Topics: Applied Physics, Nanotechnology, Polymers, Research A new low-cost nanogenerator that can efficiently harvest electrical energy from ambient wind has been created by Ya Yang at the Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and colleagues. The team reports that the device achieves high electrical conversion efficiencies for breezes of 4–8 m/s (14–28 km/h) andContinue reading “B-TENG…”
Category Archives: Applied Physics
Transparency…
Topics: Applied Physics, Nanotechnology, Optics At the focus of a laser, a 100-nm-wide gold nanoparticle can block more than half the light. If additional particles are added, the amount of blocked light increases exponentially, as modeled by the Beer–Lambert law. But theorists predict that in the right set of circumstances, the addition of a moleculeContinue reading “Transparency…”
Fit…
Topics: Applied Physics, NIST, Research, Robotics A shoddily tailored suit or a shrunken T-shirt may not be the most stylish, but wearing them is unlikely to hurt more than your reputation. An ill-fitting robotic exoskeleton on the battlefield or factory floor, however, could be a much bigger problem than a fashion faux pas. Exoskeletons, manyContinue reading “Fit…”
Photography of the Invisible…
Topics: Applied Physics, Optics, Women in Science, X-rays In February 1896 Sarah Frances Whiting, founder of the physics and astronomy departments at Wellesley College, conducted a series of x-ray experiments. She was working only a few weeks after the public announcement of Wilhelm Röntgen’s discovery of the rays, and she was not alone; amateur andContinue reading “Photography of the Invisible…”