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In less than a second a sandfish lizard can dig its way into the sand and disappear. The sandfish's slithering moves are inspiring new robotic moves that could one day help search and rescue crews find survivors in piles of rubble left from disasters. With support from the National Science Foundation, physicist Daniel Goldman and his team at Georgia Tech are studying the lizard’s movements, using x-rays to track it underground. Their findings will contribute to engineering designs for deployable robots that could one day help canine search and rescue teams find survivors more quickly.
(Source: DCMP)
While it is relatively straightforward to build a box on the macroscale, it is much more challenging at smaller micro and nanometer length scales. At those sizes, 3D structures are too small to be assembled by any machine and they must be guided to assemble on their own. With support from the National Science Foundation, Brown University mathematician Govind Menon and Johns Hopkins University chemical and biomolecular engineer David Gracias are developing self-assembling 3-D micro and nanostructures which can be used in a number of applications, including medicine.
Kathy Blake is blind but two years ago she got a glimmer of hope. She heard about an artificial retina being developed by a company called Second Sight and the Doheny Eye Institute in Los Angeles. It was experimental, but Kathy was the perfect candidate. With funding from the National Science Foundation, a camera is built into a pair of glasses, sending radio signals to a tiny chip in the back of the retina. The chip, small enough to fit on a fingertip, is implanted surgically and stimulates nerves that lead to the vision center of the brain.
Timeblazers Sam and Jen go back to a time when ancient Chinese civilizations were using cowrie shells as currency and when buying a water buffalo meant coughing up the animal's weight in coins. They flash forward to the 1800s, when goods could be purchased in exchange for beaver pelts. Then to the middle of the 1400s, when "gold fever" gripped the imaginations of explorers who dreamed of finding the fabled city of El Dorado, but it was the California gold strike in 1849 that brought more than 50,000 prospectors to the West in search of easy riches.
Bilge Mutlu, a computer scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison knows a thing or two about the psychology of body language. With support from the National Science Foundation, Mutlu and his fellow computer scientist, Michael Gleicher, take a gaze into the behavior of humans and create algorithms to reproduce it in robots and animated characters. Both Mutlu and Gleicher are betting that there will be significant benefits to making robots and animated characters look more like humans.
With support from the National Science Foundation, aerospace engineer Michael Philen and his team at Virginia Tech are investigating the biomechanics of fish locomotion, in hopes of contributing to the next generation of robotic fish and underwater submersibles. They’re studying how fish use their muscles to swim efficiently and execute underwater maneuvers, such as darting around in perfectly synchronized schools. They’re also developing new smart materials, such as a bioengineered hair that is modeled after the hair cell sensors on the side of fish that allow it to detect minute changes in water flow. Part of the National Science Foundation Series “Science Nation.”
Preserving the environment and developing agricultural products that do not harm unintended targets are top priorities for many scientists and farmers. It’s a new era of crop management known as precision agriculture. It maximizes productivity while minimizing energy use and environmental impacts. One of the major challenges being addressed by precision agriculture is over-fertilization. Support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) has led to the development by startup SupraSensor Technologies of a novel sensor to detect nitrate fertilizer in soil. The SupraSensor device is designed to give farmers a highly accurate, virtually constant stream of data on nitrate levels. Part of the National Science Foundation Series “Science Nation.”
With support from the National Science Foundation, mechanical and computer engineer Nilanjan Sarkar and psychologist Zachary Warren at Vanderbilt University have developed a learning environment for kids with autism, built around state-of-the-art technologies. One of those state-of-the-art technologies is a humanoid robot, nicknamed Russell, who works with the children on their ability to imitate others. The robot has some of the characteristics of a human, but it’s not as complex, so it doesn’t overstimulate or overwhelm a child with autism.
One of the major challenges in robotics is designing robots that can move over uneven, loose, or unexpected terrain. With support from the National Science Foundation, computer engineer Luther Palmer and his team at the Biomorphic Robotics Lab at the University of South Florida are designing computer simulation models for the next generation of robotic legs, and then building them in the lab. The team studies the biomechanics of animals adept at running on rough ground to program the algorithms that power their computer simulations. Part of the National Science Foundation Series “Science Nation.”
Kit Parker is a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve and has served multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan. Even when he’s not in uniform, this Harvard University bioengineer makes it his mission to protect the men and women of the U.S. armed forces. Parker and his team are developing next-generation nanofibers at the Harvard Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC). The unlikely inspiration for Parker’s team is none other than the cotton candy machine. They use their own version of that technology to spin a wide range of polymers, both natural and synthetic, into new fabrics and materials for military use. Part of the National Science Foundation Series “Science Nation.”
Third in the series of three productions designed to let students learn by doing, guiding them through the science and history behind the Wright Brothers' invention of powered flight. This third component contains the same "how to" segments from the second in the series (13692) and parts of the history and scientific concepts from the first in the series (13691). However, it also provides greater ease and flexibility in locating, reviewing, and pausing in and between segments than the other two productions in the series. Good for sharing with students to aid them as they build and experiment with kites, gliders, and rubber-band-powered planes.
