Geek Out

Robo-Hands Can Now Feel What They’re Crushing

People’s #1 fear when shaking the hand of a robot: having it mash their digits like Popsicle sticks. Two Stanford grad’s solution: coat the robo-hand in the same material used in touch-screen phones to give it a precision grip.


August 7, 2010
Software

Study Warns Private Browsing Modes Can Be Bypassed

In what will come as alarming news to porn lovers everywhere, a new study out of Stanford University shows that the private browsing modes now standard on most browsers can be circumvented. The culprits? Encrypted sites and your own extensions.


March 16, 2010
Science

Battery Life Could Increase By 4x With Lithium-Sulphur Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are already close to the 20-hour life promised back in 2007 for laptops, but Lithium-sulphur batteries being worked on at Stanford University may improve battery life by 300 per cent.


January 23, 2010
Science

Carbon Nanotubes Could Turn Fabric Into Wearable Batteries

Wouldn’t it be great if we could recycle all those old clothes lying in the back of our wardrobes, turning them into flexible batteries? By dipping fabric into an ink comprised of carbon nanotubes, their electrical properties are transferred over.