Lockheed Martin’s Samarai Micro Air Vehicle inspired by maple seed

By Damir Beciri
One Comment20 August 2011

lockheed-martin-samarai-uavMost of us had the opportunity to play with maple seed and observe it spiraling down after we throw it. Several groups of engineers around the world have been inspired by maple seed and applied biomimicry to construct small flying machines. Lockheed Martin came up with Samarai which was exhibited at the Association for Unmanned… »

New polymer enables cheaper plastic solar cells and electronics

By Damir Beciri
2 Comments19 August 2011

astar-pod2t-dtbt-plastic-solar-cells-1Researchers from Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) have created a new polymer that can be used in both new age plastic electronics as well as plastic solar cells. The new polymer enables thinner and  lighter electronic components and organic solar cells which can be produced… »

Smart lower-limb prosthetic enables amputees to walk with less effort

By Damir Beciri
4 Comments18 August 2011

lower-limb-prosthetic-goldfarbhuttoResearchers from the Vanderbilt University developed a prosthetic with powered knee and ankle joints that operate in unison, thus allowing its wearers to walk without the leg-dragging gait characteristic of conventional artificial legs. The bionic leg is programmed to use the motion data in order to predict what the person is trying to do and… »

Sandia Gemini-Scout Mine Rescue Robot could aid in future miner rescues

By Damir Beciri
One Comment16 August 2011

gemini-scout-mine-rescue-robotWhen a mining accident occurs, potentially deadly conditions such as poisonous gases, flooded tunnels, explosive vapors, unstable walls and roofs, and unknown obstacles between the surface and trapped workers can significantly slow the rescue efforts. Engineers at Sandia National Laboratories developed the Gemini-Scout Mine Rescue Robot in order to collects information about potential dangers and… »

Researchers use advanced imaging to observe excitons at room temperature

By Damir Beciri
15 August 2011

biaggio-excitons-researchExcitons, which are created by light, play a central role in the plastic solar cells energy harvesting. Researchers from Lehigh University have developed an imaging technique that enables direct observation of light-emitting excitons as they diffuse in rubrene – a new generation of single-crystal organic semiconductors that is being explored for its extraordinary electronic properties…. »

Green architecture – FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science

By Damir Beciri
14 August 2011

fau-college-of-engineering-and-computer-science-1Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in Boca Raton, Florida, was recently awarded with LEED Platinum certification for their new College of Engineering and Computer Science Building. Science buildings are typically energy-consuming by nature, but both the college representatives and the project team wanted to build a world-class facility that would showcase the university’s commitment to sustainability…. »

Skin electronics that stick and stretch like temporary tattoo stickers

By Damir Beciri
One Comment13 August 2011

ees-epidermal-electronic-systemA multi-disciplinary team of researchers, led by researchers from the University of Illinois, came up with epidermal electronic system (EES) – a device platform based on a thin skin-like patch that mounts directly onto the skin with ease and flexibility of a temporary tattoo sticker. The technology could be used in electronic components for sensing,… »

Samsung SSDs with SATA revision 3.0 interface hit volume production

By Damir Beciri
12 August 2011

samsung-ssd-sata-3-0-1Samsung Electronics announced volume production of solid state drives (SSDs) which are compatible with Serial ATA (SATA) Revision 3.0 interface – an interface which is two times faster compared to SATA 3 gigabits per second (Gb/s) based technology. With data transmissions at 6 Gb/s, Samsung expects their new high-speed SSDs to be installed into upcoming… »