Brain implant lets rats ‘see’ infrared light
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS—Aside from a few animals—like pythons and vampire bats—that can sense infrared light, the world of this particular electromagnetic radiation has been off-limits to most creatures. But...
View ArticleBiomarker for premature death
A single blood test could reveal whether an otherwise healthy person is unusually likely to die of pneumonia or sepsis within the next 14 years. Based on an analysis of 10,000 individuals, researchers...
View ArticleTeam hacks off-the-shelf 3-D printer towards rebuilding the heart
As of this month, over 4,000 Americans are on the waiting list to receive a heart transplant. With failing hearts, these patients have no other options; heart tissue, unlike other parts of the body, is...
View ArticleInhabit This Teddy Bear’s Body Using Virtual Reality
Companies inventing things to do with virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift, which launches next year, mostly use them to transport you into imaginary worlds. Tatsuki Adaniya has a different...
View ArticleSonic tractor beam moves stuff with sound
A team of researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Sussex in collaboration with Ultrahaptics has built a novel sonic tractor beam that can lift and move objects using sound waves. The concept...
View Article'Spring-mass' technology heralds the future of walking robots
A study by engineers at Oregon State University suggests that they have achieved the most realistic robotic implementation of human walking dynamics that has ever been done, which may ultimately allow...
View ArticleTractor beams of science fiction becoming a reality
The tractor beam, a staple of science fiction including "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" that is employed to grab spaceships and other things remotely, is entering the realm of reality. Researchers on...
View ArticleFDA-approved drugs show promise for rapid and robust hair regrowth
Other than costly transplants, underperforming creams and less-than-convincing wigs and combovers, those experiencing hair loss aren't exactly spoilt for choice when it comes to addressing fading...
View ArticleLaboratory grown intestines 'a success'
Using stem cells taken from the small intestines of human babies and mice, scientists have grown intestinal linings on gut-shaped scaffolds. The breakthrough adds to other research projects where...
View ArticleYamaha’s motorbike-riding robot wants to be world champion
Yamaha’s new humanoid robot, Motobot, just learned to ride a motorbike and already it’s talking trash. At the recent Tokyo Motor Show where Motobot was unveiled, it announced that the reason it was...
View ArticleRobot's influent speaking just to get attention from you
Communication in human dialogue is based on one another's words and body language. We can sense whether the other person is distracted, and we change the course of our conversation and our actions to...
View Article#22 Avatar Technology Digest / Motorcycle-riding humanoid robot / Biomimetic...
Welcome to Avatar Technology Digest! The latest news on Medical Cybernetics, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics… Here are the top stories we of the last week we carefully picked for you. This time...
View ArticleResearchers build nanoscale autonomous walking machine from DNA
Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a nanoscale machine made of DNA that can randomly walk in any direction across bumpy surfaces. Future applications of such a DNA walker...
View ArticleNanotweezer is new tool to create advanced plasmonic technologies
A new type of "nanotweezer" capable of positioning tiny objects quickly and accurately and freezing them in place could enable improved nanoscale sensing methods and aid research to manufacture...
View ArticleMemory-boosting devices tested in humans
A strategy designed to improve memory by delivering brain stimulation through implanted electrodes is undergoing trials in humans. The US military, which is funding the research, hopes that the...
View ArticleCRISPR Gene Editing to Be Tested on People by 2017, Says Editas
The biotechnology startup Editas Medicine intends to begin tests of a powerful new form of gene repair in humans within two years. Speaking this week at the EmTech conference in Cambridge,...
View ArticleWe’re building superhuman robots. Will they be heroes, or villains?
Each week, In Theory takes on a big idea in the news and explores it from a range of perspectives. This week we’re talking about robot intelligence. Need a primer? Catch up here. Patrick Lin is an...
View ArticleForget delivery drones, meet your new delivery robot
Amazon, Google and Wal-Mart are waiting for the day when they can deliver goods with flying drones. Meanwhile, a small Estonian robotics start-up sees more opportunity on the ground. Starship, created...
View ArticleToyota invests $1 billion in U.S. artificial intelligence
TOKYO — Toyota is investing $1 billion in a research company it’s setting up in Silicon Valley to develop artificial intelligence and robotics, underlining the Japanese automaker’s determination to...
View ArticleAUBREY DE GREY / Interview / ENDING AGING
Hello friends, Today we are lucky to introduce you to an intriguing figure such as Aubrey de Grey, the British researcher who claims to have drawn a roadmap to defeat biological aging. He provocatively...
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