SciFri Radio: Inventions

SciFri Radio: The Missing Memristor?
We'll find out about a new basic electronic structure called the 'memristor,' and why it has electronics developers excited.

SciFri Radio: Building Social Robots
Sure, robots can weld car parts or stack cartons on an assembly line. But can they develop friendships with people? In this hour, Ira talks with...

SciFri Radio: Towards Test-Tube Meat?
This week, animal rights group PETA announced the group would offer a million-dollar prize for the development of commercially-viable 'test-tube...

SciFri Radio: Biofuels Research Roundup
Ira talks with several researchers looking at innovative ways to harvest energy from plant materials, including gasoline-like chemicals, ethanol,...

SciFri Radio: Oldest Recorded Song is Heard
Audio historians have found a sound recording that pre-dates Edison's phonograph. We'll talk about the 'phonautograph' and take a listen to the...

SciFri Radio: Phages Fight Bacteria
In this segment, Ira and guests talk about bacteriophages -- bacteria-fighting viruses -- and their place in modern medicine.

SciFri Radio: Solar Power Scales Up
Increasingly, individuals are adding solar panels to their homes and businesses. But is solar technology ready to provide power on a utility power...

SciFri Radio: Persuasive Technologies
How can devices, environments, or computer programs be designed to change how people behave? We'll talk about the field of 'persuasive technology.'

SciFri Radio: Harvesting Energy From Walking
Researchers have built a device resembling a knee brace that can generate usable amounts of electrical energy as a person walks.

SciFri Radio: Solar Energy Update
Solar power is often offered as one of the most promising forms of renewable energy. But how close is solar power to becoming a major player in...

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SciFri Newsbriefs: Inventions

Newsbrief: A Better Backpack
Over-sized rubberbands can make a 60-pound backpack feel ten pounds lighter.

Newsbrief: Garbage Truck 2.0
Part refinery, part generator, a new portable machine eats trash and makes fuel.

Newsbrief: Better Off Bumpy
At one atom thick, graphene is as thin as it gets, but it's not flat.

Newsbrief: Just One Word
There may indeed be a great future in plastics. A researcher is working on a recipe for a plastic that dissolves in seawater.

Newsbrief: Crystal Ball
Researchers have grown a crystal that bends in light. Under the right rays, the crystal can even catapult a gold ball ninety times heavier than...

Newsbrief: Liquid Mirror Lunar Telescope
Using liquid for the telescope's mirror could let scientists see deeper into the Universe than ever before.

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