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robot has character
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Combine
some of the most advanced human-computer interaction
technology with one of the oldest forms of
entertainment -- puppetry -- and you get a
literal embodiment of a computer interface.
Meet Horatio Doc Beardsley, forerunner of
a future generation of personal assistants,
electronic pets, robotic waiters and salespeople
and animated historical museum figures.
Full
story |
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Atomic
cascade broadens laser
Picture a flash of light every time a marble hits
a step as it bounces down a set of stairs. Make
each flash a slightly different color and you have
a rough idea of how a new kind of laser works.
Biology
harbors hidden complexity
Artificial systems do simple things and are made
of simple components. They are also held together
by complicated networks that remain behind the scenes
until things go horribly wrong. The same is true
for living beings.
Heat
engines gain quantum afterburner
Thanks to some nifty quantum physics, the hot gases
produced by internal combustion engines could be
used to drive lasers.
Nanotubes
branch out
Carbon nanotubes, those versatile, microscopic,
rolled-up sheets of graphite, have already been
made in Y and T shapes. A new process grows them
in an intricate web of branches and junctions, opening
new possibilities for making electronics, sensors
and filters.
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