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]
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.
Today the AP reports that “a robotic hand has been successfully connected to an amputee, allowing him to feel sensations in the artificial limb and control it with his thoughts,” thanks to a group of Italian engineers. The “LifeHand” experiment lasted over a month and is a significant step forward in the sphere of prosthetic limbs. [AP]
For more on robotic limbs, read about the work of Yoky Matsuoka.
Just eight years ago, the people of William Kamkwamba’s village in Malawi, Africa were experiencing a devastating famine. William, 14 years old at the time, was forced to drop out of school because his family could no longer afford to pay for his education (approx. $80 a year). So what did William do? Like any good engineer, he began to research and look for creative solutions.
Anna Kornfeld Simpson, a high school senior from California, won top prizes at the California State Science Fair with her chemical-detecting LEGO robot. It took her over two years of research to develop the complex circuitry required to make the robot work. You can read her story on the National Science Foundation website.
