Digital platforms and news publishers: uneasy relationship  Frontiers

Dans un rapport publié fin mars, l’Inspection générale des affaires sociales juge sévèrement le management à la française, condamnant notamment le manque d'autonomie des salariés. En m

Stockpile this enhanced metal to craft the best-quality items.

The Best 3D Scanners: Our Picks in 6 Categories  All3DP

Desktop photogrammetry software to be unified with Epic's free 3D scanning app for Android and iOS. Check out its upcoming features.

Around two years ago, we were contacted by Antoine Richard, a researcher from the University of Luxembourg working on a…

Cognitive load reduction is important, but it’s not always about keeping things simple—sometimes, a little complexity can enhance user engagement and make experiences more rewarding. The key is finding the right balance, where simplicity and complexi

The nightmare was real, the situation was not.Revenge of the Savage Planet, an adventure spread across a number of distant — and quite savage! — planets, invites nonlinear exploration. To complete its missions and discover all of its secrets, you must leap into an unknown where the otherworldly flora, fauna, and even the inorganic material are primed to kill you. So, shortly after assembling an underwater scooter that allowed my robot sidekick to whisk me through the depths of alien oceans, I descended into a series of caverns under the Zenithian Rift to see what was going on down there. The specters of death I encountered below weren’t even designed to haunt me.In Raccoon Logic’s sequel to Journey to the Savage Planet, players are tasked with scanning every object in every nook and cranny to assemble an exhaustive log of materials located on each planet. At first, the task is a walk in the (overgrown killer) park: find a tree, scan a tree. Find a slobbering beastie, scan a slobbering beastie. But a counter on the map charting your scannables becomes the most daunting subtask — can I really find every single micro scannable? I found myself longing after completing the core missions. To really 100% this, there was even more reason to venture into the most uninviting spaces, including a dark underwater cave on Zenithian Rift that absolutely did not look like it contained any scannable items. But I couldn’t not go in there.It took about two seconds for me to realize… I had made a horrible mistake. While the cave was easily accessible from the water, there were no enemy or collectible breadcrumbs to suggest this was a place the folks at Raccoon Logic intended for me to. I was lured in by curiosity, but the joy of discovery in Revenge of the Savage Planet got the best of me. Now I was stuck. I had stumbled into a graphical anomaly, an in-game black hole that had an entrance but no apparent exit. In Revenge of the Savage Planet, you can’t beam back to starting locations on the fly or off yourself in order to respawn from your last save. In a clever but likely divisive design choice, the game forces you to navigate to transporters spread across the worlds in order to beam off to your next desired location, which forces traversal and new encounters. But it meant that while bumbling around in the dark, hoping to find a way out of my watery grave, I couldn’t simply die and move on. I was actually trapped, and in a scenario I haven’t experienced in quite some time, feeling IRL like I was actually trapped.I already don’t do well with underwater levels out of an intense fear of drowning. Luckily for me, most games will throw me the lifeline of a visual countdown to illustrate oxygen levels, ensuring (1) I surface in time and (2) I don’t hyperventilate over the stress of surfacing in time. Revenge of the Savage Planet doesn’t need that because there’s no punishment for enjoying the waters; you’re already in a spacesuit and the challenges you encounter via underwater scooter require a bunch of time-intensive back and forth. Doing it all on limited air would simply not be fun. But that meant, stuck in this tight underwater cave, I would never die. I was in limbo. Or maybe I was in hell.I spent far too long searching for a route out. Streaks of light bled in from a theoretical escape that I could never reach — any time I thought I was close, I bumped into a new rock and found myself jetting in the opposite direction. Not since I watched The Rescue, the riveting-yet-terrifying documentary about the team of divers who squeezed through cave passageways to free 12 trapped Thai soccer players, had my apparent claustrophobia had its way with my nerves. I can’t quite explain why I pushed myself over the edge to find an in-game solution to this unintentional challenge, except to say that I really wanted to do a good job at Revenge of the Savage Planet.Most glitches are considered errors by programmers, annoyances by players, and occasionally shortcuts for the speedrunner crowd. Revenge of the Savage Planet’s death cave might fall into the first two categories, but it’s a harrowing experience I ultimately appreciated, a unique screw up that could only happen in a game. I have never felt truly trapped in a film, despite the best efforts of 3D stereoscopic effects and 4DX rumble seats. After finally rebooting Revenge of the Savage Planet, I had to give myself a few minutes to let my heart rate die down before I grabbed the controller. But I got right back to it. Sure, this was a glitch, but in a game where exploration is everything, leaping into a true unknown — one that the creators of the game clearly didn’t intend me to find — was its own form of success.Revenge of the Savage Planet is currently available for PC, Playstation, and Xbox, and it’s currently on Game Pass.See More:

