Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have created bio-compatible LED arrays that can bend, stretch, and even be implanted under the skin. While this might cause some people to immediately think “glowing tattoos!”, the arrays are actually intended for activating drugs, monitoring medical conditions, or performing other biomedical tasks within the body. Down the road, however, they could also be incorporated into consumer goods, robotics, or military/industrial applications.

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Tokyo—Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO: 6502) today unveiled the world’s first LCD TVs that offer comprehensive 3D capabilities without any need for dedicated  glasses. The new “Glasses-less 3D REGZA GL1″ series offers two models with screen sizes specifically designed for personal use: the 20-inch 20GL1 and the 12-inch 12GL1. Both TVs will be available in Japan from the end of December.

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An Australian aeronautics company is developing a 150 meter wide discus-shaped helium balloon with a payload capacity of 150 tons. Among other things, the Skylifter will have the ability to move multistory buildings to remote locations and serve as a new generation of airborne luxury cruise ships.

You’ve seen hot air balloons, maybe been in one. Now imagine one that has a hotel strapped to it. This is exactly what Australian company Skylifter is developing. Using a round, flat, helium filled balloon, it will cruise at a speed of 83 kph, at distances up to…

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Human skin is primed for touch — even minuscule pressure from a fly is enough to make you flinch. This ability does not yet extend to artificial limbs, however, and robots are a long way from having sensitive tactile abilities.

Now two California research teams have announced pressure-sensitive artificial skin  made of tiny circuits, both of which could lead to better artificial limbs and helper robots.

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Let’s face it, we’re not going to just start off with computers flying humans around right away. The first space shuttles were, after all, unmanned for good reasons. We have to learn to crawl before we can learn to walk, lest we trip and smash our head against the pavement. Delivery of lighter objects than humans is a good place to start. Sure, we do have a flying car already, notably the Terrafugia Transition, but it’s really more of a driving plane. It’s not the VTOL we’ve dreamed of for decades. Developing a well functioning delivery drone network will pave the way for confidence in a practical network of drones delivering people. Humans have notoriously poor navigation skills in three-dimensional environments, so unmanned aerial vehicles seem a safer option than those prone to human error.

Yale has developed an unmanned aerial vehicle that can pick up your mail or your beer without landing…

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