Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI-P)

Engineers develop concept for hybrid heavy-duty trucks Heavy-duty trucks, such as the 18-wheelers that transport many of the world’s goods from farm or factory to market, are virtually all powered by diesel engines. They account for a significant portion of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, but little has been done so far to curb their climate-change-inducing

The case for 3D just got stronger with Panasonic announcing the release of the world’s first 3D consumer camera for the AVCHD standard. Panasonic has positioned itself at the forefront of 3D camcorder technology and this latest news is significant because previously available professional 3D models are far more expensive, and as a result have

The secret lies in the ankle. Walking is tricky business, as any toddler knows. And while most artificial feet and limbs do a pretty good job restoring mobility to people who have lost a leg, they have a ways to go before they equal the intricacy of a natural gait. As a result, over half

This small lab can already detect cocaine consumption, monitor colon cancer, identify bacteria in food and analyse environmental contamination Do you remember James Bond film Casino Royale? After being poisoned, the agent uses a portable diagnostic kit to identify the toxic substance and alert his HQ in London. Such type of technology is not fiction

Like a cowboy at a rodeo, NASA’s newest Earth-observing satellite, the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP), has triumphantly raised its “arm” and unfurled a huge golden “lasso” (antenna) that it will soon spin up to rope the best soil moisture maps ever obtained from space. Launched Jan. 31 from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base on

A group led by Australian of the Year, Professor Michelle Simmons, has overcome another critical technical hurdle for building a silicon-based quantum computer. Professor Michelle Simmons’ team at UNSW Sydney has demonstrated a compact sensor for accessing information stored in the electrons of individual atoms – a breakthrough that brings us one step closer to

Buoyed by promising results of a Phase I study demonstrating the safety of mesenchymal stem cell therapy to treat frailty in older adults, researchers at the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute (ISCI) at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have taken it a step further. Now Phase II randomized, placebo-controlled trial findings have verified

This technology could facilitate the use of self-powered flexible energy harvesters, not only prolonging the lifetime of cardiac pacemakers but also realizing real-time heart monitoring. As the number of pacemakers implanted each year reaches into the millions worldwide, improving the lifespan of pacemaker batteries has been of great concern for developers and manufacturers. Currently, pacemaker

Consider a future where trucks and buses continuously are supplied with electric power without carrying large batteries. Instead, power lines are built into the surface of the road. This could be a future solution for long-distance trucks and buses running on electricity. The Volvo Group already has extensive knowledge about electric drivetrains, but in order