Students Are Busy Reinventing The Wheel With 'Spherical Drive System'
Boasting the slogan ‘Reinventing The Wheel’, a group of students have begun to conceptualise, build and test an electric motorcycle quite unique in its design. Replacing the typical circular wheels of which we have grown accustomed is a set of carbon fiber/fiberglass, rubber-coated spherical balls. The result is one of the coolest-looking, most bad-ass bikes we’ve ever seen…
Researchers Develop Technique To Remotely Control Cockroaches
North Carolina State University researchers have managed to take full remote control of a cockroach's movements via off-the-shelf technology to, essentially, manipulate what the creature is thinking.
World's First Mind-Controlled Robotic Legs Demonstrated
A pair of robotic legs controlled solely by the user's mind have been successfully demonstrated by Researchers at the Long Beach Veterans Affairs Medical Centre and the University of California. This brings new potential to the future of prosthetic limbs for paraplegic people.
Huge Explosion On The Sun Caught By NASA
There was an explosion on the sun on August 31st, which came into contact with the Earth's magnetic field, creating some awe inspiring sights that really make you feel like a rather small being in the Galaxy.
Thermal Camera Algorithms Could Scan For Drunk People In Public
Computer scientists have developed two algorithms that, if used with thermal imaging, could scan for intoxicated people in public.
Genome Sequencing Brings Girl From 80,000 Years Ago To Life
A new form of Genome Sequencing, invented by the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, has successfully re-built the DNA of a Siberian girl from 80,000 years ago.
Genetically Engineered Muscle Cells Could Be Used To Build Organic Robots
Researchers have created a set of lab-grown muscle cells, that can be remotely controlled by a set of laser pulses. This opens the door to "bio-integrated" robots in the future, which are constructed out of organic material.
75% Of Homeless Youth Use Social Networks
A small study conducted by a team at the University of Alabama shows that 75% of the homeless youth surveyed use social networks, with usage patterns surprisingly similar to that of college students.
You Could Soon Charge Your Gadgets Through Touch Alone With ‘Power Felt’
Imagine being able to charge your energy-sapping smartphone simply by holding it in your palm. Sound implausible? Not according to a team of researchers at Wake Forest University’s Centre for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials. Led by Professor David Carroll, they’ve developed a new material, named ‘Power Felt’, that can convert wasted body heat into an electrical current.
See The Moon Through Neil Armstrong's Eyes With Beautiful Panoramic
It is with deep regret that we happened to learn of the death of Neil Armstrong this past weekend. Leaving behind an incredible legacy as being the very first man to step foot on the surface of the Moon, what better way to remember the man who made the ‘giant leaps for mankind’ than with Danish photographer Hans Nyberg’s incredible Apollo 11 interactive panorama.
MIT Scientists Are Bioengineering Bacteria To Turn CO2 Into Fuel
Researchers at Massachusetts’ Institute of Technology are seemingly well on their way to finding a solution to reduce CO2 emissions, all the while producing a chemical compound known as isobutanol which can used as a direct fuel replacement without modification.
DARPA-Funded Robotic Hand Can Repair Itself, Disarm IEDs
Sandia National Laboratories has developed a cost-effective robotic hand with enough dexterity to mimic human hand movement in the hope it could be used in disarming improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.
US Air Force Announces Another Failed Test For The Mach 6 X-51A
Forgive our overzealousness, because just two days from when we first covered the hypersonic jet X-51A WaveRider – a craft capable, in theory, of reaching speeds of five times the speed of sound – the US Air Force has revealed that its latest test has ended in unceremonious failure.
Start-Up Is Pitching The 3D-Printed Alternative To Meat
Describing the make-up of your average hamburger as an “environmental train wreck”, the co-founder of a Columbia, Missouri-based start-up named 'Modern Meadow' is thinking big when it comes to finding an alternative to meat. Now, the ambitious pitch to create edible, environmentally-friendly bio-printed steak, burgers and other meat products is one step closer to being realised after a grant from the Thiel Foundation.
US Military And NASA Test 4,500Mph Hypersonic Aircraft
A hypersonic jet known as the ‘X-15A WaveRider’ and co-funded by the US military and NASA will today undergo its latest test; dropping from around 50,000ft before rocketing to speeds of more than 4,000Mph, climbing to 70,000ft, before falling into the Pacific Ocean to break up.
Scientists Create Microchips That Imitate Human Organs
Harvard scientists have created a microchips that can mimic the function of a human lung well enough to test new experimental, life-saving drugs. This has the potential of removing the harrowing risk of drug trials on humans and animals.
SDSS Release The Largest 3D Map Of The Universe
Fund The Bid To Build A Two-Tonne, 18-Foot Wide, Six-Legged Robot
There isn't a lot in robotics that doesn't get us excited, let alone this hugely ambitious build by a team of Massachusetts roboticists. Nicknamed 'Stompy', it's an 18-foot wide, 4,000 pound (1800kg), six-legged hydraulic robot that you can ride. Told you it was exciting.
Girl Who Couldn't Move Her Arms Helped By 3D Printed Exoskeleton
At the age of 2, Emma wanted to play with blocks. But this wasn't possible due to a condition called arthrogryposis, meaning she couldn't lift her arms with her own strength. Traditional hospital treatment for this was superseded by a 3D printed exoskeleton (she calls them her "magic arms"), which aids her with all her movements.
NASA Enlists Shatner To Voice Curiosity Video Ahead Of Mars Landing
There are few celebrity personalities out there that we could name to be a more ideal fit to voice a NASA video which details the plan to bring the agency's 'Curiosity' rover down to a safe landing on Mars next week.