A type of natural polymer, cellulose is the main component of plant cell walls, and it’s increasingly been finding use as an eco-friendly, biocompatible 3D-printing material. Now, scientists have devised a method of printing complex objects with a higher cellulose content than ever. The new technique was developed via a collaboration between the ETH Zurich research institute and the Swiss […]

Many of us now keep tabs on how we’re doing by wearing health and fitness trackers like those from Fitbit, which run on batteries that need charging. Researchers from Caltech have developed an electronic skin that can be packed with sensors, and that’s powered by the sweat of its wearer. “One of the major challenges with these kinds of wearable […]

When two interlocking parts of a product are joined together in a factory, they typically make a satisfying “click” sound. By listening for such noises, a newly-developed system can detect when faults have occurred on robotic assembly lines. Created at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology (IDMT), the technology incorporates audio sensor units that can be mounted either directly […]

In an unprecedented move, Google has publicly released a series of COVID-19 Community Mobility Maps, utilizing location history data from users around the world to present insights into how people are moving around local communities. The data is presented to highlight how social distancing and shelter in place measures are changing people’s behaviors. The initial release of these reports covers […]

Researchers at Uppsala University have developed a new type of experimental proton battery that’s built with entirely organic components, making it much more environmentally friendly than most. On top of that, it can also be charged in a matter of minutes and can function at very low temperatures. Most batteries, such as the ubiquitous lithium-ion battery, are made with metals […]

A type of natural polymer, cellulose is the main component of plant cell walls, and it’s increasingly been finding use as an eco-friendly, biocompatible 3D-printing material. Now, scientists have devised a method of printing complex objects with a higher cellulose content than ever. The new technique was developed via a collaboration between the ETH Zurich research institute and the Swiss […]

Brain-implanted electrodes have numerous uses, ranging from the controlling of prosthetic arms to the monitoring of neural activity. They could soon be more effective than ever, as scientists have now developed ones that are soft and squishy. Ordinarily, electrodes are made mainly of rigid metal. As a result, when they’re implanted in soft brain tissue, inflammation and the buildup of […]

Marine aquaculture pens have to be regularly checked for holes, plus the fish need to be inspected for disease or parasites. And although the job is typically performed by human divers, it turns out that a robotic sea turtle may be a better choice for the task. Unfortunately, when a big, ungainly human scuba diver swims in among farmed fish […]

Blind readers will likely be familiar with refreshable braille displays, in which raised dots electronically rise and fall from a flat surface in order to temporarily form braille characters. A new material, however, could make such displays cheaper and more useful than ever before. Currently, most refreshable braille displays utilize a piezoelectric effect. This involves applying voltage to a small […]

When it comes to accurately reading the brain’s electrical signals, many systems utilize implantable electrodes. A new technology is reportedly less invasive yet just as accurate, as it swaps regular electrodes for ultra-thin wires. The system is being developed via a partnership between scientists at Britain’s Francis Crick Institute, University College London, and California’s Stanford University. Instead of conventional electrodes […]