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Articles archive for Year 2010

Bionics| Tech»

Genetically modified bacteria used as logic gates for biological computers

By Dag G.
30 December 2010
escherichia-coli

Making living logic gates today is not as hard as it was previously predicted by scientists. As we mentioned in one of our previous articles regarding genetically modified yeast cells, these systems suffer from the signal noise that occurs after a single cell has been stuffed with many functions. A team of researchers from the ... »

Bionics»

Self-sharpening sea urchin teeth may inspire ever-sharped tools

By Dag G.
3 Comments28 December 2010
sea-urchin-hand

In order to survive in a tumultuous environment, sea urchins literally eat through stone. Sea urchins use their teeth to carve out nooks where they hide from predators and protect themselves from the waves. Despite constant grinding and scraping on stone, urchin teeth never get dull. This ability has puzzled scientists for decades, but researchers ... »

Tech»

Ornilux Mikado bird-protection glass from Arnold Glas

By Dag G.
26 December 2010
arnold-glas-ornilux-mikado-bird-protection-glass

If you ever worked or lived in a building with a glass facade, it is certain you have witnessed to (or heard stories about) birds flying into windows. In order to avoid this problem, the glass specialists from Arnold Glas have developed a type of insulated glass sheeting that can significantly reduce this danger. Architects ... »

Gadgets»

Biblio Leaf – a solar powered e-reader from Toshiba

By Dag G.
26 December 2010
toshiba-biblio-leaf-lismo-book-store

In our previous articles, we mentioned how some e-readers or writing board like Boogie Board Paperless LCD Writing Tablet could benefit from solar power, and avoid usage of energy needed for recharging or even the resources needed for battery production. Toshiba and KDDI, Japan’s second biggest mobile carrier, have unveiled a solar powered e-book reader ... »

Robotics| Tech»

The emotional computer – future of human-robot interaction

By Dag G.
One Comment24 December 2010
professor-peter-robinson-and-a-robotic-head-modeled-on-charles-babbage

There is no doubt that future computers and robots need to understand us better in order to make the interaction with them more pleasant and productive. Some examples we already wrote about are Kismet robot from MIT, or FEELIX GROWING project based on Aldebaran robot Nao platform. A team of researcher from the University of ... »

Bionics| Tech»

Genetically modified yeast cells could be used as biological computers

By Dag G.
23 December 2010
genetically-modified-yeast-cells

Synthetic biology is a relatively new area of research that combines biology and technology. Genetically modified cells can be altered in order to communicate with each other as if they were electronic circuits. A group of researchers in Gothenburg has managed to alter yeast cells in to build complex systems that could help the body’s ... »

Architecture| Tech»

Green architecture – Bastyr Student Village, Seattle

By Dag G.
20 December 2010
bastyr-student-village-1

Bastyr’s Student Village is a reflection of the University’s vision to transform the health and well-being of the human community. The project has been awarded the 2010 LEED for Homes Project of the Year in the “Outstanding Multifamily” category by the USGBC. The 132-student residential village was designed by CollinsWoerman, Seattle’s company which specializes in ... »