November 22nd, 2009

The surgeons of tomorrow: Miniaturized robots that go inside you

Posted by Chris Jablonski @ 4:28 pm

Categories: Engineering & Innovation, Health & Medicine, Nanotechnology, Robotics

Tags: Bot, Robots, Emerging Technologies, Chris Jablonski

Before the advent of laparoscopic or keyhole surgery in the 70’s, operations such as a stomach bypass or gall bladder removal required large incisions and long periods for recovery. The next chapter further minimizes the invasiveness of surgical procedures via robots that are millimeters in size that infiltrate our bodies through the ears, eyes and lungs, to take tissue samples, deliver drugs, or install medical devices.

Brad Nelson, a roboticist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EHT) in Zurich, recently told New Scientist; “It’s not impossible to think of this happening in five years. I’m convinced it’s going to get there.”

Hurdles to overcome include the development of new mechanisms for propulsion and power supply on a miniature scale, which are also prerequisites to the loftier idea of nanoscale medical robots swimming in our bloodstream.

Read the rest of this entry »

November 12th, 2009

Top three Star Trek-style holodeck experiences

Posted by Chris Jablonski @ 12:24 am

Categories: Computers & Internet, Energy & Environment, Engineering & Innovation, Health & Medicine, Nanotechnology, Science & Nature, Space & Aerospace

Tags: User Interaction, 3D, Pixel, StarCAVE, Audio System, Tech Spec, Projectors, Virtual Reality, Hardware, Components

Surround 3D TV is making its way to your living room. To get a sense of what it may look and sound like, look no further than the cutting edge of virtual reality taking shape at academic research centers outfitted with world class data visualization facilities. In this post, we’ll take a look at three (ok, four) of the most remarkable scientific visualization technologies.

Allosphere: University of California, Santa Barbara

The AlloSphere is a spherical space in which immersive, virtual environments allow researchers to convert large data sets into experiences of sight and sound. For example, it allows researchers to “fly” through a hydrogen atom while hearing sonified features of the wavefunction of its single electron to help describe invisible processes of nature.

The facility consists of a 30-foot diameter sphere built inside a 3-story cube that’s nearly echo-free. Inside the chamber are two spherical hemispheres that are constructed of perforated aluminum designed to be optically opaque and acoustically transparent. A 7-foot-wide bridge runs across the center, supporting the users. High-resolution video projectors can project images across the entire inner surface enabling seamless stereo-optic 3D projection.

The Allosphere has more than 500 audio components that hang suspended in rings just outside the aluminum shell and are connected to multiple Gigabit Ethernet LAN fibers that lead to a server farm consisting of seven Hewlett Packard 9400 workstations (as of April 2009).

Read the rest of this entry »

October 25th, 2009

Carbon nanotubes: Great for agriculture, but for humans?

Posted by Chris Jablonski @ 11:10 pm

Categories: Engineering & Innovation, Health & Medicine, Nanotechnology, Science & Nature

Tags: Agriculture, Nanotube, Carbon Nanotube, Health Care, Seed, Nanotechnology, Emerging Technologies, Chris Jablonski

In what can eventually kick up a firestorm similar to the genetically modified food controversy, the emerging field of “nano-agriculture” is making headlines.  It involves the use of nano-particles — wisps 1/50,000th the width of a human hair — in agriculture and could have beneficial affects for crops, say scientists.

Tomato seeds exposed to carbon nanotubes (right) sprouted and grew faster than unexposed seeds. (Credit: The American Chemical Society)

University of Arkansas researchers report that tomato seeds exposed to carbon nanotubes (CNTs) germinated faster and grew into larger, heavier seedlings than other seeds. That growth-enhancing effect could be a boon for biomass production for plant-based biofuels and other agricultural products, they suggest.

Considerable scientific research is underway to use nanoparticles — wisps 1/50,000th the width of a human hair — in agriculture. The goals of “nano-agriculture” include improving the productivity of plants for food, fuel, and other uses.

