Have robots gone soft? Well…yes. In recent months the trend in the robotics field has shifted from the typical human-like, metal-based machines to so-called “soft robotics.” These new innovations are based on animals such as squids, octopuses, caterpillars and starfish. The idea is for the new robots to be flexible enough to fit through small spaces.

Further developments for these pliable neologisms have come from the University of California, Berkeley, in the form of a new hydrogel that flexes in response to light. Synthetic elastoproteins are fused with graphene sheets to absorb water when cooled and release it when heated. The graphene sheets, when shone with near-infrared light, generate heat.

The hydrogel has one side that is more porous than the other, so when the near-infrared light is introduced, the heated graphene causes the proteins to let more water out of one side than the other. This process makes the material bend. Did somebody say T-1000 ?

The post New Hydrogel + Light Give Soft-Bodied Robots the Bends first appeared on Gajitz.

How annoyed would you be if you walked into an art exhibit only to be greeted by a room full of blank canvases? That’s exactly what artists Brad Blucher and Kyle Clements have done with their fun “Take a Picture” exhibit – but instead of the canvases being completely blank as they appear, they are actually just displaying images that are invisible to the human eye. Visitors to the exhibit are encouraged to pull out their cell phones and digital cameras and snap pics of the “blank” canvases to reveal their hidden art.

This project is a great example of the way technology is changing literally everything – even art. This type of exhibit would have been completely impossible not too long ago, but today we are able to do amazing things with technology that we all carry in our pockets. If this project still seems a little like a practical joke, don’t worry: most modern art feels that way.

The post Abra-Cam-Dabra! Digital Cameras Reveal Hidden Artwork first appeared on Gajitz.