Technical advances are reducing the volume of e-waste generated in the US as lighter, more compact products enter the market. But those goods can be harder to reuse and recycle.
A “creuseur,” or digger, descends into a tunnel at the mine in Kawama, Democratic Republic of Congo.
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Batteries power much of modern life, from electric and hybrid cars to computers, medical devices and cellphones. But unless they're made easier and cheaper to recycle, a battery waste crisis looms.
A new silicone 'skin' contains electronics that mimic the human body's lightning-fast response to pain, potentially paving the way for smart prosthetics that can detect painful sensations.
Engineers predict a time when people and robots physically interact all day long. For that to happen safely will require new soft materials that can do things like sense touch and change shape.
M. Stanley Whittingham, John Goodenough and Akira Yoshino.
Binghampton University/University of Texas/Kimimasa Mayama/EPA
Our brains create new memories, and forget old ones, by forging and breaking connections between nerve cells. Now researchers can do something similar using a light-sensitive electronic chip.
Phosphorene nanoribbons.
Oliver Payton/University of Bristol
When teenagers sleep for less than eight hours a night, they are at increased risk of suicide, being overweight, high rates of injury, poor sustained attention and low school grades.
Engineering education needs to keep up with technological advances.
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Technological advances and discoveries are moving at a rate faster than engineering education can keep up with. The solution is a revised approach to teaching engineering.
Press here – to do what, exactly?
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Americans are spending almost three and a half hours on their phones and tablets every day, twice the amount just five years ago. A behavioral scientist offers a few tips on how to take control.
What if you could make a microchip at home?
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