Timeblazers Sam and Jen meet some geniuses of the past, including Nicholas Copernicus, the first to map out the Solar System; William Shakespeare and his magnificent Globe Theatre; Benjamin Franklin, a great inventor, printer, and philosopher; Thomas Edison, who invented the first practical incandescent light bulb; Eratosthenes, who used a stick to figure out the size of the earth and that the planet was round; Plato, a great philosopher and thinker; Jean-Francois Champollion, who unlocked the mystery of the Rosetta Stone; Magellan, who was the first to sail around the world; and the "Renaissance Man," Leonardo da Vinci.
Vanderbilt University researchers say they're working to unleash an insect repellent on mosquitoes that’s more powerful than DEET. The discovery could one day be effective in reducing the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria. It's based on a mosquito's sense of smell. With support from the National Science Foundation, Vanderbilt University biologist Laurence Zwiebel researched which mosquito genes are linked to odor reception. He discovered a separate odor sensor on a mosquito's antennae. According to Zwiebel, mosquitoes use odor sensors to sniff out humans and other tasty animals to bite. The new insect repellent compound takes advantage of his discovery by overwhelming the mosquito’s odor sensors to the point that they can't smell anything else and get scared away.
With support from the National Science Foundation, Liangfang Zhang and his team at UC-San Diego have created a nanosponge to combat drug-resistant infections, such as those caused by Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The nanosponge, made from biocompatible, biodegradable polymer nanoparticles, is camouflaged with a red blood cell membrane. It circulates in the bloodstream, absorbing the toxins produced by infection. Once the nanosponges are fully loaded with toxins, they are safely disposed of by the liver. They are designed to work with any type of infection or poison that attacks the cellular membrane. Part of the National Science Foundation Series “Science Nation.”
The image of a rat sniffing around for food with its little whiskers moving back and forth to help satisfy its appetite is enough to make most people lose theirs. But those whiskers play a valuable role in helping rats determine what is in the environment around them. With support from the National Science Foundation, Mitra Hartmann and colleagues at Northwestern University in Chicago are constructing whiskered robots that can detect and then project three-dimensional virtual images of objects on to a computer screen. Scientists here don't think it's so far-fetched that one day robotic rovers, much like the ones on Mars now, might contain a set of whiskers to help them navigate the terrain around them.
Go into any grocery store and cameras may be watching you. These cameras are not looking for thieves, they’re looking for shoppers. The cameras are focused on the tops of peoples’ heads (so it’s anonymous), but they don’t have to see faces to track which store aisles get the most traffic and how long consumers spend looking over products. With support from the National Science Foundation, computer scientist and CEO of VideoMining Rajeev Sharma and his team have designed software that automatically generates statistics about in-store shopping behavior. These statistics can provide valuable insights for supporting critical decisions in store layout design, merchandising, marketing, and customer service. Sharma’s team has developed similar technology to help caregivers monitor the elderly.
Water is used by everyone, and in the process, a lot of it goes to waste. Whether it goes down drains, sewers, or toilets, much of it ends up at a wastewater treatment plant where it undergoes rigorous cleaning before it flows back to the environment. The process takes time, money and a lot of energy. What if that wastewater could be turned into energy? It almost sounds too good to be true, but environmental engineer Bruce Logan is working on ways to make it happen. With support from the National Science Foundation, Logan and his team at Penn State University are taking the idea a step further. They are developing microbial fuel cells to channel the bacteria's hard work into energy.
A shark attack survivor now knows what it feels like to be part bionic man. 23-year-old amputee Craig Hutto has volunteered to help test a state-of-the-art prosthetic leg with powered knee and ankle joints. With support from the National Science Foundation and continued support from the National Institutes of Health, Vanderbilt University mechanical engineer Michael Goldfarb has spent several years developing the leg, which operates with special sensors, an electric motor, a battery, and computer technology. Sensors monitor the user's motion and microprocessors figure out what the person is trying to do. Goldfarb says the powered leg reduces the lag time between a real leg and a prosthetic one. Hutto confirms that the powered prosthetic is much better at anticipating his next move.
Some bandages are embedded with medicine to treat wounds, but researchers at Harvard University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have something much more sophisticated in mind for the future of chronic wound care. With support from the National Science Foundation, engineer Ali Khademhosseini and a multidisciplinary team are bringing together advances in sensors, biomaterials, tissue engineering, microsystems technology, and microelectronics to create “smart bandages” for wounds that require ongoing care. The devices, known collectively as flexible bioelectronics, will do much more than deliver medicine. They will be able to monitor all the vital signs of the healing process and make adjustments when needed, as well as communicate the information to health professionals who are off-site.
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Resources related to vision
A collection containing 12 resources, curated by Charles LaPierre
