Robotics

Tuning collagen threads for biohybrid robots

The idea of incorporating actual muscles or neurons into a robotic system might sound like science fiction, but researchers in Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Mechanical Engineering are taking steps to make it ...

Engineering

Super-strong surgical tape detaches on demand

Last year, MIT engineers developed a double-sided adhesive that could quickly and firmly stick to wet surfaces such as biological tissues. They showed that the tape could be used to seal up rips and tears in lungs and intestines ...

Engineering

Bionic jellyfish swim faster and more efficiently

Engineers at Caltech and Stanford University have developed a tiny prosthetic that enables jellyfish to swim faster and more efficiently than they normally do, without stressing the animals. The researchers behind the project ...

Engineering

New device paves the way to 3-D-printed organs, food

More than 113,000 people are currently on the national transplant list. And with a shortage of donors, this means that about 20 people will die every day while waiting for an organ, according to the U.S. Department of Health.

Robotics

Robot transitions from soft to rigid

Even octopuses understand the importance of elbows. When these squishy, loose-limbed cephalopods need to make a precise movement—such as guiding food into their mouth—the muscles in their tentacles contract to create ...

Engineering

Q&A: Making Earth-friendly electronics

The very components that make electronics fast and easy to use also make their disposal an environmental nightmare. Components of smartphones, computers and even kitchen appliances contain heavy metals and other compounds ...

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