we directly compare the strain response of electrospun (flexible) and slurry-cast (conventional) electrodes. To simulate acute mechanical stress, electrodes underwent a controlled 180° folding, pressing, and unfolding protocol designed to induce measurable damage, we then employed a combination of characterization techniques, including synchrotron X-ray nano-computed tomography, X-ray diffraction mapping, electrochemical analysis, and in situ Tensiometer-scanning electron microscopy to assess both structural and electrochemical degradation modes and provide a standardised upper-bound for strain induced damage. Our results reveal that electrospun electrodes exhibit significantly greater resilience to deformation, attributed to their freestanding architecture and fibrous morphology. These findings underscore the importance of characterizing deformation mechanisms to guide the design of high-performance batteries.
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Journal articleDing Z, Wang H, Gao C, et al., 2026, , Composites Part A Applied Science and Manufacturing, Vol: 210, ISSN: 1359-835X
Fibre–metal laminates (FMLs) combining fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) with ultra-high-strength steel (UHSS) are promising for high-performance multi-material structures, but their manufacture is limited. The forming temperature mismatch commonly necessitates separate forming and adhesive bonding, increasing cycle time, tooling complexity and recycling difficulty. This study introduces a novel one-shot forming process for UHSS-based FMLs. Separately heated FRP and UHSS blanks are stacked immediately before cold-die forming; the pre-cooled austenitised steel locally melts the adjacent FRP surface, while the remaining laminate forms predominantly in the solid state. The process enables concurrent forming, composite-metal bonding, and steel quench hardening. A U-shaped CF/PEEK–22MnB5 demonstrator was designed to validate the feasibility. A two-step simulation framework guided process-window selection by predicting through-thickness temperature evolution during stacking and inter-ply damage during forming. Preferred stacking temperatures of 280 °C for CF/PEEK and 520 °C for 22MnB5 were identified, consistent with forming trials. Under these conditions, the demonstrator exhibited good composite-metal bonding, minimal delamination and a 22MnB5 hardness of 453 HV10, corresponding to an ultimate tensile strength above 1400 MPa. Dimensional assessment showed good geometrical accuracy, although residual springback/spring-in indicated scope for further optimisation. The results demonstrate the feasibility of rapidly manufacturing UHSS-based FML components for larger-scale adoption.
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Journal articleDel Giovane M, Darvishi V, David MCB, et al., 2026, , Brain
The mechanism by which idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) causes cognitive impairment, gait dysfunction and urinary incontinence is unclear. The key radiological feature is ventriculomegaly, and symptoms can be treated with surgery. We hypothesise that ventricular expansion causes clinical effects by stretching and/or compressing white matter tracts. We define disease-specific white matter abnormalities, explore their relationship to clinical features and test whether they can be explained by a computational model of ventricular expansion in iNPH. In this observational study, diffusion tensor imaging with Tract-Based Spatial Statistics analysis was used to investigate white matter abnormalities in 22 patients with iNPH (14 males, mean age=71.91, SD=7.06), 28 with Alzheimer's disease (AD) (18 males, mean age=74.80), 23 with moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) (15 males, mean age=69.87) and 30 healthy controls (16 males, mean age=73.80). We developed a finite-element biomechanical model of hydrocephalus, which predicts patterns of white matter stretch and compression generated to deform from healthy to iNPH brain, and studied their effect on the extracted diffusion properties. Increased ventricular size relative to controls was found in both iNPH, AD and TBI. However, iNPH showed a unique pattern of increased and decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) in distinct sections of the corticospinal tract and corona radiata compared to AD, TBI and controls. Biomechanical modelling revealed that stretch in these tracts was associated with increased FA, driven by increased axial diffusivity (AxD) with little change or a reduction in radial diffusivity (RD). In contrast, compression was associated with reduced FA, resulting from increases in both AxD and RD. Parcel-based correlation analysis showed that strain predicted by the biomechanical model in these tracts was strongly and positively correlated with FA and negatively correlated with RD. The corpus call
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Journal articleTANG T, Nanayakkara T, Nanayakkara T, 2026,
Marker information efficacy: guiding marker design through deformation information encoding in vision-based tactile sensing
, npj Robotics, Vol: 4, Pages: 1-24, ISSN: 2731-4278Tactile perception is fundamental to manipulation and sensing, yet marker design in vision-based tactile sensors (VTS) remains largely unexplored. Conventional approaches assume that marker displacement alone suffices to characterise soft tissue deformation, without optimising marker geometry or spatial distribution. We introduce a systematic and design centric framework based on Marker Information Efficacy (MIE) that formalises how marker properties govern the encodingof deformation information. Starting from generic marker matrices, we systematically examine how marker geometry and spatial distribution affect deformation encoding, force prediction, and computational efficiency. This analysis reveals that marker performance depends on how effectively marker design captures the dominant structure of the deformation field, thereby enabling the principled design of deformation-aligned markers for different sensing scenarios. As a representative case, the derived deformation-aligned marker demonstrates that MIE-guided marker design enables accurateforce prediction using simpler predictive models with reduced computational cost. These findings establish MIE as a general and extensible design framework for VTS, effectively transforming optical markers from passive tracking tools into deformation-information-encoding components, and enabling efficient, real-time tactile sensing in contact-rich robotic manipulation.
