System Bits: Jan. 8


Measure twice, cut once University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center researchers are working with a robotic device that can perform laparoscopic surgery through a single incision, an operation that typically requires five or six small incisions. The device is called the SP Robot, developed by Intuitive Surgical. It features four arms that go into the body through a 1-inch incision. UT South... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: May 27


Battery captures waste heat, converts it to electricity While vast amounts of excess heat are generated by industrial processes and by electric power plants, researchers around the world have spent decades looking for ways to harness some of this wasted energy, according to engineering researchers at Stanford and MIT. They pointed out that most of these efforts have focused on thermoelectric d... » read more