Tech
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TechSolar panels and more garner big prizes for middle-school researchers
A motorized system for solar panels garnered Georgia Hutchinson, 13, of Woodside, Calif., the top $25,000 prize at the Broadcom MASTERS teen science competition.
By Sid Perkins -
Materials ScienceSoft robots get their power from the skin they’re in
A flexible electronic “skin” embedded with air pouches or coils can wrap around inanimate objects, turning them into handy robots.
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PhysicsThe perfect spaghetti snap starts with a twist
A spaghetti-snapping machine helped scientists find the secret to cleanly breaking pasta in half: First, give it a twist.
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Health & MedicineScientists enlist computers to hunt down fake news
Who can you trust? What can you believe? Scrolling through a news feed can make it hard to decide what’s real from what’s not. Computers, however, tend to do better.
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ComputingComputers can now make fool-the-eye fake videos
Hackers can now use computers to move facial expressions (and more) from someone in one video to a person in another. The results look totally real, ushering in a whole new type of fakery.
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AgricultureTarzan the robot was actually inspired by a sloth
‘Tarzan’ the robot saves energy by swinging. Someday, it could help with farm work by moving along wires strung across fields of crops.
By Ilima Loomis -
ComputingWhat powers these electronics? We do!
Active people may end up becoming the 'fuel' for their electronics. Engineers are developing ways to harness the body’s motions to power the many devicess on which we now depend.
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MathCool Jobs: The art of paper folding is inspiring science
See how bringing art and math together led to the development of robo-roaches, self-folding papers and medical implants.
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ComputingNew tech helps deaf-blind people ‘watch’ TV
An innovative system can let deaf-blind people “watch” television in real time without needing someone right there to interpret for them.
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PsychologyAre you scared of heights? Virtual reality could help
Virtual reality may help people battle a real-world fear of heights.
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ChemistryElectronic noses might replace search-and-rescue dogs
A new type of sensor can sniff out scents that people emit. That might one day help rescuers find people buried under collapsed buildings.
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TechGetting road-trip ready, and no driver needed
Most self-driving cars are city drivers. This one’s made for the open road.