Dr. Frits Bliek and his team at Ocean Grazer are building an "Ocean Battery" that brings hydrodam technology to the sea. On this episode of Here's an Idea, Bliek, CEO of the Netherlands-based energy company, talks about an innovative idea for power that involves plastic bags, underground reservoirs, and a big drill.

Who really likes needles? A brand-new episode of our Tech Briefs podcast series Here’s an Idea™ explores the emergence of a drug-delivery patch made of micro-needles. The Velcro-like option is less painful – and more effective, it turns out. And the devices are especially valuable during a pandemic. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We speak to four researchers about their hearing innovations: a 3D-printed stent for collapsed cartilage, a one-dollar hearing aid that can be built in an hour, a "mind-reading" hearing aid that solves the cocktail party problem, and a brain monitor for cochlear-implant calibration.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tech Briefs talks to three researchers who are finding ways to automate surgical tasks, from suturing, to spotting tumors, to operating one of the biggest machines in surgery today: The Da Vinci. Ken Goldberg of UC Berkeley discusses how his team got the Da Vinci to autonomously perform a training exercise with "superhuman" speed and accuracy.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Medical wearables are advancing past smartwatches and Fitbits, but will they catch on? We talk to the researchers behind an assistive mouth sensor, skin-like sensor tattoos called “BodyNet,” a low-cost UV patch, and an electronic sensor that's 3D-printed directly on the skin. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As doctors and nurses seek hands-free ways to disinfect environments, operate equipment, and contain the spread of coronavirus and COVID-19, some hospitals have turned to a higher-tech idea: Robots. We talk to the researchers behind “Tiago” and other robotic technologies finding a place in patients' rooms. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It looks a bit like the plastic wrap you’d find around a Coca-Cola bottle, but with a big difference. This “RepelWrap” fends off viruses like one that causes COVID-19, and dangerous drug-resistant bacteria. Dr. Leyla Soleymani of McMaster University discusses how an idea for biosensors turned into an invention that some are calling a “Teflon” for pathogens. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If humans end up on Mars in the next ten years, astronauts will need to use as much of the planet’s resources as possible and potentially build habitats to stay there. Chitin is found in the exoskeletons of insects and when combined with Martian soil, results in a potential building material for Mars. Javier Gomez Fernandez from the Singapore University of Technology and Design discusses how Mars explorers can make the most of this peculiar material.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and...

The International Space Station is full of spare parts that can replace any faulty or broken ones. Tracie Prater, a materials engineer at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, wants astronauts to be able to quickly print out the tools and parts that they need on demand. She discusses NASA's efforts to bring 3d printing to space.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When our urban environments are filled with drones and other unmanned aircraft, they'll need to be able detect and avoid obstacles. University of California, San Diego robotics researcher Tim McConnell oversees the Aerodrome — a facility that may look like a driving range, but is, in fact, a testing ground for unmanned aircraft. Learn how McConnell and UCSD students are using the space to take drones out for a spin, and to try out the kinds of maneuvers required in a future of urban air...

The Mars-bound Perseverance rover is as sophisticated as it gets. But can it jump? Hendrik Kolvenbach, PhD researcher at the ETH Zurich Robotics Systems Lab, sees the best way to get around on the Moon and Mars as less of a step and more of a giant leap. Kolvenbach discusses his team's work in creating a technology that's part space robot and part African springbok. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Every airplane wing and body has basically the same shape. "That means they're suboptimal," says MIT's Ben Jenett. Learn how Ben is creating a shape-shifting airplane wing — built by tiny assembler robots.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Roger Wiens, a fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory, talks about how he and his team created the SuperCam. The "Super" instrument will be aboard the 2020 Mars rover, ready to vaporize rocks and search for signs of past life on the Red Planet. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In July of this year, Tech Briefs editors found themselves in the middle of a drone testing ground. Now, the race is on. See how engineers are writing code that can send aircraft through obstacle courses — all without a pilot.

In conjunction with our celebration of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, this month's Here's an Idea episode features an interview with Daniel Coleman, editor of the publication NASA Spin-Off. Many of the technologies we use today – from memory foam to our phone cameras – were first developed in NASA missions. In this special edition of Here's an Idea, Coleman reveals all kinds of everyday tools and materials that began with one small step toward the Moon.

Whether you're the owner of a candy shop in Brooklyn or you're one of the giant chocolate makers like Hershey's or Nestlé, you'll want to experiment. In this episode of Here's an Idea, we explore how candy manufacturers large and small turn to technology to support their newest, sweetest ideas.

There was a time where the closest thing we had to a wearable was plugging your sneaker into a computer. But now that we’re so connected, now that we have the ability to gather a treasure trove of data, what do we do with it? We talk with a wide range of experts to explore how sensors are being used to detect concussions, track player performance, and even provide new opportunities to bet.

When it comes to a better night's sleep, what role should technology play – if any? We talk with two noted sleep specialists and explore some of the innovative products being developed in the emerging field of Sleep Tech. And we go behind the scenes of the manufacturing and prototyping processes of designers who are trying to find new ways to get you some rest. 

Today's cars are more connected than ever before. But the more you open up internal parts of your system to this connectivity, the bigger the chance that those vulnerabilities are accessible from the outside. In this episode, we’ll talk with researchers, including noted Jeep Cherokee hacker Chris Valasek, who have found weaknesses in today’s connected cars, and we explore the teamwork involved in keeping today’s vehicles as secure as possible.

Garbage is everywhere — whether it’s paper in your trashcan, plastic in the ocean, blobs in the sewers, or junk floating out in space. In this episode, we talk with researchers who are finding small — and maybe even fun — ways to take out all the trash.

Detecting a potentially-hazardous, near-Earth asteroid requires a community of dedicated researchers, from amateur astronomers to NASA professionals. In this episode, we talk with NASA's Planetary Defense Officer Lindley Johnson, Dr. Bruce Betts of the Planetary Society, and astrophysicist Mike Owens, about working together to detect and deflect these near-Earth objects (NEOs).

You've most likely felt the vibrations of a phone in your pocket, but did you know that the buzzing effect is one of the most basic forms of a field known as Haptics? Haptics refers to any interaction involving touch, or specifically touch feedback. What if vibrations could communicate more to you than just the arrival of a text or phone call? What if touch was the only sense you had? The haptics field is wide open, and researchers are finding new and exciting ways to communicate and...

The process for making wine, beer, and spirits has remained relatively the same for centuries. In this episode of Here’s an Idea™, we look at the efforts of vineyard owners, distillers, and brewers who are discovering small ways to innovate and adjust their own crafting processes. We speak with former scientists and engineers who are putting their own spin on traditional ideas, using knowledge gained from their previous experience in the lab.

Engineers today are using their creativity to build a variety of superhero-like technologies that enhance our human capabilities, including exosuits, invisibility cloaks, and wall-scaling gloves. What drives these researchers? Were they all comic-book reading dreamers? Or is a need to imagine bigger and better human capabilities just a natural part of who we are? In this episode of Here's an Idea, we talk with researchers whose technologies are giving people the capabilities of their...

After a disaster like the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf coast, what if a giant sponge could clean up the area and the wildlife around it? What if a bunch of tiny sponges could quickly save gunshot victims? In this episode of Here's an Idea, we look at how researchers are doing just that, and expanding the sponge concept to entire cities. Access full-length interviews with the episode's featured researchers here: Reusable ‘Oleo’ Sponge Soaks Up Oil...