UCLA engineering scientists are developing a microscopic robotic hand, which they hope one day will be used for surgeries that entail removing small bits of crap. The silicon robotic fingers will be controlled by air pressure rather then electricity, which we assume is to assure it lasts longer than a complex electrical device would.

The only drawback for now is that the little guy doesn’t come equipped with a camera, so the use will still be limited. Future models of the robot are planned to have a tiny camera planted somewhere on its base. The tiny silicon fingers are controlled through polymer “muscles” which act as joints between the finger units. Each “muscle” is attached to air pressure which alters the finger location. Also expected for future versions is optical fibers on the fingers. — Andrew Dobrow

Link [via]

Sunlight is a commodity only now being fully realized for its gigantic magnitude of energy resources. In fact, The Cold Light fiberoptics don’t even the sun as a power source. The light gets transfered to an indoor-friendly fluorescent glow. On display at the Haus der Forschung in Vienna, a headlining institute in research science, the Cold Light system, called “0-24 Licht”, dangles in cords from the display, showing a dazzling bright light.

The “0-24 Licht” works with a number of situated mirrors, which capture sunlight and projects the light into a series of optical condensers set up at the entrance. From here, state of the art optical fibers transfer the light indoors, without any heat energy needed. “0-24 Licht” marks the first working prototype of a direct sunlight to fluorescent lighting system and can one day have a wide effect on architecture and electric costs, as well as the environment. — Andrew Dobrow

Cold light [Domusweb, via Inhabitant]