Invention & Innovation | Science News for Students

Invention & Innovation

A series made possible with generous support from the Lemelson Foundation

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
refocusing image

This image was captured by a new camera that can focus on different objects. Normal-light version shows what the human eye sees. Red and blue versions offer clues to distance. Red objects are closer, blue ones farther, mid-range ones appear purple.

Stanford Computational Imaging

Technology
 
Nov 17, 2017
Seeing the world through a robot’s eyes
sunscreen legs

A new innovation could lead to a DNA-based sunscreen that gets stronger in the sun.

fizkes/istockphoto

Materials Science
 
Nov 3, 2017
One day, your sunscreen may be made from DNA