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Journal articleRanjan A, Perera S, Zhang Z, et al., 2026, , Bioinspir Biomim, Vol: 21
Hoofed animals such as mountain goats, camels, horses, cows, and pigs exhibit exceptional capability in managing complex contact dynamics within their ecological niches, ranging from steep rocky slopes to loose sand and muddy ground. Recent numerical modelling and experimental work have demonstrated that the passive dynamics of mountain goat hooves can significantly reduce slippage without the need for active closed-loop control, provided that joint compliance lies within an appropriate range. In this paper, we review the biomechanics of biological hooves in relation to their environmental specialisations and examine the corresponding design principles, advantages, and limitations of robotic feet. By integrating evidence from biological morphology, robotic prototypes, and contact mechanics, we identify the critical morphological and material features required for robotic feet to perform effectively across diverse terrains. The paper highlights that: (a) layered and anisotropic material organisation in biological hooves enables passive, terrain-adaptive contact dynamics that provide stability and traction without active control; (b) anticipatory and morphology-driven contact modulation can replace high-bandwidth control in legged robots. This involves tunability of mechanical parameters, such as stiffness, damping, and contact geometry; (c) future robotic feet should combine bio-informed minimalism with adaptive compliance to achieve terrain-general locomotion.
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Journal articleNutbeam T, Cottey L, Dungay K, et al., 2026, , Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med, Vol: 34
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Journal articleDemirel P, Kesidou E, Wu L, 2026, , Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Vol: 230, ISSN: 0040-1625
The impact of different policy instruments and policy mixes on innovation novelty remains unclear, particularly in emerging economies. This study contributes to the literature by examining the context-specific associations between innovation policies and different magnitudes of novelty in innovation outcomes. Our findings suggest that exposure to R&D tax credits is associated with increases in innovations that can be considered both as relatively more novel and less novel, in line with the market conforming design R&D tax credits that mimic firms' existing R&D portfolios. Conversely, R&D subsidies, often characterised by ‘picking the winners’, are mainly associated with relatively less novel innovation outcomes. We further show that policy mixes that involve R&D subsidies are more likely to support relatively less novel, domestic innovations. Building on Sanjaya Lall's technological capability approach, we propose a conceptualization of incremental innovation and argue that R&D subsidies should not be viewed merely as a misallocation of resources toward relatively less novel innovations at the expense of more novel alternatives. Instead, they should be seen as a context-specific policy mechanism for enabling emerging economies to build and accumulate the technological capabilities necessary for innovation. We empirically test these hypotheses using a unique longitudinal dataset (2013−2021) of 4162 publicly traded firms in China and estimate conditional treatment effects using a propensity score matching method. Our results underscore the nuanced and context-specific effects of R&D tax credits and subsidies on innovation novelty, offering new insights for innovation policy in emerging economies.
