Check out our blog and newsletter next week to read more about the science behind motion capture technology and the exciting new wave of 3-D movies. In the mean time, here’s a fascinating glance behind the scenes at the upcoming movie Avatar:

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Filed under: Computer, e-News | Comments Off on Will “Avatar” Revolutionize 3-D Movies?

Tags: Computer, Entertainment, Movies

How would you like to turn your notebook paper into an instant battery? Now, thanks to researchers at Stanford, with a little carbon nanotube ink such a thing might be possible. Not only does the specially coated paper last longer and conduct electricity more efficiently than traditional lithium batteries, but it even works after being crumpled into a ball and soaked in acidic solutions.

Watch above as Yi Cui, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering, explains his creation. [Stanford News]

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Filed under: e-News, Electrical, Materials | 1 Comment »

Tags: Electrical, Materials, Technology

The 2009 International Robot Exhibition took place in Tokyo at the end of last month, and if there’s anything that stands out from the photos, it’s the incredible diversity across all aspects of the robots -including shape, size, material and function.

Motoman, an industrial robot that can work on an assembly line and swordfight. Meet more of the exhibition participants after the jump.

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Filed under: e-News, Electrical, Mechanical | 2 Comments »

Tags: Electrical, Mechanical, Robotics

If you ever wished to watch the Olympics on a plastic bubble in the sky, your dream may soon come true. A group of engineers, artists and architects, led by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have unveiled plans for a Digital Cloud that would seemingly hover over London.

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Filed under: Architectural, e-News | 2 Comments »

Tags: Architectural, Art, Green Technology, Olympics, Sports

SMOS over Earth – via ESA

As anyone who’s been caught in a sudden rainstorm can attest that predicting the weather can be dodgy business. Global warming has produced more erratic weather patterns, making this task even more difficult. Recent large-scale natural disasters, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, highlight the need for better climate-monitoring systems.

Fortunately, this past month the European Space Agency launched the Soil Moisture and Salinity (SMOS) probe, a $460 million satellite that promises to help predict floods and droughts across the globe.

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Filed under: Aerospace, Agricultural, e-News, Environmental, Mining | 5 Comments »

Tags: Aerospace, Agricultural, Environmental, Mining