Wood is the source for a brick-breaking mini robotic muscle material developed by researchers in Sweden and Germany. The material—a specially-developed hydrogel—can shape-shift, expand and contract on demand when controlled ...
Conical structures can have advantageous applications in a variety of fields, ranging from robotics to civil engineering. Studies have found that conical shells made of liquid crystal elastomer films can be effective lifters; ...
They number in the thousands, light striking the phalanx of lenses arrayed on a face in geometric pattern, the beams refracting through transparent mounds no wider than a hair.
A team of University of Waterloo researchers has created smart, advanced materials that will be the building blocks for a future generation of soft medical microrobots. They published their results in Nature Communications. ...
A team of researchers led by the University of California San Diego has developed soft yet durable materials that glow in response to mechanical stress, such as compression, stretching or twisting. The materials derive their ...
There's no doubt that exercise does a body good, including strengthening and toning our muscles. But how exactly does exercise make this happen?
Have you ever imaged high-resolution 3D structures at the micro/nanoscale that react dynamically to their surroundings? The 4D printing technology is changing the game by using smart materials that exhibit remarkable shape ...
Patterns of chemical interactions are thought to create patterns in nature such as stripes and spots. A new study shows that the mathematical basis of these patterns also governs how sperm tail moves.
The Great Lakes' frigid fresh water used to keep shipwrecks so well preserved that divers could see dishes in the cupboards. Downed planes that spent decades underwater were left so pristine they could practically fly again ...
Underwater "traffic" encompasses a fascinating variety of creatures, from fish with their graceful swimming postures to jet-propelled jellyfish and remoras hitching rides on other organisms. Among these, a remarkable species ...
