Industries
DIY robotics kit helps automate biology experiments
Elementary and secondary school students who later want to become scientists and engineers often get hands-on inspiration by using off-the-shelf kits to build and program robots. But so far it’s been difficult to create robotic projects to foster interest in the “wet” sciences – biology, chemistry and medicine – so called because experiments in these field often involve fluids.
Rework costs halved with urethane-filled gaskets
An advanced range of urethane-filled expanded aluminium gaskets have been developed by Parker Chomerics, and is able to provide a soft, electrically conductive fluid and pressure sealing solution for a variety of flange-to-flange assemblies. METALASTIC EXP-URE fully cured gaskets offer users the ability to minimise the galvanic corrosion of interfacing surfaces that demand electrical bonding, making them suitable in applications requiring li...
Breaking the supermassive black hole speed limit
A computer simulation helps explain the existence of puzzling supermassive black holes observed in the early universe. The simulation is based on a computer code used to understand the coupling of radiation and certain materials.
Motor driver suits portable IoT devices
The STSPIN250 single-chip 2.6A driver for brushed DC motors extends STMicroelectronics’ family of miniature, low-voltage, energy-efficient drivers for battery-powered portable and wearable applications. The driver integrates a full power-MOSFET bridge and fixed off-time PWM current controller in a tiny 3mm x 3mm package that saves space in portable equipment.
Plant-based 3D scaffolds can create biomedical implants
Borrowing from nature is an age-old theme in science. Form and function go hand-in-hand in the natural world and the structures created by plants and animals are only rarely improved on by humans.
Tethered nanoparticles make tumour cells more vulnerable
MIT researchers have devised a way to make tumour cells more susceptible to certain types of cancer treatment by coating the cells with nanoparticles before delivering drugs. By tethering hundreds of tiny particles to the surfaces of tumour cells in the presence of a mechanical force, the researchers made the cells much more vulnerable to attack by a drug that triggers cancer cells to commit suicide.
Platform now has Amazon Web Service IoT connectivity
Renesas Electronics Europe has announced the availability of the Amazon Web Service (AWS) IoT Device SDK for Renesas Synergy Platform, which will be made available on the Synergy Partner Showcase of the Synergy Gallery site. The SDK enables system developers to quickly access the power and capabilities of AWS, allowing them to easily add new devices to their existing IoT infrastructure, or create a new design tailored to their specific requiremen...
Flying around fighting crime is all in a hard day's work
A round-the-clock drone unit has been launched by the Devon and Cornwall police force, to help them tackle and keep down crime. A ‘drone team manager’ was advertised for by nine policing centres across the two counties and Dorset, to come and set up and manage an ‘operational and dynamic drone response’.
Looking at practical applications within AI in robotics
Not so long ago discussions around artificial intelligence in robotics were limited to theoretical ideas and possible applications. But now the existing systems are already capable of taking advantage of advanced AI to help make robotics and automation more efficient. And it doesn’t have to stop at laboratories and research facilities either. Artificial intelligence is already being used in production lines and other practical applicat...
Gel material could help control movements of soft robots
A material that naturally adapts to changing environments was inspired by the strength, stability, and mechanical performance of the jaw of a marine worm. The protein material, which was designed and modeled by researchers from the Laboratory for Atomistic and Molecular Mechanics (LAMM) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), and synthesised in collaboration with the AFRL expands and contracts based on changing pH levels a...