Collaborate Disseminate
Even though a variety of conditions may cause people to lose their appetite, it’s important for those folks to keep eating in order to recover. A new “electroceutical” ingestible capsule could help, by making them feel hungry … and it was inspired by a… Continue reading Gut-zapping lizard-inspired capsule could boost patients’ appetites
Due to their unique way of moving through the water, jellyfish are frequently used as inspiration for soft, water-based robots. Now, researchers have discovered that the flapping propulsion system of a robotic jellyfish is not only good for movement, b… Continue reading Robotic jellyfish can suck up ocean debris without touching it
If you’ve ever tried piloting a quadcopter drone, you’ll know that they invariably end up running into walls, trees or whatnot … often getting damaged in the process. An experimental new inflatable-body drone, however, just bounces off obstacles – plus… Continue reading Inflatable drone bounces and perches instead of crashing and hovering
Frequently, when looking for answers to human problems, scientists turn to animals who have already evolved their own solutions. So when it came time to develop a heat-trapping fabric, a team of researchers looked to polar bears, whose outer layers all… Continue reading Polar bear’s light-funneling fur key to new super-warm textile
If you’re making a small robot that can explore tight spaces, it would be good if that device could also shimmy its way through narrow gaps. An experimental new robot can do just that, by emulating a caterpillar.Continue ReadingCategory: Robotics, Tech… Continue reading Soft-bodied robot copies a caterpillar to squeeze through gaps
No single robot can perform all tasks, yet bringing a bunch of different robots along on Moon missions would be quite inefficient. The WORMS setup offers an alternative, in the form of components that can be mixed and matched to make whatever robot is … Continue reading Clever MIT modular robotics system could give astronauts WORMS
Traditional paint gets it color from synthetic pigments, which fade over time and aren’t very eco-friendly. There may soon be a better alternative, though, in the form of a paint which incorporates color-producing nanostructures.Continue ReadingCategor… Continue reading Bio-inspired “plasmonic paint” could make regular paint a thing of the past
Earthworms move through the soil not just by wriggling around, but by sending peristaltic waves down their bodies. A new bio-inspired robot, which employs that same strategy, could one day be used in underground exploration or even search-and-rescue mi… Continue reading Earthworm-inspired robot moves by doing the wave
Robots that move across both land and water are potentially very useful, but they also tend to be complex and rather slow. A new bio-inspired amphibious bot, however, utilizes a relatively simple mechanism to undulate at a good clip.Continue ReadingCat… Continue reading Efficient amphibious robot channels its inner snake and centipede
Using drones for aerial seeding may seem like a good idea, but … the seeds could easily just blow away if left on the surface of the soil. A bio-inspired seed carrier has been designed to help, by corkscrewing its seed load down into the ground.Continu… Continue reading Plant-inspired E-seeds drill themselves into the dirt when moistened