The scientists report the first evidence that CNTs penetrate the thick outer coating of seeds, and support water uptake inside seeds, a process which can affect seed germination and growth of tomato seedlings.The nanotube-exposed seeds sprouted up to two times faster than control seeds and the seedlings weighed more than twice as much as the untreated plants.

Read the rest of this entry »

October 13th, 2009

Resilient cockroach-inspired robot survives large falls, dashes off

Posted by Chris Jablonski @ 10:12 pm

Categories: Energy & Environment, Engineering & Innovation, Nanotechnology, Robotics, Science & Nature

Tags: IEEE Spectrum, Robots, Emerging Technologies, Chris Jablonski

IEEE Spectrum writes of a small resilient robot created by Paul Birkmeyer and Prof. Ronald Fearing at the Biomimetic Millisystems Lab at UC Berkeley.

Aptly called DASH (Dynamic Autonomous Sprawled Hexapod), the six-legged insect-inspired robot can reach speeds of 1.5 meters per second and is flexible/strong enough to be dropped from a height of 28 meters without breaking. A single DC motor powers the legs and a small servomotor to slightly deform the robot’s body, allowing it to make turns.

DASH was created using a fabrication process called smart composite microstructures, or SCM. Developed by UC Berkeley researchers, the process is quick, inexpensive, and purpose-built for the design challenges of microrobots.

SCM allows for complicated, functional folded structures that move using elastic deformation rather than through the use of traditional mechanical elements like pin joints or bearings. It integrates large flexible joints, created by a laser micro-machining and lamination, with novel actuators. The result is a robot made up of composite materials that can not only withstand a drop from a tall building, but also immediately dash off, undamaged.

DASH is but one of several ongoing projects underway at the Biomimetic Millisystems Lab. For instance, check out the synthetic gecko adhesive which cleans itself during use, as the natural gecko does. Or the Micromechanical Flying Insect (MFI) Project, an effort to develop a 25 mm (wingtip-to-wingtip) device capable of sustained autonomous flight.

Among the goals of the researchers is to; “Harness features of animal manipulation, locomotion, sensing, actuation, mechanics, dynamics, and control strategies to radically improve millirobot capabilities.”

October 10th, 2009

Researchers replicate butterfly wings on a nano-scale

Posted by Chris Jablonski @ 10:18 pm

Categories: Energy & Environment, Engineering & Innovation, Nanotechnology, Science & Nature

Tags: Technique, Butterfly, Researcher, Replica, Productivity, Chris Jablonski

A cross-national team of researchers have developed a technique to replicate biological structures, such as butterfly wings, on a nano-scale.

The new bio-material could be used to make optical devices, such as optical diffusers for solar panels or coverings that maximize solar cell light absorption.

Researchers from the State University of Pennsylvania and the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Spain developed a fabrication technique to develop wings at the nano-scale level that could replicate the optical responses of butterfly wings. The replicas contain light emitting properties similar to those of insects, mimicking the colors, iridescence (the ability to change colors depending on the angle) and the metallic appearance which is visible with a changing viewing angle. Read the rest of this entry »

September 29th, 2009

Researchers give brain implants a nanotube coat to boost performance

Posted by Chris Jablonski @ 10:50 pm

Categories: Engineering & Innovation, Health & Medicine, Nanotechnology

Tags: Electrode, Nanotube, Researcher, Brain, Performance, Biomedical, Nanotechnology, Emerging Technologies, Chris Jablonski

Microelectrodes implanted in the brain are increasingly being used to treat neurological disorders, but robust and reliable chronic application of neural electrodes remains a challenge.

Scientists at University of Michigan have created brain implants tested in rats that can more clearly record signals from surrounding neurons. The findings could eventually lead to more effective treatment of neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and paralysis.

The newly developed brain implants use nanotubes coated with PEDOT, which is a bio-compatible and electrically conductive polymer that has been shown to record neural signals better than conventional metal electrodes.  The coating allows the electrodes to operate with less electrical resistance than current metal electrode sites, which means they can communicate more clearly with individual neurons.

