Magnetically responsive microtextured surfaces have the advantage of being controlled remotely (i.e., no contact is required) at ambient conditions and short response times. Previously, synchronized bending or twisting actuations ...
Hibernating astronauts could be the best way to save mission costs, reduce the size of spacecraft by a third and keep crew healthy on their way to Mars. An ESA-led investigation suggests that human hibernation goes beyond ...
Superelasticity is an elastic response to an applied external force that occurs via phase transformation. The resulting actuation of the materials is an elastic response to external stimuli, including light and heat. While ...
Inspired by the growth of bones in the skeleton, researchers at the universities of Linköping in Sweden and Okayama in Japan have developed a combination of materials that can morph into various shapes before hardening. ...
Grow a tomato inside a square box, and you'll end up with a square tomato. It's an experiment that shows clearly how confinement can influence a body's evolving shape.
Natural camouflage is one of nature's most interesting traits. Materials scientists have now developed a material that can mimic the camouflage capabilities of marine mollusks. They created a starfish-shaped soft robot that ...
It seems like science fiction: a flat object issues from the 3D printer, then starts to fold itself. Albeit in a limited way, 4D printing was already possible, but now TU/e researcher Marc del Pozo Puig has developed a smart ...
A new technology solution which will provide low-power systems for use in bionic eyes, has been jointly developed by academics from the Harbin Institute of Technology in China and Northumbria University.
The Smart Polymer Materials group led by Prof. Chen Tao at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has synthesized a supramolecular multicolor fluorescent ...
Engineers are developing the crucial hardware needed for a series of daring space missions that will be carried out in the coming decade.