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Researchers from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech have introduced a continuous fiber reinforcement (CFR) deposition tool designed for multi-axis 3D printing, significantly enhancing mechanical performance in composite structures. Led by Kieran D. Beaumont, Joseph R. Kubalak, and Christopher B. Williams, and published in Springer Nature Link, the study demonstrates an 820% improvement in maximum load capacity compared to conventional planar short carbon fiber (SCF) 3D printing methods. This tool integrates three key functions: reliable fiber cutting and re-feeding, in situ fiber volume fraction control, and a slender collision volume to support complex multi-axis toolpaths. The newly developed deposition tool addresses critical challenges in CFR additive manufacturing. It is capable of cutting and re-feeding continuous fibers during travel movements, a function required to create complex geometries without material tearing or print failure. In situ control of fiber volume fraction is also achieved by adjusting the polymer extrusion rate. A slender geometry minimizes collisions between the tool and the printed part during multi-axis movements. The researchers designed the tool to co-extrude a thermoplastic polymer matrix with a continuous carbon fiber (CCF) towpreg. This approach allowed reliable fiber re-feeding after each cut and enabled printing with variable fiber content within a single part. The tool’s slender collision volume supports increased range of motion for the robotic arm used in the experiments, allowing alignment of fibers with three-dimensional load paths in complex structures. The six Degree-of-Freedom Robotic Arm printing a multi-axis geometry from a CFR polymer composite. Photo via Springer Nature Link. Mechanical Testing Confirms Load-Bearing Improvements Mechanical tests evaluated the impact of continuous fiber reinforcement on polylactic acid (PLA) parts. In tensile tests, samples reinforced with continuous carbon fibers achieved a tensile strength of 190.76 MPa and a tensile modulus of 9.98 GPa in the fiber direction. These values compare to 60.31 MPa and 3.01 GPa for neat PLA, and 56.92 MPa and 4.30 GPa for parts containing short carbon fibers. Additional tests assessed intra-layer and inter-layer performance, revealing that the continuous fiber–reinforced material had reduced mechanical properties in these orientations. Compared to neat PLA, intra-layer tensile strength and modulus dropped by 66% and 63%, respectively, and inter-layer strength and modulus decreased by 86% and 60%. Researchers printed curved tensile bar geometries using three methods to evaluate performance in parts with three-dimensional load paths: planar short carbon fiber–reinforced PLA, multi-axis short fiber–reinforced samples, and multi-axis continuous fiber–reinforced composites. The multi-axis short fiber–reinforced parts showed a 41.6% increase in maximum load compared to their planar counterparts. Meanwhile, multi-axis continuous fiber–reinforced parts absorbed loads 8.2 times higher than the planar short fiber–reinforced specimens. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of fracture surfaces revealed fiber pull-out and limited fiber-matrix bonding, particularly in samples with continuous fibers. Schematic illustration of common continuous fiber reinforcement–material extrusion (CFR-MEX) modalities: in situ impregnation, towpreg extrusion, and co-extrusion with towpreg. Photo via Springer Nature Link. To verify the tool’s fiber cutting and re-feeding capability, the researchers printed a 100 × 150 × 3 mm rectangular plaque that required 426 cutting and re-feeding operations across six layers. The deposition tool achieved a 100% success rate, demonstrating reliable cutting and re-feeding without fiber clogging. This reliability is critical for manufacturing complex structures that require frequent travel movements between deposition paths. In situ fiber volume fraction control was validated through printing a rectangular prism sample with varying polymer feed rates, road widths, and layer heights. The fiber volume