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DIYTopicSlideshowType

iCandy: Bridges, Beams, and Bots in Bands

France’s vertical lift bridge, Nicaraguans bridging the laptop divide, and a true heavy metal band

1 min read
iCandy: Bridges, Beams, and Bots in Bands
Photo: Ivan Alvarado/Reuters
tools and toystype:slideshowElectric CanvasXO laptopRenaultAmin LibraryOLPCTools & ToysSalar de AtacamaTwin’ZZamora Terán FoundationYasushi MatobaUniversity of Electro-CommunicationsInternational Space StationUS Geological SurveyGeek LifeAquaTop Display

Photo: Jean-Francois Monier/AFP/Getty Images
Japanese engineer Yasushi Matoba shows off the AquaTop Display, a projection system that uses water as a screen, at the Laval Virtual conference in Laval, France, in March. Matoba and his collaborators at the University of Electro-Communications, in Tokyo, have taken the term user interface to a whole new level with the system, which projects images on the surface of the water and detects inputs coming from the water’s surface as well as above and beneath it. By resting a hand on the surface of the water, a user can become one with onscreen objects.

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tools and toystype:slideshowElectric CanvasXO laptopRenaultAmin LibraryOLPCTools & ToysSalar de AtacamaTwin’ZZamora Terán FoundationYasushi MatobaUniversity of Electro-CommunicationsInternational Space StationUS Geological SurveyGeek LifeAquaTop Display
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Black background with illuminated blue fiber held by a hand and illuminating a blue object
BiomedicalTopicTypeNews

This Durable Strand of Jelly Can Block Pain

3 min read
A piece of material with a black circuitry pattern is pealing off a second piece, with an intricate electronics pattern, which sits on a person's skin.
EnergyTopicTypeSemiconductorsNewsConsumer Electronics

Energy Harvesting for Wearable Technology Steps Up

6 min read