Tag: Research

In future, edible drones could be used to reach inaccessible locations. Now a Danish research team wants to equip large sea vessels with fully autonomous drones. If someone falls overboard, the drone is immediately dispatched complete with an inflatable life jacket that sends a GPS signal. This improves the person’s survival chances and enables lifeboats to locate them quickly....

A pillow jacket warns deaf people of dangers at night. Meanwhile in Toronto a research team has combined with international partners to develop a vest that could enable a deaf-blind woman from London to safely scale Mount Everest. The vest translates her guide’s hand gestures into vibration signals. These are created through the presence of four motors, one on...

In the absence of DNA, hair molecules could hold the key to criminal cases thanks to a special protein fragment (peptide). Now, research conducted by a California-based team has highlighted how a different peptide could be crucial in the fight against skin cancer. Dangerously advanced melanoma cause the body’s catestatin levels to drop. In normal circumstances, catestatin promotes immune,...

Hemispherical solar cells produce more electricity. Solar modules installed on facades or outside windows also allow for increased energy generation, albeit their weight is a drawback. The gossamer thin, translucent perovskite solar cells made by a Singapore research team, however, could generate hundreds of megawatt hours per year on large buildings. The fineness of the parts was achieved through...

A ring can control light switches and air-conditioning units. Now for people who rely on working dogs comes a British research team’s wireless control for household devices. Born out of the team’s extensive experience of working with charities and dogs, the blue auxiliary device is easy for owners’ canine companions to recognise. They can be trained to switch it...

Skin cancer is treatable with soap made from salicylic acid and Vitamin A. Meanwhile in California a research team has discovered Vitamin D’s cancer-fighting potential. Pancreatic tumours are often surrounded by protective connective tissue (or fibroblasts), making it hard for medication to reach cancer cells. However, a particular molecule in the tissue is activated by Vitamin D, which in...

A membrane filters wastewater and runs on its own electricity. Inspiration, perhaps, for a US research team, which has created a solar panel from black metal to make seawater drinkable without pre-treatment. Key here: special surface treatment of the metal. Tiny laser-cut grooves make the metal permeable to water without affecting its ability to absorb sunlight. Through the capillary...

Smart ‘pinecones’ warn against wildfires. When it comes to domestic fires or break-ins, however, deaf people are particularly vulnerable. Enter a British research team and its new vibrating pillow jacket. On the reverse four miniature haptic actuators have been woven into the fabric. These are coupled with a smartphone through a microcontroller; the smartphone, in turn, can be connected...