Western Sydney University

Potentially eliminating the need for traditional machine components such as switches and power sources. Microvehicles and other devices that can change shape or move with no power source other than a beam of light may be possible through research led by the University of Pittsburgh. The researchers are investigating polymers that “snap” when triggered by

Composites are combinations of materials that produce properties inaccessible in any one material. A classic example of a composite is fiberglass — plastic fibers woven with glass to add strength to hockey sticks or the hull of a boat. Unlike the well-established techniques for producing fiberglass and other macroscale composites, however, there aren’t general schemes

Understanding obstacles to change key to timely adoption of technologies needed to address global problems; How the history of margarine and tractors can inform policy making Disruptive, transformative technologies are being introduced at an accelerating pace, fuelling opposition that impedes forms of innovation needed to meet profound challenges such as climate change, poverty and world

In a medical emergency, seconds count. But if the doctor needed is in another part of the hospital or even another part of town, then those seconds can stretch dangerously. If only the doctor could be in two places at once, then countless lives could be saved. This is one of the most promising applications

The system can construct its own network of tracks spanning tens of micrometres in length, transport cargo across the network and even dismantle the tracks. Tiny self-assembling transport networks, powered by nano-scale motors and controlled by DNA, have been developed by scientists at Oxford University and Warwick University. The system can construct its own network

American consumers gained considerable knowledge and power when a huge Medicare database was recently distributed to the public in easy-to-understand language. The data revealed what many patients have long suspected – hospitals charge Medicare tremendously different prices for the same procedures. According to The New York Times, for example, “in Saint Augustine, Fla., one hospital typically billed

Rice University computer scientists have adapted a widely used technique for rapid data lookup to slash the amount of computation — and thus energy and time — required for deep learning, a computationally intense form of machine learning. “This applies to any deep-learning architecture, and the technique scales sublinearly, which means that the larger the

Yan research team reports success with low-cost nickel-based catalyst Planes, Trains and Automobiles is a popular comedy from the 1980s, but there’s nothing funny about the amount of energy consumed by our nation’s transportation sector. This sector — which includes passenger cars, trucks, buses, and rail, marine, and air transport — accounts for more than

Potential applications include automobile body panels, the wing edges of airplanes, suitcases, helmets and cases for computers and other electronic devices. Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a new metallic bubble wrap that is lighter, stronger and more flexible than sheet metal and more heat- and chemical-resistant than plastic or other polymer-based bubble

In the future, a new type of tiny redox flow battery will supply tightly packed electronic components with energy, while also dissipating the heat they produce. Researchers at ETH Zurich and IBM Research Zurich have built a tiny redox flow battery. This means that future computer chip stacks – in which individual chips are stacked