Staying cool during hot summer days usually means relying on energy-intensive air conditioners. However, new materials created using machine learning and artificial intelligence promise to change this.
Researchers from The University of Texas at Austin, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National University of Singapore, and Umeå University in Sweden have developed advanced materials capable of naturally cooling buildings, significantly reducing energy consumption and lowering utility bills.
Image Credit: Goncharovaia via Shutterstock / HDR tune by Universal-Sci
Could Your Roof Soon Outperform Your Air Conditioner?
The researchers created special materials known as thermal meta-emitters—complex three-dimensional structures designed using an advanced machine-learning approach. This method allowed them to rapidly produce over 1,500 unique materials, each capable of controlling heat emission precisely.
When tested on a model house, these new materials significantly outperformed traditional cooling methods like standard white or gray paint. After four hours of exposure to direct sunlight, the roof coated with these AI-designed materials was between 5 and 20 degrees Celsius cooler on average. For an apartment building in hot climates like Rio de Janeiro or Bangkok, this could mean saving the energy equivalent of about ten air conditioners running for an entire year.
Beyond Homes: A City-Wide Cooling Solution?
The potential applications extend far beyond just homes and offices. Urban areas suffer from higher temperatures due to extensive concrete surfaces and limited greenery—an issue known as the "urban heat island" effect. Thermal meta-emitters could help solve this by reflecting sunlight and efficiently emitting heat, cooling entire neighborhoods and improving comfort for millions.
Moreover, these innovative materials could find uses in clothing, outdoor gear, and even vehicles. Imagine a car interior that stays cool after hours parked under a blazing sun or clothing that keeps you comfortable during a scorching summer day. These everyday applications could soon be within reach.
To test temperature effects, the researchers painted model buildings with their meta-emitter materials and left them out in the sun. - (Image Credit: The University of Texas at Austin)
Could This AI Tech Shape Future Space Missions?
Interestingly, the materials designed using this machine-learning technology also have applications far beyond Earth. Spacecraft could benefit immensely by employing these thermal meta-emitters to maintain safe and stable internal temperatures. By effectively managing solar radiation and heat emission, spacecraft could remain operational longer and more reliably.
Designing thermal meta-emitters previously required intensive manual trial-and-error methods, limiting their complexity and effectiveness. According to Professor Yuebing Zheng, lead researcher on the project, their new AI-driven system offers a faster, more precise way to produce these advanced materials.
As researchers continue refining their innovative methods, we could soon see widespread use of these advanced materials—helping us save energy, stay cool, and perhaps even shaping humanity’s ventures into space.
If you are interested in more details about the underlying rescearch, be sure to check out the article published in the peer-reviewed science journal Nature, listed below.
Sources, further reading and more interesting articles:
Ultrabroadband and band-selective thermal meta-emitters by machine learning - (Nature)
This Remarkable Discovery Turns CO₂ and Seawater into Sustainable Building Materials - (Universal-Sci)
How AI can help us in the search for extraterrestrial life - (Universal-Sci)
Can AI Clarify Medical Results, Reducing Patient Anxiety and Doctor Workload? - (Universal-Sci)
Has there been Life on Mars? With the Help of AI, Answers May be Closer than Ever! - (Universal-Sci)
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