Collaborate Disseminate
We’ve been hearing a lot about synthetic skins designed for robotic hands, which would give the devices more human-like qualities. Well, scientists in Japan have gone a step further, by covering a robotic finger in a self-healing skin made from live hu… Continue reading Scientists cover robotic finger with living skin made from human cells
More and more, we’re finding that by copying nature, we can develop technologies that are capable of performing previously impossible functions. A new contest encourages that kind of thinking, by inviting ideas for nature-inspired robots … and the winn… Continue reading Robotics contest will build a biomimetic robot based on winning entry
While we have heard of a few aerial drones that are also able to operate underwater, a new one takes that concept considerably further. Using a fish-inspired suction disc, it can hitch rides underwater – possibly even on submarines – to save battery po… Continue reading Amphibious drone uses remora-inspired disc to hitch underwater rides
Scientists regularly turn to nature for inspiration in their pursuit of next-generation materials, and a team of engineers studying the porous microstructures of bone and wood has come up with a clever example of biomimicry with wide-ranging potential…. Continue reading Bone-inspired materials offer light weight and tunable stiffness
While scientists have already created tight-space-exploring robots based on snakes and cockroaches, rats are also highly adept at squeezing through narrow openings and traversing uneven terrain. They now have a robotic equivalent of their own, in the f… Continue reading Robotic rat may one day search for survivors at disaster sites
A team of engineers led by Alon Gorodetsky at the University of California, Irvine, has come up with a new infrared-reflecting, metalized polymer film inspired by the color-changing skin of the squid. The tunable insulating properties of the composite … Continue reading Squid skin inspires versatile new “tunable” insulating material
The ongoing miniaturization of electronics has allowed for the creation of some incredibly small sensors to track things like temperature and humidity. Imagining a future where hundreds of them are placed around forests or farms for large-scale monitor… Continue reading Tiny dandelion-inspired sensors can be dispersed by the wind
The dangers around spending too much time in the sun are well established, and over the years we have seen a number of interesting technological solutions that alert the user when they should make for the shade. Scientists at Northeastern University ha… Continue reading Squid camouflage-inspired sticker can tell when you’ve had too much sun
Zero-emissions airliners are still a long way off, but Lufthansa and BASF have developed a way to improve things right now. AeroShark is an adhesive riblet film that immediately reduces fuel consumption, and therefore emissions, from any aircraft.Conti… Continue reading Shark-skin-inspired film immediately drops airliner fuel consumption
Zero-emissions airliners are still a long way off, but Lufthansa and BASF have developed a way to improve things right now. AeroShark is an adhesive riblet film that immediately reduces fuel consumption, and therefore emissions, from any aircraft.Conti… Continue reading Shark-skin-inspired film immediately drops airliner fuel consumption