Flexible

Flexible robotic surgical devices show a lot of promise, as they're able to move through delicate parts of the body without causing damage. Thanks to a new system, it could soon be cheaper, safer and easier to track where they are within the patient.

In early November 2018, a little known Chinese company launched one called the FlexPai. Now Royole has announced its latest flexible display and the phone in which it will launch, plus a partnership with ZTE.

When it comes to locking your bike securely, a U-lock is pretty much the best way to go. The things are heavy, though, plus their rigid shackles can't be bent to pass around obstacles. That's where the Litelok Flexi-U Silver is designed to come in.

Strong as it is, concrete doesn’t stand up well against bending. Now, researchers at Swinburne University have developed a new type of concrete that can not only bend better, but doesn’t require cement to make, reducing its environmental footprint.

Robots move along in all kinds of different ways. Some walk on legs, others roll on wheels, and some crawl on tracks. At some point though, they'll encounter an obstacle and the RCTR tackles this by rising up and trundling on over.

In a new step towards truly wireless charging, engineers have developed an ultra-thin device that captures Wi-Fi signals and converts them into electricity.

Currently, if you want to measure someone's blood oxygen levels, you have to use an oximeter that clips onto their finger. An experimental new system, however, is able to check those levels anywhere on the body – and that could mean big things for the field of medicine.

​In order to utilize a traditional actioncam to its fullest, people may make use of things like handlebar mounts, selfie sticks and bendy-legged mini tripods. Oppy is intended to make such accessories unnecessary, as it features a long flexible body.

Flexible living spaces are growing more attractive as urban developers grapple with booming populations and ever-limited space. Automaker Mini is turning its eye for compact design to this emerging architectural trend with a series of micro apartments that maximize lifestyle options.

​Regular ultrasound probes have flat bases, which means they only work best when scanning objects that have similarly-flat surfaces. So, what happens if you want to inspect something that's curved or otherwise "irregular" in shape? Well, that's where a new ultrasound patch comes in.

Rubber and metal are usually thought to sit at opposite ends of the stiffness spectrum, but a new composite material developed at Iowa State University could switch from the flexibility of the former to the stiffness of the latter after being bent, twisted or squeezed.

It's an exciting time in display technologies, with flexible and transparent screens popping up regularly, albeit in the lab rather than on our devices. LG just set a new high bar though, with a huge 77-inch OLED screen that you can see through and roll up.