Mind over matter! And robots? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Advanced prosthetics hook up a robotic limb directly to your brain. Though still rudimentary, researchers hope to restore natural movement, and even touch, to amputees. But can brains really adapt and control this
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I’m a SUPER-safe driver! But those OTHER guys…! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Driving to work – it’s like a game of Grand Theft Auto! It’s scary how dangerously people drive. Would ROBOTS make the commute safer? Most of us think of ourselves as
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Can’t we all just get along…with robots? This is Sandra Tsing-Loh, with the Loh Down on Science. Robots seem to be a good choice for jobs that are easily automated. But what about…driving? That requires human skills like dexterity and instinct. Are robots really cut out to be cabbies? Matthias
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Look! It’s a bird… it’s a plane… it’s RoboBee! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Drones help us explore areas we can’t get to on foot. But the bulkier the drone, the more difficult and dangerous to fly. So smaller IS better! But microdrones can’t
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Happy hour for robots? Hey, it’s five o’clock somewhere! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Robots with artificial muscles that are flexible, durable, and responsive would be a dream! Unfortunately, robotic joints are too stiff and slow for human-like movement – yet! Shengqian Ma from
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The robots are coming… after my heart? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. To fix a leaky heart valve, surgeons drive a snake-like robot through your heart to get to the leak, kind of like a roto-rooter. But arteries aren’t exactly smooth drives in the
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Salt free potato chip? No thanks! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Salt is in almost all foods, from soup to nuts! But too much causes high blood pressure. So how can we reduce salt intake without sacrificing taste? Healthier salts! Which have potassium or
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Can you teach a robot to swim? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Aquatic robots? That’s crazy talk! This is because heavy machinery and electrical components reduce a robot’s agility in water. Enter Robert Wood from Harvard’s Microrobotics Laboratory. He created an AMPHIBIOUS robot —
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Getting on the highway at five o’clock? Pack a snack! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Traffic jams. Nobody likes them! Cars on the freeway, herds of cattle, even swarms of robots have to deal with traffic jams. What’s the secret to avoiding this misery?
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What does a robot and your boss have in common? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. With humanoid robots becoming more and more realistic, scientists are investigating them as social tools. Now researchers at University of Clermont Auvergne are using social robots for more… sinister
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