Photo: MIT Museum Ernesto Blanco invented his stair-climbing wheelchair in 1962 and entered it in a design challenge from the National Inventors Council, a U.S. agency that sought out technologies of potential military use. Blanco even created a one-quarter scale model [above] to show that the design actually worked. Stairs are of course tricky to… Continue reading Forget Jet Packs—Why Don’t We Have Stair-Climbing Wheelchairs?
Category: News Site
Popcorn-Driven Robotic Actuators
Photo: Cornell University It’s not that often I can steal the title of a paper and use it for a blog article that people will actually read, but I think “Popcorn-Driven Robotic Actuators” totally works, so credit for that to Steven Ceron at Cornell University, who’s the first author on this paper, presented at the IEEE International… Continue reading Popcorn-Driven Robotic Actuators
Sprawling Wheel Leg Robot Crawls and Climbs
Photo: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev We’re always impressed by the way David Zarrouk (a professor at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev by way of UC Berkeley’s Biomimetic Millisystems Lab) manages to extract a ton of functionality from the absolute minimum of hardware in his robots. In the past, we’ve seen clever designs like a… Continue reading Sprawling Wheel Leg Robot Crawls and Climbs
Why Consider Disability and Long-Term Insurance?
Figure 1. A screenshot of the Disability Income Needs Calculator from IEEE. Source: IEEE Disability and long-term care insurance provide a source of income in the event that your ability to work is interrupted. Both help you pay bills and provide income, but there are important differences. Each plan offers specific benefits that are unique… Continue reading Why Consider Disability and Long-Term Insurance?
New Optimization Algorithm Exponentially Speeds Computation
Image: iStockphoto A new algorithm could dramatically slash the time it can take computers to recommend movies or route taxis. The new algorithm, developed by Harvard University researchers, solves optimization problems exponentially faster than previous algorithms by cutting the number of steps required. Surprisingly, this approach works “without sacrificing the quality of the resulting solution,” says… Continue reading New Optimization Algorithm Exponentially Speeds Computation
IBM’s New Do-It-All Deep-Learning Chip
Illustration: iStockphoto The field of deep learning is still in flux, but some things have started to settle out. In particular, experts recognize that neural nets can get a lot of computation done with little energy if a chip approximates an answer using low-precision math. That’s especially useful in mobile and other power-constrained devices. But some… Continue reading IBM’s New Do-It-All Deep-Learning Chip
Nanotechnology Takes Giant Leap Foward by Manipulating Molecules
Image: Forschungszentrum Jülich/T. EsatThis illustration shows a PTCDA molecule positioned upright on a silver platter [left]. Normally, the molecule would lie flat atop a layer of silver atoms [right]. If nanotechnology has captured the popular imagination in any way, it has likely been in the form of so-called molecular nanotechnology, in which nanoscale machines assemble… Continue reading Nanotechnology Takes Giant Leap Foward by Manipulating Molecules
The Future of Cybersecurity Is the Quantum Random Number Generator
Illustration: Greg Mably In 1882, a banker in Sacramento, Calif., named Frank Miller developed an absolutely unbreakable encryption method. Nearly 140 years later, cryptographers have yet to come up with something better. Miller had learned about cryptography while serving as a military investigator during the U.S. Civil War. Sometime later, he grew interested in telegraphy and… Continue reading The Future of Cybersecurity Is the Quantum Random Number Generator
The IceCube Neutrino Detector at the South Pole Hits Paydirt
Photo-illustration: IceCube Collaboration/NSF After 3.9 billion years of hurtling unhindered through the vast reaches of the universe, a ghostly neutrino particle died on 22 September 2017. It was annihilated when it collided with an atom in the frozen darkness two kilometers beneath the surface of the south polar ice cap. But this subatomic particle’s death… Continue reading The IceCube Neutrino Detector at the South Pole Hits Paydirt
5 Things to Do When Launching an Engineering Startup
Figure 1. Planning ahead helps an entrepreneur succeed at working for him or herself. Source: Nick Youngson / CC BY-SA 3.0 The freedom that comes with being your own boss can’t be beat: You make your hours, find your clients and reap the financial benefits. However, the reality looks more like working all hours, babysitting… Continue reading 5 Things to Do When Launching an Engineering Startup