While many of us might think that concrete structures such as bridges simply stand unaided for decades at a time, the fact is that they require maintenance as often as once every five years. An experimental new type of rebar, however, could drastically change that. The problem with existing concrete structures lies in the steel rebar rods that are embedded […]

Big commercial aircraft are already routinely guided in for automatic landings at large airports, as their autopilot follows radio signals transmitted by ground-based antennas. Such auto-landings currently aren’t possible at most small airports, although that could be about to change, thanks to a new German-designed system. The technology is being developed as part of the German federal government’s C2Land program, […]

Building on a novel forensic approach that analyses proteins in head hair, scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) Forensic Science Center (FSC) and Michigan State University have established that it’s possible to identify a person from a single hair taken from anywhere on the human body. If television is anything to go by, getting a positive identification of a […]

Plastic can be a very useful medium, but our throw away culture has also made it a huge pollution problem – especially when it ends up in the sea. While efforts like the Ocean Cleanup attempt to deal with plastic waste near or on the surface, researchers in Italy are developing a robot to clear the seabed of plastic, while […]

In order to at least begin addressing the growing problem of space debris, numerous groups are now looking into methods of de-orbiting satellitesonce their operational lives have ended. One of the latest approaches involves getting the spacecraft to dispense a long strip of sunlight-catching tape, instead of using their own propellant. The technology is being developed via the three-year European […]

The Memorial Bridge doesn’t just allow folks to cross over the Piscataqua River from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to Kittery in Maine, it also serves as a living laboratory. Now home to a host of sensors, the so-called living bridge provides researchers, engineers and the general public with information about the day-to-day life and health of the bridge itself, as well […]

MIT has developed an inexpensive sensor glove designed to enable artificial intelligence to figure out how humans identify objects by touch. Called the Scalable TActile Glove (STAG), it uses 550 tiny pressure sensors to generate patterns that could be used to create improved robotic manipulators and prosthetic hands. If you’ve ever fumbled in the dark for your glasses or your […]

Big data is growing in volume and importance. As companies worldwide scramble to make the most sense out of it to accurately predict the outcomes of their business efforts, the professionals who are helping organizations gain actionable insights are also reaping rich rewards. A fast-tracking career with fat compensation package can become a reality for you if you make use […]

iRobot has refreshed its line of cleaning robots, adding a new mopping machine to the mix along with an updated vacuum. Together, the Roomba s9 vacuum and the Braava jet m6 mop are designed to work in tandem to keep floors dust- and dirt-free, without any input from the user. Last year, iRobot introduced a new feature for its Roomba […]

From virtual windshields to transparent roofs to portable steering wheels, Jaguar Land Rover isn’t afraid to get a little creative when looking to the future of automotive design. Its latest concept imagines a potentially more intuitive form of turn-by-turn navigation, gently warming either side of the steering wheel to guide the driver to their destination. The so-called Sensory steering wheel […]