Better electronics? Nanoelectronic transistor combined with biological machine

By Damir Beciri
13 August 2009

integrated-circuitThe electronic devices could get a boost in operating efficiency if manmade devices could be combined with biological machines. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers have developed a versatile hybrid platform that uses lipid-coated nanowires to build prototype bio-nanoelectronic devices. Combined biological components in electronic circuits could enhance bio-sensing and diagnostic tools, advance neural prosthetics… »

Robots replacing cooks? Robot chefs in Japan make ramen noodles

By Damir Beciri
3 Comments11 August 2009

ramen-cooked-by-robots-japanAt the “Fua-men” (available in Japanese) ramen noodle shop in the central Japanese city of Nagoya, two robotic arms are busy serving their hungry customers, make eighty bowls of noodles per day. Kenji Nagoya, the owner of the noodle shop and a robot manufacturer says nobody gets it as accurate as the robots. The robots… »

Modular robots – SuperBot

By Damir Beciri
10 August 2009

superbotOne of the most challenging issues for human-centered long-range space exploration is performing complex tasks in environments that are not human-friendly. These tasks range from activities such as inspection, maintenance, and assembly, to surface landing, exploration, and habitat-construction. A robotic solution is essential to this challenge, however, the traditional approach of building separate robots for… »

Numark STEREO|iO an affordable audio necessity

By Damir Beciri
9 August 2009

stereo-io-angleWe already had a few articles regarding audio technology such as turning flat surfaces into speakers, digitizing old vinyl records and thin directional speakers. In this article we’re not going to write about anything revolutionary, but it is an affordable necessity when it comes to AD/DA audio signal conversion. The Numark STEREO|iO is a connection… »

Green architecture – Citigroup Data Center in Frankfurt

By Damir Beciri
7 August 2009

citigroup-data-center-in-frankfurt-1Citi’s new Data Centre in Frankfurt has been awarded LEED Platinum, it’s the first data centre in the world to achieve a platinum rating and the first building in Germany to achieve LEED accreditation. The data centre plant topology, unit sizes and operating parameters have been selected to exceed reliability criteria and to enhance the… »

Tangible holography – Airborne Ultrasound Tactile Display

By Rob Aid
2 Comments6 August 2009

tokyouniversity-holography-2009Mid-air displays which project floating images in free space have been seen in SF movies for several decades. We wrote about technologies that contribute to the development of holograms (regarding data storage and potential interfaces that could be developed for usage with holographic technology) in our previous articles. Recently, they are attracting a lot of… »

Biomimicry of butterfly wings for more powerful solar cells

By Damir Beciri
2 Comments6 August 2009

biomimicry-of-butterfly-wings2The discovery that butterfly wings have scales that act as tiny solar collectors has led scientists in China and Japan to design a more efficient solar cell that could be used for powering homes, businesses, and other applications in the future. The researchers turned to the microscopic solar scales on butterfly wings in their search… »

Biomimicry of leaves ventricular system produces energy

By Damir Beciri
One Comment5 August 2009

fernpower1In this article we’re going to write about biomimicry of leaves. The development of artificial glass leaves that produce energy is done by UC Berkeley researcher Michel Maharbiz (a guy we mentioned earlier in our article about insects spies), Ruba Borno from the University of Michigan and Joseph Steinmeyer from MIT. They developed an alternative energy… »