Scientists have developed a new type of “super wood” that is more than 10 times stronger and tougher than normal wood – and this innovation could potentially become a natural and inexpensive substitute for steel and other materials.
Continue reading… “Scientists have developed a way to make wood as strong as steel”
This millimeter-scale robot designed by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems could enable “applications in microfactories such as the construction of tissue scaffolds by robotic assembly, in bioengineering such as single-cell manipulation and biosensing, and in healthcare such as targeted drug delivery and minimally invasive surgery” with bots inside the body controlled by magnets. From their scientific paper in Nature:
Revolve was invented and designed by Andrea Mocellin with the aim to be the first modular wheel, which in turn will open new frontiers for the present and future of foldable vehicles.
Continue reading… “Revolve: The wheel in foldable form”
10 times stronger than steel, with only 5 percent of its density.
Continue reading… “This might be the strongest and lightest material on earth”
Finnish start-up ICEYE has designed tiny micro-satellites that can image through poor weather and darkness. Their plans to launch fleets of these satellites are ambitious, but how much privacy are we owed?
Continue reading… “Welcome to the age of micro satellite swarms”
Some experts think commercial fusion reactors could begin operation as soon as 2030.
Continue reading… “The long wait for fusion power may be coming to an end”
Virgin Hyperloop One sets a speed record and lands $50m in financing.
Continue reading… “Virgin Hyperloop One hits new top speed”
Harvard’s robot bees have really evolved over the years. The RoboBee project was first unveiled in 2013, when the bots were only capable of takeoff and flying. Since then, they’ve been modified to stick to surfaces and swim underwater, and now their creators say they’re able to dive in and out of water — a big achievement for a tiny robot bee.
Continue reading… “Robot bees can now dive in and out of water using tiny combustible rockets”
The red segment represents the “proof-of-concept” tunnel that would be used to run tests. The blue segments are potential expansion routes if the tunnels are approved to use for public transportation.
Continue reading… “Elon Musk’s Boring Company just revealed a map of its proposed LA tunnel system”
Soft robotics has made leaps and bounds over the last decade as researchers around the world have experimented with different materials and designs to allow once rigid, jerky machines to bend and flex in ways that mimic and can interact more naturally with living organisms. However, increased flexibility and dexterity has a trade-off of reduced strength, as softer materials are generally not as strong or resilient as inflexible ones, which limits their use.
Continue reading… “Artificial muscles give soft robots superpowers”
The new printing process has the potential to revolutionize how we manufacture steel.
Continue reading… “3D printing makes stainless steel three times stronger”
September 23, 2017 – If you can make a robot small enough and then give it an arm like the Canadarm on the International Space Station, could you have it build things a molecule at a time? That’s the challenge that scientists at The University of Manchester decided to accept, and voila, the result, a robot a mere one-millionth of a millimeter in size that is programmable, can move and has a tiny robotic arm. They published their results in the September 20, 2017, edition of the journal Nature in an article entitled, “Stereodivergent synthesis with a programmable molecular machine.”
Continue reading… “Tiny robots serve as programmable molecular assembly machines”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.