A prosthetic limb is always a work in progress. Even after fitting and adjustments, the body keeps changing. Weight shifts. New pressure points show up. A socket that feels fine one month might cause irritation the next. For many people, comfort relies on a device that cannot sense what is happening.
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With the advent of large language models, large collections of text are more crucial than ever nowadays, and PDFs are abundant and important sources of Maltese text. But how do you reliably extract clean Maltese text, given all the challenges with doing so? The NOMOCRAT project seeks to do just that – extract Maltese text while leaving out errors.
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Residential battery storage systems are an excellent tool for homeowners to increase renewable energy self-consumption. However, their role becomes truly meaningful during a grid outage. While mainstream battery storage inverters now commonly offer an Emergency Power Supply to support critical loads, a key question remains: how does maintaining this ‘backup readiness’ actually impact the long-term efficiency and day-to-day operation of the system?
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A Maltese research team has developed a system that transforms the unique contours of your face and palm into a cryptographic key without ever storing a single biometric record.
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Words are one of, if not the most, versatile tools one may employ. They may serve to sway opinions in favour of one’s own, express original knowledge to which one may be credited, and even prolong the memory of an individual long after life’s end. In a sense, words are worlds. However, there is one condition. For words to have power, people need to understand the language. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.
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Manufacturing has come a long way since Ford’s production lines. Modern manufacturing is becoming smarter. But making food package manufacturing smarter presents a host of challenges that the SMARTSPACK project needed to navigate through.
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Europe’s packaging industry drives 40% of plastic demand, yet Malta’s recycling rates remain alarmingly low. While 3D printing with recycled plastic offers a sustainable, low-carbon solution, repeated recycling degrades the material’s internal structure. Dr Zunaida Binti Zakaria explores this challenge through infrared thermal imaging to unlock the secrets of plastic crystallisation and bridge the gap between waste and reliable production.
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In a country with more metal bands per capita than anywhere else, you’d expect to hear sick guitar solos and wicked vocals around every corner. But for a group of students in Oulu, Finland, the only sound was the buzz of 3D printers, building the next generation of wearable rehabilitation tech.
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Hybrid Energy Storage Systems is carrying out research on the conversion of surplus renewable energy into hydrogen. This is an increasingly important means of reducing wasted energy, as Malta invests heavily into renewables. Jonathan Firbank speaks with project investigator Prof. Ing. John Licari about this project and Malta’s changing energy landscape.
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Solar photovoltaic panels are a fantastic invention; they can turn abundant solar energy into electricity. Moreover, they provide shading on building roofs, reducing the heat that penetrates from direct sunlight. Amazing. But, there is one slight hitch – as the panels heat up, they become less and less efficient. A team of researchers at UM are looking into an innovative way to cool PV panels and the roof under the waxing sun.
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