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Articles archive for Year 2009

Gadgets| Tech»

The interactive 3D Virtual Autopsy Table (Inside Explorer)

By Damir Beciri
3 Comments21 October 2009
virtual-3d-autopsy-table2Swedish researchers have developed an interactive touchscreen 3D autopsy table that allows pathologists to examine virtual representations of real bodies in minute detail and from different viewing angles. The Virtual Autopsy Table has been developed by Norrköping Visualization Center in cooperation with Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization using science and technology which is… »

Bionics| Tech»

Artificial photosynthesis system converts water into hydrogen

By Damir Beciri
One Comment20 October 2009
artificial-photosynthesis-3The 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 happens in plants could potentially… »

Bionics| Robotics»

Swarmanoid project – robots work like swarmed insects

By Damir Beciri
19 October 2009
swarmanoidWe 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 systems have focused on robotic… »

Robotics»

iRobot’s shape-shifting blob robot takes its first “steps”

By Damir Beciri
2 Comments18 October 2009
blob-robot-from-irobotThe Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the U.S. Army Research Office awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to iRobot to create the flexible military robot. The maker of the Roomba and Scooba, along with University of Chicago researchers, develops the palm-size ChemBot as a mobile robot that can move over soft terrain and navigate through small… »

Tech»

Team Germany wins Solar Decathlon 2009

By Damir Beciri
17 October 2009
team-germany-solar-decathlon-2009-1“Team Germany” from the Technische Universität Darmstadt has won the 2009 Solar Decathlon with their project surPLUShome. This is the second time in a row that a team from TU Darmstadt wins this international contest after already winning the title in Solar Decathlon’s last edition in 2007. After 9 days and 10 contests, Team Germany… »

Architecture| Tech»

Green architecture – Zira Island in Azerbaijan

By Damir Beciri
15 October 2009
zira-islandCarbon neutral master plans are being adopted increasingly in times when energy and emissions are becoming important. And that’s exactly what Azerbaijan will do to develop Zira Island, located in the bay of Caspian Sea next to the capital city Baku. Besides being carbon neutral, this project will make a self-sufficient resort out of a… »

Gadgets»

Samsung SyncMaster XL2370 – a good 23-inch LED display

By Damir Beciri
2 Comments13 October 2009
samsung-syncmaster-xl2370-led-monitorThe 23-inch Samsung SyncMaster XL2370 finally became available in most parts of the world, and it looks like a thinner, sleeker version of Samsung’s P2370. The Samsung XL2370 is Samsung’s highest performance display and their first display that incorporates LED technology, giving the model a super-slim profile and significant energy-saving benefits. Although it doesn’t offer… »

Tech»

Human genome’s 3D structure has fractal properties

By Damir Beciri
One Comment11 October 2009
3d-human-genome-dnafoldingScientists have deciphered the three-dimensional structure of the human genome, paving the way for new insights into genomic function and expanding our understanding of how cellular DNA folds at scales that dwarf the double helix. They used a new technology called Hi-C in order to answer the thorny question of how each of our cells… »