Ultra-thin camera doesn’t need lenses. The new camera design replaces the lenses with an ultra-thin optical phased array (OPA). The OPA does computationally what lenses do using large pieces of glass: it manipulates incoming light to capture an image.
New screen coating for reading in sunlight. The new flexible antireflection film has a surface reflection of just .23 percent, compared to iPhones 4.4. It also is scratch-resistant and self-cleaning. The inspiration? Moth eyes covered with a pattern of antireflective nanostructures.
New superglue for stretchable batteries and soft electronics. The new adhesive is made with superglue’s main ingredient cyanoacrylate and an organic compound that diffuses into the parts being fused, leading to a tough bond without brittle residue left behind. It can hold up to 1 kg and stretch up to 2,000 percent.
Fresh water from salt water using only solar energy. The direct solar desalination system, which uses a combination of membrane distillation technology and light-harvesting nanophotonics, has a potential to bring fresh drinking water to over a billion of people.
Cracking the mystery of egg shape. Why are eggs shaped different from one bird to another? After studying some 49,175 eggs, the answers are finally here!
