News tagged with smart materials
Robotic hand nearly identical to a human one (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- When it comes to finding the single best tool for building, digging, grasping, drawing, writing, and many other tasks, nothing beats the human hand. Human hands have evolved over millions ...
Technology / Hi Tech & Innovation
Feb 18, 2011 |
4.5 / 5 (30) |
8
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Trains’ vibrations could provide power for monitoring tunnels
(PhysOrg.com) -- Traffic tunnels are often built in some of the most rugged and remote areas, which subjects them to extreme environmental forces while making them difficult to access. Ideally, the structural ...
Aug 08, 2011 |
3.8 / 5 (6) |
4
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Network expands to 256 times its original size to bridge the micro and macro worlds
(PhysOrg.com) -- Now that scientists have developed a diverse assortment of nano- and micro-sized devices and materials, one of the biggest challenges is finding a practical way to incorporate them into macroscale ...
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Apr 15, 2010 |
4.8 / 5 (28) |
3
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Scientists reach the heights with gecko-inspired tank robot (w/ video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers have developed a tank-like robot that has the ability to scale smooth walls, opening up a series of applications ranging from inspecting pipes, buildings, aircraft and nuclear ...
Oct 31, 2011 |
4.6 / 5 (14) |
0
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New Smart Material Bends Under Internal Heat Source
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have developed a new smart material that can bend under the influence of an internal heat source. The material could be used as an aerodynamic flap in cars, in order to stabilize ...
Feb 06, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (11) |
6
Meta-flex: Your new brand for invisibility clothing
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of physicists are one step closer to creating a Harry Potter-style invisibility cloak, with a new form of material that could also be attached to contact lenses to provide 'perfect' ...
Nov 03, 2010 |
4.3 / 5 (27) |
10
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Boosting research into new drugs: 'Smart materials' make proteins form crystals
Scientists have developed a new method to make proteins form crystals using 'smart materials' that remember the shape and characteristics of the molecule. The technique, reported today in Proceedings of the National Academy of ...
Jun 20, 2011 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
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An about-face on electrical conductivity at the interface
(PhysOrg.com) -- To improve the electronic devices that keep our modern, hyper-connected world organized, scientists are on the hunt for new semiconductor materials, which control the flow of electricity that ...
Nov 15, 2011 |
4.8 / 5 (4) |
0
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Self-assembling structures open door to new class of materials
Researchers at the University of Illinois and Northwestern University have demonstrated bio-inspired structures that self-assemble from simple building blocks: spheres.
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Jan 13, 2011 |
5 / 5 (6) |
3
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Jellyfish inspires latest ocean-powered robot (w/ video)
American researchers have created a robotic jellyfish, named Robojelly, which not only exhibits characteristics ideal to use in underwater search and rescue operations, but could, theoretically at least, never ...
Mar 20, 2012 |
5 / 5 (4) |
3
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Shear stiffness and friction mechanics of single-layer graphene measured for the first time
Researchers from the University of Bristol have measured and identified for the first time the stress and strain shear modulus and internal friction of graphene sheets. Graphene is a material that has many ...
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Feb 14, 2012 |
4.7 / 5 (3) |
0
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Functional oxide thin films create new field of oxide electronics
Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed the first functional oxide thin films that can be used efficiently in electronics, opening the door to an array of new high-power devices and smart sensors. ...
Mar 07, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
2
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New understanding of how materials change when rapidly heated
Collaboration between the University of Southampton and the University of Cambridge has made ground-breaking advances in our understanding of the changes that materials undergo when rapidly heated.
Mar 29, 2012 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
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Putting the squeeze on an old material could lead to 'instant on' electronic memory
(PhysOrg.com) -- The technology of storing electronic information - from old cassette tapes to shiny laptop computers - has been a major force in the electronics industry for decades.
Apr 16, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (12) |
1
Spider silk glue inspires next-generation technology
(PhysOrg.com) -- Water affects orb spider web glue differently than cobweb glue. Orb web glue reacts to humidity, but cobweb glue resists it. These findings by a University of Akron research team inspire the ...
Jul 22, 2011 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
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