News

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...

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,...

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...

Georgia Tech researchers have discovered how to use a mobile phone to track what is being typed on a nearby computer keyboard. They used a smartphone accelerometer — the internal device that detects when and how the phone is tilted — to sense keyboard vibrations and decipher complete sentences with up to 80 percent accuracy....

Smartphone and tablet computer owners have become adept at using finger taps and and drags to control their touchscreens. Carnegie Mellon University researchers have found that this interaction can be enhanced by taking greater advantage of the finger's anatomy and dexterity. By...

Under Jewish law, religious texts cannot simply be thrown away once they're worn out. While many texts were buried, many synagogues also operated genizahs, or storerooms, to store disused holy texts. The Cairo Genizah is one of the most valuable sources of primary documents for medieval historians...

Open-front refrigerated display cases, which make up roughly 60 percent of the refrigerated cases in grocery stores, provide quick access to chilled products – but they’re hardly energy-efficient. Engineers at the University of Washington and Kettering University are working to cut the...

Using carbon nanotubes bent to act like springs, Stanford researchers have developed a stretchable, transparent skin-like sensor that can be stretched to more than twice its original length and bounce back perfectly to its original shape. It can sense pressure from a firm pinch to...

Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have developed a new concept for rechargeable batteries, based on a fluoride shuttle – the transfer of fluoride anions between electrodes – which could allow high energy densities up to ten times as high as those of conventional...

A new system, dubbed “Designing With Vision,” incorporates eye-tracking technology that could help release constraints on creativity imposed by computer-aided design (CAD) tools. Developed by researchers at The Open University and the University of Leeds, the system is devised to break down rigid distinctions between human...

Scientists at Northwestern University have developed a new nanomaterial that can “steer” electrical currents. The development could lead to a computer that can simply reconfigure its internal wiring and become an entirely different device, based on changing...