Bioengineers at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana have built prototypes of living robots – and they’ve just shared their blueprint in a journal so other scientists can build their own. The researchers genetically engineered a line of muscle cells that would contract in the presence of blue light, then 3D-printed the cells in rings that would fit into a range...
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With advances in micro-engineering and nanotechnology, the biobots could be among the first living robots to enter the body to perform biopsies or deliver targeted drugs.
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Researchers are looking for petroleum substitutes as well as ways to reduce or recycle food waste. This project is an example of new research directions that use nontoxic organic waste as feedstocks or ingredients in manufactured products.
Driving on eggshells
About a third of the material in the tires on your car is something called “carbon black.” Derived from petroleum, it strengthens the rubber in tires and wicks away heat to keep the rubber from melting. It’s also what makes tires black instead of the cream color of natural rubber. But carbon black comes from petroleum, with the attendant issues...
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By 2025, VR will transform the hands-on side of medicine. In addition to virtual dissection, surgeons-in-training already are learning their trade in virtual reality, where mistakes don’t cost lives. Journeyman surgeons plan and practice complex procedures in virtual reality, using digital models of a patient’s actual organs and tissues to study their unique features and peculiarities. Basing portions of medical...
Virtual cadavers? Medical VR training expands
A rite of passage in medical school is cutting up a cadaver. But not at Case Western Reserve University’s new doctor college. There, starting in 2019, students will tunnel through a human body using virtual reality. Instead of grabbing a scalpel to learn anatomy, students will don VR goggles and walk around a virtual life-size human body. Students can peel...
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As droughts become more common and water becomes more expensive, preventing and patching leaks will become a higher priority among municipal water agencies. Companies and investors that ride this trend will see steady profit growth for years to come.
Stopping water leaks before they happen
Aged urban water systems lose huge amounts of water each year – more than 2 trillion gallons annually in the US alone. That amounts to a sixth of the water piped to homes and businesses. In less developed countries, the losses can be even worse. Now Aquarius Spectrum, an Israeli company, says its technology can detect weak spots in water...
Renounce City’s Vote to Drop References to Australia Day
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Tips for Women Traveling Solo, From Dining Out to Hotel Safety
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