Cybernetics and Robotics News

Will bubble-powered microrockets zoom through the human stomach?

Friday, February 10, 2012 00:00 MST

Scientists have developed a new kind of tiny motor -- which they term a "microrocket" -- that can propel itself through acidic environments, such as the human stomach, without any external energy source, opening the way to a variety of medical and industrial applications. Their report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society describes the microrockets traveling at virtual warp speed for such devices. A human moving at the same speed would have to run at a clip of 400 miles per hour.

Smallest tools could give biggest results in bone repair

Wednesday, February 08, 2012 00:00 MST

When William Murphy works with some of the most powerful tools in biology, he thinks about making tools that can fit together. These constructions sound a bit like socket wrenches, which can be assembled to turn a half-inch nut in tight quarters, or to loosen a rusted-tight one-inch bolt using a very persuasive lever.

Researchers find social robots require astute tuning to improve acceptability by the human mind

Tuesday, February 07, 2012 00:00 MST

The future of social robotics requires meeting the expectations of the human brain, as well as keenly respecting the subtle complexities of both verbal and nonverbal communication.

First-of-its-kind head patch monitors brain blood flow and oxygen

Sunday, February 05, 2012 00:00 MST

A research team led by investigators at Mayo Clinic in Florida has found that a small device worn on a patient's brow can be useful in monitoring stroke patients in the hospital.

Scientists decode brain waves to eavesdrop on what we hear

Friday, February 03, 2012 00:00 MST

UC Berkeley neuroscientists and UCSF surgeons recorded electrical activity in the temporal lobe -- the seat of the auditory system -- to discover how the brain encodes sound. Their model allows them to predict what a person heard based solely on temporal lobe activity. If, as studies suggest, internal "imagined" conversations activate similar areas of the temporal lobe, it may be possible to hear the internal verbalizations of people who cannot talk because of paralysis or stroke.

Ferroelectric switching discovered for first time in soft biological tissue

Thursday, February 02, 2012 00:00 MST

The walls of the aorta, the largest blood vessel carrying blood from the heart, exhibits a response to electric fields known to exist in inorganic and synthetic materials. The discovery could have implications for treating human heart disease.

Running robots

Wednesday, February 01, 2012 00:00 MST

University of Delaware professor works to design faster robots, modeling their movement on animals.

Rap music powers rhythmic action of medical sensor

Sunday, January 29, 2012 00:00 MST

The driving bass rhythm of rap music can be harnessed to power a new type of miniature medical sensor designed to be implanted in the body.

New book on computational analysis of human eye

Wednesday, January 18, 2012 00:00 MST

Dr. Sumeet Dua, the Upchurch Endowed Professor of Computer Science and coordinator of information technology research at Louisiana Tech University, has co-edited a new book on computational modeling methods that can help ophthalmologists develop innovative computer systems to provide critical support and better care options for patients.

Hips that function better and last longer

Thursday, December 29, 2011 00:00 MST

Engineers and physicians have made a surprising discovery that offers a target for designing new materials for hip implants that are less susceptible to the joint's normal wear and tear. The team, including engineers from Northwestern University, found that graphitic carbon is a key element in a lubricating layer that forms on metal-on-metal hip implants. The lubricant is more similar to the lubrication of a combustion engine than that of a natural joint.

Researchers uncover clues related to metal-on-metal hip implants

Monday, December 26, 2011 00:00 MST

A new study, bringing together an interdisciplinary team of physicians and engineers from the United States and Germany, made a surprising finding about implants used in hip replacement surgery: Graphite carbon is a key element in the lubricating layer that forms on metal-on-metal hip implants. The lubricant has more in common with the lubrication of a combustion engine than that of a natural joint. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

New device creates lipid spheres that mimic cell membranes

Wednesday, December 21, 2011 00:00 MST

A new way of manipulating fluids on microscopic levels brings us one step closer to "bottom-up" artificial cell constructs.

Researchers test Ekso exoskeletal device in 6 patients with traumatic spinal cord injury

Sunday, December 18, 2011 00:00 MST

Monitored by scientists at Kessler Foundation, six people with traumatic spinal cord injuries tested Ekso, the robotic exoskeleton from Ekso Bionics that enables wheelchair users to stand and walk. The six participated in one week of preliminary testing in October. Five, paraplegia; one, quadriplegia; age range 27 to 45. In early 2012, the research team, headed by senior research scientist Gail Forrest, Ph.D., will commence a clinical study in collaboration with Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation.

Microneedle sensors may allow real-time monitoring of body chemistry

Wednesday, December 14, 2011 00:00 MST

Researchers from North Carolina State University, Sandia National Laboratories, and the University of California, San Diego, have developed new technology that uses microneedles to allow doctors to detect real-time chemical changes in the body -- and to continuously do so for an extended period of time.

Researchers use a 3-D printer to make bone-like material

Sunday, December 04, 2011 00:00 MST

It looks like bone. It feels like bone. For the most part, it acts like bone. And it came off an inkjet printer. Washington State University researchers have used a 3D printer to create a bone-like material that can be used in orthopedic procedures, dental work, and to deliver medicine for treating osteoporosis. Paired with actual bone, it acts as a scaffold for new bone to grow on and ultimately dissolves with no apparent ill effects.