Science

A team of researchers in Cambridge, Massachusetts, have created the world's first batch of stretchable electronics. The researchers say they're hoping to use the new stretch polymer skin patches to help doctors and nurses monitor a patient's vital ... signs. MC10, the startup firm behind the stretchable electronics, is the same company now in the process of commercializing electronic sutures , which are said to be capable of healing deep wounds much faster than present technology. Stretchable Polymer: A Worldwide Pursuit To be considered "stretchable," technology must contain electronic ... (view more)

A group of researchers at China's Zhejiang University have used fast-emerging 'thought-control' technology to successfully launch a helicopter into the air and have it perform a controlled series of maneuvers. To make the mind-controlled device ... (called FlyingBuddy2) soar, the scientists first adapted a Parrot AR Drone 2.0 so that it could be operated by an Emotiv EPOC electroencephalogram (EEG) headset hooked up to a PC running special software. Basically, the operator wears the headset, connected via Bluetooth to a laptop, which then transmits flight instructions to the helicopter. At that ... (view more)

The surgical process of stitching up a patient will soon receive a hi-tech makeover. The change could reduce the chance of infection and decrease healing times. A team of researchers at the University of Illinois have created the first ever ... 'electronic suture' (a stitch used by doctors and surgeons to hold tissue together). The special suture contains ultrathin silicon sensors integrated on polymer or silk strips that penetrate the skin and knot, just like standard medical stitches. To create the 'electronic sutures,' the researchers first use chemicals to cut an ultrathin film of silicon ... (view more)

Disney researchers at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University have successfully given common houseplants electronic sensors that make them responsive to human touch. Called Botanicus Interacticus, the project leverages an innovative technology that ... allows humans to interact with everyday inanimate objects in ways never before thought possible. At the heart of the project is a custom-built 'capacitive sensor module' which transmits a low current through an otherwise ordinary plant. This allows the plant to 'sense' when and where an individual touches it. Because the human body is naturally ... (view more)

A team of Ukrainian researchers calling themselves "QuadSquad" are breaking down barriers between people who communicate with sign language and those who hear and speak. Their method is based on an ingenious glove-based system that allows people ... using the two different modes of communication to understand each other easily. Called EnableTalk, the specially-designed glove senses the movements of the wearer's fingers and translates each meaningful sign into spoken words. Glove Features Special Sensors, Accelerometers The glove is quite remarkable. It is lined with more than a dozen flex sensors ... (view more)

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reportedly working on a laser scanner that could check airline passengers for security violations from 164 feet away. However, the technology may require at least four more years of development before ... being ready for deployment. The scanner works at the molecular level, giving it the potential to probe in far more detail than is possible with existing machines. The technology is being adapted for security scanning from use in both medicine and manufacturing. The manufacturer, Genia Photonics, says its "Picosecond Programmable Laser" is able ... (view more)

Thanks to a new innovation, the reality of three-dimensional holographic communications is closer than ever before. A research team at Queens University in Ontario, Canada, recently began experimenting with a new system that brings face-to-face ... social media to life. The 'TeleHuman System,' as it is called, is said to be able to produce life-sized holograms that some observers are describing as 'Star Wars-like video conferencing.' Microsoft Kinect Powers 'Star Wars' Holographic System The 'TeleHuman System' marks the culmination of a ten year research project at the university. The system ... (view more)

Recently media reports have focused on the dangers posed by complex and high-tech in-car communications and media systems that seek to entertain but ultimately distract drivers. However, a new report suggests that different types of in-car ... communications systems -- those that allow drivers of different vehicles to communicate with one another -- could save millions of lives. In a recent presentation before the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress at the Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan, National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator David Strickland proclaimed that vehicle-to-vehicle ... (view more)

The good news: Philips has launched a brand new light bulb designed to last for 20 years or more and save hundreds of dollars in electricity charges before needing replacement. The bad news: The bulb carries a retail price tag of $60. The new ... Philips bulb is a prime example of alternative energy-saving technology that wallops the inefficiency of today's conventional but popular devices. The reason: Traditional light bulbs work by heating a thin metal filament inside a glass bulb. While this produces light from the glowing filament, it also wastes a lot of the energy. In fact, conservationists ... (view more)

A new report suggests that in-car tech systems intended to simplify the navigation of media and communications platforms may create more problems than they solve. According to the report, which originated in the United Kingdom, more than seven in ... ten people find the systems distract them from driving. The publisher of the report, the UK-based publication 'Which?,' says it asked 1,000 of its members to report on their in-car technology. About one in four said they owned cars with advanced systems such as satellite navigation, touchscreen displays, and steering wheel-based control buttons. ... (view more)