A new robotic prosthetic leg prototype offers a more natural gait while also being quieter and more energy efficient than other designs. The key is the use of new small and powerful motors, originally designed for a robotic arm on the International Space Station. The streamlined design offers a free-swinging knee and regenerative braking, which charges the battery with energy … [Read more...] about Space station motors make a robotic prosthetic leg more comfortable, extend battery life
Tech
New lithium battery charges faster, reduces risk of device explosions
Cell phone batteries often heat up and, at times, can burst into flames. In most cases, the culprit behind such incidents can be traced back to lithium batteries. Despite providing long-lasting electric currents that can keep devices powered up, lithium batteries can internally short circuit, heating up the device. Researchers at Texas A&M University have invented a … [Read more...] about New lithium battery charges faster, reduces risk of device explosions
Hammer-on technique for atomic vibrations in a crystal
Vibrations of atoms in a crystal of the semiconductor gallium arsenide (GaAs) are impulsively shifted to a higher frequency by an optically excited electric current. The related change in the spatial distribution of charge between gallium and arsenic atoms acts back on their motions via electric interactions. To hammer-on a guitar, a technique deployed by many rock guitarists, … [Read more...] about Hammer-on technique for atomic vibrations in a crystal
Ohio State power plant case pits clean energy technologies against each other
Barely / Flickr / Creative Commons The Sierra Club is seeking evidence that the university fully considered renewable alternatives before natural gas. A $290 million project that’s expected to shrink The Ohio State University’s carbon footprint by about a quarter is facing pushback from the Sierra Club, which wants to make sure the school evaluated cleaner … [Read more...] about Ohio State power plant case pits clean energy technologies against each other
Liquid metal synthesis for better piezoelectrics: Atomically-thin tin-monosulfide
RMIT-UNSW collaboration applies liquid-metal synthesis to piezoelectrics, advancing future flexible, wearable electronics, and biosensors drawing their power from the body's movements. Materials such as atomically-thin tin-monosulfide (SnS) are predicted to exhibit strong piezoelectric properties, converting mechanical forces or movement into electrical energy. This property, … [Read more...] about Liquid metal synthesis for better piezoelectrics: Atomically-thin tin-monosulfide