The probe carries American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh‘s ashes (he discovered Pluto in 1930) and has been navigating the solar system using two computer systems: one is used for command and data handling while the other handles guidance and control. For safety reasons, each of the two systems is duplicated, leading to a total of four on-board processors.

One small step for … Read More → "MIPS goes to Pluto"

A man created a 3D scan of his own kidney to help the surgeons who were operating on him.

John Cousins had been giving a presentation to doctors about the future of 3D printing in the NHS when he collapsed and was taken to hospital.

After receiving images confirming he had a kidney stone, he used them to print a model used in the operation.

Mr Cousins said: “ … Read More → "Hospital patient’s 3D kidney model used in op"

Researchers working at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering claim to have produced a laboratory first by having grown human muscle tissue that contracts and reacts to stimuli. Electrical pulses, biochemical signals and pharmaceuticals have all been used to produce reactions in the tissue that show it behaves in the same way that natural human muscles does. As a result, laboratory grown tissue may soon provide researchers with the ability to study diseases and … Read More → "First contracting human muscle ever grown in laboratory"

Sepios is a four-finned swimming robot created by students at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technologyin Zürich that was inspired by the unique movements of cuttlefish. The cephalopod-esque ‘bot moves almost silently and requires no propeller, which can be harmful and stress-inducing to wildlife.

In comparison, Sepios’s propulsion system is almost silent. Its resemblance … Read More → "Sepios, a silent four-finned swimming robot inspired by the movement of cuttlefish"

Later this week, NASA’s New Horizons probe will finally be close enough to Pluto to begin observing the dwarf planet and its moons. Along with a bevy of scientific instrument, the probe has also been carrying a sentimental payload: a tiny tin of the ashes belonging to Clyde Tombaugh, also known as the man who discovered Pluto.

Read More → "New Horizons is carrying the ashes of Pluto’s discoverer to Pluto"

This week, researchers from the University of Cambridge and Stanford University released a study indicating that Facebook may be better at judging people’s personalities than their closest friends, their spouses, and in some cases, even themselves. The study compared people’s Facebook “Likes” to their own answers in a personality questionnaire, as well as the answers provided by their friends and family, and found that Facebook outperformed … Read More → "Why Facebook knows you better than your friends do"

Recently, I bellied up to a bar waiting for what seemed like an eternity to order my beer. It’s not that the place was busy, in fact the bartender was waiting for me. But I’d forgotten my glasses, so reading the tap list—hung high on the back wall—was slow going, even though it was written in six inch chalk letters. Just before I made my choice, … Read More → "Why does squinting help you see better?"

Stephen Hawking first met Gordon Moore, the cofounder of Intel, at a conference in 1997. Moore noticed that Hawking’s computer, which he used to communicate, had an AMD processor and asked him if he preferred instead a “real computer” with an Intel micro-processor. Intel has been providing Hawking with customized PCs and technical support since then, replacing his computer every two years.

Hawking lost his ability to … Read More → "How Intel gave Stephen Hawking a voice"

The University of Wisconsin’s Mechanical Engineering department is using its advanced selective laser sintering printer to make a wide range of intricate projects, including 3D music scores for the blind. The creation replaces Braille (which sometimes omits crucial details in music) with extruded versions of the same notes you see on regular sheets — you can interpret those arpeggios in the same way as any other performer, rather than learn a separate … Read More → "3D-printed music scores help the blind feel every note"

Sixteen-year-old Mohammad Sayed wanted more from his wheelchair. So he started hacking the thing.

Sayed is a student at NuVu, an experimental high school in Cambridge, Massachusetts where students learn practical skills through hands-on projects, and for one his projects, he used a 3-D printer to transform his wheelchair into something more useful. He and his classmates added a laptop tray and a canopy, and, most … Read More → "3-D Printing helped these teens build a smarter wheelchair"