Bill Christensen
Latest articles by Bill Christensen

New Technique Stores Data in Bacteria
By Bill Christensen published
Artificial DNA with encoded information can be added to the genome of common bacteria, thus preserving the data.

Medication 'Robot' Fits Inside Tooth
By Bill Christensen published
The IntelliDrug device would be implanted in the mouth of a patient, where it could provide regular, measured doses of medication.

Army Developing Paralysis Beam
By Bill Christensen published
The US Army is working on a modified 7.5 million candlepower strobe light in hopes of creating a beam that would stun the human nervous system.

Futuristic Workstation Moves Freely in Space
By Bill Christensen published
Forget those cumbersome chair/desk/computer combos. This setup combines it all onto one comfortable device.

Scary Small: New Tracking Chip Size of a Dust Grain
By Bill Christensen published
The world's smallest and thinnest RFID tags, like electronic barcodes, were introduced Tuesday by Hitachi.

Robotic Exoskelton Could Help People Walk
By Bill Christensen published
A robotic ankle exoskeleton developed at the University of Michigan helps people regain limb function; it is controlled by the wearer's own nervous system.

Stealthy Iris Scanner in the Works
By Bill Christensen published
A public iris scanning device has been proposed in a patent. The device can work without the knowledge of the person being scanned.

Plunging Necklines: New Transformer Clothes
By Bill Christensen published
Fashion designer Hussein Chalayan has a new line of dresses that change while being worn.

Nosy Robots Smell Like Moths
By Bill Christensen published
A moth can smell a mate 7 miles way. Scientists now say they've derived a new algorithm that uses a similar strategy.

Huge 'Printer' Would Build a House in 24 Hours
By Bill Christensen published
Behrokh Khoshnevis (USC Engineering) has been perfecting his contour crafting device, which squirts semi-liquid construction materials to form walls and domed ceilings.
Invisible 'Radio' Tattoos Could Identify Soldiers
By Bill Christensen published
Researchers announce a new passive RFID technology that uses ink instead of metals; the tattoos can be colored or invisible. They might help identify friend vs. foe.

The Next Really Big Thing: Digital Billboards
By Bill Christensen published
Digital billboards are starting to sprout along highways near you. Some are visible for more than 2 miles. Expect distracting ads to include animations.

New Meth Coffee is Super-Caffeinated
By Bill Christensen published
An edgily-named coffee company based in San Francisco, opened for business yesterday with its own special brew of super-caffeinated coffee.

Genetically Modified Skin Cells Fight Infection
By Bill Christensen published
The modified skin cells added to cultured skin substitutes might fight potentially lethal infections in patients with severe burns.

Self-Cleaning Underwear Goes Weeks Without Washing
By Bill Christensen published
A protective coating of nanomaterial repels water, oil and bacteria.

New Wheat is Totally Sweet
By Bill Christensen published
Sweet wheat is a hybridized variety of wheat with twice the sugar of its ancestor. It's expected to hit stores two to three years.

Microbots Designed to Swim Like Bacteria
By Bill Christensen published
A remarkable micromotor will allow tiny robots to swim like an E. coli bacterium, which uses its flagella to move around.

Paul Bunyan Robot Dives For Trees
By Bill Christensen published
Sawfish is a real-life robotic underwater lumberjack; it swims down to harvest trees that are now underwater due to flooding to create reservoirs.

Smart or Scary? Software That Follows You
By Bill Christensen published
Rity, a software robot (or "sobot"), can transfer itself from one computer to another to serve his masters.

RoboSalmon to Spy on Fish
By Bill Christensen published
The robot has a built-in camera to broadcast images of real fish back to the operators of the device. Zoologists will use RoboSalmon to monitor various fish species in their natural habitat.

New 'Magic Wardrobe' Simplifies Shopping
By Bill Christensen published
The research prototype is a piece of smart furniture that would allow people to use their actual wardrobe as a starting point in online shopping.
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