Kinder, gentler robotic arm channels its inner elephant and octopus

In order to function safely alongside human workers, robotic arms shouldn’t be hard and unyielding. An experimental new arm was designed with that fact in mind, as it mimics soft n’ squishy elephant trunks and octopus tentacles.Continue ReadingCategory… Continue reading Kinder, gentler robotic arm channels its inner elephant and octopus

Seafloor rover vacuums up valuable metals with smaller footprint

The seafloor is rich in valuable metals, but gathering them is disruptive to the environment. An international project has now tested a system called Apollo 2, which can vacuum up metal nodules without kicking up sediment.Continue ReadingCategory: Tech… Continue reading Seafloor rover vacuums up valuable metals with smaller footprint

Silicon quantum computing surpasses 99% accuracy in three studies

Three teams of scientists from around the world have achieved a major milestone in quantum computing. All three groups demonstrated better than 99 percent accuracy in silicon-based quantum devices, paving the way for practical, scalable quantum compute… Continue reading Silicon quantum computing surpasses 99% accuracy in three studies

Tiler tech wirelessly charges ebikes through their kickstand

Wireless charging systems for electric cars certainly are convenient, as drivers just park the vehicle, get out, and leave it to charge. Well, Dutch company Tiler has created a similar technology for ebikes.Continue ReadingCategory: Bicycles, Transport… Continue reading Tiler tech wirelessly charges ebikes through their kickstand

AeroDelft’s Phoenix rising as the world’s first liquid-hydrogen aircraft

We’ve written plenty about hydrogen’s potential as a transformative technology for green aviation; in gaseous form, hydrogen offers an energy density much higher than lithium batteries, and that offers a genuine path toward the decarbonization of short… Continue reading AeroDelft’s Phoenix rising as the world’s first liquid-hydrogen aircraft

Deflating graphene balloons act as sensors for hard-to-detect gases

With excellent strength, flexibility and electrical conductivity, graphene has a lot of potential in a lot of different areas, and that may extend to the detection of odorless, colorless gases. Scientists have fashioned the nanomaterial into microscopi… Continue reading Deflating graphene balloons act as sensors for hard-to-detect gases

Hydrogen-powered VTOL drone flies for 3.5 hours

VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) drones are quite versatile, as they combine the vertical flight of a helicopter with the fast and efficient forward flight of a fixed-wing airplane. This one features an extended range, thanks to a fuel cell power s… Continue reading Hydrogen-powered VTOL drone flies for 3.5 hours

Battery-free retro Game Boy runs on solar power and button mashing

Energy technology has come a long way since the first handheld gaming consoles emerged in the 70s and 80s. As a way of demonstrating these advances and where they might lead us in the future, a team of researchers has built a Game Boy that requires no … Continue reading Battery-free retro Game Boy runs on solar power and button mashing

Lithium-metal battery builds its own protective layer as it decays

Described as a “holy grail” by some and the “dream material” by others, batteries that used pure lithium metal as their anode component could open entirely new possibilities in energy storage, and there are no shortage of promising solutions on the tab… Continue reading Lithium-metal battery builds its own protective layer as it decays

Flying V long-distance plane makes its first flight as a scale model

Last year we caught wind of an interesting aviation concept cooked up by engineers at TU Delft, which consisted of a novel V-shaped design that promises significant efficiency gains over conventional aircraft. The project has now progressed from slick … Continue reading Flying V long-distance plane makes its first flight as a scale model