Florida-based company L3Harris Technologies has finalised the design of a next-generation nuclear-based power source for future NASA deep space missions, potentially powering an orbital mission to Uranus. Its Next-Generation Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (Next Gen RTG) recently cleared its critical design review (CDR), paving the way for a new era of outer solar system … [Read more...] about Nuclear generator could power future NASA mission to Uranus
Technology
New approach designs healthcare robots with, not for, the people who use them
A new study led by researchers at Cornell University has approached the question of whether healthcare robots actually make care easier for the people who give and receive it by inviting healthcare workers, long-term care residents and community members to help design the robots themselves. The research documents a 14‑week ‘co-design’ project in which nurses, doctors, … [Read more...] about New approach designs healthcare robots with, not for, the people who use them
Robots and AI to help shipbuilding stay on track
An international team is working to develop a system within which autonomous robots and AI models could help shipyard workers catch when a ship’s built structure differs from design drawings, allowing workers to fix problems or adapt sooner. With funding from a US$6.2million grant from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the collaboration … [Read more...] about Robots and AI to help shipbuilding stay on track
A robotic solution for safer tree trimming
A fourth-year finance major in the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania has developed a prototype for a rope-climbing, ground-controlled robotic arborist system that allows tree care workers to stay on the ground. Penn President J Larry Jameson has announced Margaret Zhu, who founded Serpent Robotics to further develop the device, as a recipient of the 2026 … [Read more...] about A robotic solution for safer tree trimming
Hidden mathematical link helps designers build fantastic shapes
Researchers from Princeton University’s engineering school have developed a system that designers can use to mimic irregular natural structures such as termite mounds or human bones – not only their microstructural patterns, but their mechanical properties as well. ‘We created a theory that is applicable to two distinct physical systems,’ said Glaucio Paulino, the Margareta … [Read more...] about Hidden mathematical link helps designers build fantastic shapes