New Atlas

Materials Audio available

Spider hair-inspired sensors could give drones a "spidey-sense"

Michael Irving May 20, 2019

Spider-Man's "spidey-sense" isn't purely fiction – spiders have tiny, sensitive hairs on their legs that help them avoid predators or hunt prey. And now, engineers at Purdue University have developed similar sensors for autonomous cars or drones.

Health & Wellbeing

Multi-purpose electrochemical sensors preview the future of fitness and medical wearables

Matt Kennedy May 15, 2019

Wearable health-monitors are everywhere, from Fitbits for the health conscious to continuous glucose monitors for diabetics, but most are limited in what they can tell us, and there are issues around accuracy, calibration and reliability. Researchers in Sweden are working to change that.

In this scenario, an armband measures blood and sweat and sends the information to a smartphone ...

Science

High-tech fixes for our food supply headline IBM's annual 5 in 5 list

Michael Irving February 11, 2019

IBM’s annual 5 in 5 list is here. This time, all five technologies in this year’s list are designed to fix problems in every step of the food supply chain, from seed to your plate.

IBM's 5 in 5 list for 2019 focuses on technology that will improve the food supply ...

Around The Home

Wynd's Halo and Home Purifier get serious about cleaning the air in your home

Rich Haridy December 9, 2018

Two new products from Wynd are suggested to be the ultimate in home air purification – Halo, an app-controlled sensor that can monitor specific pollutants in the air, and the Home Purifier, a massive air cleaner that can quickly clear contaminants from large spaces.

The Halo and Home Purifier can communicate with each other, via an app, and both monitor ...

Computers

HyperSurfaces uses AI to make object interfacing more natural

Paul Ridden November 20, 2018

Back in 2012, Bruno Zamborlin revealed a tiny device that could transform any surface into a musical instrument. Now he's unveiled HyperSurfaces, which taps into the power of AI and machine learning to turn "any object of any material, shape and size" into a user interface.

Bruno Zamborlin demonstrates a HyperSurfaces-enabled car door, where taps, touches and knocks are registered by vibration ...

Materials Audio available

MIT punches out cell-sized robots made of graphene

Michael Irving October 23, 2018

MIT engineers recently managed to create cell-sized robots that could collect data about their environment, but were a little tricky to manufacture. Now, the team has found a way to mass produce these synthetic cells (syncells) through controlled fracturing of graphene.

MIT researchers have developed a technique to mass produce cell-sized robots out of graphene

Science

Self-powered sensor could monitor joint-surgery patients

Ben Coxworth August 28, 2018

When someone is recovering from joint surgery, it's important for doctors to monitor factors such as their range of motion. A new self-powered sensor could make doing so easier than ever, by wirelessly transmitting movement data from an orthopedic brace on that joint.

The device incorporates magnets, along with polymers that create a triboelectric effect when rubbed together

Medical

New MIT system wirelessly powers medical implants using radio waves

Rich Haridy June 4, 2018

Traditional batteries are large, contain toxic chemicals, and need to be periodically replaced, meaning they're not ideal for powering medical implants. But new research from MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital has demonstrated a new way to power implanted devices using radio waves.

Medical

Genetically engineered bacteria lets ingestible sensor monitor gut health

Rich Haridy May 24, 2018

A team of researchers at MIT has produced a new system that combines engineered bacteria that can detect intestinal bleeding with an ingestible electronic circuit that can wirelessly send a signal to a computer.

Bacteria engineered to detect specific molecules are placed in four wells on the custom-designed sensor, which ...

Science

Fresh coat of conductive paint turns walls into interactive sensors

Nick Lavars April 24, 2018

If these walls could talk. A new treatment that smartens up walls might not be about to give your bedroom a voice, but it could give it the ability to track your movements and your use of electronics, thanks to a special electrode-laden coating that turns them into interactive surfaces.

Researchers at CMU and Disney Research have come up with a way to turn regular dumb ...