Hasta La Gadget!

For the longest while, scientists have been flummoxed by the incessant coruscating emitted by individual molecules; no matter their methods, they could never quite seem to overcome a troubling optical quirk known sensibly as “blinking.” Thanks to a brilliant crew at the University of Rochester, however, we now understand the basic physics behind the phenomenon, and together with a team from Eastman Kodak, a nanocrystal has been created that can constantly emit light. In theory, the discovery could lead to “dramatically less expensive and more versatile lasers, brighter LED lighting, and biological markers that track how a drug interacts with a cell at a level never before possible.” Indeed, one could envision that future displays could be crafted by painting a grid of differently sized nanocrystals onto a flat surface, making even OLED TVs look chubby in comparison. Now, if only we had a good feeling that such a device was destined for a CES in our lifetime…

Filed under: Science

Nanocrystal breakthrough promises more versatile lasers, world peace originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 May 2009 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pardon the alliteration, but we’re excited about the proposition here. For years — millenniums, even — scientists have been trying to figure out how to manipulate minuscule devices with magnets, and at long last, we’ve got a breakthrough in the field. Metin Sitti, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, is credited with creating a new control technique that could allow microscopic machines to “one day deliver drugs directly to a sickly cell or a tumor.” Essentially, the diminutive bots glide across a glass surface covered with a grid of metal electrodes, and you’re just a click away (it’s the Read link, just so you know) from seeing a live demonstration on how they can be used to “anchor one or more microbots while allowing others to continue to move freely around the surface.” Good times.

Filed under: Robots

CMU researchers control microbots with mini magnets originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 May 2009 18:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen an orchestra’s worth of robotic musicians, but we’ve yet to see one that integrates this perfectly into a piece without any human intervention. Shimon — a robotic marimba player created by Georgia Tech’s Guy Hoffman (formerly of MIT), Gil Weinberg (the director of the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology) and Roberto Aimi of Alium Labs — recently made its stage debut by sensing the music from a piano and reacting accordingly in order to provide complementary percussion. Unlike many alternatives, there’s absolutely no delay here. Instead, it analyzes the classification of chords, estimates the human’s tempo and attempts to extract features from the human’s melodic phrases and styles. What you’re left with a robot musician that goes beyond call-and-response and actually meshes with the Earthling’s playing throughout. The full performance is posted after the break, and make sure to leave a donation as you exit through the doors on the left.

[Thanks, Guy!]

Continue reading Video: robotic marimba player grooves autonomously with jazz pianist

Filed under: Robots

Video: robotic marimba player grooves autonomously with jazz pianist originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Apr 2009 17:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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8GHz (with the help of liquid nitrogen) not quick enough? Leave it to the folks at MIT to make sure your zaniest desires are well taken care of. As research forges ahead on graphene, carbon nanotubes and buckyballs (remember those?), gurus at the university have discovered a breakthrough that could eventually lead to microchips that make existing silicon-based CPUs weep. In fact, the research could lead to practical systems in the 500 to 1,000 gigahertz range. The magic all ties back to advancements on a graphene chip known as a frequency multiplier, and while the nitty-gritty of all this is far too complicated for the layperson to grasp, all you really need to know is this: finally, you can rest assured that you’ll one day own a chip capable of handling Duke Nukem Forever.

[Via InformationWeek]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Science

Graphene chip could hit 1,000GHz, make your Core i7 feel totally inadequate originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Mar 2009 08:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We never thought we’d say this, but the standard microscope‘s day may be coming to an end. Okay, so maybe that’s a stretch, but a new device conjured up by scientists at Vanderbilt University sure could stand in as a suitable and deserving replacement. In what’s being described as the world’s smallest version of the periscope, the so-called mirrored pyramidal wells are being used to allow researchers to see several sides of cells simultaneously. The pyramidal-shaped cavities are molded into silicon “whose interior surfaces are coated with a reflective layer of gold or platinum,” and when a cell is placed inside, it gives Earthlings a magical multi-dimensional view. It’s said that this technology is actually stupendously inexpensive compared to other methods of 3D microscopy, and according to Vandy’s own Ron Reiserer, this “could easily become as ubiquitous as the microscope slide.” Them’s fightin’ words, no?

[Via Physorg]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

World’s smallest periscope provides multi-dimensional view of cells originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 09:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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