Scientists discover new gene that prevents multiple types of cancer

A decades-old cancer mystery has been solved by researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL). “We not only found a critical tumor suppressor gene, but have revealed a master switch for a tumor suppressive network that means more targeted and effective cancer therapy in the future,” said CSHL Associate Professor Alea Mills, Ph.D. The study was published in the February issue of Cell.
(...)

more

Revealing secret intentions in the brain

Every day we plan numerous actions, such as to return a book to a friend or to make an appointment. How and where the brain stores these intentions has been revealed by John-Dylan Haynes from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences. For the first time they were able to “read” participants’ intentions out of their brain activity. This was made possible by a new combination of functional magnetic resonance imaging and sophisticated computer algorithms



Caption: Brain regions from which it was possible to “read out” peoples’ intentions. In specific regions fine-grained patterns of brain activity showed slight differences depending on whether a person was preparing to perform an addition or a subtraction. From activity patterns in the green regions it was possible to read out covert intentions before subjects began to perform the calculation. From the regions marked in red it was possible to read out intentions that were already being acted upon.Credit: Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin
(...)

more

Master switches found for adult blood stem cells

Scientists have found a set of “master switches” that keep adult blood-forming stem cells in their primitive state. Unlocking the switches’ code may one day enable scientists to grow new blood cells for transplant into patients with cancer and other bone marrow disorders.

The scientists located the control switches not at the gene level, but farther down the protein production line in more recently discovered forms of ribonucleic acid, or RNA. MicroRNA molecules, once thought to be cellular junk, are now known to switch off activity of the larger RNA strands which allow assembly of the proteins that let cells grow and function.
(...)

more

Super-thin membrane, 50 atoms thick, sorts individual molecules

A newly designed porous membrane, so thin it’s invisible edge-on, may revolutionize the way doctors and scientists manipulate objects as small as a molecule.

The 50-atom thick filter can withstand surprisingly high pressures and may be a key to better separation of blood proteins for dialysis patients, speeding ion exchange in fuel cells, creating a new environment for growing neurological stem cells, and purifying air and water in hospitals and clean-rooms at the nanoscopic level.
(...)

more

Mapping the Cancer Genome

Pinpointing the genes involved in cancer will help chart a new course across the complex landscape of human malignancies.

“If we wish to learn more about cancer, we must now concentrate on the cellular genome.” Nobel laureate Renato Dulbecco penned those words more than 20 years ago in one of the earliest public calls for what would become the Human Genome Project. “We are at a turning point,” Dulbecco, a pioneering cancer researcher, declared in 1986 in the journal Science. Discoveries in preceding years had made clear that much of the deranged behavior of cancer cells stemmed from damage to their genes and alterations in their functioning. “We have two options,” he wrote. “Either try to discover the genes important in malignancy by a piecemeal approach, or & sequence the whole genome.”
(...)

more

Carbon Nanotubes versus HIV

Researchers at Stanford University have added one more trick to carbon nanotubes’ repertoire of accomplishments: a way to fight the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Chemistry professor Hongjie Dai and his colleagues have used carbon nanotubes to transport RNA into human white blood cells that defend the body from disease, making the cells less susceptible to HIV attack.
(...)

more

Neural 'extension cord' developed for brain implants

A "data cable" made from stretched nerve cells could someday help connect computers to the human nervous system. The modified cells should form better connections with human tissue than the metal electrodes currently used for purposes such as remotely controlling prosthetics (see Brain implant enables mind over matter).

"The nervous system doesn't like nasty hard metal or plastic," says Doug Smith, who is developing the cell-based cable at the University of Pennsylvania, US. Nerve tissue can develop scarring or shrink away from contact with metal and other non-biological materials, he says.
(...)

more

IBM speeds chips with DRAM

In an upgrade that could improve chip performance for gamers and multimedia users, IBM plans to double the performance of its microprocessors in 2008 by using smaller, more efficient memory, according to a paper presented at the ISSCC (International Solid State Circuits Conference) trade show in San Francisco Wednesday.