fractions achieved in different sections of the part were 6.51%, 8.00%, and 9.86%, as measured by cross-sectional microscopy and image analysis. Although lower than some literature reports, the researchers attributed this to the specific combination of tool geometry, polymer-fiber interaction time, and print speed. The tool uses Anisoprint’s CCF towpreg, a pre-impregnated continuous carbon fiber product with a fiber volume fraction of 57% and a diameter of 0.35 mm. 3DXTECH’s black PLA and SCF-PLA filaments were selected to ensure consistent matrix properties and avoid the influence of pigment variations on mechanical testing. The experiments were conducted using an ABB IRB 4600–40/2.55 robotic arm equipped with a tool changer for switching between the CFR-MEX deposition tool and a standard MEX tool with an elongated nozzle for planar prints. Deposition Tool CAD and Assembly. Photo via Springer Nature Link. Context Within Existing Research and Future Directions Continuous fiber reinforcement in additive manufacturing has previously demonstrated significant improvements in part performance, with some studies reporting tensile strengths of up to 650 MPa for PLA composites reinforced with continuous carbon fibers. However, traditional three-axis printing methods restrict fiber orientation to planar directions, limiting these gains to within the XY-plane. Multi-axis 3D printing approaches have demonstrated improved load-bearing capacity in short-fiber reinforced parts. For example, multi-axis printed samples have shown failure loads several times higher than planar-printed counterparts in pressure cap and curved geometry applications. Virginia Tech’s tool integrates multiple functionalities that previous tools in literature could not achieve simultaneously. It combines a polymer feeder based on a dual drive extruder, a fiber cutter and re-feeder assembly, and a co-extrusion hotend with adjustable interaction time for fiber-polymer bonding. A needle-like geometry and external pneumatic cooling pipes reduce the risk of collision with the printed part during multi-axis reorientation. Measured collision volume angles were 56.2° for the full tool and 41.6° for the hotend assembly. Load-extension performance graphs for curved tensile bars. Photo via Springer Nature Link. Despite these advances, the researchers identified challenges related to weak bonding between the fiber and the polymer matrix. SEM images showed limited impregnation of the polymer into the fiber towpreg, with the fiber-matrix interface remaining a key area for future work. The study highlights that optimizing fiber tow sizing and improving the fiber-polymer interaction time during printing could enhance inter-layer and intra-layer performance. The results also suggest that advanced toolpath planning algorithms could further leverage the tool’s ability to align fiber deposition along three-dimensional load paths, improving mechanical performance in functional parts. The publication in Springer Nature Link documents the full design, validation experiments, and mechanical characterization of the CFR-MEX tool. The work adds to a growing body of research on multi-axis additive manufacturing, particularly in combining continuous fiber reinforcement with complex geometries. Take the 3DPI Reader Survey — shape the future of AM reporting in under 5 minutes. Ready to discover who won the 20243D Printing Industry Awards? Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to stay updated with the latest news and insights. Featured photo shows the six Degree-of-Freedom Robotic Arm printing a multi-axis geometry. Photo via Springer Nature Link. Anyer Tenorio Lara Anyer Tenorio Lara is an emerging tech journalist passionate about uncovering the latest advances in technology and innovation. With a sharp eye for detail and a talent for storytelling, Anyer has quickly made a name for himself in the tech community. Anyer's articles aim to make complex subjects accessible and engaging for a broad audience. In addition to his writing, Anyer enjoys participating in industry events and discussions, eager to learn and share knowledge in the dynamic world of technology.