Articles in the ‘Bionics‘ Category
Bionics, Gadgets, Tech »
Qualcomm Mirasol display for color e-readers inspired by butterflies
Qualcomm MEMS Technologies new Mirasol display is the first full color, video-capable display on a prototype e-reader, built on the concept of the iridescence of butterfly’s wings. The inspiration for Mirasol’s engineering came from nature’s most vividly colored creatures: the cerulean wing of a butterfly, the ruby throat of a… »
Bionics, Tech »
Glowing bacterias present a cheap solution for landmines detection
It is estimated that there are between 15,000 and 20,000 annual casualties caused by landmines and unexploded explosive devices, according to the charity Handicap International. Some 87 countries contain minefields including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Somalia, Mozambique, Cambodia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Scientists have developed a simple, cheap, and yet accurate… »
Bionics, Tech »
147000 CPUs are “as smart as a cat” – IBM Research simulates cat’s brain
At SC 09, the supercomputing conference, IBM announced significant progress toward creating a computer system that simulates and emulates the brain’s abilities for sensation, perception, action, interaction and cognition, while rivaling the brain’s low power and energy consumption and compact size. The cognitive computing team, led by IBM Research, in… »
Bionics, Robotics, Tech »
Smart Hand – robotic hand gives amputees a sense of touch
Developed by EU researchers, the Smart Hand is a complex prosthesis with four motors and forty sensors designed to provide realistic motion and sense to the user. Te sensors enabled it to become the first device of its kind to send signals back to the wearer, allowing them to feel… »
Bionics »
Mantis shrimp eyes could inspire new optical device development
The mantis shrimps found on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and have the most complex vision systems known to science. They can see in twelve colors (humans see in only three) and can distinguish between different forms of polarized light. The research of the sea shrimp’s remarkable eye, that… »
Bionics, Robotics »
Biomimicry of bees and the insect’s hive behavior – RoboBees
From flies to fish to lobsters, small insects and animals have long been ideal models for robotic and computer scientists. Bees, for example, possess unmatched elegance in flight, zipping from flower to flower with ease and hovering stably with heavy payloads. A multidisciplinary team of computer scientists, engineers, and biologists… »
Bionics, Tech »
Artificial photosynthesis system converts water into hydrogen
The energy available in sunlight is a resource we’ve only begun to really get a handle on. Current photovoltaic-cell technology, typically a semiconductor-based system, is expensive, not very efficient, and only does instant conversions from sunlight to electricity. But an artificial photosynthesis system or a photo-electrochemical cell that mimics what… »
Bionics, Robotics »
Swarmanoid project – robots work like swarmed insects
We already wrote about modular and shape-shifting robots in our previous articles. Swarm robotics is inspired by the social insect behavior, and emphasizes aspects such as decentralization of control, limited communication abilities among robots, use of local information, emergence of global actions, and robustness. Most current studies in swarm robotic… »
Bionics, Tech »
Shark skin biomimicry – from hull coating to health care
The world of microorganisms is a dynamic one and all forms of life depend on microbial metabolic activity. In fact, there are more microbes living on and in every human being than there are human cells in our bodies. At the most basic level, there are microorganisms that are harmless… »
Bionics, Robotics »
Cyberdyne HAL-5 – exoskeleton robot
Robotic exoskeletons can be helpful in many ways as assisting the disabled and elderly in their daily tasks, or easing of any physically demanding task such as disaster rescue or construction. The HAL 5 exoskeleton helps the wearer to carry out a variety of everyday tasks, including standing up from… »