Although it was originally released in 2005 as a robot meant for entertainment, the first time we wrote about little robot NAO was in 2009 in our article about 2009 RoboCup. Aldebaran Robotics recently surprised us and released a new and improved version of the NAO robot they dubbed NAO Next Gen. NAO Next Gen… »

Although we already wrote about many materials that could serve as liquid repellant surfaces, the one developed by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz and the Technical University Darmstadt stands out by being superamphiphobic. They used candle soot to produce a fluorinated silicon coated silica nanostructure which is capable to… »

An interdisciplinary group of researchers made a breakthrough in cotton fiber research by finding a way to transform everyday cotton into high-tech fabric. Their work could lead to functional clothing – a seamless blend of clothing and electronics that could be used in future hospital clothes with sensors used to monitor medical patients or in… »

Memory wall is a term used to describe the greater need for both memory bandwidth and memory density needed for growing number of processor cores in current microprocessors. Whereas DDR4 represents an evolutionary standard, IBM and Micron Technology announced that they will begin production of Hybrid Memory Cube (HMC) – a memory device built using… »

A group of researchers from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) had a goal to create an original pedagogical tool that could be used for practical introduction of technology and robotics to children. In collaboration with the University of Art and Design Lausanne (ECAL), they developed Thymio II – a small programmable robot… »

At present, insulation panels that are both thin and effective are expensive high-end products that are built into energy-saving refrigerators. In order to enable better and cost-effective insulation used in building construction, Fraunhofer researchers are developing vacuum isolation panels (VIPs) – short films for a material that will insulate homes without the need for significant… »

With each day, robots are becoming more popular and affordable, and they find new applications in various fields such as aid in manual labor or entertainment. Robots use in architecture hasn’t been around aside performing such tasks in video games and science fiction, but professorship of Gramazio & Kohler plans to change that fact and… »

A multidisciplinary team of researchers from Canada is looking for ways to improve phytoremediation – a process where plant matter is used for decontamination. They use bacteria to stimulate faster growth capacity of certain plants and microscopic mushrooms which act as decontamination units. The researchers expect that these decontamination units will be used at various… »