The potential of rechargeable batteries based on fluoride shuttle

By Damir Beciri
23 October 2011

kit-fluoridw-shuttleLithium-ion batteries have found use in various portable devices, but their storage capacity limits the usability of those gadgets. As we mentioned in a couple of our previous articles, we need a new battery systems capable to charge faster and store more energy. Researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) found a potential solution… »

TapSense uses sound to enhance information interaction on touch surfaces

By Damir Beciri
23 October 2011

tapsenseA group of researchers, led by a Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) researcher, developed a technology which recognizes determines the difference in sound when you tap of a fingertip, the pad of the finger, a fingernail or a knuckle on a touchscreen. This technology, called TapSense, enables richer touchscreen interactions by employing the anatomy and dexterity… »

Toy-like robotic dragon to be tested as a teaching aid for children

By Damir Beciri
21 October 2011

dragon-robotDavid DeSteno, an associate professor of psychology at Northeastern University, and researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University, are examining how social robots can aid preschoolers in language learning. In order to make the learning more fun and interesting for the younger children, the robot prototype used in this project resembles… »

Wing-assisted running robot DASH+Wings offers implications for avian flight evolution

By Damir Beciri
20 October 2011

dashwings-1Remaining stable while going over obstacles is fairly tricky for small robots, so the researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, fixed a small robot dubbed DASH (Dynamic Autonomous Sprawled Hexapod) with lateral and tail wings borrowed from a store-bought toy to see if that would help. Although the wings haven’t enabled the robot to… »

Superconductors locked in a magnetic field exhibit quantum levitation

By Damir Beciri
2 Comments19 October 2011

super-rail-quantum-levitationAlthough it has been around for a while now, quantum levitation is always interesting to observe. Researchers from Tel-Aviv University recently exhibited their Quantum Levitation project at the ASTC Annual Conference. The project involves usage of superconductivity which enables materials to become strongly diamagnetic – a property which allows them to create an equally opposing… »

Nature inspires faster battery charging

By Damir Beciri
18 October 2011

kit-battery-researchA multidisciplinary team of researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has been inspired by the way water is transported in trees and they used the same physicochemical effect to develop a faster way to fill the porous electrodes of lithium-ion batteries with liquid electrolyte. Aside lowering the time needed for battery consumption, the… »

Self-cleaning equipment in food industry enables food without preservatives

By Damir Beciri
One Comment18 October 2011

parts2clean-eclairSitting in a cozy sidewalk cafe, watching passersby and enjoying a chocolate-cream éclair – for many of us, this is a portrait of a relaxation, but the bakers who make the éclairs out of pastry dough inside our favorite home made bakery have to use a special machine that they operate by hand. Researchers have… »

OmniTouch wearable multitouch system turns any surface into interface

By Damir Beciri
4 Comments17 October 2011

omnitouch-wearable-multitouch-systemResearchers at Microsoft Research and the Carnegie Mellon University are developing a wearable projection system developed by, enables users to turn pads of paper, walls or even their own hands, arms and legs into graphical, interactive surfaces. Dubbed OmniTouch, the technology could be used for gestural control of the projected information and interact with it… »