IBM plans to use dynamic RAM (DRAM) instead of static RAM (SRAM) as the embedded memory cache built onto each chip. The change will allow each chip to store its data in one-third the area and use one-fifth the electricity for standby power, said Subramanian Iyer, director of 45-nanometer technology development at IBM.
(...)

more

The Era of Tera: Intel Reveals more about 80-core CPU

With no Spring Intel Developer Forum happening this year in the US, we turn to the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) for an update on Intel's ongoing R&D projects. Normally we'd hear about these sorts of research projects on the final day of IDF, these days presented by Justin Rattner, but this year things are a bit different. The main topic at hand today is one of Intel's Tera-scale computing projects, but before we get to the chip in particular we should revisit the pieces of the puzzle that led us here to begin with.
(...)

more

obot-driven cars on roads by 2030

Scientists are developing the next generation of robot-driven cars and predict they could be shuttling humans around by the year 2030, a conference was told.
The first wave of intelligent robot cars, capable of understanding and reacting to the world around them, will be tested this November in a competition run by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Scientists are developing vehicles which will not only be driven by robots independently, but will be able to operate in a simulated city environment.
(...)

more

Korea Is Inches Away From Developing Dream Semiconductor

Korean researchers are going all-out to develop semiconductors adopting the much-touted 10-nanometer _ about one-12,000th the thickness of a human hair _ design rule.
Flash memory cards using the ultra-slim technology will be able to store data equivalent to 6,400 years of a 40-page daily. But the 10-nanometer design rule is regarded as dream technology as it has been deemed as almost impossible to achieve.
(...)

more

Scientists map key landmarks in human genome

ana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers have developed a powerful method for charting the positions of key gene-regulating molecules called nucleosomes throughout the human genome. The mapping tool could help uncover important clues for understanding and diagnosing cancer and other diseases, the scientists say. Moreover, it may shed light on the role of nucleosomes in the process of “reprogramming” an adult cell to its original embryonic state, which is a critical operation in cloning.
(...)

more

The Incredible, Medical Egg

Genetically modified chickens that produce medicines in their eggs may be the drug factories of the future. The chicken egg has a storied history in medicine. Even today, millions of ordinary fertilized eggs are each punctured with a drill and injected with flu virus to make vaccines. Now, scientists at the same research institute that cloned Dolly the sheep have produced a genetically modified rooster whose female descendants lay eggs that produce medicines in place of a protein in egg whites.
(...)

more

Conceptualizing a cyborg

Investigators at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine describe the basis for developing a biological interface that could link a patient’s nervous system to a thought-driven artificial limb. Their conceptual framework - which brings together years of spinal-cord injury research - is published in the January issue of Neurosurgery.
(...)

more

Activation of brain region predicts altruism

Duke University Medical Center researchers have discovered that activation of a particular brain region predicts whether people tend to be selfish or altruistic.

“Although understanding the function of this brain region may not necessarily identify what drives people like Mother Theresa, it may give clues to the origins of important social behaviors like altruism,” said study investigator Scott A. Huettel, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center.
(...)

more

Video of RNAi in action

This superb video from Youtube explains the RNA interference mechanism that recently won the Nobel prize for its discovery. The original video is from the journal Nature.
(...)

more

Scientists discover new class of RNA

The last few years have been very good to ribonucleic acid (RNA). Decades after DNA took biology by storm, RNA was considered little more than a link in a chain–no doubt a necessary link, but one that, by itself, had little to offer. But with the discoveries of RNA interference and microRNAs, this meager molecule has been catapulted to stardom as a major player in genomic activity.

Now, a team of scientists led by David Bartel, a professor in MIT’s Department of Biology, has discovered an entirely new class of RNA molecules.
(...)

more

HP Engineers Defy Moore’s Law, New Nano-Chip Prototype in 2008

HP announced today that its research department came up with a breakthrough discovery, which could lead to the creation of field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) up to eight times denser.

The new FPGAs will use less energy for a given computation than those currently being produced.

Moreover, such chips could be built using the same sized transistors as those used in today’s FPGA design. This gives HP’s invention the advantage of making only small modifications to existing fabrication facilities for chip manufacturing.
(...)

more

Futuristic automated bus unveiled

A model of a futuristic driverless bus which promises to cut pollution and congestion has been unveiled.
Designers said the state-of-the-art bus will navigate the streets using magnets embedded in the road as markers.

Passengers will use their mobile phone to specify the pick-up point and destination of their journey.

A small model of the bus or "pod", developed by Capoco Design and the Royal College of Art, goes on show at London's Science Museum.
(...)

more

The RQ-8A Fire Scout

In February 2000, the United States Navy chose the RQ-8A Fire Scout as its vertical take-off and landing tactical unmanned air vehicle (VTUAV). Northrop Grumman-Ryan Aeronautical of San Diego was awarded an engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) contract for the Fire Scout, which would provide situational awareness and precision targeting support to the US Navy and Marine Corps. The Fire Scout program is being managed by the US Navy's PMA-263 Unmanned Vehicles Program Office at Patuxent River, Maryland.

