Binghamton University

While seeing-eye dogs can be very helpful to the blind, raising and training them is a long and expensive process. Scientists have therefore recently started investigating the possibility of outsourcing the job to dog-like quadruped robots.

It goes without saying that it is very important for airliners' jet engines to be regularly inspected. Such inspections could soon be easier and more thorough than ever before, thanks to a robot that moves like an inchworm.

Researchers have developed a tiny battery that could be stored up to 100 years before being activated. The secret lies in sealing up dormant bacteria until it's time for them to be called into power-generating service.

Electricity-producing bacteria could be an intriguing renewable energy source. Engineers have now developed a biobattery that contains three layers of different bacteria species, which together take in sunlight and produce electricity.

Scientists at Binghamton University have made a breakthrough that could make wearable biosensors more comfortable to wear and the signals they produce a lot clearer, showing off a new type of porous silicone that allows for the evaporation of sweat.

Adding “two-faced” nanoparticles could improve paints and coatings. With one face that attracts water and another that repels it, the particles arranged themselves in a flat layer on a painted surface and could make for paint with unusual properties.

Imagine if there were a metallic device that could be transported all squished down, but that would automatically "bloom" out into its useful form when heated. Well, that may soon be possible, thanks to a newly developed liquid metal lattice.

It’s an unfortunate truth that weapons and explosives in public places are an increasing problem. But many screening technologies are bulky and expensive, and require staff to operate. Now a new study has found a way to tap into a type of signal that’s already ubiquitous in public places – Wi-Fi.

​While landmines in general are pretty awful, the PFM-1 "butterfly" mine is particularly nasty. Because of its mainly plastic construction, the butterfly-shaped device is notoriously difficult to find using metal detectors. Now, however, it turns out that drones can be used to locate the things.

​The bacteria-powered batteries of electrical engineer Seokheun Choi have taken on a number of interesting forms. For the first time, he has now woven his innovative fuel cells into a stretchable piece of fabric that could one day power wearable electronics with our body's own bacteria.

​Batteries powered by bacteria could prove highly useful in providing spurts of electricity where it isn't readily available. The latest breakthrough in this area calls only on bodily fluids, and was able to power an LED light using a single drop of spit.

​Last year researchers demonstrated an origami-style battery that could produce electricity using dirty water. The team has now given its bacteria-powered device a nice little boost, tweaking the design to resemble an origami ninja star and upping the power density in the process. ​​