Materials
Though we live in a digital age, material science has shaped history—and it’s far from over. From quantum computers to fusion reactors, breakthroughs in materials will drive the next technological frontier.
Featured
Fire-resilient prefabs are helping LA build back better
Victims of LA’s wildfires are opting for tech company Cover’s prefab homes over traditional new builds. Here’s why.
The US needs another 4 million houses. Here’s how it could get them.
Restrictive zoning policies helped create America’s housing shortage. Zoning reform could help end it.
How Boom is resurrecting supersonic flight
If Boom gets its way, the future of supersonic passenger travel will be quieter, cleaner, and more affordable than its past.
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The future of micromobility in Africa
In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, improvements to infrastructure shift focus from cars to micromobility. The city’s transportation plan calls for hundreds of kilometers of bike lanes and pedestrian pathways for increased safety.
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Superhuman
Electric skin gives sensation back to amputees
Touch is a sensation that connects us all. This scientist created electronic skin that lets people with prosthetic limbs feel.
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Superhuman
The emerging cyborg
Alec McMorris is testing one of the world’s most advanced prosthetics – an AI powered bionic leg.
Advanced prosthetics are not only powerful, they’re beautiful
“There’s a deep, deep relationship between the functionality of the device and a person’s identity of what their body is.”
Could we end earthquake deaths?
Thousands die in earthquakes every year – even though we know how to build safely. This engineer is working with people in the most vulnerable places to figure out why.
Wearable robotic suits could be coming to a store near you
What can lift 500 pounds in each hand, walk for miles and miles with a heavy load, or leap over obstacles in a single bound? Humans – with the help of wearable robotics.
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Superhuman
The exoskeleton marathon racer
How do you bounce back from a life-changing car accident? Adam Gorlitsky decided he would break a world record.
Hacking surfboard fins to fight climate change
How can a surfboard modification help save the oceans?
In the US, rural hospitals are closing. Can medical drones fill this healthcare gap?
“Whether you live in the developed world or the developing world, the further you travel outside of a major city,…
Drone racers are a thing and they’re amazing
Blistering speed. Big money. 11-year-old world champions. Is drone racing the next big sport?
A quiet revolution in trucking
She’s a veteran, a single mom, and a trucker, who used to have to wait around for hours for her cargo. Now, a revolutionary solution from SAP and Uber Freight is getting her back on the road and home to her son sooner.
The paralyzed racer going faster than ever
This daredevil wouldn’t let anything slow him down—not even a devastating bike accident.
Driverless cars go off-roading
Computer-game simulations can train self-driving cars to navigate in the real world.
Quieter, faster, stronger: The next jet age is coming
Air travel takes longer today than it did 40 years ago. That’s about to change.
Tesla fixed its Model 3 brakes with software – and showed us the future of cars
Consumer Reports failed the Model 3’s braking system. A week later, Tesla beamed a fix to the entire fleet.
Emergency braking was disabled during self-driving Uber fatality: Feds
Uber turned off the emergency braking function in its self-driving cars because of “erratic vehicle behavior.”
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Superhuman
These gloves can teach you to play the piano. And maybe heal your brain.
Through “passive haptic learning”, these gloves can teach you how to play the piano in an hour. Braille in four hours. Now researchers want to see if victims of traumatic brain injuries can use these gloves to re-learn critical skills.
Bionic prosthetic grants amputee musician a rocking encore
How might your life change if you lost an arm? After losing his right arm in an electrical accident, Jason wasn’t…
Researchers want to create a traffic cop for the sky
A new kind of radar could direct drone traffic safely around city skies.
Tesla and Uber fatalities show the limits of “semi-autonomous” cars
How can we make humans pay attention when a machine is doing our job for us?
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