Emerging Technology Trends

Biodegradable silk electronics to improve implants

Chris Jablonski — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:27:07 +0000

Building on advancements in foldable ultra-thin flexible circuits, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed electronics that almost completely dissolve inside the body by incorporating silk.

Wave disk engines to make hybrid vehicles cheaper, more efficient

Chris Jablonski — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:23:19 +0000

Researchers from Michigan State University and the Warsaw Institute of Technology are developing a wave disk engine and electricity generator that promises to be five times more efficient than traditional auto engines in electricity production, 20% lighter, and 30% cheaper to manufacture.

Software that automatically fixes itself, without shutting down

Chris Jablonski — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:58:25 +0000

A team of researchers have presented new software, called ClearView, that automatically patches errors in deployed software in a matter of minutes.

Carbon nanotubes: Great for agriculture, but for humans?

Chris Jablonski — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:10:47 +0000

In what can eventually kick up a firestorm similar to the genetically modified food controversy, the emerging field of "nano-agriculture" is making headlines. It involves the use of nano-particles — wisps 1/50,000th the width of a human hair — in agriculture and could have beneficial affects for crops, say scientists.

'Scaffolding' to regenerate lost or damaged bones and tissues, even stop age clock

Chris Jablonski — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:47:57 +0000

Implantable organ and tissue "scaffolds" are currently in the spotlight for regenerative medicine, and may allow for the replacement of most body parts that flounder with age within 30-50 years, according to a BBC report. That means future centenarians born today could have a "physical" age of 50 at a calendar age of 100.

Computers have speed limit as unbreakable as speed of light, say physicists

Chris Jablonski — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:31:46 +0000

A pair of physicists have shown that if processors continue to accelerate in accordance to Moore’s Law, we’ll hit the wall of faster processing in roughly 75 years. The curtain will eventually come down for silicon in today’s manufacturing methods once engineers can no longer further shrink transistors and the copper wires that connect them. Processor [...]

Resilient cockroach-inspired robot survives large falls, dashes off

Chris Jablonski — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:12:23 +0000

DASH (Dynamic Autonomous Sprawled Hexapod) is a six-legged insect-inspired robot can reach speeds of 1.5 meters per second and is flexible/strong enough to be dropped from a height of 28 meters without breaking.

[Sponsored]

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:12:23 +0000

Researchers replicate butterfly wings on a nano-scale

Chris Jablonski — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:18:18 +0000

A cross-national team of researchers have developed a technique to replicate biological structures, such as butterfly wings, on a nano-scale.

Ubicomp 2009 and the fusion of our digital and physical worlds

Chris Jablonski — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 07:00:07 +0000

Recently, I used my newly downloaded Zipcar app on my iPhone to unlock and honk my booked vehicle from several yards away. It was more novel than useful, but a tall tale example of the countless invisible interactions we’re having with sensing, inferring, and data transferring machines every day. It’s also a good sign that [...]

A brain-computer interface that communicates thoughts between people

Chris Jablonski — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 06:30:53 +0000

New research from the University of Southampton has demonstrated that it is possible for communication from person to person through the power of thought alone. Looking to take brain-computer interfaces (BCI) to the next level, Dr. Christopher James from the University’s Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, set out to show that brain-to-brain (B2B) communication is [...]