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Journal articleAstolfi A, Bhattacharjee D, Manca G, et al., 2026, , IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, Vol: 71, Pages: 6068-6083, ISSN: 0018-9286
The steady-state optimal filtering problem for linear systems is revisited with the objective of establishing further insights on the structure of the underlying solution. It is shown that, in addition to the invariance property of a suitably defined hyperplane, the optimal filter is related to a triangularizing change of coordinates for certain Hamiltonian dynamics associated to the filtering problem. The implication of the above observation is twofold. First, the novel interpretation admits a conceptually straightforward counterpart in the nonlinear setting in terms of invariant distributions. The latter then permit the design of local steady-state optimal filters for nonlinear systems that only rely upon the solutions of linear partial differential equations, the solution of which is independent from the specific time history of the measured output. The conditions may be further leveraged to determine a polynomial algebraic equation, which characterizes the solution of the filtering problem and which is expressed in the entries of the optimal filter gain alone, hence circumventing the need for solving the underlying Riccati equation.
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Journal articleMalone L, Cardin MA, Cilliers J, et al., 2026, , Acta Astronautica, Vol: 246, Pages: 745-759, ISSN: 0094-5765
As human exploration of the Moon and Mars transitions from temporary missions to long-term habitation, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) is expected to play a pivotal role in enabling future sustainable economic and scientific activities in space. Designing and operating ISRU systems under such extreme and uncertain conditions, however, presents major challenges, ranging from dealing with harsh environmental conditions, regulatory complexity, to differing stakeholder risk tolerance profiles and unpredictable technological system behavior. This study introduces a novel experimental methodology to investigate how human factors playing an important role in situational awareness can influence ISRU-related design decision-making and associated performance under uncertainty. Specifically, this study addresses the following research question: What are the main and interaction effects of different levels of visual fidelity and emotional cues on users’ ability to manage remote lunar resource production systems under uncertainty? A controlled user study involving 33 participants used a serious game platform to explore the effects of two key variables: visual fidelity of the simulation and presence of emotional cues. In a realistic though simplified mission, participants were tasked with operating a simulated lunar ISRU system to supply water sustainably to a lunar habitat. Results show that emotional cues can significantly enhance participants’ performance, measured through a novel operational sustainability metric, particularly in low-fidelity visual environments. The results provide no evidence of statistically significant correlation between situational awareness and system performance. These findings highlight the importance of immersive and affective elements in simulation-based training platforms. The proposed methodology provides a structured, replicable framework to evaluate decision-making in complex space systems, and offers valuable insights into how
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Journal articleZhao C, Zhang Y, Zhang F, et al., 2026, , Design for Augmented Humanity, Vol: 1, Pages: 268-286, ISSN: 2977-6481
<jats:p>This study addresses three core questions: the knowledge structure and evolutionary path of global odor visualization research, technical and design bottlenecks hindering industrialization, and application-oriented innovative development paths. Based on 525 valid English-language articles retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection, this paper adopts bibliometric analysis and CiteSpace 6.4 to conduct multi-dimensional knowledge mapping, including publication trend analysis, disciplinary distribution analysis, institutional collaboration network analysis, reference co-citation analysis, and thematic cluster analysis. The results show that the field has experienced three phases: initial exploration (1940–1980), fluctuating accumulation (1981–2010), and rapid expansion (2011–2025). Neuroscience, sensing engineering, and design form its core disciplinary domains of this field. Five major bottlenecks are identified: inconsistent cross-modal mapping rules, separation of engineering and design, insufficient cross-disciplinary collaboration, limited scenario scalability, and personalized perception challenge. Unlike previous reviews mainly focusing on single disciplinary perspectives, this paper constructs an integrated “Theory–Technology–Design–Application” systematic framework, identifies the “design turn” as the core frontier trend, and proposes a real-time multisensory closed-loop interaction paradigm to balance objective data and subjective experience. This research provides quantitative evidence and operable theoretical references for multi-sensory design, olfactory sensing engineering, and industrial transformation of odor visualization technology.</jats:p>
