By using information about specific ethical dilemmas supplied to them by ethicists, computers can effectively “learn” ethical principles in a process called machine learning. A team of researchers programmed Nao robot (toddler-sized robot we wrote about in our article about RoboCup 2009) with an ethical principle that was discovered by a computer. This learned principle… »

A team from University of Arizona College of Optical Sciences, led by professor Nasser Peyghambarian, developed a new type of holographic telepresence that allows the projection of a three-dimensional, moving image without the need for special eyewear such as 3D glasses or other auxiliary devices. The technology is likely to take applications ranging from telemedicine,… »

Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) robot called Tethys spent most of October crisscrossing Monterey Bay as part of Monterey Bay Aquatic Research Institute (MBARI) CANON experiment where oceanographers used it to track patches of microscopic algae that were carried around the bay by currents. During this experiment, the robot showed that it could travel fast enough… »

Whether a small cut with a fruit knife, a surgical wound or a major injury caused by a fall, the body’s defense and repair system leaps into action and tries to close the wound as quickly as possible. In order to make sure any complications in the healing process are detected at an early stage,… »

The first Surry Hills library and community facility built in 1956, was a small and modest building. The new Surry Hills Library and Community Centre has been designed to achieve excellence in sustainable design and set new benchmarks in environmental performance for multi-purpose public buildings. Designed by FJMT architects, headed by Richard Francis-Jones, it’s an… »

Bone consists of fibers of collagen in which calcium phosphate is deposited in the form of nanocrystals. The team of dr. Nico Sommerdijk (Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry) consisting of researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and the University of Illinois was able to mimic the growth of calcium phosphate inside the collagen… »

Barnes & Noble, Inc. announced the launch of NOOKcolor, their version of a full-color touch Reader’s Tablet that delivers digital books, magazines, newspapers and children’s books in color, and all in one nicely designed, thin and highly portable device. Instead classifying it as just another tablet, it is rather a logical and advanced step of… »

We mostly take it for granted, but human hand is amazing because it enables us to interact with many objects with ease. Opting for simple elegance, researchers from Cornell University, the University of Chicago and iRobot Corp. have created a versatile gripper using everyday ground coffee and a latex party balloon, bypassing traditional designs based… »