Tech
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Tech
Building robots that slither
Howie Choset is a roboticist, but his team’s creations bear little resemblance to C-3PO or R2-D2. Instead, Choset finds inspiration in nature — specifically, snakes.
- Tech
Tiny muscles pull a big punch
Coated carbon nanotubes form the basis of this smart new material.
- Tech
Beginnings of Bionic
Electronics that bend with the human body may soon make their way into medical devices to track health, deliver treatments and improve surgery.
- Tech
Plastic fantastic seals in speeding projectiles
Layered nanomaterial shows how bulletproof polymers wrap around penetrating particles.
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- Tech
Degradable devices vanish after use
Technique combines silicon, magnesium and silk for medical implants, transistors and digital cameras that can melt away.
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- Tech
Facebook peer pressure gets out the vote
People were more likely to take part in the November 2010 election when they were told that their online friends already had.
- Tech
When Networks Network
Once studied solo, systems display surprising behavior when they interact.
- Tech
Unmixing oil and water
A new filter that separates the two substances only using gravity could help clean oil spills.
- Tech
Chameleon-like robot can change hue
Dye-filled microchannels help machine blend in, or stick out.
- Tech
Camera hack can spot cleaned-up crimes
Exploiting a standard tool of art conservation can help police find painted-over bloodstains.