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Journal articleChilds P, 2026, , Design for Augmented Humanity, Vol: 1, Pages: 197-199, ISSN: 2977-6481
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Journal articleMariani A, Baxter W, Amengu A, et al., 2026,
Behaviour settings theory as a pragmatic framework for intervention transferability and adaptation
, Frontiers in Health Services, ISSN: 2813-0146Background: Implementation outcomes vary widely across contexts, yet existing theories, models and frameworks (TMFs) flag context as important without specifying its causal structure. We argue that ecological psychology's Behaviour Settings Theory (BST) can serve as a pragmatic framework for surfacing the setting-level mechanisms by which a setting produces regularised patterns of behaviour across contexts. Methods: We explore BST's explanatory and practical value by examining the transfer of a self-measured blood pressure (SMBP) monitoring intervention from the United Kingdom (UK) to rural Ghana, where SMBP monitors are less commonly available. We used a multistep approach to assess transfer potential. First, we mapped the UK at-home SMBP monitoring setting using the Behaviour Setting Canvas (BSC), a tool designed to capture BST insights. We then compared this with the at-home SMBP setting in Ghana, where a field experiment was conducted. We analysed differences in routines, role enactment, and setting-specific mechanisms affecting intervention functioning. We frame this study as an exploratory, qualitative comparative case study serving as a proof-of-concept demonstration of BST as an analytic and prescriptive lens, not as an empirical test or validation of BST's causal claims, nor as a measure of implementation or proof of the transferability of outcomes. Results: Applying BST, we interpret synomorphy—alignment between a setting's elements and its overarching objective—as shaping SMBP monitoring within and across contexts, yielding both localised and generalisable learning. In the UK, SMBP monitoring is oriented toward real-time sharing with clinicians, supported by infrastructure and props, user knowledge and skills, and maintenance mechanisms enforcing adherence. In Ghana, weaker synomorphy stemmed from resource gaps, limited capabilities, and distributed roles. Routines were less established, and maintenance mechanisms were nascent and inconsistent
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Journal articleWorrell C, Ribeiro Perez C, Alford S, et al., 2026, , J Child Psychol Psychiatry
BACKGROUND: There is increasing recognition of the challenge of representativeness in data, including economic, social, and ethnic diversity, in biological mental health research. This is a particular challenge in adolescence, where brain and body development are impacted by the environment. The first step in addressing this is understanding the scale of the challenge. As such, this scoping review aims to explore existing literature to identify and understand the needs, barriers, and facilitators in collecting biological data in adolescent mental health research. METHODS: A systematic search identified papers recruiting participants aged 11-18, collecting biological data, and focussing on mental health/related psychopathology. Screening was performed in duplicate, and data charting was iterative. RESULTS: The initial search identified 13,752 papers. After removal of duplicates and screening exclusions, 962 papers were included; 892 were explored for recruitment, retention, and engagement. Sample sizes <99 were most common (54.4%), and health settings (45%) were the most frequent recruitment source. As labels for 'barriers', 'facilitators', and 'needs' were rarely used, information on recruitment, retention, and engagement (e.g. strategies for stakeholder engagement) were explored as a proxy. Only 8.6% of papers reported engagement strategies; fewer evaluated their efficacy. Less than half (45.6%) reported retention data, with reasons for lost data mostly relating to the nature of the data collection. CONCLUSIONS: Papers do not adequately report the methods used to ensure sufficient collection of representative data. Limited reporting challenges whether or not facilitators are being implemented. Advancing the field requires detailed guidelines. We present recommendations that serve as a first step towards this development.
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Journal articleLiu T, Chen Y-Y, Chen K, et al., 2026, , IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, Vol: 71, Pages: 5204-5215, ISSN: 0018-9286
This paper investigates the formation tracking problem with uncertain time-varying exosystem over a general directed graph. The exosystem describes both the moving target and the disturbances affecting each agent. The dynamics of each agent is described by a parametric strict-feedback form subject to orbit constraints. The so-called congelation of variables method is employed in a hierarchical design to yield an adaptive formation estimator and an adaptive tracking controller. An adaptive coupling gain is integrated into the estimator design, which utilizes the local estimated states and is independent of the communication graph. Boundedness and convergence properties of the resulting adaptive systems are proven. Two simulation results are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed estimator-controller scheme.
