Research & Development World

  • R&D World Home
  • Topics
    • Aerospace
    • Automotive
    • Biotech
    • Careers
    • Chemistry
    • Environment
    • Energy
    • Life Science
    • Material Science
    • R&D Management
    • Physics
  • Technology
    • 3D Printing
    • A.I./Robotics
    • Software
    • Battery Technology
    • Controlled Environments
      • Cleanrooms
      • Graphene
      • Lasers
      • Regulations/Standards
      • Sensors
    • Imaging
    • Nanotechnology
    • Scientific Computing
      • Big Data
      • HPC/Supercomputing
      • Informatics
      • Security
    • Semiconductors
  • R&D Market Pulse
  • R&D 100
    • Call for Nominations: The 2025 R&D 100 Awards
    • R&D 100 Awards Event
    • R&D 100 Submissions
    • Winner Archive
    • Explore the 2024 R&D 100 award winners and finalists
  • Resources
    • Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • R&D Index
    • Subscribe
    • Video
    • Webinars
  • Global Funding Forecast
  • Top Labs
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

DIY Robot Instructions, Silicon Space X-Ray Mirrors, Better Batteries: ICYMI

By MaryBeth DiDonna | February 13, 2017

In case you missed it (ICYMI), here are some of the stories that made headlines in the world of cleanrooms and nanotechnology in the past week.

Schematic of a bio-bot: Engineered skeletal muscle tissue is coupled to a 3D printed flexible skeleton. Optical stimulation of the muscle tissue, which is genetically engineered to contract in response to blue light, makes the bio-bot walk across a surface in the direction of the light.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have been working on developing a class of walking “bio-bots,” which are powered by muscle cells and controlled with electrical and optical pulses. The engineers are now sharing their secrets so people can build their own bio-bots. The protocol includes each step of constructing the robots — using a 3D printer to create the skeleton, tissue engineering the skeletal muscle actuator, and details about the manufacturers and part numbers for every component the U of I engineers used. The idea is to share the findings so that other researchers and educators will gain the tools and knowledge to build such bio-hybrid systems that can be used for applications in health, medicine, and environment.

Scientist Will Zhang has created a manufacturing facility to create a new-fangled X-ray optic made of silicon. This image shows the buffing machine to remove imperfections from the mirror’s surface. Image: NASA/W. Hrybyk

A scientist at NASA has developed a technique for manufacturing lightweight, high-resolution X-ray mirrors using silicon, which is normally utilized for computer chips. Astrophysicist William Zhang has proven through repeated testing that single-crystal silicon — a hard, brittle non-metallic element — functions extremely well as an X-ray optic. Using silicon would give X-ray astrophysicists working with limited space and budget the ability to create lightweight, super-thin mirrors with drastically improved resolution.

Oxygen (red) and water (red and blue) molecules react on the carbon-free electrocatalyst surface (gray) as the metal-air battery is charged. Image: © 2017 A*STAR Institute of Materials Research and Engineering

Finally, researchers A*STAR have come up with a carbon-free version of one of the oxygen electrocatalyst, a key component of zinc-air batteries. zinc-air batteries are a promising solution for large-scale storage of solar, wind, and hydro energy, as they’re cheap and non-flammable — however, since oxygen attacks and corrodes their carbon-based components, they don’t have a long lifespan. The latest research offers a solution by developing carbon-free battery components.

Related Articles Read More >

2025 R&D layoffs tracker tops 92,000
2028 Olympic air taxis could beat traffic for the lucky few
U.S. Space Force invests $13.7 billion in next-gen launch vehicles from SpaceX, ULA, and Blue Origin
EL SEGUNDO, CA/USA - OCTOBER 13, 2014: Boeing manufactuing facility. Boeing manufactures and sells aircraft, rotorcraft, rockets and satellites. It is the second-largest defense contractor in the world.
8 major R&D moves this week: HHS cuts 10,000 jobs while Anthropic & DataBricks form $100M pact
rd newsletter
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, trends, and strategies in Research & Development.
RD 25 Power Index

R&D World Digital Issues

Fall 2024 issue

Browse the most current issue of R&D World and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Clip, share and download with the leading R&D magazine today.

Research & Development World
  • Subscribe to R&D World Magazine
  • Enews Sign Up
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing
  • Global Funding Forecast

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search R&D World

  • R&D World Home
  • Topics
    • Aerospace
    • Automotive
    • Biotech
    • Careers
    • Chemistry
    • Environment
    • Energy
    • Life Science
    • Material Science
    • R&D Management
    • Physics
  • Technology
    • 3D Printing
    • A.I./Robotics
    • Software
    • Battery Technology
    • Controlled Environments
      • Cleanrooms
      • Graphene
      • Lasers
      • Regulations/Standards
      • Sensors
    • Imaging
    • Nanotechnology
    • Scientific Computing
      • Big Data
      • HPC/Supercomputing
      • Informatics
      • Security
    • Semiconductors
  • R&D Market Pulse
  • R&D 100
    • Call for Nominations: The 2025 R&D 100 Awards
    • R&D 100 Awards Event
    • R&D 100 Submissions
    • Winner Archive
    • Explore the 2024 R&D 100 award winners and finalists
  • Resources
    • Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • R&D Index
    • Subscribe
    • Video
    • Webinars
  • Global Funding Forecast
  • Top Labs
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE