The next computer: your genes

(PhysOrg.com) -- "Human beings are more or less like a computer," Jian-Jun Shu tells PhysOrg.com. "We do computing work, and our DNA can be used in computing operations." Shu is a professor at the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Nanyang Technical University in Singapore. "For some problems, DNA-based computing could replace silicon-based computing, offering many advantages."

New solar product captures up to 95 percent of light energy

Efficiency is a problem with today's solar panels; they only collect about 20 percent of available light. Now, a University of Missouri engineer has developed a flexible solar sheet that captures more than 90 percent of available light, and he plans to make prototypes available to consumers within the next five years.

Solar Impulse sun-powered plane successfully completes first international flight

The totally solar powered Solar Impulse aircraft made its maiden international flight, piloted by Andre Borschberg, across Europe on Friday

Robot train-plane could levitate future commuters

The Aero Train is a free-flying, robotic train-plain that levitates on a cushion of air.

GE and EADS to print parts for airplanes

GE is starting a new lab at its global research headquarters in Niskayuna, New York devoted to turning 3-D printing technology into a viable means of

Flexible paper computer morphs into smartphone or tablet

PaperPhone, an interactive computer that looks, feels, and operates like a small sheet of interactive paper, has been developed by engineers at Queen’s

Technique reveals quantum phase transition; could lead to superconducting transistors

(PhysOrg.com) -- Like atomic-level bricklayers, researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy

Most powerful millimeter-scale energy harvester generates electricity from vibrations

(PhysOrg.com) -- Electrical engineers at the University of Michigan have built a device that can harness energy from vibrations and convert it to electricity with five to ten times greater efficiency and power than other devices in its class. And it

Machines will achieve human-level intelligence in the 2028 to 2150 range: poll

Machines will achieve human-level intelligence by 2028 (median estimate: 10% chance), by 2050 (median estimate: 50% chance), or by 2150 (median estimate:

Optical microscope without lenses produces high-resolution 3-d images on a chip

Researchers have redesigned the concept of a microscope, by removing the lens, to create a system small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, but powerful enough to create 3-D tomographic, or sectional, images of miniscule samples. The advance represents the first demonstration of lens-free optical tomographic imaging on a chip, a technique capable of producing high resolution 3-D images of large volumes of microscopic objects.

'Time machine' made to visually explore space and time in videos: time-lapse gigapans provide new way to access big data

Researchers have leveraged the latest browser technology to create GigaPan Time Machine, a system that enables viewers to explore gigapixel-scale, high-resolution videos and image sequences by panning or zooming in and out of the images while simultaneously moving back and forth through time.

Introducing the world's first intubation robot

Researchers have introduced the first intubation robot operated by remote control. The robotic system may facilitate the intubation procedure and reduce some complications associated with airway management.

The 70 kilo single person plane

(PhysOrg.com) -- Aki Suokas, a Finnish aeronautical engineer, has just finished creating a unique single-seat aircraft this week. The project was completed at Aero Friedrichshafen, and it has been dubbed the FlyNano.

NASA's new ion engine ready for missions in space

(PhysOrg.com) -- A small robotic surveyor arrives to explore a near-Earth asteroid. Another robotic spacecraft is returning to Earth with a pristine comet surface sample. Meanwhile, a robotic explorer is approaching Uranus, carrying scientific instruments that will allow us to learn more about our solar system. What do all these mission concepts have in common?