Engineering, features and articles | Educational Science

Feb 8, 2017

Who Invented the Refrigerator?

Refrigeration is the process of creating cooling conditions by removing heat. It is mostly used to preserve food and other perishable items, preventing foodborne illnesses. It works because bacteria growth is slowed at lower temperatures. Methods for preserving food by cooling have been around for thousands of years, but the...

Feb 16, 2017

3D-Printed Micro-Camera Sees with Eagle-Eye Vision

A bird of prey on the hunt must be able to clearly see faraway objects while remaining aware of threats in its peripheral vision. In some cases, that's also true for a drone — even one so small that its eye must fit on the tip of a ballpoint pen....

Feb 17, 2017

When Will Augmented Reality Get Real?

Augmented reality, or AR, is technology that blends virtual content with real-world surroundings. Unlike virtual reality, which immerses you in a self-contained digital world, AR overlays 3D graphics and interactive characters into your everyday world. In the hit game Pokémon Go, players use their smartphones to catch Pokémon characters in...

Feb 23, 2017

Straight Out of Sci-Fi: Hoverbike 'Surfs' Through the Air in Test

The hoverbike prototype, dubbed Scorpion-3, is capable of lifting itself and a driver into the air. (Image credit: Hoversurf/YouTube)Think of it as half drone, half motorcycle: A new hoverbike prototype aims to make flying as simple as riding a bike. Hoversurf, a Russian drone startup, recently unveiled its Scorpion-3 hoverbike...

Mar 2, 2017

Could This Hat-Camera Combo Be Google's Next Hit?

Google recently filed a patent for a technology-enhanced baseball cap that can take still photos and capture video from a camera mounted on the brim, according to news reports. The high-tech cap may be the tech giant's follow-up to its failed Google Glass and could offer competition to similar wearable...

Mar 7, 2017

This House Was 3D Printed in Less Than 24 Hours

A new house has been erected in a town outside Moscow, but this home was not built in the traditional sense — it was constructed with 3D printing. The first 3D-printed residential home, engineered by the tech startup Apis Cor, took less than a day to construct and cost under...

Mar 8, 2017

In Photos: Building the Superfast 'Hyperloop One' Transit System of the Future

A pioneering vision (Image credit: Hyperloop One)In 2013, SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk proposed a futuristic transportation concept, dubbed the Hyperloop, that would zoom passengers seated inside pods through low-pressure tubes at blistering speeds of about 760 mph (1,220 km/h). Now, a startup called Hyperloop One (not affiliated with...

Mar 9, 2017

Why Space Travel Can Be Absolutely Disgusting

NASA's requirements for becoming an astronaut are stringent, but not overly daunting. Essentially, hopefuls must have a bachelor's degree in science, be physically fit, and stand between 58.5 and 76 inches tall. What NASA doesn't mention, however, are the intangibles. You can probably think of a few: coolness under pressure,...

Mar 9, 2017

5 Synthetic Yeast Chromosomes Created

The world is one step closer to a new synthetic organism. Scientists have created five synthetic yeast chromosomes and placed them inside yeast cells. The chromosomes are composed of the normal letters, or base pairs, that make up DNA, but the sequence is slightly different from those found naturally in...

Mar 10, 2017

Disney Scientists Turned an Entire Metal Room into a Wireless Charger

When you need to charge your electronic devices on the go, it can be a hassle trying to find somewhere to plug in. And though some devices can already be charged without wires, researchers at The Walt Disney Company have recently supersized the technology by building a wireless charging room....

Mar 13, 2017

New 3D Display Uses Bubbles to Project Images

The new 3D display is a proof of concept, using laser-generated bubbles to create 3D images visible from all angles. (Image credit: Kota Kumagai/YouTube)Fluorescent bubbles inside a liquid display could be the next big thing in 3D technology, allowing viewers to walk around the screen without using any special glasses,...

Mar 13, 2017

All in the Wrist: Smart Jacket Houses Touch-Screen Tech

The jean jacket is getting a 21st-century upgrade: Levi's and Google are planning to launch a new smart jacket later this year, according to news reports. The companies' so-called Project Jacquard was first announced in June 2015 as a line of connected clothing that would interact with wearers' smartphones, reported...

Mar 15, 2017

Transparent Touchpad Works Even When It's Bent and Stretched

A new transparent, flexible touchpad can sense the touch of a finger even when the material is stretched or bent, which could help engineers one day create advanced wearable touch screens, according to a new study. Increasingly, researchers around the world are developing flexible electronics, such as display screens, cameras,...

Mar 23, 2017

US Military's 'Gremlin' Program Lets Pilots Launch and Snag Drones in Midair

The U.S. military is developing a fairy-tale-inspired Gremlin program that aims to launch and retrieve drones in midair. Gremlins are a swarm of drones that can be deployed from a manned aircraft, according to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the branch of the U.S. military charged with developing...

Mar 30, 2017

Wind Tunnel for Birds Could Result in Agile Drones

A specially designed wind tunnel for birds could help scientists learn the secrets of avian aerial abilities and translate them into drones that are masters of flying through rough-and-tumble conditions. Unmanned aircraft called drones are unreliable in heavy turbulence, said David Lentink, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Stanford...