17:06
Engineering a Better Bionic Arm
Technology like 3D printing is expanding what prosthetic limbs can do, and who can wear them.
17:37
A Life Robotic
If humans someday colonize the moon and Mars, robotic prospectors and miners will be among the first to arrive, manufacturing fuel, water, and other essentials.
Reinventing The Wheel (For Mars)
Design and test different wheels on a basic rubber band-powered vehicle, with the goal of improving stability, traction, durability, and load-bearing ability.
Breakthrough: Connecting The Drops
Lydia Bourouiba studies how bacteria and viruses hitch a ride inside the droplets of sneezes, raindrops, toilet splatter.
7:46
A Robotic Life Raft, the Evolution of Your Nose, and the Joy of Sleep
Robotics researchers are working to make a robotic life raft more autonomous—and friendlier—in order to aid lifeguards.
The Many Uses Of Tessellation And Miura Folds
Make an origami fold that can compress rigid materials, and study the tessellation it creates!
5:27
Would You Be On Board With a Self-Driving Ambulance?
A recent study found that the idea of autonomous emergency vehicles made potential patients nervous.
26:33
Kim Stanley Robinson Tackles How to Keep a Drowning City Afloat
In his new novel, “New York 2140,” author Kim Stanley Robinson tackles how a drowning city might adapt and thrive after disastrous sea level rise.
17:19
Do Weather Instruments Need a Robot Repairman?
A robotic spacecraft could improve weather forecasting by fixing satellites in geosynchronous orbit.
4:37
Making Social Interaction More Like a Game
Apps like Snapchat encourage interaction with features such as “streaks.” But is there a downside to gamifying communication?