Wound infections can be monitored without dressing removal

By Damir Beciri
3 November 2010

wound-infections-monitored-without-dressing-removal-1Whether a small cut with a fruit knife, a surgical wound or a major injury caused by a fall, the body’s defense and repair system leaps into action and tries to close the wound as quickly as possible. In order to make sure any complications in the healing process are detected at an early stage,… »

Green architecture – Surry Hills Library and Community Centre

By Damir Beciri
1 November 2010

surry-hills-library-and-community-centre-1The first Surry Hills library and community facility built in 1956, was a small and modest building. The new Surry Hills Library and Community Centre has been designed to achieve excellence in sustainable design and set new benchmarks in environmental performance for multi-purpose public buildings. Designed by FJMT architects, headed by Richard Francis-Jones, it’s an… »

MIT researchers on a path to revive solar heat harvesting

By Rob Aid
One Comment30 October 2010

fulvalene-diruthenium-moleculeResearchers explored the thermo-chemical approach to capture solar energy since the 1970s, but nobody could find a chemical that could reliably and reversibly switch between two states, absorbing sunlight to go into one state and then releasing heat when it reverted to the first state. Such a compound was discovered in 1996, but it included… »

Biomimicry of bone formation process achieved in a laboratory

By Damir Beciri
29 October 2010

making-bones-in-a-lab-nico-sommerdijkBone consists of fibers of collagen in which calcium phosphate is deposited in the form of nanocrystals. The team of dr. Nico Sommerdijk (Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry) consisting of researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and the University of Illinois was able to mimic the growth of calcium phosphate inside the collagen… »

NOOKcolor is a logical step for new e-readers

By Damir Beciri
One Comment27 October 2010

nookcolor-1Barnes & Noble, Inc. announced the launch of NOOKcolor, their version of a full-color touch Reader’s Tablet that delivers digital books, magazines, newspapers and children’s books in color, and all in one nicely designed, thin and highly portable device. Instead classifying it as just another tablet, it is rather a logical and advanced step of… »

Balloon filled with ground coffee makes for versatile robotic gripper

By Damir Beciri
25 October 2010

coffee-robot-hand-gripperWe mostly take it for granted, but human hand is amazing because it enables us to interact with many objects with ease. Opting for simple elegance, researchers from Cornell University, the University of Chicago and iRobot Corp. have created a versatile gripper using everyday ground coffee and a latex party balloon, bypassing traditional designs based… »

Green architecture – 2002 Alpine luxury eco-house

By Damir Beciri
24 October 2010

2002-alpine-exteriorAlthough we already wrote a few articles where we described luxurious and eco-friendly architecture, in this article we’re going to write about 2002 Alpine – a hyper eco-luxury urban home. 2002 Alpine is the United States’ first ever American-designed, German engineered home in the US. Located in the heart of Boulder, Colorado, this residence represents… »

Bowling robot E.A.R.L. – Enhanced Automated Robotic Launcher

By Damir Beciri
22 October 2010

e-a-r-l-bowling-robotAfter months of calibrations and testing, the newest member of the Equipment Specifications and Certifications team at the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) is a state-of-the-art ball-throwing robot named E.A.R.L. (Enhanced Automated Robotic Launcher), which is designed to be able to simulate any type of bowling style with an accuracy and consistency on the lanes… »