In August 2005, Fire Scout was redesignated from RQ-8 to MQ-8 to reflect its multi-role capability, including the ability to deploy weapons.
(...)

more

Ethics dilemma in killer bots

WHEN science fiction writer Isaac Asimov developed his Three Laws of Robotics back in 1940, the first law was: "A robot may not harm a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm."

Asimov later amended the laws to put the needs of humanity as a whole above those of a single individual, but his intention was unchanged: that robots should be designed to protect human life and should be incapable of endangering it.

So reports out of Korea of newly developed guard robots capable of firing autonomously on human targets are raising concerns about their potential uses.
(...)

more

Nanowire producing bacteria form an electrically integrated community

Bacteria are ubiquitous in the earth’s surface, subsurface, fresh water, and oceanic environment. Bacteria are remarkable in that they are capable of respiring aerobically and anaerobically using a variety of compounds, including metals, as terminal electron acceptors. Metal reducing bacteria can significantly affect the geochemistry of aquatic sediments, submerged soils, and the terrestrial subsurface. Microbial dissimilatory reduction of metals is a globally important biogeochemical process driving the cycling of iron and manganese, associated trace metals, and organic matte. Microbial metal reduction is of significant interest among scientists who are researching remediation of environmental contaminants. However, little is known about the biochemical or molecular mechanisms underlying bacterial metal reduction. Conducting research with toxic metal reducing bacteria, researchers discovered that bacteria produce electrically conductive nanowires in response to electron-acceptor limitation. These findings could be used to bioengineer electrical devices such as microbial fuel cells.
(...)

more

Detecting Cell Death with Quantum Dots

By combining a quantum dot with a novel carrier of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) agent gadolinium, a team of investigators at the University of Maastricht, in The Netherlands, has developed a nanoparticle that can spot apoptosis, or programmed cell death, using both MRI and fluorescence imaging. Tests in animals showed that this nanoparticle can provide anatomical information using MRI and cellular level information using fluorescence imaging. Imaging programmed cell death in the body could provide an early indication that an antitumor therapy is indeed killing cancer cells.
(...)

more

Genes delivered by nanotechnology cut lung tumors

Using a combination of gene therapy and nanotechnology, scientists have cut the number of human non-small cell lung cancer tumors in mice by 75 percent, a new study shows.

In the study published in the Jan. 15, edition of Cancer Research, the researchers led by Dr. Jack Roth, professor and chair of the M. D. Anderson Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, used nanotechnology to deliver into cancer cells two genes that trigger programmed cell death, which are often shutdown when cells become mutated by cancer.
(...)

more

Homing nanoparticles pack multiple assault on tumors

Scientists have developed nanoparticles that seek out tumors and bind to their blood vessels, and then attract more nanoparticles to the tumor target. Using this system they demonstrated that the homing nanoparticle could be used to deliver a “payload” of an imaging compound, and in the process act as a clotting agent, obstructing as much as 20% of the tumor blood vessels.

These findings are pending publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and will be made available at the journal’s website during the week of January 8, 2007.
(...)

more

Wireless power gets recharged

At the Consumer Electronics Show next week, two companies--Arizona-based start-up WildCharge and Michigan-based Fulton Innovation--will demonstrate what are expected to be very different ways to give gadgets juice, sans wires.

The concept isn't new, and some of the same challenges--such as cost and size--that have prevented the technology from winning over manufacturers still remain. But executives at the companies, who won't say how much their recharging devices will cost, hope the sheer amount of mobile gadgets today could portend a different outcome.
(...)

more

World's Fastest Optical Chip

n his lab in Sunnyvale, CA, David Welch, cofounder of telecom startup Infinera, holds up a rigid two-­centimeter-wide strip featuring four patterned, gold-colored rectangles. It's made of indium phosphide, a semiconductor prized for its optical properties. The chip's simple appearance belies its complex engineering and gives little hint that it could be the key to cheaply supplying the bandwidth demanded by a YouTube-addicted world.
(...)

more

Laser Television

Watch out, plasma TV lovers. Later this year, ­Mitsubishi and Samsung could be selling TVs that use lasers to provide more, and more accurate, colors than other display technologies do. That even goes for plasma displays, which use electrically charged gases to cause materials called phosphors to glow.

