Using leftover high-speed electrons from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory’s Linac Coherent Light Source, researchers have successfully generated intense pulses of light in a largely untapped part of the electromagnetic spectrum: the so-called terahertz gap.Falling between...

A mobile robot, designed with spider-like legs, can explore terrain that is beyond human reach. With a camera and measurement equipment on board, the robot will provide emergency responders with an image of the situation on the ground, along with any data about poisonous substances. As a...

New research by engineers at the Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science demonstrates that nanomechanical resonators can operate at much higher amplitudes than previously thought. The results represent an advance in optomechanics, in which the force of light is used to control mechanical devices. The...

'Lateral lines' in fish contain hundreds of tiny pressure and velocity sensors that enable them to navigate through currents and eddies as efficiently as possible. To mimic that ability, MIT researchers have developed sensitive, MEMS-based pressure sensors and mounted them on a small...

Solar-powered energy collected by panels made of silicone is limited — contemporary panel technology can only convert approximately seven percent of optical solar waves into electric current. Researchers at Tel Aviv University are now working to develop a more efficient solar panel composed...

Underwater vehicles have become good at using propellers and thrusters to stay in one place, even in strong currents. But holding on to a surface while exerting force to do a job has been a challenge. Now, MIT researchers are tackling this issue by designing a “controllable adhesion system” that...

This week's Question: A new study from Common Sense Media shows that infants and toddlers spend twice as much time with screen media as they do with books. While television is still the dominant media device in most young children's lives, the study, based on...

A new laser-driven technique allows remote, non-invasive and rapid mapping of sound fields, which will provide loudspeaker manufacturers with detailed data on which to design their technology. The technique builds on the laser vibrometer and relies on a phenomenon called the acousto-optic effect. To...

NASA engineers have produced a material that absorbs on average more than 99 percent of the ultraviolet, visible, infrared, and far-infrared light that hits it — a development that promises to open new frontiers in space technology. The nanotech-based coating is a thin layer of multi-walled...

An international team has developed transistors using natural cotton fibers — an innovation that represents a significant leap forward because it lays the groundwork for creating even more complex devices, such as cotton-based circuits, which in turn open doors to the creation of wearable electronic devices...

Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have shed light on the role of temperature in controlling a fabrication technique for drawing chemical patterns as small as 20 nanometers. This technique could provide an inexpensive,...

NASA engineers have produced a material that absorbs, on average, more than 99 percent of the ultraviolet, visible, infrared, and far-infrared light that hits it -- a development that promises to open new frontiers in space technology. Engineers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, developed...

This week's Question: Two recent ePetitions on a "We the People" petition site asked the government to acknowledge the presence of aliens. A reply from a research assistant from the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy emphasized that the government was actively looking for...

A breakthrough in components for next-generation batteries could come from special materials that transform their structure to perform better over time. A team of researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, led by Argonne nanoscientist Tijana Rajh and battery expert...

Researchers have developed a tank-like robot that has the ability to scale smooth walls, opening up a series of applications ranging from inspecting pipes, buildings, aircraft and nuclear power plants to deployment in search and rescue operations.This method offers an alternative to the magnets, suction cups, spines and...

Tractor beams — the ability to trap and move objects using laser light — are not just “Star Trek” science fiction, and are not beyond current technology. A team of NASA scientists has won funding to study the concept of remotely capturing planetary or atmospheric particles, and delivering them to a...