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Innovation

Four engineering students from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada invented a printer that produces circuit boards in minutes.

This Year’s James Dyson Award Goes to a Circuit Board Printer

Four engineering students in Canada win the prestigious international award with their invention, which they hope will speed up electronics manufacturing

Could This MIT Economist Make Banking Useful to the Poor?

Natalia Rigol is attempting to figure out if community information can help developing world banks decide who to lend to

When You Sweat, Vents in These Clothes Automatically Open

Harnessing the power of bacteria, MIT researchers and New Balance have created breathable workout gear

Hybrid Holism, dress, July 2012. 3D-printed UV-curable polymer. In collaboration with Julia Koerner and Materialise. High Museum of Art.

The Dutch Designer Who Is Pioneering the Use of 3D Printing in Fashion

In a new exhibition, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta shows how Iris van Herpen started a high-tech movement

When people come to the Smithsonian,” says lighting designer Scott Rosenfeld, (inside the gallery displaying the work of mixed media artist Gabriel Dawe) “they want to experience art. They don’t have to worry about spectrum.”

The Renwick Reopens

The Renwick’s New Lighting Saves Energy, Money, Art, and Your Eyes, All at the Same Time

There’s way more to it than just screwing in the bulb and the museum’s chief lighting designer is turning it into an artform

A sugar mold with the University of Michigan logo

A Disaster in the Kitchen Leads to a Breakthrough in the Lab

After a failed attempt at making cotton candy, biomedical engineer Chris Moraes thought to use sugar to mold silicone and study human cells

Samples of cultured meat grown in a laboratory are seen at the University of Maastricht on November 9, 2011. Scientists are cooking up new ways of sustainably feeding the world's hunger for resource-intensive foods like meat products.

Age of Humans

Strange Foods of the Future: The Planet Can Stomach Them, But Can You?

These unusual delicacies could become the staple foods of the future

Will Driverless Cars Mean Less Roadkill?

Avoiding wildlife could be a tough task for these super-smart cars

Colin Detrich's "DataCycle"

How Seattle is Using a “Frankenbike” to Improve its Bike Trails

Tinkerer Colin Dietrich built it, and now the city’s department of transportation has come to use the tricked-out bike to assess its bike paths

What Do the Most Innovative Chefs Keep in Their Fridges?

A new book gives a peek inside the home refrigerators—and minds—of some of Europe’s top culinarians

This 3D printed tooth could kill germs in your mouth

These 3D Printed Teeth Fight Bacteria

Researchers in the Netherlands are making dental implants that kill microbes that settle on them

HyperCam

This Camera Sees What Your Eyes Can’t

HyperCam, an affordable hyperspectral imaging camera, can tell if your food’s gone bad, among other things

Burn Calories Just By Wearing This New Sports Gear

Here’s an idea: A New York University medical student is integrating resistance bands into clothing

A tiny camera is embedded in the horn of a black rhino.

How Technology May Help Save the Rhino From Extinction

Horns grown in a laboratory and hidden cameras could be the key to tackling this conservation challenge

The app uses facial expression-tracking technology.

Can an App Help Detect Autism?

Duke University researchers are using facial expression-tracking technology to screen for autism spectrum disorders

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2015 Ingenuity Awards

The 2015 Smithsonian American Ingenuity Awards

This year’s recipients range from a Broadway visionary to an astrophysics genius

College Students are Living Rent-Free in a Cleveland Retirement Home

Research shows that the unique arrangement could have health benefits for the elderly

The Innovative Spirit

New Software Makes Cyberbullies Think Twice

Teen programmer Trisha Prabhu created a program called ReThink to make cyberbullies reconsider before posting cruel messages

The algorithm could be useful for pilots flying in turbulence.

This “Psychic Robot” Can Read Your Mind

Researchers have created an algorithm that understands what movement you meant to make, even if you’re interrupted

Scientists Are Working on a Pill That Just Might Replace Exercise

The idea is to create a drug that mimics the molecular changes exercise causes in the body. But it’s no small challenge

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