Lasers have always been theoretically better, but until recently, lasers small enough to fit in displays or projectors were too weak to be practical. But Novalux, a company in Sunnyvale, CA, found that adding a crystal of lithium niobate to a gallium indium arsenide laser would boost its light output and change its wavelength from infrared to the red, green, or blue that are the building blocks of color displays. The lasers shine on arrays of thousands of micromirrors that flip back and forth thousands of times a second to combine the light into new colors of different intensities, says inventor Aram Mooradian, founder of Novalux and former head of the quantum electronics group at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory.
(...)

more

A Fast, Sensitive Virus Detector

Researchers at the University of Twente, in the Netherlands, have developed an ultrasensitive sensor that could potentially be used in a handheld device to, within minutes, detect various viruses and measure their concentration. The sensor could be used to quickly screen people at hospitals and emergency clinics to control outbreaks of diseases such as SARS and the bird flu. All it would take is a tiny sample of saliva, blood, or other body fluid.
(...)

more

Raising Consciousness

In 2003, 39-year-old Terry Wallis uttered his first word ("mom") in the 19 years since a car accident had left him with severe brain damage. He had spent much of the previous two decades in what neurologists call a minimally conscious state, somewhere in the gray area between coma and consciousness. In the years before his awakening, however, Wallis's family had noticed that he was growing more alert and responsive, occasionally nodding, grunting, or even crying, until one day he spontaneously started to speak. Though Wallis still has serious impairments in memory and movement, he continues to make remarkable gains.

No one knows what spurred Wallis's return to the waking world. But neurologist Nicholas Schiff is determined to find out. A researcher at the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, Schiff is one of a handful of scientists studying people like Wallis, patients who spend months or years seemingly unaware of the outside world and unable to communicate. Using new brain-imaging techniques, Schiff is hoping to better understand the complex nature of consciousness--and find ways to help treat the thousands of patients who suffer from severe consciousness disorders.
(...)

more

Barrel of DNA

Harvard University researchers have built a barrel-like structure, 30 nanometers in diameter, out of a long strand of DNA. The researchers studded the strand with short, specially designed snippets of DNA that can bind back to the strand, but only at specific spots. Strategic placement of the snippets caused the mole­cule to fold into different shapes. In the graphic at left (top left square), each circle represents a bird's-eye view of a standing double helix. After the snippets are placed, the molecule folds to create a sheet, which then curves around on itself, creating a double-walled barrel (other images). E. William Shih, a Harvard biologist and a leader in DNA architecture, who supervised the work, says such a device could someday be used to deliver drugs to specific tissues, but he concedes that "there's still quite a bit of work to be done."
(...)

more

Picking the Best Embryo from the Bunch

More and more of the thousands of women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) are asking their doctors for preimplantation genetic screening, a special type of embryo testing designed to weed out embryos with abnormal chromosomes. Such embryos are less likely to lead to successful pregnancies--they either fail to implant or miscarry, or if they do come to term, they can produce babies with disabilities such as Down's syndrome. Current screening techniques can only detect a subset of abnormal embryos, and doctors disagree about whether the screening substantially improves a patient's chance of pregnancy. But new screening technologies about to hit the market could change that, potentially bringing a big boost in IVF success rates.
(...)

more

Catching a Killer, With Help From a Camera

(...)
"There was blood on the sidewalk," said Howard Peterman, one of the first detectives to respond. "We looked around for evidence for weapons. No ballistic evidence. We looked up to see if she had jumped from the building. … [There was] no evidence to show us what had happened."

But Peterman noticed something else when he looked up — surveillance cameras mounted all around the post office.

Americans have grown accustomed to being filmed as part of their daily routines — cameras are commonplace at ATMs, convenience stores, gas stations and building lobbies.

It's not so unusual anymore for those cameras to catch criminals in the act. But as the number of surveillance cameras increases, it seems not even random crimes on deserted streets in the dark of night can escape.
(...)

more

Scientists create 3-D scaffold for growing stem cells

Stem cells grew, multiplied and differentiated into brain cells on a new three-dimensional scaffold of tiny protein fragments designed to be more like a living body than any other cell culture system.

