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One of the last frontiers. Little used because the devices are not good enough. It lies between the much used microwave and infrared frequencies. Terahertz electromagnetic radiation has come centre stage recently with major breakthroughs claimed for THz emitters, trillionth-of-a-second switches, modulators and the sensors and there are conferences on the subject in several countries.

Recent developments bring into focus the motivation, and at times the imperative, to increase automation in the logistics and delivery chain. IDTechEx have been examining the technological and commercial trends in this field for several years.

UPS Flight Forward will collaborate with German drone-maker Wingcopter to develop the next generation of package delivery drones for a variety of use cases in the United States and internationally.

Researchers find that a motorized device that attaches around the ankle and foot can drastically reduce the energy cost of running.

In its recently published report "Innovations in Robotic Surgery 2020-2030", IDTechEx forecasts that the robotic surgery market will reach over $12 billion by 2030. The report breaks down the market landscape and emerging technologies in the field of robotic surgery.

Inspecting fuel and ballast tanks. Sand-blasting old paint coatings and applying new ones. Removing corrosion on ships, submarines, aircraft and other vehicles. These are some of the unpleasant jobs in naval shipyards and maintenance facilities that could be made safer by pairing human workers with robots.

Researchers have developed a new device for connecting the brain directly to silicon-based technologies. While brain-machine interface devices already exist - and are used for prosthetics, disease treatment and brain research - this latest device can record more data while being less intrusive than existing options.

In the modern age, new technology such as digital farming promises even further advancements in agriculture methods, but what exactly will the future of farming look like?

Flexible temporary electronic displays may one day make it possible to sport a glowing tattoo or check a reading, like that of a stopwatch, directly on the skin. In its current form, however, this technology generally depends on plastic. New research describes a way to make these displays, which would likely be discarded after a single use, more environmentally friendly using a plentiful and biodegradable resource: fish scales.

Vertical farming is the practice of growing plants indoors under fully controlled environmental conditions in many stacked layers, using artificial lighting instead of relying on the sun. By tuning the growing environment to the exact needs of the plant and using soil-free growing techniques, vertical farming can achieve yields hundreds of times higher than conventional agriculture, 365 days a year and without requiring pesticides.