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Journal articleLoiacono LD, Quinn A, Crisostomi E, et al., 2026, , IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Vehicles, Vol: 11, Pages: 946-960, ISSN: 2379-8858
The green potential of electric vehicles (EVs) can be fully realized only if their batteries are charged using energy generated from renewable (i.e. green) sources. For logistic or economic reasons, however, EV drivers may be tempted to avoid charging stations certified as providing green energy, instead opting for conventional ones, where only a fraction of the available energy is green. This behaviour may slow down the achievement of decarbonisation targets of the road transport sector. In this paper, we use GPS data to infer whether an undeclared charging event has occurred. Specifically, we construct a Bayesian hypothesis test for the charging behaviour of the EV. Extensive simulations are carried out for an area of London, using the mobility simulator, SUMO, and exploring various operating conditions. Excellent detection rates for undeclared charging events are reported. We explain how the algorithm can serve as the basis for an incentivization scheme, encouraging compliance by drivers with green charging policies.
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Journal articleHe P, Han Y, Zhou Y, et al., 2026, , Adv Sci (Weinh), Vol: 13
Potassium (K) metal anodes are attractive for next-generation rechargeable batteries due to their low redox potential and elemental abundance, yet their practical application is hindered by dendrite growth and unstable solid-electrolyte interphases (SEIs). Here, we replace conventional roll pressing with a cutting-based fabrication strategy to produce crystallographically more uniform and minimally deformed K surfaces, while independently tuning SEI chemistry through electrolyte concentration. This approach establishes a unified framework that elucidates the synergistic coupling between surface uniformity and SEI robustness in governing K plating/stripping stability. Only their synergy delivers fast kinetics, high areal capacity, and long-term reversibility. Consequently, optimized K||K symmetric cells operate stably for over 4 000 h at 0.5 mA cm-2 and 4 mA h cm-2. Full cells paired with K1.97Mn[Fe(CN)6] cathodes retain 90% capacity after 1200 cycles. These findings highlight the importance of concurrent morphological and interfacial regulation for practical K metal anodes.
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Conference paperWan EC, Mougenot C, Sadek M, 2026,
Conversational AI is widely explored for supporting brainstorming and creative collaboration, yet its potential to guide groups through convergence, where differing perspectives must be reconciled into a shared direction, remains largely unexamined. We introduce KNIT-C, a conversational system that operationalises computational boundary objects within synchronous multi-user dialogue, eliciting individual viewpoints, synthesising group perspectives, and guiding discussion toward negotiated outcomes. Across four public workshop sessions (14 non-expert participants), we find that conversational engagement deepened individual reflection but created pacing and coordination challenges in group interaction. AI-generated summaries anchored discussion, though their similarity demanded careful comparison rather than simplifying choices. Participants frequently reported feeling heard without fully endorsing outcomes, pointing to productive disagreement as a form of convergence that preserves visible tension rather than resolving it. We discuss implications for adaptive pacing, context-sensitive stance-shifting, and evaluation frameworks that assess whether differences were genuinely engaged rather than suppressed.
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Conference paperSadek M, Mougenot C, 2026,
Human values are increasingly foregrounded in AI design, particularly through work on value alignment examining which values AI systems should promote and how this can occur. However, this focus leaves a critical gap in terms of explicitly articulating what AI systems should not align with. This gap is especially consequential for AI-powered Conversational User Interfaces (CUIs), whose relational, persuasive, and longitudinal interaction styles can give rise to subtle forms of misalignment which are currently not well-captured. In this provocation, we introduce the notion of anti-values as design constraints for CUIs. Anti-values are defined as normative commitments that conversational systems should not promote, embody, or optimise for. Drawing on prior empirical work in which CUI creators and users articulated anti-values unprompted, as well as related interdisciplinary lenses, we argue that anti-values offer a complementary and participatory way to reason about value alignment during CUI design. We outline how anti-values can inform design, evaluation, and governance, and present provocations that reframe CUI design as shaping a conversational action space through refusal and restraint.