An MIT engineer and Italian colleagues will report the invention-which may one day replace the ubiquitous Petri dish for growing cells-in the Dec. 27th issue of the PLoS ONE. Shuguang Zhang, associate director of MIT’s Center for Biomedical Engineering, is a pioneer in coaxing tiny fragments of amino acids called self-assembling peptides to organize themselves into useful structures. Working with visiting graduate student Fabrizio Gelain from Milan, Zhang created a designer scaffold from a network of protein nanofibers, each 5,000 times thinner than a human hair and containing pores up to 20,000 times smaller than the eye of a needle.
(...)

more

Buildup of damaged DNA in cells drives aging

The accumulation of genetic damage in our cells is a major contributor to how we age, according to a study being published today in the journal Nature by an international group of researchers. The study found that mice completely lacking a critical gene for repairing damaged DNA grow old rapidly and have physical, genetic and hormonal profiles very similar to mice that grow old naturally. Furthermore, the premature aging symptoms of the mice led to the discovery of a new type of human progeria, a rare inherited disease in which affected individuals age rapidly and die prematurely.
(...)

more

Researchers map out networks that determine cell fate

A two-step process appears to regulate cell fate decisions for many types of developing cells, according to researchers from the University of Chicago.

This finding sheds light on a puzzling behavior. For some differentiating stem cells, the first step leads not to a final decision but to a new choice. In response to the initial chemical signal, these cells take on the genetic signatures of two different cell types. It often requires a second signal for them to commit to a single cellular identity.

In the Aug. 25 2006 issue of Cell, the researchers, working with hematopoietic stem cells, which give rise to the many types of blood cells, show how “pioneer transcription factors” trigger the first step, pushing these stem cells towards this mixed lineage, midway between two related cell types — in this case between a macrophage and a neutrophil.
(...)

more

How does a zebrafish grow a new tail?

If a zebrafish loses a chunk of its tail fin, it’ll grow back within a week. Like lizards, newts, and frogs, a zebrafish can replace surprisingly complex body parts. A tail fin, for example, has many different types of cells and is a very intricate structure. It is the fish version of an arm or leg.

The question of how cold-blooded animals re-grow missing tails and other appendages has fascinated veterinary and medical scientists. They also wonder if people, and other warm-blooded animals that evolved from these simpler creatures, might still have untapped regenerative powers hidden in their genes.

People are constantly renewing blood components, skeletal muscles and skin. We can regenerate liver tissue and repair minor injuries to bone, muscle, the tips of our toes and fingers, and the corneas of our eyes. Finding out more about the remarkable ability of amphibians and fish to re-grow complex parts might provide the information necessary to create treatments for people whose hearts, spinal cords, eyes or arms and legs have been badly hurt.
(...)

more

Researchers demonstrate direct brain control of humanoid robot

A classic science-fiction scene shows a person wearing a metal skullcap with electrodes sticking out to detect the person’s thoughts. Another sci-fi movie standard depicts robots doing humans’ bidding. Now the two are combined, and in real life: University of Washington researchers can control the movement of a humanoid robot with signals from a human brain.

Rajesh Rao, associate professor of computer science and engineering, and his students have demonstrated that an individual can “order” a robot to move to specific locations and pick up specific objects merely by generating the proper brain waves that reflect the individual’s instructions.
(...)

more

The Mathematics of Cloaking

The theorists who first created the mathematics that describe the behavior of the recently announced "invisibility cloak" have revealed a new analysis that may extend the current cloak's powers, enabling it to hide even actively radiating objects like a flashlight or cell phone.

Allan Greenleaf, professor of mathematics at the University of Rochester, working with colleagues around the globe, has announced a mathematical theory that predicts some strange goings on inside the cloak—and that what happens inside is crucial to the cloak's effectiveness.
(...)

more

Longevity gene keeps mind sharp

A gene variation that helps people live to a ripe old age also appears to preserve memory and thinking power, US work suggests. The “longevity” gene alters the size of fatty cholesterol particles in the blood, making them bigger than normal.

This stops them causing the fatty build up in blood vessels that is linked with brain impairment, and deadly strokes and heart attacks, Neurology reports.
(...)

more

UK report says robots will have rights

The next time you beat your keyboard in frustration, think of a day when it may be able to sue you for assault. Within 50 years we might even find ourselves standing next to the next generation of vacuum cleaners in the voting booth.

Far from being extracts from the extreme end of science fiction, the idea that we may one day give sentient machines the kind of rights traditionally reserved for humans is raised in a British government-commissioned report which claims to be an extensive look into the future.
(...)

more

Photons trapped by trick of the light

Optical microchips that can store light for short periods of time before sending it on its way have been constructed for the first time by researchers at IBM in the US.

