North Carolina State University

Researchers keep drawing inspiration from nature to build more advanced robots. This time, they turned to the feather star to design an aquatic robot capable of 3D maneuvering, which could change the way we explore the underwater world.

No matter the shape they come in, from thin metal rods to large parabolic dishes, antennas are typically solid structures. In work that would delight any Star Wars fan, scientists have now created an antenna from a plasma beam.

Researchers have developed a 3D-knitted textile that protects plants from pests while allowing sunlight, air and rainwater to pass through. Shaped into greenhouse-like domes, the special fabric can triple strawberry yields.

Researchers have invented a new material that is as thin as a film, extremely stiff, and also an excellent thermal insulator – a combination not found in nature. This could change many industries, from electronics to space exploration.

Using a liquid crystal elastomer cord, these earring-like robots can jump forward three times their body length, and upward 80 times their body height. One day extraplanetary exploration could utilize their descendants as zero-power drones.

An alcoholic drink will give you a buzz, but if someone laced it with something dangerous, a new poison-snooping patch will buzz your skin to warn you. It can also detect heavy metals in water and toxic aerosols, and can work as an e-skin for robots.

Bioinspired mechanisms have long been used in engineering. Recently, researchers developed a self-controlled technology that can automatically detect potential danger and activate a protective shell, similar to an armadillo.

Unlike conventional fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites which last decades, UNC’s FRP composites could last 500 years. The breakthrough technology is not only stronger, but electrically melts a “healing” substance that seeps into damaged areas.

Cable cars are handy for transporting cargo up mountain slopes, but what if you want to do the same sort of thing on a smaller scale? Well, you could try using a tiny new light-powered robot, which is cable of carrying items up thin mid-air tracks.

Scientists at North Carolina State University have created a magnetic “metasheet” that can move objects and liquids around without needing robot arms or grippers.

It was just two years ago that a tiny robotic manta ray became the world's fastest-swimming soft-bodied robot. Well, one of its descendants has now smashed that record – and it uses less energy than its predecessor, to boot.

A remarkable proof-of-concept project has successfully manufactured nanoscale diodes and transistors using a fast, cheap new production technique in which liquid metal is directed to self-assemble into precise 3D structures.