Technology, features and articles | Educational Science

Aug 31, 2015

Drones Save Lives in Disasters, When They're Allowed to Fly (Op-Ed)

Robin Murphy directs the Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue at Texas A&M University. She contributed this article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Hurricane Katrina saw the first deployment of drones in a disaster, setting the stage for such drone deployments worldwide — from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear...

Jun 30, 2015

Mean Machines: US & Japan Mega-Robots to Battle

If watching giant robots fight to the death sounds like your idea of a good time, then you're in luck. Two huge, Transformer-type bots — one from Japan, the other from the United States — could soon be facing off in the ultimate futuristic duel. Last week, the geeks over...

Jun 30, 2015

Stephen Hawking on Reddit: Ask Him a Question on Artificial Intelligence

If you have any questions about Terminators, Cylons or other human-robot hybrids, now is the time to ask them. For the next nine days, Stephen Hawking will be taking the Internet's queries about all things related to artificial intelligence (AI). Hawking is answering questions via Reddit's Ask Me Anything (AMA)...

Jun 30, 2015

Delivery Drones Could Be on Your Doorstep in a Decade, Google Says

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California — Delivery drones could be arriving to your doorstep in a decade, one Google executive says. The Google concept, called Project Wing, would enable people to get products delivered in short order, even in the most populated areas, Dave Vos, the project's leader, said here today (July...

Apr 30, 2015

Back to the Future! Real-Life Hoverboard Breaks Record

A hoverboard rider recently soared into Guinness World Records after flying a record distance on the futuristic, flying skateboard. Catalin Alexandru Duru, the inventor of the prototype hoverboard, traveled the length of two-and-a-half football fields (about 905 feet or 375 meters) to achieve the world record title before landing gently...

Apr 30, 2015

Clearing Hurdles: Cheetah Robot Shows Off New Trick

One four-legged machine is making great leaps in the field of robotics: Researchers have developed a cheetahlike bot that can run at impressive speeds and even jump over obstacles in its path. The mechanical cheetah first made a name for itself last fall, when researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of...

Mar 31, 2015

Sony SmartWatch 3 Review

The SmartWatch 3 SWR50 is a device from Sony that lets you see notifications from your smartphone — including emails, calls, texts and even GChats — right on your wrist. The smartwatch, which runs the Android Wear operating system, also responds to voice commands, so you can ask about the...

Jan 31, 2015

Chef Bot? Robot Learns Cooking from YouTube Videos

The U.S. military may not be known for its haute cuisine, but it's developing a new robot that can learn how to cook from watching YouTube videos. Using its brainy programming, the robot is capable of recognizing how kitchen utensils are used in the videos, and can accurately replicate those...

Jan 31, 2015

Withings Activité Pop: Fitness Tracker Review

This story was updated at 1:30 p.m. ET on March 25. The Withings Activité Pop is a fitness tracker for people who don't want to look like they're wearing a fitness tracker. On the surface, the Activité Pop looks like a regular analog watch (with an old-school clock face), but...

Jan 31, 2015

What Happens When Drones Start Thinking on Their Own? (Op-Ed)

This article was originally published on The Conversation. The publication contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. You will be forgiven if you missed the Drones for Good competition held recently in Dubai. Despite drone technology really taking off commercially in the last year or so...

Sep 30, 2016

BMW's Futuristic Motorcycle Balances on Its Own

The motorcycle of the future is so smart that it could eliminate the need for protective gear, according to automaker BMW. To mark its 100th birthday, BMW has unveiled a number of concept vehicles that imagine the future of transportation. Possibly its most daring revelation, the so-called Motorrad Vision Next...

Aug 31, 2016

Shrinking Camera Tech Turned Smartphones Into Super Shooters

When Apple unveiled its new iPhone 7 last week, Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering Phil Schiller called the device's camera one of the most advanced ever put in a smartphone. Cameras in phones are so commonplace now that users take them for granted, but improving the picture-taking capabilities of...

Jul 31, 2016

Stretchy, Transparent Gaming Controller Acts Like a Second Skin

It's finally happened. Our bodies can now become one with the game controller. A stretchy, skin-like controller created by materials scientists at Seoul National University promises to turn a forearm into a touchpad for gaming, playing music, and scrawling notes that appear on a computer screen. RELATED: Pokémon Go: Top...

May 31, 2016

Hang Glider Aims to Break Long-Distance Flight Record

A daring hang glider known for his extreme stunts and record-setting flights will soon attempt to set another record for the longest open-distance flight. On or soon after Monday (June 20), Jonny Durand will attempt to glide from Zapata, in southern Texas, to Lorenzo, in northern Texas, a distance of...

Apr 30, 2016

Power Up! Exosuit Helps You Lift Heavy Loads

If you're a soldier, firefighter or even a hiker, a new soft robotic suit could one day help you carry hefty loads, a new study finds. The wearable robot, or exosuit, reduces the amount of energy used while carrying a heavy weight by about 7 percent, on average, the researchers...