Silk from the tasar silkworm used as a scaffold for heart tissue

By Damir Beciri
One Comment30 January 2012

mpi-silkworm-disk-heartSince almost all of the body’s own regeneration mechanisms in the heart have become deactivated, a heart attack or other heart damage is serious for patients since the dead cardiac cells are irretrievably lost and scar tissue grows in place of the damaged muscle cells. Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad… »

Sensorbots to be used in deep ocean monitoring

By Damir Beciri
One Comment28 January 2012

sensorbot-dive-2-ropos-dive-deploymentArizona State University researchers are using their automation, sensors, biotechnology, and systems expertise to develop Sensorbots – spherical robots equipped with biogeochemical sensors that are affordable enough to be deployed by the hundreds. Sensorbots will be used to monitor the ocean in the National Science Foundation’s Ocean Observatories Initiative named Regional Scale Nodes (RSN) project…. »

Biochip enables glucose level measurement from human saliva

By Damir Beciri
26 January 2012

brown-uni-plasmonicsIn order to check their glucose levels, diabetics usually have to draw blood. In order to eliminate the need for this invasive way of glucose level control, engineers at Brown University have designed a biological device that can measure glucose concentrations in human saliva. The technique takes advantage of a convergence of nanotechnology and surface… »

Shrewbot inspired by shrew whiskers

By Damir Beciri
2 Comments24 January 2012

shrewbotThere are numerous examples in nature where ‘active touch’ plays a primary role in how an animal finds its way around and how it behaves. Inspired by the Etruscan shrew, one of the world’s tiniest mammals, researchers at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) developed Shrewbot – the newest generation of a robots that use sophisticated… »

Scalybot 2 movement inspired by snake rectilinear locomotion

By Damir Beciri
21 January 2012

scalybot-2All-terrain robots for search-and-rescue missions must be flexible enough to move over uneven surfaces, and be able to squeeze themselves into tight spaces. Many engineers and researchers have been inspired by nature’s way to solve this problem and the develop snake like robots that could be up to the challenge. Georgia Tech researchers have designed… »

Green architecture – New Monte Rosa Hut

By Sonja Raca
One Comment19 January 2012

new-monte-rosa-hut-1The New Monte Rosa Hut represents one of the best uses of green architectural principles in harsh conditions of Monte Rosa in south Switzerland. The project proves that sustainable construction can be achieved in any setting, since it is nearly self-sufficient while being isolated, and it was built to withstand extreme climatic conditions. New Monte… »

USA top medical research labs acquire a common robotic surgery platform

By Damir Beciri
One Comment16 January 2012

raven-ii-robotsRobotics experts at UC Santa Cruz (UCSC) and the University of Washington (UW) came up with an idea to have a network of laboratories working on a common robotic platform they have developed in order to simplify software sharing, experiment replication, as well as to improve collaboration among major medical research laboratories throughout the United… »

Green architecture – Newcomer Residence

By Damir Beciri
15 January 2012

newcomer-1Athens, Georgia, has its first LEED Platinum certified home setting a new standard for modern green home designs in the traditional, Southern college town. As the first such residence in Athens, GA, the project represents a strong commitment to sustainability in both the use of traditional passive climate strategies as well as the incorporation of… »