Teaming Up to Slash Solar Cell Cost
Solar start-up company Ampuse has teamed up with NREL and ORNL to reduce the cost of solar cells through the use of a new manufacturing…
Technology News
Topological Insulators Show Promise as Flexible, Transparent Electrode
Topological insulators, such as sheets of bismuth selenide, are ultra-thin sheets of material that are transparent, flexible and highly conductive. Scientists at the SLAC National…
New Software Simplifies 3D Animations
New software for creating advanced 3D characters like those seen in blockbuster films will allow inexperienced users a chance to create their own movie magic….
“Cheetah” Sets Legged Robot Land Speed Record
DARPA’s newest “Cheetah” robot set a new land speed record for legged robots when it galloped at speeds of 18 miles per hour, besting the…
Improving the Electron Microscope by Removing the Lens
Electron ptychography is set to revolutionize the electron microscope. By doing away with the lens, electron ptychography forms the image by reconstructing the scattered electron-waves…
Polymer Solar Cell Efficiency Improved with Infrared-Absorbing Polymer
Improvements in polymer solar cell technology continues as a new report documents the highest independently measured efficiency for a polymer solar cell, 10.6+/-0.3% with respect…
Researchers Explain Nanoscale Crop Circles
Three years after their initial encounter, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have explained what’s happening with the “nanoscale crop…
Researchers Use Robot Fish to Lead Golden Shiner School
Researchers from Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly) developed a bio-inspired robotic fish to mimic the tail propulsion of a swimming fish and conducted…
Researchers Designing Autonomous Robots for Skyscraper Repairs
Researchers at Cornell University are designing robots that can autonomously traverse and manipulate a 3-D truss structure by using specially designed gears and joints to…
Researchers Develop a Computational Tool for Identifying Carbon Capture Technologies
Researchers continue to search for ways to filter out the CO2 generated by coal-burning power plants before it reaches the atmosphere, a process commonly known…
Researchers Develop “Smart Outlet” that Autonomously Measures, Monitors and Controls
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed a “smart outlet” that includes four receptacles, each with voltage/current sensing; actuation (switching); a computer for implementing the…
Optical Computer Memory Chips Could Ease Internet Traffic
All-optical routers managing Internet traffic would be much more energy efficient than what we have today, but their development has been hindered by the lack…
New Approach to MEMS Design that Enables Engineers to Design 3-D Configurations
Researchers at MIT developed a MEMS device that enables 3-D sensing on a single chip by using a new design approach. Their new design method…
Researchers Focus on Development of Neural Control of Prosthetics for Amputees
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories are focusing on the development of biomaterials and peripheral nerves at the interface site between the nervous system and where…
Iridescent Butterfly Wing Properties to Lead to Better Thermal Imaging Cameras
Researchers studying the iridescent properties of butterfly wings think that this could help engineers develop temperature sensors that are smaller and faster. This technology could…
Drexel University Researchers to 3D-Print Dinosaur Bones
Researchers at Drexel University are planning to print robotic dinosaurs that have been cast from real fossils, in an effort to better understand them. Kenneth…
UCLA Engineers Develop Cell Phone Attachment for Detection of E. coli
Engineers at UCLA have developed a cost-effective cell-phone attachment that can detect the presence of the bacterium E. coli in food and water. FINDINGS: Researchers…
Researchers Develop Nano-Infused Oil
Researchers at Rice University have created a nano-infused oil that uses a very tiny amount of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) particles suspended in standard mineral…