Tag: Research

Alternatives to single-use plastic are available - thanks to spider’s silk. Meanwhile, a US research team has been inspired by jumping spiders’ vision to create a highly efficient 3D camera. Thanks to their multi-layered retina, the spiders can compute distances very quickly. The camera, like the spiders’ retina, takes two images of the same area, each with a different...

Pharmaceutical residues can be removed from effluent using pine bark. Now, a Singapore-based research team is looking to pomegranate peel to remove 4-nitrophenol from water. The toxin is used when producing dyes, pesticides and analgesics. The pomegranate peel is converted to biochar at 600° before being ground to nanoparticles through ultrasound treatment. The particles’ surface attracts the nitrophenol, which...

Some have turned to chickpeas as a coffee alternative. An invigorating espresso, however, remains hard to replace. Now, an Australian research team has come up with the next best thing: espresso prepared using 75% less energy than before. The trick lies in the use of ultrasound waves rather than boiling water. A transducer attached to the side of the...

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...

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 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...