HackingTheUniverse

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First, Duke University researchers are working on an autonomous microbot that can perform biopsies without human assistance. Then, a University of Washington team is working on a technique that uses nano-particles to perform molecular level imaging from inside the body. Next Gen Surgical Robots Could Steer Themselves – [dukenews.edu] Feasibility studies conducted by Duke University [...]

MIT researchers are creating fibers that can interact with their environment to provide sensory input and output, with sound and light and more. This research may enable a wide range of biomedical ensors that can be placed inside the body to collect information and possible interact with it. The researchers also expect the fibers will [...]

Nanowires are long thin, wire-shaped structures formed generally with diameters of ten nanometers or less. The ultimate nanowire is considered to be a chain of single atoms. Nanowire technology is being investigated for faster and smaller electronic components, changing thin plastics into touch screens and cotton t-shirts into armor, and more advanced and efficient solar [...]

Diffraction is the bending of waves as they pass around obstacles. Refraction is the bending of waves as they pass from one medium to another with different transmission velocities. Conventional lenses focus light waves by using refraction to either converge or diverge the beam of light as they pass through the lens. Any device which [...]

Additive manufacturing is the process of adding layers of material to previous layers to create 3D objects, usually from computer controlled models. A variety of techniques can be used, including: aerosol jets and extrusion nozzles that deposit layers of materials, and often heating techniques that use lasers or electron beams to combine or fuse the [...]

Diamond is a crystalline form of carbon that is generally known as the strongest substance. “Diamonoid” materials include crystalline forms of carbon and other similar elements (silicon, germanium, aluminum, and more) that exhibit similar strong three dimensional bonds and strength characteristics. Carbon nanotubes, some forms of silicon based ceramics, and sapphire are included in this [...]

3D printing is constantly becoming more practical and useful. Iron Man’s new suit gloves were fabricated using 3D printers. Iron Man 2′s Secret Sauce: 3-D Printing – [fastcompany.com] Maybe the most cutting-edge facet of Iron Man 2′s production was the real-life fabrication of the suits. Using 3-D printers, the film’s production company, Legacy Effects, was [...]

Claytronics is a concept that combines nanotechnology and modular programmable robotics to create what is also called programmable matter, programmable grit, dynamic physical rendering or synthetic reality. Very small components, called claytronic atoms or catoms, have the ability to move and morph into shapes controlled by a communications network. Claytronics-Discovery Channel Feature – [youtube.com] Discovery [...]

Fundamental electronics is being changed by the “memristor”, a device that basically acts like a variable resistor and is capable of remembering the state it was in. This is significant because a single memristor may be able to replace many transistors and capacitors, making possible much smaller electronic circuits, and because it seems that it [...]

Metamaterials are artificially created materials that exhibit characteristics not found in natural materials. These unique properties are often derived from the nanoscale structure of the material instead of from the chemical makeup. Most current references to metamaterials deal with interesting electromagnetic properties and often photonics or opto-electronics. One of the most exciting applications in this [...]