A technology used to measure oxygen atoms outside space vehicles is now being used in the glass industry to produce super-efficient energy-saving windows. Although it might not seem too important, modern architecture features large glass facades which need to be tough and have good insulating characteristics in order to counter heat loss during cold weather ... »
Altruism, the sacrificing of individual gains for the greater good, appears at first glance to go against the notion of “survival of the fittest”. But altruistic gene expression is found in nature and is passed on from one generation to the next. An evolutionary robotics experiment at EPFL and UNIL supports Hamilton’s rule of altruism ... »
An advanced “thin-film” flexible paper computer has been developed in collaboration between the researchers of Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, and Arizona State University, USA. Two variations of the flexible paper computer are going to be unveiled on May 10 at the Association of Computing Machinery’s CHI 2011 (Computer- Human Interaction) conference in Vancouver, Canada. ... »
Researchers at MIT’s Media Lab have developed a new approach to glasses-free 3D displays, called High-Rank 3D (HR3D) Display, and they claim it could double the battery life of devices like the Nintendo 3DS without compromising screen brightness or resolution, expand the viewing angle of a 3D screen, and it would maintain the 3D effect ... »
Sound absorbing surfaces in rooms where people work, talk to each other or are trying to relax are gaining more importance in modern societies. So far, lightweight and transparent curtains are acoustically almost useless, but the cooperation between researchers at Empa, textile designer Annette Douglas and silk weavers Weisbrod-Zürrer AG, resulted with a lightweight, translucent ... »
The airpiano is a MIDI and OSC controller which allows the user to trigger invisible keys and faders in midair. Although playing the airpiano is similar to playing Theremin, it has its own features which make it a completely different instrument. The main difference is the ability to play discrete keys (triggers) and faders on ... »
A team of researchers, led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s (ORNL’s) Jun Xu, created a 3D nanocone-based solar cell platform which boosts the light-to-power conversion efficiency of photovoltaics by nearly 80 percent. The technology substantially overcomes the problem of poor transport of charges generated by solar photons, which occur due to defects in bulk materials ... »
