Tag Archives: innovation

Robotic bricklayer lays bricks three times faster than a human

… but does still leave the complicated work to humans. Construction workers on some sites are getting new, non-union help. SAM – short for semi-automated mason – is a robotic bricklayer being used to increase productivity as it works with human … Continue reading

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Rise in cloud computing starts to cut revenue for IT outsourcing companies

Sean McLain, writing in the Wall Street Journal, describes how the shift to cloud computing is dramatically reducing the number of IT support staff needed to maintain and customize servers and software, and the result is a big drop in hiring of outsourced … Continue reading

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Every Virus a Person Has Ever Been Exposed to Can be Detected in a Drop of Blood

A team of scientists has developed a new blood test that simultaneously detects the presence of circulating antibodies to more than 1000 strains of 206 known human viruses.  In essence, the test profiles an individual’s lifetime history of viral infections. Published in Science, the … Continue reading

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Engineers use LEGOs for cheaper, flexible plant research

As reported by Mike Krapfl-Iowa State at Futurity.org, scientists have been constructing high-tech apparatus for conducting plant research using LEGO bricks: Ludovico Cademartiri, assistant professor of materials science and engineering at Iowa State University, was looking for something modular, scalable, and structurally precise. … Continue reading

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When a smartphone does a doctor’s job

There’s a wave of disruptive innovation building in healthcare based on networked mobile computing and sensor technology. Here, for example, is a cheap attachment for your smartphone, coupled to some powerful software — that has the potential to replace your … Continue reading

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