University of Lorraine

The lab-on-cables insect-tracking camera platform

Good Thinking

Robotic camera system moves along with insects in flight

Currently the only way of getting stable video of flying insects involves tethering them in place – which some people would say isn't "flying" at all. Now, French scientists have developed a camera platform that moves through the air with the insect.

Micro-crystals of zinc, which when combined with other common minerals, could be substituted in for rare-Earth metals in electronic devices

Electronics

Common element combos could replace rare-Earth metals in electronics

Electronic devices are made possible thanks to rare-Earth metals, but these are rare and relatively expensive. Now, scientists have found a way to combine common elements into electronically-useful compounds, which could find their way into tunable lighting and solar panels.

$Researchers have designed coiled metasurfaces that not only completely absorb low frequency sounds, but are a tiny fraction of the size of traditional sound-absorbing systems$

Materials

Acoustic metasurface design completely absorbs low frequency sound

Researchers in France have designed a low-frequency absorption system using metamaterials that is not only many hundreds of times smaller than standard systems, but is also claimed to totally absorb all incoming sound.