Researchers getting closer to artificial cartilage creation

By Damir Beciri
10 December 2011

knee-cartilage_0Researchers 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… »

Alderaban Robotics reveals NAO Next Gen robot

By Damir Beciri
5 Comments9 December 2011

nao-next-genAlthough 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… »

Candle soot used to create superamphiphobic glass nanostructures

By Damir Beciri
One Comment8 December 2011

superamphiphobic-sponge-like-silicaAlthough 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… »

Functional clothing? Just combine cotton clothes and organic electronics

By Damir Beciri
8 December 2011

cotton-functional-clothingAn interdisciplinary group of researchers made a breakthrough in cotton fiber research by finding a way to transform everyday cotton into high-tech fabric. Their work could lead to functional clothing – a seamless blend of clothing and electronics that could be used in future hospital clothes with sensors used to monitor medical patients or in… »

Micron’s Hybrid Memory Cube to be produced by IBM

By Damir Beciri
2 Comments6 December 2011

3d-hmcMemory wall is a term used to describe the greater need for both memory bandwidth and memory density needed for growing number of processor cores in current microprocessors. Whereas DDR4 represents an evolutionary standard, IBM and Micron Technology announced that they will begin production of Hybrid Memory Cube (HMC) – a memory device built using… »

Thymio II – a small and affordable educational robot

By Damir Beciri
5 Comments5 December 2011

thymio-ii-robotA group of researchers from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) had a goal to create an original pedagogical tool that could be used for practical introduction of technology and robotics to children. In collaboration with the University of Art and Design Lausanne (ECAL), they developed Thymio II – a small programmable robot… »

Thinner thermal insulation with newly developed VIPs

By Damir Beciri
5 December 2011

vips-thinner-thermal-insulationAt present, insulation panels that are both thin and effective are expensive high-end products that are built into energy-saving refrigerators. In order to enable better and cost-effective insulation used in building construction, Fraunhofer researchers are developing vacuum isolation panels (VIPs) – short films for a material that will insulate homes without the need for significant… »

Using robots to construct buildings

By Damir Beciri
One Comment3 December 2011

robot-architecture-1With each day, robots are becoming more popular and affordable, and they find new applications in various fields such as aid in manual labor or entertainment. Robots use in architecture hasn’t been around aside performing such tasks in video games and science fiction, but professorship of Gramazio & Kohler plans to change that fact and… »