Technology terms, in plain words

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3GPP

The industry group that writes mobile network standards. Read about 3GPP in 6G networks

A

Aeroponics

Growing plants with their roots in air, misted with a nutrient solution. Read about Aeroponics in Vertical farming

Agent

Software that works toward a goal in steps, using other software as tools. Read about Agent in AI agents at work

Anode and cathode

The two electrodes between which the ions move. Read about Anode and cathode in Solid-state batteries

Atomic clock

A clock that keeps time by the frequency of atoms. Read about Atomic clock in Quantum sensing

B

Beam

The area on the ground that one satellite antenna serves at a time. Read about Beam in Satellite straight to your phone

BIM

Building information modelling: a shared digital model of a structure. Read about BIM in Self-driving construction machines

Bipedal locomotion

Walking on two legs. Read about Bipedal locomotion in General-purpose humanoid robots

C

Calibration

Tuning a system to one person’s signals. Read about Calibration in Brain–computer interfaces

Camera calibration

Measuring where a camera sits relative to a robot, so image positions can be turned into robot positions. Read about Camera calibration in How robots see

Chunking

Cutting documents into passages small enough to search and to fit in a request. Read about Chunking in AI that looks things up (RAG)

Clinical trial

A study in people that tests whether a treatment is safe and works. Read about Clinical trial in AI in diagnosis and drug discovery

Collaborative operation

A robot working in a shared space with people under safety rules. Read about Collaborative operation in Robots that work beside people

Controlled-environment agriculture

Growing crops in a building where light, temperature, humidity and air are managed. Read about Controlled-environment agriculture in Vertical farming

D

Decoding

Turning recorded brain signals into an intended action. Read about Decoding in Brain–computer interfaces

Dendrite

A thin metal spike that can grow inside a cell and cause a short circuit. Read about Dendrite in Solid-state batteries

Deuterium and tritium

Two heavy forms of hydrogen used as fusion fuel. Read about Deuterium and tritium in Fusion power

Dexterity

Skilful use of hands and fingers. Read about Dexterity in General-purpose humanoid robots

Digital shadow

A copy that receives live data but does not send decisions back. Read about Digital shadow in Digital twins

Distillation

Training a small model to imitate a larger one. Read about Distillation in Small language models

Doppler effect

The change in a wave’s frequency when its source or its target is moving, used by radar to measure speed. Read about Doppler effect in Lidar, radar and cameras

E

Electroencephalography (EEG)

Recording the brain’s electrical activity from outside the head. Read about Electroencephalography (EEG) in Brain–computer interfaces

Electrolyte

The material that carries ions between a battery’s electrodes. Read about Electrolyte in Solid-state batteries

Embedding

A list of numbers that stands for the meaning of a piece of text, so that similar meanings can be found by search. Read about Embedding in AI that looks things up (RAG)

End effector

The tool at the end of a robot arm, such as a gripper. Read about End effector in Robots that work beside people

Energy density

How much energy a battery stores for its weight or size. Read about Energy density in Solid-state batteries

Event camera

A sensor whose pixels report only changes in brightness. Read about Event camera in Chips that think like neurons

Event-driven

Computing only when an input changes. Read about Event-driven in Chips that think like neurons

F

Fine-tuning

Training a model a little further on examples from one task or one organisation. Read about Fine-tuning in Small language models

Firmware update

New software installed on a device, often over the air, to fix faults and security flaws. Read about Firmware update in The Internet of Things

G

Gateway

A device that collects data from nearby sensors and passes it on to a network or the cloud. Read about Gateway in The Internet of Things

GNSS

Satellite positioning systems, such as GPS, that give a location on Earth. Read about GNSS in Self-driving construction machines

Ground sampling distance

The size of the ground area that one image pixel covers. Read about Ground sampling distance in Precision farming from the air

Ground station

The station on Earth that links a satellite to the wider network. Read about Ground station in Satellite straight to your phone

Grounding

Tying an answer to specific source text that can be checked. Read about Grounding in AI that looks things up (RAG)

H

Human in the loop

A design in which a person approves the important actions. Read about Human in the loop in AI agents at work

Hydroponics

Growing plants with their roots in water that carries dissolved nutrients, instead of in soil. Read about Hydroponics in Vertical farming

I

Imitation learning

Training a model from examples of a task done by a person. Read about Imitation learning in General-purpose humanoid robots

Implant

A device placed inside the body, here in or on the brain. Read about Implant in Brain–computer interfaces

IMT-2030

The International Telecommunication Union’s framework for 6G. Read about IMT-2030 in 6G networks

In-memory computing

Processing data where it is stored, to cut the energy spent moving it. Read about In-memory computing in Chips that think like neurons

Inertial navigation

Working out position from movement measured since a known start. Read about Inertial navigation in Quantum sensing

