Technology, features and articles | Educational Science

Apr 30, 2008

Microbes Could Build 'Iron Man' Circuits

How is the Iron Man suit made? We admire the result in the movie (still number one this week at the box office); the comic book version states that the Iron Man suit circuits were created using a process called biological circuit fabrication: Micro-Scale suit tiles fabricated by genetically engineered...

Apr 30, 2008

New Robot Walks Like You

A new robot that walks like humans is one of the most advanced of its kind. Attempts to get robots moving like people typically result in very stilted gaits and limited range of motion. Human walking is really very similar to falling forward in a controlled fashion, researchers at TU...

Mar 31, 2008

Robot So Like You

MIT's Nexi robot expresses emotions the same way you do - with your highly mobile face. Nexi's head and face were designed by Xitome Design with MIT. The expressive robotics started with a neck mechanism sporting 4 degrees of freedom (DoF) at the base, plus pan-tilt-yaw of the head itself....

Mar 31, 2008

Internet Full of 'Black Holes'

You’re pounding the keyboard, double-clicking away, sighing and grumbling, but to no avail: That devilish little hourglass icon refuses to give way to the Web site you’re trying to reach. Most Internet users have encountered trouble reaching online destinations, but they often attribute the problem to their wireless network cutting...

Mar 31, 2008

U.S. Baby Meets 'Robot' Dad in Iraq

Army Staff Sgt. Erik Lloyd, who is stationed in Iraq, used a remote-controlled telepresence robot to see and interact with his family and seven day-old son in Texas. The (rather good-looking) camo-enhanced device has a live video uplink and responds to remote control. This technology has been around for quite...

Dec 31, 2007

How to Tell If You Are Addicted to Technology

They're not called Crackberries for nothing. Some people may be as addicted to Blackberries and other personal electronics as junkies are to drugs, according to John O'Neill, director of addictions services for the Menninger Clinic in Houston. These over-wired people are so focused on their gadgets, they neglect relationships with...

Nov 30, 2009

New Device Gets a Better Grip on Gaming

It's hard enough to navigate an unexplored realm in an online role-playing game, but when your only means of control is the constant back and forth from keyboard to joystick, it can be hard to get into character. Now, an approach originally designed to help people with carpal tunnel syndrome...

Nov 30, 2009

New Device Makes Guns More Accurate

A new technology may make it easier for gun owners to improve their marksmanship. Opti-sight, a new pistol-aiming device, was developed to reduce the time law enforcement, professional and amateur shooters need for target practice to get better results at the firing range. Typically, shooters use an optical device known...

Nov 30, 2009

Americans Delay Cell Phone Upgrades

More Americans are delaying the purchase of a new cell phone because of the current economic slump, a new survey of recycled phones suggests. ReCellular, one of the world's largest cell phone recyclers, collected about 5 million cell phones from consumers in the United States and Canada in 2009. That...

Oct 31, 2009

Do-It-Yourself Home Theater Control

Cords and controllers can make the best home theater system more frustrating than entertaining. A beautiful flat panel should stand on its own and display content from many sources: a Blu-ray player, DVD player, cable box, and an Xbox or PS3 gaming console. All of these peripherals must be connected...

Oct 31, 2009

The Future of TVs: What to Expect in 2010

With TV sets, the past is easy to remember — boxed tubes with black and white images. But now that we're deep into the age of flat panels, the choices are many. And with the TV buying season in full swing, it's worth looking ahead before you buy now, so...

Sep 30, 2009

Computers Faster Only for 75 More Years

WASHINGTON (ISNS) -- With the speed of computers so regularly seeing dramatic increases in their processing speed, it seems that it shouldn't be too long before the machines become infinitely fast -- except they can't. A pair of physicists has shown that computers have a speed limit as unbreakable as...

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...