A new technique developed by engineers from the University of California San Diego avoids the need for any exclusive equipment and creates flexible, soft, 3D-printed robots in just minutes. The invention arises from re-evaluating how soft robots are developed: rather than finding out how to add soft materials to a rigid […]

From joint replacements to cardiac implants and dialysis machines, medical devices enhance or save lives on a daily basis. However, any device implanted in the body or in contact with flowing blood faces two critical challenges that can threaten the life of the patient the device is meant to help: blood […]

The stars of the “Jaws” films–sharks–have recently become the subject of a University of Alabama engineering research project. Conducted by Dr. Amy Lang, assistant professor of aerospace engineering and mechanics, the project explores energy conservation and boundary layer control in regard to a shark’s surface. The project findings will allow researchers […]

A technology that removes oil from the surface of water without pumps or chemicals has been developed by German researchers at the Universities of Bonn (www.uni-bonn.de) and Aachen (www.uni-aachen.de) and textile-manufacturer Heimbach GmbH (Düren, Germany; www.heimbach.com). Textiles with special surface properties passively skim off the oil and move it into a […]

The “PidgeonBot” was created by Stanford researchers by dissecting the biomechanics of the avian morphing mechanism. Through analyzing the skeletal motion of birds, researchers were able to determine that only the emulation of the wrist and finger motion were needed to actuate all 20 primary and 20 […]

Researchers led by MIT professor Daniel Nocera have produced something they’re calling an “artificial leaf”: Like living leaves, the device can turn the energy of sunlight directly into a chemical fuel that can be stored and used later as an energy source. The artificial leaf — a silicon solar cell with […]