Inference

Running a trained model on new data to get a result. Read about Inference in AI on the device

Integrated sensing and communication

Using radio signals both to send data and to detect objects. Read about Integrated sensing and communication in 6G networks

Interferometer

An instrument that measures tiny differences by comparing waves. Read about Interferometer in Quantum sensing

L

Latency

The delay between an input and the system’s response. Read about Latency in AI on the device

Lidar

A sensor that measures distance with pulses of laser light. Read about Lidar in Self-driving construction machines

Lidar

Light detection and ranging: measuring distance by timing laser pulses that bounce off surfaces. Read about Lidar in Lidar, radar and cameras

Low Earth orbit

An orbit from a few hundred up to about two thousand kilometres above the ground. Read about Low Earth orbit in Satellite straight to your phone

LPWAN

A low-power wide-area network: a long-range, low-data-rate link for battery-powered sensors. Read about LPWAN in The Internet of Things

M

Machine control

Guiding a machine’s tool automatically from a digital design. Read about Machine control in Self-driving construction machines

Magnetometer

A sensor for magnetic fields. Read about Magnetometer in Quantum sensing

Multispectral camera

A camera that records several bands of light, including ones people cannot see. Read about Multispectral camera in Precision farming from the air

N

NDVI

A vegetation index computed from near-infrared and red light. Read about NDVI in Precision farming from the air

Net energy gain

Getting more energy out than was put in. Read about Net energy gain in Fusion power

Non-terrestrial network

A mobile network that uses satellites or high-altitude platforms. Read about Non-terrestrial network in Satellite straight to your phone

NPU

A neural processing unit: a block of a chip built to run neural networks efficiently. Read about NPU in AI on the device

O

Object detection

Software that finds and labels objects in an image. Read about Object detection in How robots see

On-device model

A model that runs on the user’s own phone or computer instead of on a remote server. Read about On-device model in Small language models

P

Parameter

One of the numbers a model adjusts while it learns; a rough measure of its size. Read about Parameter in Small language models

Photoperiod

The number of hours of light a plant receives each day, which growers set to suit the crop. Read about Photoperiod in Vertical farming

Plasma

A very hot gas whose atoms have been stripped of electrons. Read about Plasma in Fusion power

Point cloud

A set of points in three dimensions, each marking where a sensor found a surface. Read about Point cloud in How robots see

Pose estimation

Working out an object’s position and orientation, not just that it is there. Read about Pose estimation in How robots see

Power and force limiting

Keeping contact force low enough that it cannot injure a person. Read about Power and force limiting in Robots that work beside people

Predictive maintenance

Using data to estimate when a part will need service. Read about Predictive maintenance in Digital twins

Prompt injection

Hidden or malicious text in content that tries to steer what a model does. Read about Prompt injection in AI agents at work

Protein structure prediction

Estimating the three-dimensional shape of a protein from its sequence. Read about Protein structure prediction in AI in diagnosis and drug discovery

Q

Quantisation

Storing a model’s numbers with fewer bits so it is smaller and faster. Read about Quantisation in AI on the device

R

Radar

Measuring distance and speed with radio waves that bounce off objects. Read about Radar in Lidar, radar and cameras

Radiology

The medical field that reads imaging such as X-rays and scans. Read about Radiology in AI in diagnosis and drug discovery

Retrieval

Finding the passages most likely to help answer a question. Read about Retrieval in AI that looks things up (RAG)

Risk assessment

The structured review of hazards that decides how a robot cell is guarded. Read about Risk assessment in Robots that work beside people

S

Sensor

A device that measures something, such as temperature, motion or light, and turns it into a signal. Read about Sensor in The Internet of Things

Sensor fusion

Combining the readings of several sensors into one picture that is more reliable than any of them alone. Read about Sensor fusion in Lidar, radar and cameras

Software as a medical device

Software that is itself regulated as a device because of its medical purpose. Read about Software as a medical device in AI in diagnosis and drug discovery

Spiking neural network

A network whose units communicate with brief pulses. Read about Spiking neural network in Chips that think like neurons

Synchronisation

Keeping the virtual copy in step with the real one. Read about Synchronisation in Digital twins

T

Telemetry

Readings sent automatically from sensors or machines. Read about Telemetry in Digital twins

Teleoperation

Controlling a robot remotely, often to collect examples of a task. Read about Teleoperation in General-purpose humanoid robots

Terahertz

Very high radio frequencies above the bands used today. Read about Terahertz in 6G networks

Tokamak

A ring-shaped magnetic chamber for confining plasma. Read about Tokamak in Fusion power

Tool call

A request from the model for another program to do something, such as search or send a message. Read about Tool call in AI agents at work

V

Variable-rate application

Changing the amount of seed, fertiliser or spray as a machine crosses a field. Read about Variable-rate application in Precision farming from the air