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News & Articles By Rhonda Johansson

09/16/2018 / By Rhonda Johansson

New DNA testing tool skips the lab, making diagnostics available in remote places

A new “DNA dipstick” could revolutionize disease diagnosis and improve general healthcare in third-world countries. Scientists have simplified genotyping into a tool that purifies DNA and RNA from living organisms in under 30 seconds. Their recent technology is featured in PLOS Biology and shows how genetic material from organisms can be typed in mere seconds. Previous […]

09/11/2018 / By Rhonda Johansson

MIT researchers create a “blind” robot that can climb stairs and step over obstacles

Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed two new algorithms that have spawned the creation of the “blind” Cheetah 3. The 90-pound mechanical beast is capable of leaping, galloping, and maneuvering around rough terrain and messy environments using only its sense of touch. Essentially blind, Cheetah 3 displays an astonishing range of […]

09/11/2018 / By Rhonda Johansson

Inspired by beavers: Researchers create an autonomous robot that can overcome uneven terrain

Researchers from the University of Buffalo (UB) have created a new type of autonomous robot that adapts to its environment rather than trying to change it. This design modification takes its cue from beavers, say the researchers, who build structures in response to what is around them rather than following predetermined plans. Dr. Nils Napp, […]

08/22/2018 / By Rhonda Johansson

Airbags for the elderly: New device has sensors that anticipate a fall, will inflate quickly to absorb 90% of impact

French company Helite has created an airbag to protect senior citizens from breaking their hips when they fall down. The device, called The Hip’Air belt, was recently presented at the CES (formerly the International Consumer Electronics Show) 2018 fair. Designers of the belt say that the technology is able to sense a sudden fall within […]

02/11/2018 / By Rhonda Johansson

Newly created “e-skin” allows you to manipulate virtual objects without seeing or touching them

German and Austrian researchers have developed the smallest form of electronic skin to date. The e-skin device is about three micrometers thick, making it thinner than an average piece of human hair. The technology adds to the ever-growing industry of electronic devices set to merge robotics with humans. This new e-skin device can be placed […]

01/02/2018 / By Rhonda Johansson

Are your “dogs” barking? Researchers develop tech to relieve foot pain for people who have to stand all day

A new sole design is taking the first steps to “heeling” your foot pain. Researchers from the Simon Fraser University (SFU) have collaborated with WorkSafeBC and Kintec to design and create a new type of insole that will determine how weight-bearing behavior can lead to plantar fasciitis, the most common cause of heel pain. The […]

12/01/2017 / By Rhonda Johansson

The next step in surveillance: “Smart” cameras violate your privacy in the form of AI dashcams for police, threat monitoring for retailers

For Vice President of Marketing of COBAN Technologies David Hinojosa, their new AI software is a “dashcam on steroids.” Such a description may elicit a smile or two but it does call to question just how rapidly we are transitioning to the virtual world. Many privacy and civil liberties activists believe that this new software […]

11/07/2017 / By Rhonda Johansson

Domino’s pizza developing self-driving vehicles to deliver pizzas

Residents of Ann Arbor, Michigan can have their Domino’s pizzas delivered to them from a Ford Fusion Hybrid autonomous research vehicle starting this month. The self-driving cars are part of ethnographic research between the two companies who hope to commercialize this type of delivery service in just a few years’ time. Each car will be […]

10/19/2017 / By Rhonda Johansson

Zinc battery breakthrough may allow homes to efficiently store energy for off-grid use

Since the early 1990s, scientists have attempted to create a battery that would replace the standard lithium-ion variety. The difficulty in such a project lay in the energy density of the power source. Scientists found that while other materials proved to be more energy-efficient, their cycles were, if anything, pathetic. Hope was sparked several years […]

10/10/2017 / By Rhonda Johansson

Is having sex with a robot CHEATING on your spouse? 40% say no

Four out of 10 Britons would not consider having an “affair” with a sex robot as cheating. The dalliance, if that, was seen to not have any significant difference as to watching adult films or using sex toys while in a romantic human relationship. Even so, one in three adults said they would be “horrified” […]

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