RIKEN

Scientists at RIKEN in Japan have developed a new type of plastic that’s just as stable in everyday use as regular plastic, but dissolves quickly in saltwater, leaving behind only safe compounds.

Scientists believe lightweight, ultra-strong and flexible spider silk is now one step closer to commercial use thanks to a deceptively complex 'box' that can spin nature's wonder fiber in a "spontaneous, extremely rapid, and highly reproducible" way.

Why design robots from scratch when nature has already done the hard work for us? That’s the reasoning behind cyborg insects, and now scientists have found a way to power remote-controlled cyborg cockroaches using custom solar cells.

When conducting studies on how people react to different emotions, actual human faces may not express those emotions the same way each time, while photos just aren't as impactful. That's why scientists have developed a robotic head to do the job.

The world’s most powerful supercomputer has just fired up. A newcomer named Fugaku has nabbed the number one spot in the Top500 list of supercomputers, surpassing Summit, the reigning champion of the past few years.

There's been a lot of talk about the most eco-friendly ways to generate electric power, and now researchers from RIKEN may have just figured out the most natural way of all – straight from a fish known as an electric ray or torpedo fish.

Working with a new magnetic insulator material with unusual atomic properties, scientists at Stanford University have observed electrical conduction in a non-conductive material that may lead to superior magnetic memory devices.

Japan is facing an aging population in the coming decades and that means more people requiring care, and less people to provide it. In an effort to meet the shortfall, RIKEN and Sumitomo Riko Company Limited have developed Robear, an experimental nursing care robot.

It might look like a cross between a snowman and a badly-designed toy polar bear, but the nursing fraternity should appreciate this robot that can lift patients in and out of beds and wheelchairs on command, while at the same time saving nurses’ backs and improving patient care and safety.