Invention & Innovation | Science News for Students

Invention & Innovation

A series made possible with generous support from the Lemelson Foundation

860_hydrophobic_power.png

When water droplets bead up on a surface, it’s because that surface has features that repel the water. The water doesn’t penetrate the surface or flatten out across it like a pool. This concept is key to a new energy technology.

Antonistock/iStockphoto

Technology
 
Nov 13, 2018
Super-water-repellent surfaces can generate energy
860_Lem_tree_tape.png

Tape is convenient but not environmentally friendly. A new adhesive for tape comes from trees instead of crude oil.

angintaravichian/iStockphoto

Materials Science
 
Sep 24, 2018
Adhesive from trees could make tape more eco-friendly
Tarzan the robot swinging over a field of crops

Tarzan, shown here, travels over crop fields with an energy-efficient swinging motion. One day, such robots might help with farm work.

Georgia Tech Research Institute

Robotics
 
Aug 31, 2018
Tarzan the robot was actually inspired by a sloth
a photo of a man watching tv with his hands clasped behind his head

A TV delivers content through images and sound. But for those who cannot see or hear, watching TV is impossible without special technology.

BrianAJackson/iStockphoto

Computers & Electronics
 
Aug 17, 2018
New tech helps deaf-blind people ‘watch’ TV
curling chrysanthemum

Using new technologies, researchers have 3-D printed a flower whose petals curl when immersed in water. This shows how 3-D printing can be used to print 4-D objects.

H.J. Qi et al.

Materials Science
 
Jun 11, 2018
Light-sensitive ‘ink’ gives 4-D printing more wiggle room
reef shark

Sharks have an uncanny ability to sense tiny electrical fields. It helps them home in on prey. A new electronic sensor now mimics that ability — and works in saltwater.

ShaneGross/iStockphoto

Technology
 
Apr 17, 2018
Electricity sensor harnesses a shark's secret weapon
virus nanoparticles
In this artist’s illustration, gold nanoparticles (bright blue) covered in tiny hairs (shown in purple) surround a virus and attach to it. As more hairs attach, they squeeze the soft surface of the virus to find places to stick. That squeezing builds enough pressure to squash the virus.
Francesco Stellacci
Materials Science
 
Feb 23, 2018
Hairy nanoparticles put viruses in a deadly embrace
David Ma
David Ma, an engineer at the University of Hawaii, led a team that developed a method to harvest electricity from the friction of a water droplet rolling across a surface.
UH Staff
Technology
 
Feb 9, 2018
This hydropower harnesses energy one water drop at a time
electromagnetic coil

An electromagnetic coil around a limb would selectively heat metal in an artificial joint (shown inside coil) without hurting any surrounding muscle and bone. Researchers are testing this approach to treat infections on medical implants.

UT Southwestern Medical Center

Technology
 
Dec 15, 2017
Magnetic heating may replace surgery to cure some infections
jackal robot

As this robot rolls along, it detects people and predicts where they might move next. It knows that people prefer to walk on the right side and pass on the left. The robot chooses its path based on such information.  

MIT Aerospace Controls Lab

Robotics
 
Dec 1, 2017
This robot won’t trip people up