Image: University of Hong Kong/Science RoboticsMicrorobots designed to carry stem cells (fluorescent green) throughout the body are shown here on a cell culture plate. The astonishing thing about stem cells is that they can be coaxed, in the laboratory, into becoming nearly any kind of cell—from bone marrow to heart muscle. That remarkable capability has for… Continue reading Microbots Deliver Stem Cells in the Body
Tag: People
Gore (the Gore-Tex Company) Thinks It Holds the Key to On-Skin Wearables
Photo: Gore I confess, I wasn’t familiar with W.L. Gore and Associates other than as the creator of Gore-Tex. So I wasn’t sure what I was going to find when I visited its new Silicon Valley innovation center last week. But then Paul Campbell and Linda Elkins, co-leaders of the center, pulled a sheet of… Continue reading Gore (the Gore-Tex Company) Thinks It Holds the Key to On-Skin Wearables
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
We Grew Algae and Asked Spectrum Editors to Taste It
Algae could be the environmentally-friendly superfood we’ve all been waiting for. But will anyone actually eat it? When was the last time you sipped algae? Chances are, you’ve never done that. But while working on a special report about potential climate-saving technologies, IEEE Spectrum decided to try to grow Spirulina, which proponents have pitched as… Continue reading We Grew Algae and Asked Spectrum Editors to Taste It
Chip Hall of Fame: Photobit PB-100
Image: Photobit Corp. PB-100 Image Sensor Manufacturer: Photobit Corp. Category: MEMs & Sensors Year: 1999 Photographers have a saying: The best camera is the one you have with you. Today most of us do have a camera constantly with us, housed in a cellphone or other portable device, thanks to the CMOS image sensor, and… Continue reading Chip Hall of Fame: Photobit PB-100
Chip Hall of Fame: Philips TDA7000 FM Receiver
Image: Harm van Rumpt TDA7000 FM Receiver Manufacturer: Philips Category: Wireless Year: 1977 FM radio is now a standard feature in a staggering number of gadgets, including alarm clocks, wristwatches, and music players. But before the early 1980s, conventional radio functions were costly and time consuming to build. Manufacturers typically had to make 10 to 14… Continue reading Chip Hall of Fame: Philips TDA7000 FM Receiver
Asimo Still Improving Its Hopping and Jogging Skills
Image: Honda Research We learned last week that Honda is putting Asimo out to pasture, so to speak, which is a little sad, but not too sad: Honda is doing this because they want to instead focus on the other, more useful humanoid robots that they’ve been working on recently, like E2-DR. Honda learned a… Continue reading Asimo Still Improving Its Hopping and Jogging Skills
Jolt the Brain, Then Listen Closely
Photo: Dawn Harmer/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory If an electric current passes through the brain, does anyone hear it? Earlier this year, researchers in the United Kingdom showed that stimulating the brain with mild direct currents helped people stop stuttering. Neurostimulation has also shown promise for treating conditions such as migraines, depression, and the physical effects of… Continue reading Jolt the Brain, Then Listen Closely
Synthetic Biology Behemoth Aims to Police Its Own Industry
Photo: Ginkgo Bioworks Try as a nefarious actor might, it would be near impossible to order the ingredients for making a deadly virus such as smallpox from scratch—at least not from any reputable company. That’s because the world’s leading gene-synthesis firms all routinely screen customer requests against DNA sequences from hazardous viruses, bacteria, toxins and… Continue reading Synthetic Biology Behemoth Aims to Police Its Own Industry
Chip Hall of Fame: Intel 4004 Microprocessor
Photo: Intel Intel 4004 Manufacturer: Intel Category: Processors Year: 1971 The Intel 4004 was the world’s first microprocessor—a complete general-purpose CPU on a single chip. Released in March 1971, and using cutting-edge silicon-gate technology, the 4004 marked the beginning of Intel’s rise to global dominance in the processor industry. So you might imagine that the full… Continue reading Chip Hall of Fame: Intel 4004 Microprocessor