Collaborate Disseminate
The male desert sandgrouse might not be much to look at, but his belly feathers give him the unique ability to absorb and carry water. Researchers have, for the first time, closely examined the structure of the feathers to see how they absorb water and… Continue reading Water-absorbing feathers could inspire better bottles and fog harvesters
MIT’s Improbable Artificial Intelligence Lab has developed a Dexterous Ball Manipulation with a Legged Robot (DribbleBot) that can dribble a soccer ball under real-world conditions similar to those encountered by a human player.Continue ReadingCategory… Continue reading DribbleBot learns to dribble a soccer ball under realistic conditions
If a robot is going to be grasping delicate objects, then that bot had better know what those objects are, so it can treat them accordingly. A new robotic hand allows it to do so, by sensing the shape of the object along the length of its three digits…. Continue reading Robotic hand identifies what it’s grasping by sensing its shape
Developing effective treatments for genetic lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis has proven challenging. That might not be the case for much longer, with scientists developing a new type of nanoparticle that can carry gene-editing technology directly … Continue reading New nanoparticles deliver gene-editing tech directly into the lungs
Researchers have enlisted a new kind of helper to monitor the microbiomes of cities around the world: the honeybee. A recently published analysis shows that the debris which gathers at the bottom of their hives can reveal a great deal about what’s goin… Continue reading Honeybee hive debris provides snapshots of urban microbiomes
After water, concrete is the world’s most consumed material and is the mainstay of construction everywhere, and concrete production’s impact on the environment is significant. Researchers have discovered that introducing an inexpensive, readily availab… Continue reading An inexpensive ingredient may reduce concrete’s climate impact
Just like pharmaceuticals, banknotes and alcoholic beverages, the crop seeds sold to farmers are frequently counterfeits. MIT scientists have devised a method of spotting the fakes, by tagging genuine seeds with silk dots.Continue ReadingCategory: Good… Continue reading Silk-microparticle dots could help thwart seed counterfeiters
It’s certainly handy to know how fast gears or wheels are spinning, but equipping them with external sensors can be awkward and may affect their performance. That’s why scientists have devised a method of 3D-printing wireless sensors right into the thi… Continue reading MechSense 3D-prints wireless rotational sensors right into moving parts
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
In an effort to help vision-impaired people enjoy taking photographs, Sony has paired with QD Laser to create a retinal projection camera kit. By bypassing the outer layers of the eyes, the kit allows those who would otherwise have difficulty doing so … Continue reading New kit beams images straight onto the retina from Sony camera