- Title: 2018's science and technology innovations
- Date: 10th December 2018
- Summary: LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND, UK (FILE) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** PUFF ADDER BITING INTO CONTAINER WITH LATEX LID / VENOM BEING EXTRACTED INTO CONTAINER
- Embargoed: 24th December 2018 17:13
- Keywords: science technology environment animals robots innovations gadgets
- Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
- City: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
- Country: Various
- Topics: Science
- Reuters ID: LVA0259AE8WGR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Among the science, technology and environmental stories featured on the Innovations video feed in 2018:
A prosthetic arm developed at Georgia Institute of Technology allowed amputee Jason Barnes to play the piano by detecting muscle movement in his stump using ultrasound technology and an algorithm to predict which metal finger he intends to use.
A Japanese research team built a humanoid robot that resembles the intricate muscular and skeletal structure of a human body, making it capable of mimicking human activities like push-ups and sit-ups. The researchers at University of Tokyo's JSK lab studied human anatomy to map the structure of the "human mimetic humanoid" they named Kengoro, the most advanced version of a series they've created since 2001.
Researchers in South Korea showed off their people-carrying robot designed for rescue missions or helping people with disabilities. Standing 2.2 metres tall and weighing 270kg, the FX-2 can carry a 70kg passenger, exactly mirroring their movements, according to the Director of the Humanoid Robot Research Centre, or HUBO laboratory.
Japan's Nissan Motor Co previewed its self-parking slippers at its corporate headquarters in Yokohama. When the slippers aren't in use they are programmed to return to their original positions with the push of a button, guided by a sensor camera.
A British inventor hopes to change the public's perception of dog poo by demonstrating its potential as a fuel to power street lighting. Frustrated by the amount of dog poo left on the footpaths near his home in the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire, inventor Brian Harper spent several years developing the first iteration of his dog-poo powered lamp. By modifying a commercial bio-digester he figured out how to channel the emissions to the top of a street lamp where it delivers a steady stream of bio-gas [60% methane] to fuel a gas powered lantern.
Researchers at the universities of Sussex and Bristol have created TastyFloats - a prototype device that uses acoustic levitation to suspend tiny items of food and drink in mid-air.
Hoping to replicate the success of Pokémon Go, the Ghostbusters AR mobile game lets users strap on a virtual proton pack to catch ghosts that appear to be floating in the real-world.
German technology firm Festo have built a bio-inspired robotic flying fox that's able to mimic much of the real animal's airborne ability. Like the living creature, the bionic version has an airtight membrane stretching from the fingertips to the feet of the robotic bat. It has a wingspan of 2.28 metres (7.4 ft.), but weighs just 580g (1.2lbs). Small motors in the body adjust each wing separately, while another larger motor flaps the wings, giving it a high degree of airborne agility.
A robot cheetah that jumps and runs across rough terrain, climbs over debris, and maintains balance when being pushed around, despite having to rely on 'blind locomotion', was developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Segway showcased a new way to get around at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin - self-balancing skates that use a similar tech to the personal transporters for which Segway is famous. Their top speed is 12 km/h (7.5 mph) and a single charge gives riders about 45 minutes of ride time, according to the company.
Scientists from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) have developed a spinal cord stimulator for paraplegics that, when implanted in his body, acts as a bridge between the brain and the paralysed limbs, restoring some cerebral communication across the damaged site and restoring some degree of movement.
A soldier wounded by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan has received the world's first complete penis and scrotum transplant, said officials at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. A team of nine plastic surgeons and two urological surgeons operated on the veteran, whose identity was not disclosed, for 14 hours on March 26. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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