Hi Tech & Innovation news

Robotics

Biohybrid swimming robot uses motor neurons and cardiomyocytes to emulate muscle tissue

A combined team of bio researchers and roboticists from Brigham and Women's Hospital, in the U.S., and the iPrint Institute, in Switzerland, has developed a tiny swimming robot using human motor neurons and cardiomyocytes ...

Engineering

Squid-inspired fabric allows for temperature-controlled clothing

Too warm with a jacket on but too cold without it? Athletic apparel brands boast temperature-controlling fabrics that adapt to every climate with lightweight but warm products. Yet, consider a fabric that you can adjust to ...

Engineering

Scientists develop novel digital encoding system using fluorescent pixels

A team of scientists has developed a novel digital encoding and data storage system based on a combination of microcapsules containing different luminescent dyes and phase change materials. This work represents an important ...

Engineering

Bubbling up: Uncovering melt pool dynamics in metal manufacturing

Manually shaking or vibrating molten metal using ultrasonic waves helps reduce air bubbles, cracks and grain sizes in a finished metal part. Metal 3D printing researchers hypothesized that vibrations were the key to increasing ...

Engineering

New device simplifies manipulation of 2D materials for twistronics

A discovery six years ago took the condensed-matter physics world by storm: Ultra-thin carbon stacked in two slightly askew layers became a superconductor, and changing the twist angle between layers could toggle their electrical ...

Hi Tech & Innovation

Japan plans driverless bullet trains

Shinkansen bullet trains could be whizzing around Japan without drivers from the mid 2030s, one of its main rail operators said, motivated in part by the country's demographic crisis.

Hi Tech & Innovation

New methods make smartwatches easier to use

A new system for making smartwatches and fitness-trackers easier to use, created by computer scientists at the University of St Andrews, could transform the technology for users without the need to buy new hardware.

Hi Tech & Innovation

Why driverless cars still need driving tests

Joshua Brown was reportedly watching a Harry Potter film when the "autopilot" function of his Tesla Model S drove the car into a truck, instantly killing him. This incident, the first time someone died from an accident involving ...

Hi Tech & Innovation

Could we upload a brain to a computer – and should we even try?

People have always dreamed about going beyond the limitations of their bodies: the pain, illness and, above all, death. Now a new movement is dressing up this ancient drive in new technological clothes. Referred to as transhumanism, ...

Hi Tech & Innovation

The next wearable technology could be your skin

Technology can be awkward. Our pockets are weighed down with ever-larger smartphones that are a pain to pull out when we're in a rush. And attempts to make our devices more easily accessible with smart watches have so far ...

Hi Tech & Innovation

Google testing appropriate honking with self-driving cars

(Tech Xplore)—Google has revealed in its latest monthly report on how things are going with its autonomous car testing program, that it has recently been testing the automatic use of the horn by the vehicle. They note that ...