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Conference paperCho M, Di Simplicio MC, Calvo RA, 2026,
Social prescribing offers a promising approach to supporting youth mental health through community resources. However, challenges remain in sustaining engagement and adapting care to the ongoing participation. To address these gaps, we developed Reflective Companion, a conversational agent that facilitates reflection through generative dialogue and provides structured summaries. Through user testing with 12 young people and 8 link workers, we examined the role of agent-generated summaries in social prescribing context. Our findings reveal that summaries function as interactional artefacts rather than mere recaps. They showed potential to transform reflection from a temporal interaction into a cumulative process, potentially fostering longitudinal continuity across broader care journey. Furthermore, the summary may strengthen data agency, establish relational bond based on functional trust, and provide mediated visibility, offering clinical oversight without compromising personal privacy. These findings reframe the role of generative summaries in reflective systems and demonstrate their potential for effective and responsible technology use within human-led care.
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Conference paperSadek M, Mougenot C, 2026,
Efforts to align conversational AI systems with human values often overlook whose values are being prioritised. This paper examines how demographic factors shape perceptions of conversational AI value alignment. It does so through a secondary analysis of survey data from 269 participants across 34 countries, revealing a previously overlooked dimension of alignment evaluation. Participants rated conversational AI transcripts along dimensions of value alignment, and responses were analysed with ANCOVA and post-hoc tests. Results show that demographic variables such as nationality, country of residence, ethnicity, and age significantly influence perceptions of alignment. They also highlight how aggregation can hide demographic divergence. These findings (i) demonstrate that value alignment is not a universal property of conversational AI, but is contextually situated, and (ii) highlight the importance of more mindful and inclusive participant sampling during conversational AI user evaluations, especially in relation to users' values.
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Journal articleWang W, Bhattacharya D, Tang K, et al., 2026, , IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, Vol: 23, Pages: 13391-13406, ISSN: 1545-5955
Accurate fabric alignment is a critical step that must be performed before sewing. This paper presents a novel automated fabric alignment system. The system estimates the poses of top and bottom fabric panels—lying flat and wrinkle-free in arbitrary positions—using a new Global Local Weighted Iterative Closest Point (GLW-ICP) method. The system then manipulates the top panel to achieve precise alignment at both edges and sewing lines. Unlike conventional approaches, GLW-ICP robustly aligns both global edges and local sewing lines by globally aligning fabric edge points and locally aligning sewing line points to their corresponding CAD model points, while removing unmatched points in occluded regions. Real-world experiments with various fabric shapes show that the system consistently achieves millimeter-level alignment accuracy under both occlusion and non-occlusion conditions, demonstrating its effectiveness and suitability for automated fabric alignment in practical scenarios. Note to Practitioners—Fabric panel alignment before sewing is a time-consuming and skill-dependent task in garment production. Misaligned edges or sewing lines can lead to defects, rework, and production delays. This work presents a novel robotic system that automates the alignment of wrinkle-free fabric panels, even when portions of the panel are occluded by the manipulator. The system uses a novel Global Local Weighted Iterative Closest Point (GLW-ICP) method, which separately aligns overall panel edges and local sewing lines to a digital CAD model while ignoring unreliable points from occluded regions. A roller-based end-effector then picks up, re-positions, and releases the top panel to achieve precise alignment with the bottom panel. This method achieves millimeter-level accuracy across various garment components under both unoccluded and partially occluded views. This reduces operator dependency, improves consistency, and shortens preparation time. The approach is read
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Journal articleWen H, Pinson P, 2026, , European Journal of Operational Research, Vol: 332, Pages: 492-504, ISSN: 0377-2217
Forecast reconciliation is considered an effective method to achieve coherence (within a forecast hierarchy) and to improve forecast quality. However, the value of reconciled forecasts in downstream decision-making tasks has been mostly overlooked. In a multi-agent setup with heterogeneous loss functions, this oversight may lead to unfair outcomes, hence resulting in conflicts during the reconciliation process. To address this, we propose a value-oriented forecast reconciliation approach that focuses on the forecast value for all individual agents. Fairness is ensured through the use of a Nash bargaining framework. Specifically, we model this problem as a cooperative bargaining game, where each agent aims to optimize their own gain while contributing to the overall reconciliation process. We then present a primal-dual algorithm for parameter estimation based on empirical risk minimization. From an application perspective, we consider an aggregated wind energy trading problem, where profits are distributed using a weighted allocation rule. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach through several numerical experiments, showing that it consistently results in increased profits for all agents involved.
