Vanderbilt University

VegSense Makes Sense for Forest Studies

Ecologists won't always need expensive and bulky equipment to measure vegetation in the wild. Scientists have discovered a modern heads-up display works pretty well. Researchers set up a Microsoft HoloLens as a mixed-reality sensor to feed VegSense, their application to measure understory vegetation, plant life that grows between the forest canopy and floor.

SkyNano LLC

SkyNano LLC is a Tennessee-based start-up focusing on the electrochemical production of carbon additives using greenhouse gases as inputs. In October 2021, IDTechEx Technology Analyst Dr. Hydra Rodrigues spoke to Dr. Anna Douglas, Co-Founder & CEO of SkyNano Technologies.

Artificial Intelligence Calculates Suicide Attempt Risk

A machine learning algorithm that predicts suicide attempt recently underwent a prospective trial at the institution where it was developed.

Surgical Robots Revolutionise Prostate Cancer Treatment

Researchers have developed a minuscule robot that could revolutionize surgical procedures for treating prostate cancer, which affects one in nine men in the United States. Using a lifelike model, the team demonstrated that the surgical robot could not only remove the prostate gland and tissues through the urethra, but also accomplish the difficult step of suturing the bladder to the urethra.

Finalists Announced for 2019 R&D 100 Awards

Finalists for the venerable R&D 100 Awards have been announced by R&D World magazine and its new parent company, WTWH Media, LLC.

Brain-computer interface advances prosthetics, therapies

Advances in connecting neural stimulation to physical control of the body are transforming the development of prosthetics and therapeutic training for people with disabilities, according to new research.

Finding defects in 3D printing using gold

That glint of gold has always captured our eyes, but now the precious metal has a new use - finding defects in 3D printing.

A graphene roll-out

MIT engineers have developed a continuous manufacturing process that produces long strips of high-quality graphene.

Research closer to revolutionary battery

The boom in wind energy faces a hurdle — how to effectively and cheaply store energy generated by turbines when the wind is blowing, but energy requirements are low.

Graphene material strengthens nerve signaling in the brain

Less than 20 years after it was developed, a thin, resilient sheet of carbon atoms with remarkable properties known as graphene is transforming biomedical fields as far flung as tissue engineering, neuroprosthetics and drug discovery.

Recyclable resin makes wind turbines more sustainable

Fields of spinning wind turbines inspire thoughts of earth-friendly energy, but until now, generating wind power hasn't been as sustainable as people may have thought.

Battery-switching device promises more road time

Nissan Leafs, which go about 107 miles on a charge, sometimes end up relegated to commuter cars due to battery-life worries. The mass-market, standard Tesla Model 3 can go double that, but even that distance can be disconcerting on long road trips.

One vaccine injection could carry many doses

Engineers have invented a new 3-D fabrication method that can generate a novel type of drug-carrying particle that could allow multiple doses of a drug or vaccine to be delivered over an extended time period with just one injection.

Smart underwear prevents back stress

Engineers have combined the science of biomechanics and advances in wearable tech to create a smart, mechanized undergarment.

Ultrathin device harvests electricity from human motion

Imagine slipping into a jacket, shirt or skirt that powers your cell phone, fitness tracker and other personal electronic devices as you walk, wave and even when you are sitting down.

First-ever autonomously controlled capsule robot explores colon

New research shows that an 18-mm magnetized capsule colonoscope, which can be paired with standard medical instruments, successfully performed intricate maneuvers inside the colon while guided by an external magnet attached to a robotic arm.

High-performance batteries from junkyard scraps

Take some metal scraps from the junkyard; put them in a glass jar with a common household chemical; and, voilà, you have a high-performance battery.

Giving surgical robots a human touch

A critical goal in modern surgery is to make procedures as safe and minimally invasive as possible, which often means using robotic tools.

How to make electric vehicles that actually reduce carbon

An interdisciplinary team of scientists has worked out a way to make electric vehicles that only are not only carbon neutral but carbon negative, capable of actually reducing the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide as they operate.

Quantum dots made from fool's gold boost battery performance

If you add quantum dots - nanocrystals 10,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair - to a smartphone battery it will charge in 30 seconds, but the effect only lasts for a few recharge cycles.