University of Michigan researchers have developed a technique for a new 'metamaterial' that can change its level of solidness, but without damaging or changing the material itself. Metamaterials are man-made materials whose properties come from the w...
We’re one small step closer to having Dragon Ball‘s miraculous capsules, thanks to a group of scientists that have created a metamaterial that can be programmed to change its shape, volume and stiffness.
The scientists, led by Harvard Associate Professor of the Natural Sciences Katia Bertoldi, were inspired by a form of origami called Snapology, which involves connecting folded pieces of paper together to create a variety of geometric shapes. The metamaterial’s basic unit is a cross made of seven rhombohedrons.
By connecting pneumatic actuators on the sides of each of rhombohedron, the scientists are able to manipulate the metamaterial at will. To demonstrate their invention, the scientists made samples of the metamaterial using PET and double-sided tape then connected them as a 4x4x4 cube.
Johannes T. B. Overvelde, who also worked on the metamaterial, told Harvard that their creation “works from the nanoscale to the meter-scale and could be used to make anything from surgical stents to portable pop-up domes for disaster relief.” Further, it works with a variety of actuators, “including thermal, dielectric or even water.” You can read the scientists’ paper on Nature.
[via Harvard via Digital Trends]
Metamaterials are proving to be quite useful for toying with the electromagnetic spectrum, whether for technology previously thought to be the stuff of science fiction, or for boring real-world applications. Engineers at Duke University have come up something that falls more into the latter category: a metamaterial imaging sensor that doesn't require a lens to generate a picture. The sensor is a flexible copper-plated sheet patterned with small squares that capture various light frequencies all at once, functioning like one big aperture. Add a few circuits with a pinch of software and the sensor-only camera can produce up to ten images per second, but the catch is Duke's only works at microwave frequencies. Microwave imaging is used plenty, however, and due to its flexibility and lack of moving parts, the sensor could be used to build better integrated, cheaper airport scanners and vehicle collision avoidance technology -- making you safer however you choose to travel. Unless you take the train. Then you're on your own.
Filed under: Misc, Transportation, Science, Alt
Via: Phys.org
Source: Science, Duke University
Intellectual Ventures is best known for its tendency to sue everyone, but it's going some distance to mend that bruised image through a newly spun out company, Kymeta. The startup hopes to improve the quality of satellite broadband through mTenna-branded, Ka-band hotspots made from metamaterials -- substances that can boost and manipulate a satellite signal while occupying virtually no space, leading to self-pointing transceivers that are just a fraction of the size of what we use today. That still amounts to equipment the size of a laptop running at a peak 5Mbps, although it's small enough that Kymeta sees hotspots reaching individual customers who want access from a boat, a car or the field. We'd just advise against tossing out the MiFi too quickly. Kymeta doesn't expect the hotspot to be ready before late 2014 at the earliest, and that leaves many questions about how much of a hit we'll take to the pocketbook.
Filed under: Wireless, Networking
Intellectual Ventures launches Kymeta spinoff, promises slim satellite broadband hotspots originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 17:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If anybody ever told you that the future would be awesome, they were right. A new bit of research has emerged from the University of Texas at Dallas, which describes equipment that may allow people to see through walls -- and if that weren't wild enough, creators of the specialized CMOS imaging hardware believe the same technology could be integrated into our mobile phones. To pull off the feat, the scientists tapped into a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that exists between microwave and infrared known as the terahertz range. Due to privacy concerns, the equipment is being designed to operate at a distance of no more than four inches, but its creator hypothesizes that the technology will still be useful for finding studs in walls, verifying documents and detecting counterfeit currency. In other words, this brand of x-ray vision isn't exactly on par with Superman's abilities, but it's bound to work better than mail order spectacles from Newark.
UT Dallas researchers seek to imbue your smartphone with X-ray superpowers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 03:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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