The high winds were thought to be a rich potential source of renewable energy, however, a study by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena, Germany, shows that the near absence of friction and absence of strong propulsion cause the jet streams that sweep the upper atmosphere to harness about 200 times… »

A research team from Harvard University developed an array of “soft” robots inspired by natural forms, such as squid and starfish, which are capable to perform very delicate operations or move where rigid robots might not. These abilities enable the robots to pick up a raw egg without breaking the shell, or aid in search… »

Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) collaborated with PPC Corp., a telecommunications radio-frequency (RF) connector equipment company, in order to develop a new sensor that can be installed in the connecting units of coaxial cables in order to speed up the detection of equipment damage. Named Smart Connector, the sensor signals the exact location… »

Researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University have applied biomimicry of insect cuticle – tough but flexible, non-mineral outer coverings that provide protection – to develop a similar material they named Shrilk. The new material is able to mimic the exceptional strength, toughness, and versatility of the extraordinary material, while… »

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) Gates Center for Computer Science and the Hillman Center for Future-Generation Technologies have recently been awarded with LEED Gold certification. With that achievement, the Gates and Hillman centers managed to join 10 other CMU buildings which demonstrate their commitment to energy and water conservation, as well as the promotion of sustainable… »

Researchers at the Case Western Reserve University are one step closer to create implantable replacement cartilage. The method allows cartilage to form from patient’s own stem cells without lengthy culture time before the implantation. The technology could solve cartilage problems which occur after sports injuries and accidents, as well as in cases of osteoarthritis which… »

Although it was originally released in 2005 as a robot meant for entertainment, the first time we wrote about little robot NAO was in 2009 in our article about 2009 RoboCup. Aldebaran Robotics recently surprised us and released a new and improved version of the NAO robot they dubbed NAO Next Gen. NAO Next Gen… »

Although we already wrote about many materials that could serve as liquid repellant surfaces, the one developed by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz and the Technical University Darmstadt stands out by being superamphiphobic. They used candle soot to produce a fluorinated silicon coated silica nanostructure which is capable to… »