Scientists say that humanity is still 50 years from developing robots that will be able to speak in 'human-like' voices, mimic our motions and interact with us. How will we then react to these robots, which have been named androids?
 
Psychologist Neal J. Roese and computer scientist Eyal ...

A student team in the Virginia Tech College of Engineering is providing the blind with an opportunity many never thought possible -- the opportunity to drive.
 
A retrofitted four-wheel dirt buggy, designed by them, uses laser range finders, an instant voice command interface and a host of ...

A set of algorithms developed by Indian origin researchers will enable robotic cars to communicate with one another and avoid collisions.
 
Bhibhya Sharma of the University of South Pacific, headquartered in Fiji, who led the research, said that a series of equations would instruct robotic ...

Alex Goddard of University of Leicester has developed a technique that involves studying the chemical and physical interactions occurring between the metal and the fingerprint sweat deposit. 
"Once a finger has touched the metal surface, a residue remains behind; this starts to react ...

Researchers have developed eco-friendly lubricating grease, based on ricin oil and cellulose derivatives. The new formula does not include any of the contaminating components used to manufacture traditional industrial lubricants.
 
 
"The objective of this research was to develop ...

Cutting-edge face recognition software can revolutionize security systems, especially if it can see through disguises.


Every face has special features that define that person, yet faces can also be very similar, explained Lin Huang from Florida Atlantic University (FLA), in Boca ...

Tiny flying machines have the ability to survey anything from indoors to buildings that have collapsed. Now researchers are mimicking nature's small flyers - and developing robotic bats that offer increased manoeuvrability and performance.
Small flyers, or micro-aerial vehicles (MAVs), have ...

Scientists from Britain have unveiled a robotic rat ‘Scratchbot’ that can seek and identify objects using the whiskers just like a rat does. A team from University of Sheffield and Bristol Robotics Laboratory has developed the robo-rat to develop artificial intelligent ...

A solar-powered racing car that coasts at 60 mph using the same power as hairdryer has been produced by Cambridge University and was unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
 
It was codenamed Bethany previously. But it has been launched with its official name Endeavour. The car is ...

Fireworks have for thousands of years represented the spirit celebration. Despite the fact that they pollute the atmosphere with toxic substances, it is still hard to give them up entirely. The solution lies in making them ‘greener’ and such firecrackers have been ...

The scientists have come up with a new instrument for detecting the explosives even from a distance of 100m. According to the sources, these detectors are highly sensitive and hence can be used for saving numerous lives and spoil the plans of terrorists. 


The detector has been developed ...

Sony’s new patent lets you control your PlayStation 3 games with just about any object you desire.

The patent in question is yet to get approval. Microsoft too has a similar idea called Natal which uses the same technology.

This new controller will let you use virtually anything as a ...

Nearly silent hybrid cars in Japan may get a noise-making device because the cars have been deemed dangerous by visually-impaired people and some automobile users. The government is making a review on the issue. The petrol-electric cars, which in recent times have become Japan’s top-selling ...

A new application in Apple’s App Store, Yowza!! has been launched. It will help consumers save money and encourage retail business.

With Yowza!! users can carry out transactions through their iPhones or iPod Touch without having to print or carry  coupons and emails with promo ...

French researchers have found a way to sniff wine to an extent that it can identify where the drink was made and in which barrel it was fermented. This is done by an electronic nose called mass spectrometer, which can make even the most experienced wine expert nervous. 
The complex mix of ...

Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) have discovered a way to send data in a quicker and more secure manner. The procedure uses a novel and simpler way of manipulating light.

It is based on the present optical technology. But the technology is used in such a way that fewer ...

Innoz, a company floated by students of LBS College of Engineering at Kasargode in the state, is the only Indian start-up among 16 such firms vying for a $250,000 prize money Tuesday in a global competition for the best business plan.
 

The prestigious Global Business Plan Competition, ...

Scientists at the Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) are set to create artificial rain with this programme.

Cloud seeding is the process of introducing chemicals (either dry ice or more commonly, silver iodide aerosols, potassium and sodium chloride) into the upper part ...

With many unconventional methods of saving water coming about, the idea of a waterless toilet just got a boost. Funny it may seem but this actually is practicable.

We tend to flush a lot of water to down our waste into the sewer which is a shame actually. The Loowatt solves this problem with a ...

Richard Branson’s newest endeavor, Virgin Galactic will soon be the first company to launch a facility to allow rich tourists to take off commercially in spacecrafts that fly high above the stratosphere.

Although the commercial space tourism idea is several years old (and Virgin has ...

This battery, being developed in a company based in Berkeley, California, is purported to use the surrounding air as the cathode. The company, PolyPlus, will soon partner with a manufacturing company to develop the single-use (non-rechargeable) lithium metal-air batteries for the US Federal ...

Researchers at University of Illinois have invented world’s first acoustic superlens. This could be used for high-resolution ultrasound imaging, non-destructive structural testing of bridges and buildings, and underwater stealth technology. 
The research was led by Nicholas Fang, ...

Taiwanese computer behemoth ASUS will shortly launch a new innovation that had made its debut in the latest edition of CES (Consumer Electronics Show). The Eee keyboard is indeed an oddity as it is a computer built into a keyboard.

The company has taken a fair amount of time in developing this ...

Bertrand Picard, a Swiss adventurer is set to unveil a prototype of solar-powered plane, hoping it would eventually fly around the world. The initial version spans 61 m, but weighs only 1500 kg. The plane would undergo trials to prove its ability to fly at night. Picard made history in 1999 when he ...

Well, the machine is not TOTALLY waterless, but promises to use less than 90% of the water that current machines use.

The machine, named Xeros, which is also the name for the Greek god for ‘dry’ is being developed by researchers at Leeds University who also set up a company called ...

PC giant IBM plans to develop a battery powered by air and oxygen in a move to enter the electric vehicle market. Purportedly, the battery can power a small car to run 1000km on a single charge!

Next month, IBM will play host to experts ranging from nanotechnologists to chemists at the Almaden ...

According the reports of a manufacturing company from China, they have received permission for the development and production of the largest amphibious aircraft of the world which has been titled Dragon 600.
 
The aircraft, which would be as large as an Airbus 320, could be used for tasks ...

The flying car is on its way.
An American company Terrafugia Transition, based near Boston, is set to unveil the dual-purpose car-cum-plane vehicle called 'The Flying Car' as early as 2011. The two-seater vehicle can let you fly if you wish to avoid the congested city traffic.
If you want to ...

The world's smallest car, the Peel 50, debuted Monday at Ripley's Believe it or Not museum in Times Square, New York.
Designed as a "city car" for Ripley's by the London-based Peel Engineering Company, the one-seater Peel Trident is battery-operated and travels about 64 km per hour. It ...

An Indonesian techie is trying to bring in a quiet revolution with the wok - a large, round-bottomed Chinese cooking vessel. His "wokbolic" is a low cost technology that takes wireless connectivity places and dramatically lowers the cost of internet access.
"It's to cook," ...