Here’s some good news for all the Transformers fans out there: researchers at Harvard and MIT have been busy creating new smart material that can change its shape on command. Called “programmable matter by folding,” this nifty robotics project involves wiring flexible alloys and programming them to fold themselves into origami-like shapes.
The current prototype can fold itself into a boat or an airplane depending on the signal it receives – watch in this video [after the jump]:
Last year software engineers developed new ways for animators to mimic the movement of swaying trees, and this year another programmer has created a brilliant new physics engine.
The software, called Lagoa Multiphysics 1.0, was created by Thiago Costa, a programmer and technical director for Ubisoft games. Watch as it realistically simulates falling dirt, crumpling silks, and other animated marvels in the eye-popping demo above.
Meet Milo: the boy who can recognize your face, voice, and emotion; comment on the color of your shirt; or respond to your physical movements.
If you hand him a drawing, Milo will reach out, grab it, and comment on the drawing’s shape and color.
None of that may seem particularly unusual – except that Milo is a virtual creation, a milestone in gaming created by U.K. game designer Peter Molyneux.
Wouldn’t it be great if the pesky mice in your home would just disappear?
Well, if you’re talking about the mouse for your computer, then you’re in luck!
Researchers are about to unleash Mouseless, an invisible computer mouse that allows users to interact with a computer as usual – just without a physical mouse.
In science and engineering, sometimes the most creative inventions are the outcome of happy accidents. Such is the case with the Aqualux 3D, an innovative 3D display technology that resulted when researchers at Carnegie Mellon were attempting to improve the functionality of car headlights under rainy conditions. They discovered that layers of water could make the perfect medium for a truly 3-dimensional, interactive screen.
Meet 
