Sony has developed integrated Augmented Reality (AR) technology which enables additional information to be displayed on the device’s screens such as virtual objects, or images and texts that cannot be identified by visual perception alone. Smart AR uses the markerless approach, and enables quick recognition of objects and can be tracked at high-speed along with… »

We already wrote about several 3D printers, capable to help in rapid prototyping, however, researchers at the Vienna University of Technology have developed a much smaller, lighter and cheaper 3D printer. With this kind of printer, everyone could produce small, custom-made 3D-objects at home, using building plans from the internet – and this could save… »

Advanced autonomous robots are being developed by a team from the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania and the California Institute of Technology/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The program vision is for collaborative teams of tiny robots that could roll, hop, crawl or fly just about anywhere, carrying sensors that detect and send back… »

Prompting “Hello World” is among the first lessons of programming, but such simple programs aren’t able to catch the attention of young generations who grow surrounded by much more advanced and entertaining interfaces. A product of Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute – Finch was designed specifically to make introductory computer science classes an engaging experience… »

The Program of Excellence in Natural Rubber Alternatives (PENRA) was created to focus on research and commercialization of a viable natural rubber alternative, in order to counter the natural rubber supply shortage. Continuing the research, scientists at Ford and the Ohio State University see a species of dandelion as a new sustainable resource for rubber…. »

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…. »