Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

When handling fragile objects, robots need to have a delicate touch. And while some previous efforts to give them that touch have involved things like soft rubbery fingers, an experimental new one was inspired by a blooming rose.

By swapping out conventional materials for experimental ones scientists continue to make exciting advances in the performance of lithium batteries, and a team in Japan has just published research around a particularly promising one.

Scientists in Japan have produced a plastic with the highest heat resistance ever reported, and done so by using natural materials as the building blocks, paving the way toward greener production for the omnipresent material.