A new robotic “bee” can fly, dive, swim and leap out of the water, and it’s totally adorable to boot.
“RoboBee” is an aerial-to-aquatic robot that weighs just six-thousandths of an ounce (175 milligrams). These bots were first reported in 2014 in the journal Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, when — after 12 years of trying — Harvard roboticists finally got the tiny, fly-inspired devices to flutter. Since then, they’ve been adding functions. Now, they’ve made a robot that can swim and fly. “This is the first microrobot capable of repeatedly moving in and through complex environments,” Yufeng Chen, who co-authored a paper describing the new technology while a graduate student at Harvard University. “We designed new mechanisms that allow the vehicle to directly transition from water to air, something that is beyond what nature can achieve in the insect world.” [7 Cool Animal-Inspired Technologies] Read Article: https://www.livescience.com/60816-tiny-adorable-robobee-does-it-all.html Researchers have developed a flexible organic battery made from organic composites using “natural feedstock” for use in medical devices. The battery biodegrades safely and may have applications in consumer electronics within 5 years.
Read Article: https://futurism.com/new-flexible-organic-battery-could-revolutionize-medical-implants/ A fascinating article about "rotor sails", a new, more efficient way to power ocean-going ships.9/6/2017
Early next year, a tanker vessel owned by Maersk, the Danish transportation conglomerate, and a passenger ship owned by Viking Cruises will be outfitted with spinning cylinders on their decks. Mounted vertically and up to 10 stories tall, these “rotor sails” could slash fuel consumption up to 10%, saving transportation companies hundreds of thousands of dollars and cutting soot-causing carbon emissions by thousands of tons per trip.
Read Article: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/09/spinning-metal-sails-could-slash-fuel-consumption-emissions-cargo-ships |
Please visit Christopher Iverson at his other websites, blogs and on social media;
AuthorChristopher Iverson ArchivesCategories |