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May 8, 2020

This robot army can run, jump, duck and even backflip

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Circa 2019


MIT’s Mini Cheetah robots are small quadrupedal robots capable of running, jumping, walking, and flipping.

Continue reading “This robot army can run, jump, duck and even backflip” »

May 8, 2020

Quantum Computing in Python

Posted by in categories: computing, quantum physics

In this article I will introduce the basic linear algebra you will need to understand quantum computing. We will only use NumPy in this article, and you’ll get an intro at the end to some interactive Jupyter notebooks, so you don’t need to download anything or learn terminal to get started. All you need is a web browser. If you want you can download the notebooks and run them locally.

May 8, 2020

How Nikola Tesla Planned To Use Earth For Wireless Power Transfer

Posted by in categories: energy, innovation

Serbian-American engineer Nikola Tesla pioneered many modern technologies and made some strange inventions, like the “earthquake-generator.”

May 8, 2020

Electric Helicopters Are Coming

Posted by in categories: engineering, transportation

Circa 2019


The electrification of mobility has hit every industry to some degree or another, with some barely catching on but now doing so. The helicopter industry has been slow to adopt electricity, but the Californian consulting company Tier 1 Engineering is up to the challenge. Tier 1 Engineering Converts a Helicopter to Electricity, Snatches Guinness World Record

Continue reading “Electric Helicopters Are Coming” »

May 8, 2020

Israeli disinfectant kills 100% of viruses, bacteria

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, materials

A state-of-the-art disinfectant developed by the Israel Institute for Biological Research and distributed by Tera Novel is capable of killing 100% of bacteria, viruses, molds and some fungi, including the novel coronavirus.

“Our disinfectant works in a very different way from many others,” Tera Novel chairwoman Karen Cohen Khazon told The Jerusalem Post. “We also use hypochlorite, but in a very high [concentration] and we add some [additional ingredients] so that anywhere the disinfectant is sprayed, it becomes a very white film of gel which keeps the [material] on the surface for a while.”

May 8, 2020

Chemistry breakthrough could speed up drug development

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry, nanotechnology

Scientists have successfully developed a new technique to reliably grow crystals of organic soluble molecules from nanoscale droplets, unlocking the potential of accelerated new drug development.

Chemistry experts from Newcastle and Durham universities, working in collaboration with SPT Labtech, have grown the small crystals from nanoscale encapsulated droplets. Their innovative method, involving the use of inert oils to control evaporative solvent loss, has the potential to enhance the development pipeline.

Whilst crystallization of organic soluble is a technique used by scientists all over the world, the ability to do so with such small quantities of analyte is ground-breaking.

May 8, 2020

A Black Hole Is ‘Almost on Our Doorstep’

Posted by in category: cosmology

;z; o.o zap it :3.


The invisible point of darkness resides in a double-star system just 1,000 light-years away.

May 8, 2020

Inspired by cheetahs, researchers build fastest soft robots yet

Posted by in categories: engineering, robotics/AI

Inspired by the biomechanics of cheetahs, researchers have developed a new type of soft robot that is capable of moving more quickly on solid surfaces or in the water than previous generations of soft robots. The new soft robotics are also capable of grabbing objects delicately—or with sufficient strength to lift heavy objects.

“Cheetahs are the fastest creatures on land, and they derive their and power from the flexing of their spines,” says Jie Yin, an assistant professor of mechanical and at North Carolina State University and corresponding author of a paper on the new soft robots.

“We were inspired by the cheetah to create a type of soft robot that has a spring-powered, ‘bistable’ spine, meaning that the robot has two stable states,” Yin says. “We can switch between these stable states rapidly by pumping air into channels that line the soft, silicone robot. Switching between the two states releases a significant amount of energy, allowing the robot to quickly exert force against the ground. This enables the robot to gallop across the surface, meaning that its feet leave the ground.

May 8, 2020

Brain cells reach out to each other through miniature cages

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Mouse neurons trapped inside cages grow long appendages to connect to each other. Trapping the cells allows us to precisely control their growth.

May 8, 2020

Simple method for measuring the state of lithium-ion batteries

Posted by in categories: computing, mobile phones, particle physics, sustainability, transportation

Rechargeable batteries are at the heart of many new technologies involving, for example, the increased use of renewable energies. More specifically, they are employed to power electric vehicles, cell phones, and laptops. Scientists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the Helmholtz Institute Mainz (HIM) in Germany have now presented a non-contact method for detecting the state of charge and any defects in lithium-ion batteries. For this purpose, atomic magnetometers are used to measure the magnetic field around battery cells. Professor Dmitry Budker and his team usually use atomic magnetometry to explore fundamental questions of physics, such as the search for new particles. Magnetometry is the term used to describe the measurement of magnetic fields. One simple example of its application is the compass, which the Earth’s magnetic field causes to point north.

Non-contact quality assurance of batteries using atomic magnetometers

The demand for high-capacity is growing and so is the need for a form of sensitive, accurate diagnostic technology for determining the state of a battery cell. The success of many new developments will depend on whether batteries can be produced that can deliver sufficient capacity and a long effective life span. “Undertaking the quality assurance of rechargeable batteries is a significant challenge. Non-contact methods can potentially provide fresh stimulus for improvement in batteries,” said Dr. Arne Wickenbrock, a member of Professor Dmitry Budker’s work group at the JGU Institute of Physics and the Helmholtz Institute Mainz. The group has achieved a breakthrough by using atomic magnetometers to take measurements. The idea came about during a teleconference between Budker and his colleague Professor Alexej Jerschow of New York University. They developed a concept and, with close cooperation between the two groups, carried out the related experiments in Mainz.