Fraunhofer Society

Oriol Cusola, a 29-year-old researcher from Lleida, has patented a new aqueous compound to functionalise or modify the properties of paper and any other cellulosic material. The compound uses natural enzymes instead of the traditional chemical reagents, is biodegradable, and involves no environmental impact. Most important, it is easily applicable in the production process and

One of the oddities of the current moment is that the country wants a radical change in government but not a radical change in policy. On the one hand, voters are completely disgusted with Washington. On the other hand, they have not changed their fundamental views on the issues. There has been some shift to

A portable imaging tool could change the way the medical community analyzes and understands the long-term effects of sports-related concussions. Research conducted by Humboldt State Kinesiology professor Rock Braithwaite has played a significant role in demonstrating the usefulness of computerized neurocognitive testing in determining the extent of the effects of concussion on cognition and performance

Pitt chemists demonstrate sensor technology that could detect and monitor diabetes through breath analysis alone Diabetes patients often receive their diagnosis after a series of glucose-related blood tests in hospital settings, and then have to monitor their condition daily through expensive, invasive methods. But what if diabetes could be diagnosed and monitored through cheaper, noninvasive

A team of researchers led by Dr Nazmul Karim and Prof Sir Kostya Novoselov at The University of Manchester have developed a method to produce scalable graphene-based yarn. Multi-functional wearable e-textiles have been a focus of much attention due to their great potential for healthcare, sportswear, fitness and aerospace applications. Graphene has been considered a potentially good material for these types of

An effective sail area that is as much as a million times bigger A sail formed not of material, but by electric fields reaching a diameter of 40 kilometers could tap the solar wind and propel the fastest man-made object ever It takes large quantities of rocket fuel to power space probes through the cosmos.

Whichever plane performed best would win its makers a prize of US$1.35 million Two years ago, aircraft designers were invited to build an electric airplane that could fly at least 200 miles (322 km) in under two hours, using less than one gallon (3.8 liters) of fuel per occupant – or the electrical equivalent. Whichever

Problems of anti-social behaviour, privacy, and free speech on social media are not caused by anonymity but instead result from the way technology changes our presence. That’s the startling conclusion of a new book by Dr Vincent Miller, a sociologist at the University and an expert on the information society and developing media. In contending

Image via Wikipedia The real and the digital worlds are converging, bringing much greater efficiency and lots of new opportunities, says Ludwig Siegele. But is it what people want? WHAT if there were two worlds, the real one and its digital reflection? The real one is strewn with sensors, picking up everything from movement to

Filters it and indicates whether or not it is safe to drink The lives of thousands of people in developing countries could be saved by a water filtration system designed by a Northern Ireland student that has struck gold at an international competition. Graeme Browne’s Brightwater invention collects rain water, filters it and indicates whether