One of the hairier unintended consequences of cheap 3-D printing is that any troublemaker can duplicate a key without setting foot in a hardware store. But clever lockpickers like Jos Weyers and Christian Holler already are taking that DIY key-making trick a step further: They can 3-D print a slice of plastic or metal that opens even high-security locks in seconds, without even seeing the original key.

Weyers … Read More → "These 3-D printed skeleton keys can pick high-security locks in seconds"

Researchers from the University of São Paulo, in Brazil, and University of British Columbia, in Canada, have developed a spherical display that lets users see and interact with three-dimensional objects. In one demonstration, viewers have the sensation of staring into a snow globe that they can control with simple gestures from any angle.

The device, … Read More → "Spherical display lets you see 3-D animations from any angle"

When Microsoft and Skype revealed Skype Translator in May, everyone displayed awe and wonder at a service that could finally traverse the language barrier. The premise was that the Skype Translator app would convert speech in real time allowing fluid conversation between speaking partners … Read More → "How Skype Translator learns language from social media"

3D-printed implants just got one of their biggest real-world tests to date. Peking University Third Hospital has successfully implanted the first 3D-printed vertebra in a 12-year-old boy with cancer in his spinal cord. The bone substitute is made from titanium powder like many orthopedic implants, but promises to be both safer and longer-lasting than conventional replacements. Since it’s designed to mimic the shape of the child’s original vertebra, it doesn’t … Read More → "Boy gets the first 3D-printed vertebra implant"

Sleep tracking is one of the best features of the Jawbone Up fitness tracker, but it could serve a purpose beyond helping you feel less groggy in the morning. Jawbone’s data science team has collated the sleep information from last night in northern California — which was hit by its biggest earthquake in 25 years — and used it … Read More → "The Napa earthquake woke this many Jawbone Up wearers"

The Human Harp is a device that clips on to any urban or industrial structure that enables the user or “movician” to play it like a giant instrument! Attached to retractable strings, the user can adjust various characteristics of the structure’s voice by extending, plucking and moving about.
via Yanko Design

… Read More → "Human Harp: A device that allows you to “play” a bridge"

A great strength of 3D-printing in the field of medicine is the ability to provide low-cost, personalized implants molded to a patient’s anatomy. Researchers from Louisiana Tech University have now taken the technology one step further, loading these custom implants with cancer-fighting and antiobiotic compounds as a means of better targeted drug delivery.

The team’s research centered on current drug delivery … Read More → "3D-printed implants infused with medicine to enable more effective drug delivery"

“Yes, absolutely,” says Dr. Fumihide Tanaka, a professor at Tsukuba University in Japan, when asked if he thinks telepresence robots need arms…

After observing people interacting with robots for over 10 years, in multiple countries, Tanaka is convinced that robots with functional arms provide a better experience to users. “Arms and hands increase the opportunities for physical participation,” he says.

… Read More → "Do telepresence robots need arms?"

Welp. This is how it all begins. Bow on bended knee before your robot overlords. New research from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) shows (with science!) that when working in groups of three—two humans, one robot—us lowly bags of flesh and blood would rather the robot just take over.

Read More → "MIT scientists say humans would rather take orders from robots"

If you’ve always dreamed of making music but can barely tell the difference between a treble clef and an ampersand, all is not lost. A new app, called Geometric Music, requires no real musical skill beyond making sounds and understanding shapes…

The app works like ultra-simple sample-production software, allowing you to create layered beats. But while complex programs will drown you in buttons and knobs, … Read More → "A clever app that lets you make music with shapes"