Tag: #111

Origami techniques can help vehicles achieve greater stability, whatever the terrain. Whereas, less stable objects can be lifted by robots with grippers made from soft materials such as cloth or silicon. Though useful, these grippers’ low load capacity is a limiting factor. Enter a Seoul-based research team, which is using a centuries old technique so that robots can grasp...

An electric one-seater offers people with limited mobility freedom of movement at the airport. But what if steering is impossible? Enter a Canadian startup which has developed smart earbuds for people with a range of disabilities. Integrated gyroscopic and muscle and brainwave sensors capture the smallest head movements made by the wearer. Like a language, these micro-gestures - a...

Protein-rich gorse could feed the whole of Scotland. Fish and chips is not just popular in the UK, of course. Still, manufacturing vegetable oil from oil palms or soya beans is accelerating the deforestation of rainforests. Which explains why a California-based startup has developed an alternative cooking oil from sugarcane. Raw sugar from the regrowing plant ferments in tanks...

A special bra can help detect early-stage breast cancer. When it comes to skin cancer, early detection is equally vital. In large parts of sub-Saharan Africa, however, treatment is either scarcely available or unaffordable. Which is why a 14-year-old schoolboy has developed a soap to help those affected access a potential cure. Alongside coconut oil, shea butter and honey,...

With a simple box, cars could be safe from theft. Tags on consumer goods are increasingly fitted with an integrated wireless module, which triggers an alarm if the item is stolen. Still, the mix of paper, electronics and adhesives used to make them is equally alarming. Now, a London-based startup is hoping to combat the hard-to-recycle combination with a...

Oyster shells are becoming fashionable. Materials made from willow fibres even protect against harmful UV rays. Now, a former female Masters student in Germany has developed a yarn that keeps water at bay even when immersed in it. Her invention, which is made from recycled and modified plastic, is also completely free from harmful forever-chemicals. Additionally, it protects against...