Biohybrid fish powered by beating human heart cells swims for 100 days

Researchers at Harvard and Emory have created a biohybrid fish out of human heart cells that swims autonomously for months at a time as the cells beat. The project is a sidestep on the way to eventually growing new functional hearts for transplant.

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Mighty morphing melting metal robot switches from driving to flying drone

Most robots are designed for a specific job, and aren’t very adaptable. But a new soft robot can morph into a range of shapes for driving, flying or swimming, thanks to a rubber skin full of a metal that switches between liquid and solid forms.

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Autonomous Black Hawk helicopter makes first flight with no crew onboard

DARPA's Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) program has taken another step forward, with a US Army UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter taking to the air over Fort Campbell, Kentucky on February 5 for a 30-minute autonomous flight with no one aboard.

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Artificial muscles made of human proteins make for better implants

Researchers have developed a new type of artificial muscle that’s entirely made out of natural proteins. Responding to changes in its environment allows the muscle to flex on demand, which could make it useful for implants, prosthetics or robots.

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InfraredTags embed “invisible” info within 3D-printed objects

Barcode stickers may provide valuable information on products, but they're rather unsightly, and they peel off over time. An experimental new alternative, however, is 3D-printed right into the item, and is invisible to the naked eye.

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Novel “artificial leaf” design ups the carbon capture rate by 100x

"Artificial leaf" systems could play a key role in the fight against climate change, and a team of engineers has just picked up the pace with a solution that captures carbon dioxide at 100 times the rate of current technologies.

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Autonomous drones may be the ultimate scarecrows … for pigeons

Much as we may like pigeons, they can make quite a mess of buildings and other structures, potentially posing a health hazard. According to new research, autonomous drones may be ideal for harmlessly chasing the birds away.

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Dexter tech gives regular lawnmowers the autonomous treatment

Partially due to labor shortages, autonomous lawnmowers are becoming increasingly popular. The Dexter robotic system offers an alternative to buying a whole new "smart" mower, as it can be added to existing mowers in order to make them autonomous.

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Roadie Coach designed to be your personal guitar teacher

Learning to play an instrument is hard, but technology can help. We've seen a number of inventive solutions over the years, and the latest is the Roadie Coach, an audio recorder, music learning system and MIDI controller rolled into one.

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Ibanez reveals crazy three-necked Hydra guitar built for Steve Vai

Multi-necked guitars are nothing new of course, examples include Luca Stricagnoli's Reversed Slide Neck, Rick Nielsen's five-neck Hamer, and the beautifully bizarre Manzer Pikasso. The Hydra follows a similar path, but does so with monstrous style.

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