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Journal articleNiu Z, Zhao W, Jackson L, et al., 2026, , Sci Bull (Beijing)
Electrochemical energy technologies are central to the net-zero transition, yet their multiscale characteristics ranging from atomic materials to device architectures present critical challenges in research and development (R&D). Although artificial intelligence (AI) has accelerated discovery and design in this field, commonly used predictive AI methods remain limited in enabling disruptive advances. Generative AI has shown transformative potential in disciplines such as biology and medicine, though its impact on electrochemical energy R&D is only beginning to emerge. Here we review recent progress in applying generative AI to molecular and crystal discovery, electrode microstructure design, and system optimization, with particular attention to the role of large language models in electrochemical engineering. We argue for a paradigm shift toward generative electrochemical intelligence (GenE), a physics-informed, multimodal framework that integrates human expertise with automated experimentation. We anticipate that GenE will redefine the R&D paradigm for rapidly deployable electrochemical energy technologies and accelerate their translation into real-world applications.
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Journal articleVan Zalk N, 2026,
Designing Minds: Toward Systematic Integration of Psychological Science in Design for Augmented Humanity
, Design for Augmented Humanity, ISSN: 2977-6481Design for augmented humanity increasingly operates at the level of human cognition, emotion, and behaviour. As technologies extend and reconfigure human capabilities, design decisions play a constitutive role in shaping how individuals perceive, think, and act. Despite this, the integration of psychological science into design practice remains fragmented and unsystematic. While psychological concepts are widely referenced, they are often applied in selective and decontextualised ways, limiting both explanatory depth and practical effectiveness.This paper advances the position that the central challenge is not the absence of psychological science in design, but the lack of its systematic integration. Building on this critique, it introduces a framework of levels of psychological grounding, describing progressive forms of integration from informal awareness and ad hoc application to structured incorporation in design processes, evaluation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The framework provides a conceptual basis for analysing current practice and guiding more coherent integration.The paper argues that such integration is essential for designing in the context of augmented humanity, where systems increasingly participate in cognition and behaviour. Systematic psychological integration is therefore positioned as a necessary condition for developing design practices that are not only effective, but also transparent, accountable, and aligned with human well-being.
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Journal articleDaubner S, Lagnoni M, Kench S, et al., 2026, , ECS Meeting Abstracts, Vol: MA2026-01, Pages: 649-649
<jats:p>Microstructure design of battery electrodes is key to enable fast charge and higher capacity in next-generation lithium and sodium ion batteries. While porous-electrode (Doyle–Fuller–Newman-type) models capture the coupled transport–reaction physics governing cell performance, they typically treat the electrode as a homogenized medium and encode microstructure only through fitted, scalar “effective” parameters (e.g., Bruggeman-type tortuosity). This assumption is often adequate for uniform electrodes, but it breaks down for modern architectures with graded porosity, binder migration, bimodal particle distributions, or bilayer designs, where transport resistance is heterogeneous and reaction rates localize, leading to non-uniform utilization and premature rate limitations.</jats:p> <jats:p> Here we introduce an approach that efficiently bridges 3D image-based electrode simulations and microstructure-aware cell-scale modelling using volume-averaged microstructure descriptors. We compute spatially resolved, directional tortuosity factors <jats:italic>τ(x)</jats:italic> along with spatial porosity <jats:italic>ε(x)</jats:italic> and specific surface area <jats:italic>a(x)</jats:italic> and embed these closures directly into DFN-type cell models. This replaces ad hoc, globally fitted transport factors with architecture-dependent descriptors that can represent graded and bilayer electrodes in a physically interpretable way. We further show that common characterization and parameter-identification workflows implicitly assume electrode homogeneity, and can therefore misattribute microstructure-driven limitations to “material” kinetics when applied to structured electrodes. </jats:p>
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Journal articleWang W, Bhattacharya D, Tang K, et al., 2026,
Robotic Fabric Alignment System for Sewing Using Global Local Weighted ICP
, IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering
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