This illustration depicts neurons firing (green structures in the foreground) and communicating with nanotubes in the background. (Credit Mohammad Reza Abidian)

Read the rest of this entry »

September 27th, 2009

New type of 'excitonic' computer a step closer to commercial viability

Posted by Chris Jablonski @ 9:01 pm

Categories: Computers & Internet, Nanotechnology, Science & Nature

Tags: Team, Integrated Circuit, Electron, Computing, Computer, Team Management, Semiconductors, Management, Hardware, Chris Jablonski

The physicists at UC San Diego that a year ago created the first integrated circuit using particles called excitons, now have discovered a technique that allows for operation at commercially cold temperatures.

This brings the possibility of a new type of extremely fast computer based on excitons closer to reality. When commercialized, the technology could speed computing and communications by better integrating electronic circuits and optical data communications.

Alex High and Aaron Hammack adjust the optics in their UCSD lab (Credit: UCSD)

Read the rest of this entry »

September 20th, 2009

Scientists lay groundwork for an ac-driven quantum motor

Posted by Chris Jablonski @ 10:13 pm

Categories: Engineering & Innovation, Nanotechnology

Tags: Team, Atom, Quantum, Motor, Team Management, Management, Chris Jablonski

The smallest electric motor could be built from just two ultracold atoms moving in a ring by lasers, according to researchers at University of Augsburg, Germany.

In their latest paper, Alexey Ponomarev, Sergey Denisov, and Peter Hänggi detail the working principles of a theoretical idea for the smallest possible quantum machine and demonstrate that it is able to perform useful work.

The motor consists of one neutral (the starter) atom and one charged (the carrier) atom trapped in a ring-shaped optical lattice, or “bracelet”. Once a magnetic field is applied, the charged atom feels the magnetic flux and moves–but yields no net motion. When placed in the same well of the lattice, like two eggs in the same compartment of a carton, the neutral atom provides a kick to the carrier atom. This kick causes the carrier atom to jump from one site in the lattice to the next, resulting in net movement around the ring.

Read the rest of this entry »

September 8th, 2009

An electrical circuit that runs entirely off power in trees

Posted by Chris Jablonski @ 10:51 pm

Categories: Energy & Environment, Engineering & Innovation, Nanotechnology, Science & Nature

Tags: Tree, Team Management, Management, Chris Jablonski

You’ve probably already heard of the idea of harvesting electricity from body heat to power small devices, such as those in the far-flung idea of a body area network. Now, a similar idea has been applied to trees. There’s enough power in trees for University of Washington researchers to run an electronic circuit, according to results to be published in an upcoming issue of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Transactions on Nanotechnology.  They found that the power is minuscule, but measurable, and enough to power circuits.

This custom circuit can store up enough voltage from trees to run a low-power sensor. Credit: University of Washington

Read the rest of this entry »

September 3rd, 2009

'NanoPen' to write a new chapter in nanotech manufacturing

Posted by Chris Jablonski @ 12:29 am

Categories: Engineering & Innovation, Nanotechnology

Tags: Technique, Researcher, Nanoparticle, Manufacturing, NanoPen, Nanotechnology, Productivity, Semiconductors, Emerging Technologies, Hardware

Among the top challenges facing the commercialization of nanotechnology is to produce a high volume of nano-scale components cheaply and efficiently.  To help meet the challenge, UC Berkeley researchers are reporting the development of a “NanoPen” that could provide a quick, convenient way of laying down patterns of nanoparticles — from wires to circuits — for making tiny electronic devices, medical diagnostic tests, and other nanotech applications.

In a report published in ACS’ Nano Letters, Ming Wu and his colleagues point out that there are already several different methods for producing patterns of nanoparticles (1/50,000th the width of a human hair), but those techniques tend to be too complex and slow. One such printing technique is called optical lithography, but it is already reaching its physical limits.

Read the rest of this entry »