Between self-driving cars and self-lacing Nikes, humans barely have to do anything for themselves anymore.Engineers from North Carolina State University made self-folding origami by cleverly combining a heat-shrinking plastic and light-absorbing ink, which respond differently to different colors of light, according to paper published in Sciences Advances. Scientists were able to control the sequence the sheets folded by […]

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Versatile, light-weight materials that are both strong and resilient are crucial for the development of flexible electronics, such as bendable tablets and wearable sensors. Aerogels are good candidates for such applications, but until now, it’s been difficult to make them with both properties. Now, researchers report that mimicking the structure of the ‘powdery alligator-flag’ plant […]

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Developer Tomás Garcia has a few of the more notable augmented reality demos since ARKit, Apple’s augmented reality tool, was released earlier this month. But his newest one is the most impressive yet. Standing in the backyard of his office, Garcia trains his iPhone 7’s screen at the sky, where a digital version of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket booster […]

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“This is the first time NASA has named a spacecraft for a living individual,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “It’s a testament to the importance of his body of work, founding a new field of science that also inspired my own research and many important science questions […]

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In the category of smaller and incredibly useful innovations, Airbus announced a new “black box” flight recorder that can float on water. In the event of an airplane crashing on water, the box will be ejected from the aircraft so it can float in a protective case. A beacon will help alert search teams to its […]

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A lightweight, comfortable jacket that can generate the power to light up a jogger at night may sound futuristic, but a materials scientist could make one today. In a new paper, she and colleagues outline a way to apply breathable, pliable, metal-free electrodes to fabric and off-the-shelf clothing so it feels good to the touch […]

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Synthetic biology researchers have demonstrated a new method for digital information processing in living cells, analogous to the logic gates used in electric circuits. The circuits are the largest ever published to date in eurkaryotic cells and a key step in harnessing the potential of cells as living computers that can respond to disease, efficiently […]

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A new wireless power system could help people avoid the inevitable jumbled mess of tangled cords and offer a more efficient way to charge electric vehicles on the go, according to a new study. Researchers at Stanford University adapted a concept from quantum physics to produce a wireless charger that does something other wireless chargers […]

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With just a can of spray paint, researchers can turn flat surfaces of any shape or size —ranging from walls to furniture to even musical instruments — into touchpads, according to a new study. The technique, dubbed Electrick by its inventors from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, relies on electrodes attached to an object made […]

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