Live neurons on chip learn to play Pong
By Charles Carter, 13/10/22 Live human and mouse neurons integrated with a silicon electrode array in a petri dish have learned to play the video game Pong. The DishBrain innovation comes from Australian startup Cortical Labs with their findings recently published in the journal Neuron. How does it work? Embryonic mouse or human brain cells […]
SpinLaunch tests NASA and Airbus payloads
By Charles Carter, 12/10/22 US startup SpinLaunch has tested NASA, Airbus, Cornell University and Outpost payloads in the latest flight of their 10,000G electric powered centrifuge launch system. This was the tenth flight test of their 200kg-class satellite launcher, taking place on 27th September, although it was first time partner payloads have been mounted to […]
Lightweight multi-purpose robot tractor
By Charles Carter, 11/10/22 Norwegian startup Autoagri has developed a lightweight, multi-purpose robot tractor that aims to reduce costs, soil compaction and carbon footprint. The company unveiled their IC-Series machine in May last year, taking orders for pilot units for use in agriculture and other sectors in October 2021. How does it work? The IC-Series […]
Sustainable vegan cactus leather
By Charles Carter, 10/10/22 Mexican startup Desserto has created a sustainable vegan leather made from cactus proteins and fibres. As well being a no-slaughter leather, the company claims the nopal cactus needs no irrigation water, is a very efficient natural carbon sink and doesn’t pollute waterways like the conventional leather industry. How does it work? […]
Hull cleaning bot: lowers emissions and protects biodiversity
By Charles Carter, 08/10/22 South Korean startup SLM has created a cleaning bot, CHIRO, that removes the build up of plants and organisms on a ship’s hull, reducing friction, lowering emissions and protecting biodiversity. Known as biofouling, the accumulation of aquatic species is a major cause of bio invasions as ships transfer organisms across the […]
Spinal neuromodulation for Cerebral Palsy
By Charles Carter, 07/10/22 US startup SpineX has developed a neuromodulation device that stimulates the spinal cord of adults and children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) to improve their mobility. The company recently published results of an 8-week study in journal Nature, which showed improvement in the mobility of all 16 child participants when neuromodulation was […]
Moon birth supercomputer simulation
By Charles Carter, 06/10/22 Pioneers at NASA’s Ames Research Center have created a new high-resolution simulation which shows the Moon could have formed within hours of a collision between Earth and Mars-sized body Theia. Previous prevailing theories claimed that the Moon formed months or years after the collision and mostly from debris from Theia, with […]
Solar-powered cyborg cockroach
By Charles Carter, 05/10/22 A team led by engineers from RIKEN research institute, Japan, have created a cyborg cockroach that can be remote-controlled and recharged through an solar film attached to its lower abdomen. The machine-animal fusion could have applications in urban search and rescue, environmental monitoring, and inspection of dangerous areas. How does it […]
Plant-controlled machete
By Charles Carter, 04/10/22 Innovator artist David Bowen has enabled a living philodendron houseplant to control the movements of a robotic machete through the plant’s electrical signals. The piece poses the interesting question – if it were possible, should we be arming the natural world so it can protect itself against destruction? The installation was […]
Bee-like aerial 3D printing
By Charles Carter, 03/10/22 Engineers from Imperial College London have created a team of bee-like drones capable of 3D printing structures while in mid-air. Such a system could enable more efficient 3D printing of buildings, especially in hard to reach locations. The drones mimic aerial builders in nature such as bees, that deposit layer upon […]