Category Technology/Electronics

Highly elastic polyrotaxane-polyacrylic acid polymers hold together silicon microparticles as they expand and contract while charging and discharging. Credit: Adapted from Jang Wook Choi and colleagues

Scientists have reported a molecular pulley binder for high-capacity silicon anodes of lithium ion batteries. Silicon anodes are receiving a great deal of attention from the battery community. They have 3~5-times higher capacities compared with those using current graphite anodes in lithium ion batteries. A higher capacity means longer battery use per charge, which is particularly critical in extending the driving mileage of all-electric vehicles...

1.The board game Save the Planet is an open source, cooperative game that is adaptable and customizable, making it an educational tool that grows with kids and enables creative freedom with everything from its “Good Deeds” cards to personalized game play figurines. The total cost with both 2-D and 3-D printing came to $2.89. 2. Legos

Cheap, plastic toys – no manufacturer necessary. The 2020 toy and game market is projected to be $135 billion, and 3D printing brings those profits home. People have scoffed that 3D printers are simply toys themselves. But they probably didn’t realize how much money is made off playthings...

A magnetic folding robot arm can grasp and bend thanks to its pattern of origami-inspired folds and a wireless electromagnetic field. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University

Wireless magnetic fields and actuator ‘muscles’ allow folding robots to move without batteries. The traditional Japanese art of origami transforms a simple sheet of paper into complex, 3D shapes through a very specific pattern of folds, creases, and crimps. Folding robots based on that principle have emerged as an exciting new frontier of robotic design, but generally require onboard batteries or a wired connection to a power source, making them bulkier and clunkier than their paper inspiration and limiting their functionality.

A team at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and John A...

Brandon Sweeney and Blake Tiepel working in the lab. Credit: Texas A&M University

A doctoral student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University has developed a method to transform the landscape of 3D printing today by making 3D printed parts 275% stronger and immediately useful in real-world applications. 3D printed objects are comprised of many thin layers of materials, usually plastics, deposited on top of each other to form a desired shape. These layers are prone to fracturing, causing issues with the durability and reliability of the part when used in a real-world application, for example a custom printed medical device.

When Sweeney started his doctorate, he was working with Green in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas Tech University...