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reproduces itself
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Reproduction
is no longer the sole province of living things.
A simple robot made from motorized cubes points
to a future where machines reproduce and repair
themselves. Each stack of cubes begets a stack
of cubes, which begets a stack of cubes, which
begets a stack of cubes...
Full
story |
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Conference
system makes shared space
Videoconferencing systems let remote groups of people
see and hear each other, but they don't do a very
good job of creating a sense of shared space. A
relatively inexpensive system promises appropriate,
life-size eye-to-eye views for all. The reflective
material used in road signs and safety vests makes
the difference.
Nanotube
memory scheme is magnetic
The latest scheme to use carbon nanotubes to store
vast amounts of data on a chip borrows a page from
disk drives. The design could one day lead to fast,
low-power memory devices with capacities measured
in the millions of gigabytes.
How It Works
Robot
navigation: getting from point A to point B
Robots take different approaches to finding their
way in the world based on how much they know of
the world.
Briefs
Nanoparticles
drive display
Nanoparticles that act like microscopic magnets
could provide a route to cheap, color electronic
paper.
Thin
silver sheet makes superlens
A microscopically thin layer of silver focuses light
more finely than any ordinary lens.
Catalyst
boosts gasoline fuel cells
A catalyst material promises to make gasoline fuel
cells more efficient.
Virtual
DNA makes material
A simulation shows that mimicking DNA could lead
to machines that assemble themselves.
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