George Cruikshank’s impression of Dickens’ dystopia

How Charles Dickens Imagined a Westworld-like Robot Theme Park Back In 1838

The writer’s dystopia, populated by ‘automaton figures,’ was surprisingly modern

The Versatile Extra-Sensory Transducer, or VEST, has 32 vibrating motors distributed around the torso.

Could This Futuristic Vest Give Us a Sixth Sense?

For starters, the new technology—appearing on ‘Westworld’ before hitting the market—could help the deaf parse speech and ambient noise

A lithograph by French caricaturist J. J. Grandville depicts the torture of too much noise.

Why Are We Always Searching For “A Quiet Place?”

Perhaps the real monster is not noise, but instead our own intolerance of unwanted sounds

Tooth-mounted sensor

This Tiny Tooth Sensor Could Keep Track of the Food You Eat

The tooth-mounted device can recognize glucose, salt and alcohol, and researchers hope it can one day detect much more

Would you be – or feel – safer if one of these people were a robot?

Would You Trust Drone Software to Pilot Your Flight?

Drones have already flown more hours than humans have. Now companies are looking to apply that data to commercial flight

Richard Branson Speaks on Plan for Space Tourism

Billionaire Richard Branson has set up Virgin Galactic as part of his dream to conquer the final frontier

Powerhouse's strict definition of energy-positive takes every stage of a building's lifecycle into account, from the construction and transport of materials to eventual demolition.

In Norway, an Ambitious New Standard for Green Building Is Catching On

A coalition called Powerhouse is designing buildings that produce more energy than they use in their entire lifecycle

The tiny sensor

This Implantable Chip Could Monitor Alcohol Intake

Engineers have developed a tiny sensor that could potentially replace regular Breathalyzer or blood tests for patients in rehabilitation programs

A Brief History of the Stoplight

How a bright idea shaped our cities and gave the go-ahead to our love affair with the car

Here’s How a Turbo-Charged Porsche 911 Engine is Built

For over half a century, the Porsche 911 has been the poster child for high-performance sports cars

What Will the Automated City of the Future Look Like?

Tokyo, Singapore and Dubai are becoming prototype ‘robot cities,’ as governments start to see automation as the key to urban living

To demonstrate Tupperware's patented seal, Brownie Wise tosses a bowl filled with water at a party.

Women Who Shaped History

The Story of Brownie Wise, the Ingenious Marketer Behind the Tupperware Party

Earl Tupper invented the container’s seal, but it was a savvy, convention-defying entrepreneur who got the product line into the homes of housewives

Guy Satat, a graduate student in the MIT Media Lab, at the fog machine

This New System Can See Through Fog Far Better Than Humans

Developed by MIT researchers, the technology could be a boon for drivers and driverless cars

"Deep Pool That Never Dries" nabbed first prize.

Future of Art

These Contest-Winning ‘Fairy Tales’ Might Be Bleak, But They Are Topical

Blank Space’s fifth-annual competition plays with everything from fake news to gravity

How Engineers Remove Unwanted Sounds from Camaros

With the Camaro, the sound engineers at Chevrolet have to satisfy two opposing teams: officials concerned about noise levels, and the diehard fans

Awesome Con provided an opportunity for science fiction and real-life science to play off of one another. The Robot from Netflix's Lost in Space reboot (center) illustrates the former, while the NASA jacket of the con attendee on the right nods to the latter.

The Real Science Behind Your Favorite Nerd Culture at Awesome Con

Astrophysicists, vehicle technicians and biologists joined the party to bring cutting-edge research to fictional worlds

Ten Summer Camps For Little Innovators

Forget swimming and archery. These camps will have your kids building robots, pitching business ideas, even fighting zombies!

Hawking was known not only for his prodigious intellect but also for his passion in communicating what he knew to the world at large.

The Memory of Stephen Hawking Endures in Bold Black Hole Research Efforts

Smithsonian scientists hunting these supermassive objects reflect on the legacy of one of the world’s most inspiring intellects

The emotional interface tracks physiological signals associated with emotional states and translates them into music.

Can Biomusic Offer Kids With Autism a New Way to Communicate?

Biomedical engineers are using the sound of biological rhythms to describe emotional states

This Car Factory Assembles Camaros Every 35 Minutes

At the Lansing Grand River plant, where the Camaro is assembled, speed is the name of the game: it takes just 35 minutes for one vehicle to be fitted

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