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Feb 8, 2018
New ‘4D goggles’ allow wearers to be ’touched‘
Posted by Saúl Morales Rodriguéz in categories: entertainment, media & arts, neuroscience, space travel, virtual reality
A team of researchers at UC San Diego and San Diego State University has developed a pair of “4D goggles” that allows wearers to be physically “touched” by a movie when they see a looming object on the screen, such as an approaching spacecraft.
The device was developed based on a study conducted by the neuroscientists to map brain areas that integrate the sight and touch of a looming object and aid in their understanding of the perceptual and neural mechanisms of multisensory integration.
But for the rest of us, the researchers said, it has a more practical purpose: The device can be synchronized with entertainment content, such as movies, music, games and virtual reality, to deliver immersive multisensory effects near the face and enhance the sense of presence.
Feb 8, 2018
People are now flying around in autonomous drones
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: drones, robotics/AI
Chinese startup Ehang has released the first video of passengers flying aboard its autonomous 184 drone.
Feb 8, 2018
Mind-reading program translates brain activity into words
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in category: neuroscience
The research paves the way for brain implants that would translate the thoughts of people who have lost power of speech.
Ian Sample, science correspondent.
Feb 8, 2018
US Scientists Have Figured Out A Way To Make Wood As Strong As Steel
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in category: materials
Some of the strongest materials to build with are titanium alloys but they are not only expensive but heavy as well. Researchers at the University of Maryland (UMD) have used a new densification process to make super wood that has the same strength and toughness as steel.
Wood is probably the most used construction material already and the UMD team is working to make it even more useful. Liangbing Hu is leading the team responsible for developing the super wood. The researchers first boil samples of wood in a watery mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfite, which partially removes lignin and hemicellulose from the material. This wood is then hot-pressed causing the cell walls to collapse and form highly-aligned cellulose nanofibers. This gives rise to densified wood, which is stronger than natural wood.
Feb 8, 2018
Forget curtains. One day, you could block out glare with smart windows that also charge your phone
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: mobile phones, solar power, sustainability
New material pulls double-duty as shade and perovskite solar cell
By
Feb 8, 2018
Elon Musk: In 3–6 months, Tesla cars will be able to drive themselves from coast to coast
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: Elon Musk, robotics/AI, transportation
But that doesn’t mean the company isn’t working on cool new features. During the earnings call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that within three to six months, he expects Tesla cars to be able to drive autonomously from U.S. coast to coast.
SEE ALSO: Tesla’s bringing Powerwall batteries to 50,000 homes in Australia
Feb 8, 2018
A Remarkable Technique to Replace Heart Valves Spares Patients Surgery
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in category: biotech/medical
Nancy Clayton needed a mitral valve replacement. She came to NYU Langone, where surgeons were trialling a nonsurgical approach. Learn more.
Feb 8, 2018
Vitamin D3 could prevent and repair cardiovascular damage, finds study
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in category: biotech/medical
A new study by researchers at Ohio University found that vitamin D3 – a vitamin that is naturally produced when skin is exposed to sunlight – could prevent and restore damage caused by several cardiovascular diseases, including diabetes, hypertension and atherosclerosis.
Credit: polaris50d/Shutterstock.com
Continue reading “Vitamin D3 could prevent and repair cardiovascular damage, finds study” »
Feb 8, 2018
SpaceX Successfully Launches The Falcon Heavy With A Tesla Roadster On Board
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: Elon Musk, space travel, sustainability
The Falcon Heavy is finally on its way to mars and this rocket has had its fair share of delays. Elon Musk gave us a first glimpse of the rocket a couple of months ago and then a little later announced the unique cargo that it would be carrying. At the start of this year, he announced that the rocket will be launched within the first month but there were more unexpected delays and things finally got back on track as it completed the static test last week.
The Falcon Heavy Rocket launched its test flight successfully from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Millions of fans from all around the globe watched the launch go off without a hitch. The Falcon Heavy has 27 engines which give a thrust equal to 18 Boeing (BA) 747 jetliners making it the biggest rocket ever made. “It’s the biggest rocket in the world by far,” SpaceX CEO Musk told CNN’s Rachel Crane on Monday.
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