ANALYSIS
A new twist on a special kind of polymer is what enables this paper doll to do calisthenics. A new twist on lightweight organic materials shows promise for artificial-muscle applications.…
Enlarge / A Tribot leaps ahead of its peers. (credit: EPFL) Robots have traditionally been roughly humanoid in form, which has some obvious advantages, in that the robots are better…
Enlarge (credit: James Pikul) Lots of experimental robots involve a little bit of cheating. Rather than containing all the necessary electronics and energy sources, they have tethers and wires that…
With the development of carbon nanotubes and graphene, scientists were given an entirely new collection of materials to work with: sheets and tubes that could be consistently made with thicknesses…
Enlarge / A look at the lignin-free compressed wood. (credit: University of Maryland) Most of our building practices aren’t especially sustainable. Concrete production is a major source of carbon emissions,…