LONG LOST KISS: A pair of pressure-sensitive soft plastic lips on a large plastic egg from Singapore-based Lovotics lets users wirelessly send kisses to one another. The Kissenger's lips contain pressure sensors and actuators. As you kiss them the changes in pressure and shape are sent to a receiving device where actuators recreate the sensations for your distant partner. The company want to help improve relationships where the partners are far away from one another, but it's easy to see how else this might be used. Inspired perhaps by The Big Bang Theory TV show? New Scientist explains.
WATER DETECTIVE: NASA's RESOLVE has the job of finding water on the moon. The Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatiles Extraction payload is designed to be added to a rover that will drive over the surface of the moon to map the distribution of water ice and other useful compounds. It will also drill into the lunar surface and measure water vapour. The prototype is being tested on Mauna Kea in Hawai'i to find weak points and help train controllers. Finding water's one thing, but setting up a system to extract useful water will be a huge undertaking. NASA has the details. Video here.
CLOSE UP: Navies tend to be concerned about mines attached to the hulls of their ships. They send out divers equipped with sonar cameras, to search for underwater mines. Recently Hovering Autonomous Underwater Vehicle robots have been assigned the task. New algorithms from MIT vastly improve their ability to navigate and use short-range sensors that have a limited field of view. The robot first makes a low-res image, then the algorithm plots a path around the hull and through propellers and rudders for a speedy and efficient high-res scan. The goal is to be as fast and efficient as divers. Presumably they only need to do that plot once and then use the info again for subsequent scans. MIT News has more. Check out the video.
BLINK: Inkjet printers can be very frustrating when the nozzles clog up. The nozzles need to stay open, but without the ink drying up. University of Missouri engineers realised this problem has been solved by the human eye where eyelids spread a film of oil over the layer of tears so they don't evaporate. The engineers use an electric field to move a droplet of silicone oil in and out of place over the inkjet nozzle preventing the ink from drying and clogging. Other devices could benefit too, such as biological tissue printers and rapid prototyping systems. There's a lot to learn from nature. University of Missouri details. Click here for the video.
FRESH EYES: The Bio-Retina is designed to restore sight to those suffering from retinal degenerative diseases. The tiny 5,000 pixel artificial retina can be implanted in the eye with only a local anesthetic in a 30 minute procedure. It's good enough to recognise faces or watch TV. The implant receives its power wirelessly from a rechargeable, battery-powered mini laser on a pair of glasses. Clinical trials are expected in 2013. This goes way beyond glasses and contact lenses for helping eyesight. Nano Retina elaborates.
