University of Oklahoma’s robotic exoskeleton for babies does two things: (1) make the kiddos look like tiny Dr. Octopuses and (2) help prevent cerebral palsy. The motorized device has power steering that gives babies at risk of the illness a little push needed to be able to move and crawl like their peers can. See, the condition can be caused brain … Read More → "Robotic exoskeleton for babies can help prevent cerebral palsy"

The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC wants a beer scholar on staff to explore and explain beer in American life. The Washington City Paper quotes curator Paula Johnson:

“We have collected food history for many years, so when we were doing the research for the exhibition, which is all about big changes in the post WW II era in … Read More → "The Smithsonian is hiring a beer historian"

Researchers at Aalto University have come up with an inexpensive inkjet-printed solar cell that can be made into text or images. Designed to be used with low-power devices, it has already shown performance and durability comparable to that of existing organic dye solar cells.

The cell is formed by inkjet printing a concentrated dye solution on a titanium oxide film, which … Read More → "Inkjet printed solar cell turns your portrait into a power source"

Over 17,000 solar cells line its wings, supplying a series of electric motors and charging four on-board lithium batteries. It’s designed to be entirely solar-powered, and, thanks to those batteries, able to fly through day and night.

Solar Impulse’s journey started in March of last year, and this baby has hit … Read More → "Solar Impulse becomes first plane to go around the world using solar power"

Researchers from Germany’s University of Bielefeld presented their OUROBOT, a “Self-Propelled Continuous-Track-Robot for Rugged Terrain,” at the recent IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. From their technical paper:

Adapting the concept of continuous tracks that are propelled and guided by wheels, a self-propelled continuous-track-robot has been … Read More → "See this odd “ouroboros” robot roll right along"

Medical researchers have been able to restore partial vision in mice by regenerating previously severed optic-nerve cables. It’s the first time researchers have succeeded in restoring important aspects of vision in mammals, and the breakthrough could lead to future work that restores sight in the blind.
via Gizmag

Read More → "Regenerating connections between eye and brain restores vision in mice"

If there was any doubt in your heart that the people at NASA were a bunch of nerds, here’s the evidence that proves otherwise…

The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) announced Friday that Groot and Rocket the Raccoon will be featured on a mission patch that will represent all payloads that will head to the national … Read More → "NASA will put Rocket Raccoon and Groot on its new mission patch"

Explicit bragging and self-congratulation used to be a phenomenon of rap music. Now, according to a study conducted by University of Michigan-Dearborn psychology professors Pamela McAuslan and Marie, Waung it’s pervasive in all popular genres. The Pacific Standard describes their research method:

McAuslan and Waung analyzed the lyrics of the top 100 songs from the years 1990, 2000, and 2010, as compiled by Billboard magazine. (Its ratings are based on sales, streaming, radio airplay, and “audience impressions.”) Coders … Read More → "Study: Music is becoming more narcissistic"

IntelligentX is a beer you don’t necessarily need to love on the first go. That’s because it evolves with every batch based on customer feedback, as Smithsonian reports. Billed as the “world’s first beer brewed by artificial intelligence,” it uses a Facebook messenger bot to incorporate customer preferences into new batches of beer, … Read More → "This beer was designed by artificial intelligence"

Australia, we hear, is a big place. All that space is nice to have if you’re raising cattle, except for the fact that you’ve got to keep track of them all somehow. For ranchers, this is a lot of work, and for cattle, it means that they don’t get checked on very regularly. This would be a good opportunity for robots to … Read More → "SwagBot to herd cattle on Australian ranches"