Technology, features and articles | Educational Science

Sep 30, 2009

New Robot Delivers Snacks

Rrobotics researchers at Carnegie Mellon University get hungry at work just like you do. Unlike you, however, they can create robot minions to bring them food. Their latest creation is Snackbot, an autonomous mobile robot whose mission is to bring tasty treats. Snackbot is a mobile robot, about the size...

Sep 30, 2009

Sea Creature's Amazing Eyes Could Inspire New DVD Players

Humans see three colors that, combined, allow us to enjoy the visible light spectrum. The mantis shrimp sees 12 colors, ranging into the near-ultraviolet to infrared parts of the spectrum. The creature can also distinguish different forms of polarized light. Scientists now say this sea shrimp's remarkable eye could inspire...

Aug 31, 2009

Can Robots Make Ethical Decisions?

Robots and computers are often designed to act autonomously, that is, without human intervention. Is it possible for an autonomous machine to make moral judgments that are in line with human judgment? This question has given rise to the issue of machine ethics and morality. As a practical matter, can...

Aug 31, 2009

Scientists Move Cells with Joystick

WASHINGTON -- Biomedical research could someday look a lot like playing video games thanks to a new device that allows users to manipulate cells with the swerve of a joystick. A team of physicists and engineers at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio developed the device from a tiny piece...

Aug 31, 2009

The Challenge of Making Real 'Surrogate' Skin

The new movie Surrogates, starring Bruce Willis, depicts a world in which people live through surries, highly realistic humanoid robots. But without realistic skin, robots will never have that humanlike personal touch, and will not have the degree of social acceptance that robots would need to have to share the...

Jul 31, 2009

Obama: Key to Future Is Innovation

In another nod to the value of basic science and technology research, President Obama in his weekly radio address today said long–term investments in innovation are needed to ensure the country's long-term economic growth. The recession is easing, Obama said. But recovery will be slow, and he called for a...

Jul 31, 2009

Good Vibrations Generate Electricity

A new device that can harvest useful energy from extremely tiny vibrations may allow new ways to power remote electronic devices with batteries that need replacing less often, or are actually self-charging. The vibration-to-electricity device could capture up to 10 times more energy than is possible with the conventional device....

Jun 30, 2009

The Strange Ingredients in Fireworks

Fireworks for the 4th of July are all about light, color and sound. But inside, there are some bizarre ingredients, from aluminum to Vaseline and even the stuff of rat poison. An ancient mix of black powder, essentially gunpowder little changed from its invention in China a millennia ago, gets...

Jun 30, 2009

Light's Repulsive Force Discovered

A newly discovered repulsive aspect to light could one day control telecommunications devices with greater speed and less power, researchers said today. The discovery was made by splitting infrared light into two beams that each travel on a different length of silicon nanowire, called a waveguide. The two light beams...

Jun 30, 2009

Tomorrow's Tires Made Partly from Trees?

The fibers in trees could be useful addition to car tires down the road, a new study suggests. Microcrystalline cellulose can be made from any plant fiber, researchers say, and it could partly replace silica as a reinforcing filler in the manufacture of rubber tires. Tests find the tires would...

Jun 30, 2009

Robot Model Hits the Runway

What appeared to be petite woman in an elaborate wedding dress walked slowly down the runway in an Osaka fashion show earlier this week. The twist is that this was no blushing bride; this was the HRP-4C female robot. Though encumbered by an elaborate wedding dress, HRP-4C easily navigated the...

May 31, 2009

Air Writing: Next Big Thing in Cell Phones?

Forget fumbling with tiny cell phone keys. A prototype of a new application allows cell phone users to write short notes in the air and send them automatically to an e-mail address. This represents just one possible step toward allowing people to naturally merge the real world with the information...

May 31, 2009

'Unlimited Potential' Seen in Biomedical Engineering

Editor's Note: ScienceLives is an occasional series that puts scientists under the microscope to find out what makes them tick. The series is a cooperation between the National Science Foundation and LiveScience. Name: Niren Murthy Age: 38 Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology Field of Study: Biomedical Engineering Biomedical engineer Niren...

May 31, 2009

Idea to Stop Squealing Brakes

There are lots of mechanical myths about what causes a car's brakes to produce that biting howl. The all too familiar piercing squeal is heard at road junctions and traffic lights the world over as drivers hit the brakes. But, understanding what causes brake squeal might help researchers find a...

May 31, 2009

New Radar Aims to Detect Illegal Tunnels on U.S. Border

Radar technology could help U.S. border patrol agents spot underground tunnels dug by human smugglers and drug traffickers along the border, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Tunnel diggers have been hard at work along the U.S. border in recent days and months, the agency knows. Of every tunnel...