[ad_1] The team calls their creation BILL-E, short for Bipedal Isotropic Lattice Locomoting Explorer — and, yes, it’s named after WALL-E. Each one looks like a small arm, with a hinge at the middle that gives the robot its signature inchworm-like gait. At both ends of the arm, BILL-E features tools for clamping down on […]
Category: Science
Floating LED art illustrates the quality of NYC’s water
[ad_1] A public website both provides the installation’s water data and explains its meaning to relative newcomers. It’s a commentary on the environment, but a “positive” one. The creators see it as a marker of the progress made in boosting water quality since 1972’s Clean Water Act. It’s also a reminder that water is a […]
Intel wants to use AI to reconnect damaged spinal nerves
[ad_1] The initial interface will use external computing hardware to interpret spine signals. In the long term, the collaborators would like a wholly implanted system to make the connection. This is something of a moonshot, and there’s no guarantee the project will end with a surefire solution for paralysis. It should still be useful even […]
NASA shares the odd sounds from its Mars seismometer
[ad_1] There’s also an indication of how Mars affects the seismometer itself. A third recording includes the “dinks and donks” from SEIS’ parts as they expand and contract in Mars’ more dramatic temperature changes. If the earlier clips were for bass heads, this is more for experimental sorts. It’s musique concrète from 140 million miles […]
Phone app detects eye disease in kids through photos
[ad_1] Scientists tested the app with nearly 53,000 photos of 40 children, half of whom had eye diseases. Out of those, the AI system spotted 16 instances an average of 1.3 years before doctors made a diagnosis. When retinoblastoma can start migrating to the brain in as little as six months after white eye becomes […]
Eco-friendly aluminum batteries might power solar and wind farms
[ad_1] Aluminum batteries still aren’t available outside of labs, and you shouldn’t expect this breakthrough to be available any time soon. They’re still half as energy-dense as lithium-ion cells, and the scientists are busy working on more effective electrolytes and charging systems. If aluminum does reach parity with lithium, however, it could lead to a […]
Algorithms help robot dogs trot more like real animals
[ad_1] Cameras and LiDAR are also present to help robots avoid collisions. This doesn’t require dramatic changes to the bots themselves, at least. The test units are Ghost Robotics designs augmented with sensors to test the new algorithms. The initial work has proven fruitful, but there’s a lot of work left before you could see […]
Searching for ancient cities from space
[ad_1] Archaeology from Space: How the Future Shapes Our Pastby Sarah Parcak When the Soviets sent Sputnik into orbit, they weren’t just kicking off the Space Race but ushering in an entirely new era for humanity. Suddenly the stars were within reach and we were afforded the clearest view in history of our home planet. […]
AI can gauge the risk of dying from heart conditions
[ad_1] The approach is based on the notion that greater variability between heartbeats reflects greater risk. Scientists trained the machine learning system using historical data for patient outcomes. If a patient survived, their heartbeats were deemed relatively normal; if a patient died, their heart activity was considered risky. The ultimate risk score comes by averaging […]
Color-changing smart skin gets an upgrade thanks to chameleons
[ad_1] Chameleons can change their colors thanks to photonic crystals in their skin. As they tense or relax their muscles, the light reflects in a different pattern, resulting in a change of color. The problem with synthetic color-changing skin is in the hydrogel that the photonic crystals are packed into: After expanding and contracting, the […]