Shanghai Ocean University

When Orlando Rios first started analyzing samples of carbon fibers made from a woody plant polymer known as lignin, he noticed something unusual. The material’s microstructure — a mixture of perfectly spherical nanoscale crystallites distributed within a fibrous matrix — looked almost too good to be true. “I thought, this looks like a material that

Several years ago, a joint team from Canada’s York, McGill and Dalhousie universities created AQUA, an underwater swimming robot. AQUA has six flippers, three on each side, and uses them to paddle through the water – it’s somewhat reminiscent of a platypus, albeit a six-legged one. Using a different set of appendages, it can even

We could see the next generation of gadgets become mainstream much quicker than we thought” A study, published today in Nature’s Scientific Reports, identifies a new technology which could see flexible electronics such as roll-up tablet computers, widely available in the near future. So far, this area of electronic design has been hampered by unreliability and complexity

How many great ideas does it take to make a positive impact on a community? Surprisingly the answer can be just one. That said, a single great idea often requires the efforts of dozens or more people to bring it into reality.  Identifying and leveraging the right resources are key to realizing great ideas anywhere, and

A hi-tech bracelet could soon be helping civil rights and aid workers at risk of being kidnapped or killed. When triggered, the personal alarm uses phone and sat-nav technology to warn that its wearer is in danger. Warnings are sent in the form of messages to Facebook and Twitter to rally support and ensure people

The most productive places on Earth for solar power are farmlands, according to an Oregon State University study. The study, published today in the journal Scientific Reports, finds that if less than 1% of agricultural land was converted to solar panels, it would be sufficient to fulfill global electric energy demand. The concept of co-developing the same

University scientists and academic organizations are uncharacteristically vocal about the government’s blunt preference for commercially applicable science Canada’s National Research Council is the country’s premier scientific institution, helping to produce such inventions as the pacemaker and the robotic arm used on the American space shuttle. But last year, its mission changed. The Canadian government announced

The minimally invasive technique could lead to advances in mapping the brain and treating neurological disease Scientists have used magnetism to activate tiny groups of cells in the brain, inducing bodily movements that include running, rotating and losing control of the extremities — an achievement that could lead to advances in studying and treating neurological

Could reduce the cost of RFID tagging to a fifth of current prices   Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are an essential component of modern shopping, logistics, warehouse, and stock control for toll roads, casino chips and much more. They provide a simple way to track the item to which the tag is attached. Now,