Using bacteria to encrypt messages
By Charles Carter, 24/09/22 Biomedical engineering innovators from Duke University have developed a new data encryption method using simulated bacterial growth patterns. The approach involves machine-learning and could have security advantages over existing encoding methods, due to the chaotic nature of bacterial growth. How does it work? The team developed a simulation of how bacteria […]
Amphibious undulating bionic bot
By Charles Carter, 23/09/22 US startup Pliant Energy Systems has developed an amphibious robot, Velox, that mimics ray, millipede, squid and snake locomotion to travel across water, ice, snow and sand. It’s highly maneuverable and versatile, which makes it suitable for a range of applications including sea rescue missions, inspecting coral reefs and providing thrust […]
Algae-powered bioluminescent soft robots
By Charles Carter, 22/09/22 Innovators from Jacobs School of Engineering, UC San Diego have developed soft robots that use bioluminescent algae to glow in the dark. They bots give off light when experiencing mechanical stress, such as being squished, stretched, twisted or bent e.g. when they swim around. They could have potential applications in dark […]
Automated sneaker repair service
By Charles Carter, 21/09/22 Innovators at Nike have developed a robotic sneaker repair service that scans, cleans and patches up old sneakers to help reduce waste. B.I.L.L. (Bot Initiated Longevity Lab) is currently being piloted free of charge to shoppers in Nike Town London. It is one aspect of Nike’s initiative to embrace the circular […]
Scanning the brain in unprecedented detail
By Charles Carter, 19/09/22 Innovators from UCL and European Synchrotron Research Facility (ESRF) have developed a new 3D X-ray technique for scanning intact organs in unprecedented detail. The team hope the new approach will improve the understanding of health and disease by enabling analysis of organ damage at the macro and sub-cellular level, side by […]
Autonomous drifting DeLorean
By Charles Carter, 16/9/22 In 2019, innovators at Stanford University engineered a 1981 DeLorean with autonomous drifting capability to improve driver safety and collision avoidance. The idea is that when an autonomous car needs to make an emergency maneuver, such as swerving to avoid a pedestrian or another vehicle, use of expert drifting techniques could […]
Eco-friendly shampoo bottle made of soap
By Charles Carter, 14/9/22 Dutch innovators SOAPBOTTLE have developed a shampoo and shower gel bottle made from soap to help reduce plastic waste. The idea is that when you’ve finished with the liquid inside, you use up the soap packaging, until there’s none of it left. The startup team, consisting of three women and one […]