The work is an important breakthrough for chip designers who hope one day to use “optical buffers” in superfast processors that rely on photons instead of electrons for their processing power.
(...)

more

Snake-like Robot And Steady-hand System Could Assist Surgeons

Drawing on advances in robotics and computer technology, Johns Hopkins University researchers are designing new high-tech medical tools to equip the operating room of the future. These systems and instruments could someday help doctors treat patients more safely and effectively and allow them to perform surgical tasks that are nearly impossible today.
(...)

more

Japan's humanoid robots

HER name is MARIE, and her impressive set of skills comes in handy in a nursing home. MARIE can walk around under her own power. She can distinguish among similar-looking objects, such as different bottles of medicine, and has a delicate enough touch to work with frail patients.…
(...)

more

George Orwell Was Right: Spy Cameras See Britons' Every Move

It's Saturday night in Middlesbrough, England, and drunken university students are celebrating the start of the school year, known as Freshers' Week.

One picks up a traffic cone and runs down the street. Suddenly, a disembodied voice booms out from above:

"You in the black jacket! Yes, you! Put it back!'' The confused student obeys as his friends look bewildered.

"People are shocked when they hear the cameras talk, but when they see everyone else looking at them, they feel a twinge of conscience and comply,'' said Mike Clark, a spokesman for Middlesbrough Council who recounted the incident. The city has placed speakers in its cameras, allowing operators to chastise miscreants who drop coffee cups, ride bicycles too fast or fight outside bars.
(...)

more

Robot Deer Captures Poachers

This is hunting season in many American communities, and hunters have deer, elk, moose and wild turkey in their gun sights. But before heading out into the woods, they must get a license from their state government and follow rules that limit when and where they may hunt and how many animals they may shoot. Those who don't follow the rules -- hunting out of season, shooting from cars, at night-time with spotlights, or trespassing on private land -- find themselves 'stalked' by game wardens.

Poachers aren't easy quarry, yet more and more law enforcement officials are nabbing them with a special kind of game that just begs to be shot… something like a young deer with an impressive rack of antlers, standing peacefully along a country road.

After a while, a truck drives by, stops, then backs up. The deer turns its head towards the vehicle, and a rifle barrel emerges from the driver's window. A shot breaks the silence. As the ricochet dies away, two game wardens leap from the brush, surprising the poacher. "Game warden!" they yell, "Put the gun on the ground, put the gun on the ground!"

Amidst the commotion, the deer stands unfazed. You can't rattle a robo-deer, but you can be arrested for shooting one.
(...)

more

Biblio Tech

The new library at Chicago State University has one ironclad rule: No students allowed in these stacks – only robots. Every book, CD, and DVD in the school’s $38 million facility is tagged with a radio-frequency ID chip. When a borrowed item slides through the return slot, the system identifies and sorts it. Human librarians shelve post-1990 materials in the traditional stacks and drop older stuff into file-drawer-sized bins. From there, it’s all robots – tall, forklift-style machines that run on tracks and stow the materials in a three-story-high storage facility. No Dewey decimals? No problem. The computer knows where everything is and can hustle the correct bin to the circulation desk for checkout.
(...)

more

Robotic crawler detects wear in power lines

To your left runs a high-voltage power cable that is worn, but still physically sound. To your right runs a cable that looks identical, but damaged insulation means the cable is vulnerable to a short. Can you tell the difference?

Even most power companies don't know the weak points in their electrical grids. And although lights get turned on after a storm, the long-term effects of hurricanes, landslides or wind storms lie unnoticed. Now a robot can roll along the miles of cable, performing a utilities' equivalent of check-ups.
(...)

more

New research could lead to 'invisible' electronics

Imagine a car windshield that displays a map to your destination, military goggles with targets and instructions displayed right before a soldier's eyes or a billboard that doubles as a window.

Only in science fiction you say? Northwestern University researchers report that by combining organic and inorganic materials they have produced transparent, high-performance transistors that can be assembled inexpensively on both glass and plastics.
(...)

more

Will robots ever become just like humans?

We are getting very close to building an almost human-like robot. However, we will never be able to build a completely human-like robot since robots will never be able to biologically reproduce.

Other than this, theoretically, robots could look, act, think, and feel like humans in every way. There are only technical problems that need to be overcome in achieving this. Such technical problems are being overcome one by one.
(...)

more