New Electronic Skin Can Be Recycled

by Amantha May | November 25, 2020 | Enabling Tech

An innovative “electronic skin” offers similar benefits as other flexible patches; it’s less bulky than a smartwatch and potentially gives more accurate readings. But the electronic skin, designed by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder,...

Flexible Light Pipes Give Robots the Sense of Touch [video]

by Bruce Brown | November 20, 2020 | Enabling Tech

When we write about stretchable sensors, the topic usually involves sensors embedded or woven in fabric used to create smart garments for humans. Researchers at Cornell University’s College of Engineering developed a stretchable fiber-optic sensor for robots....

New Robot Car Delivers Medicine to Nursing Homes [video]

by Amantha May | November 20, 2020 | Enabling Tech

Academy of Robotics’ latest project, Kar-go, looks so sleek, green, and futuristic that you might expect an equally stylish android to emerge from its interior. But Kar-go doesn’t transport robots; it is the robot. This custom-built, self-driving vehicle hit the...

Mouth-Actuated Interface for Mobility Limited People Wins Hackaday 2020 [video]

by Bruce Brown | November 18, 2020 | Enabling Tech

Hackaday recently announced the Best All-Around and Grand Prize Winner of the 2020 Hackaday Prize plus the winners in four specific challenges. This year’s top award, which include $50,000 cash for development, went to The BYTE, an open-source mouth-actuated...

New Strain Sensor Survives Abuse [video]

by Bruce Brown | November 17, 2020 | Enabling Tech

Soft sensors for wearables have to stand up to challenges that sensors in wristbands, pins, belt packs, and glasses never experience. We’ve written about enabling technology developments such as printed stretchable conductors, stretchable fabric battery design,...

Low-Temperature Sensors Can Detect Biomarker and Toxic Gases

by Bruce Brown | November 14, 2020 | Enabling Tech

Most effective exercise programs include a stretching component. During the past few years, developments in stretchable sensors and batteries indicate that stretching is a good feature for wearable medical and health technology as well. We’ve written about...