Inventions 2016

Ultrathin Electric 'Tattoo' Can Monitor Muscles and More

It's a temporary tattoo more advanced than anything you'll ever find in a Cracker Jack box: Researchers have developed a thin, flexible electrode that can measure electrical signals on the skin after being applied like a temporary tattoo.

The technology was designed to make long-term, stablerecordings of muscle activitywithout inconveniencing the person wearing it.

The key innovation is making the electrodes extremely thin," study leader Yael Hanein, a professor of electrical engineering at Tel Aviv University in Israel, told Live Science in an email. "This feature solved all the challenges in regular electrodes." [Bionic Humans: Top 10 Technologies]

The electronic tattoos could have a variety of applications, including to map emotions based on facial expressions, study neurodegenerative diseases and control prostheses, the researchers said in a statement. Hanein added that her lab is already exploring potential ways the tattoos could be used for psychological evaluations and as a diagnostic tool forParkinson's disease, a neurological disorder that can cause tremors, muscle stiffness and coordination problems.

The "electric tattoo" is made up of three main parts: a carbon electrode, an adhesive surface that fastens the tattoo to the skin and a polymer coating that can conduct electricity, Hanein said in the statement.

"The major benefits include long-term stability and comfort, and in addition, simple and quick application on the skin," she said. However, "there is still more work to be done on the data capturing and analysis," she added.

The new technology represents an exciting development, said Lisa Feldman Barrett, a psychologist who studies emotion at Northeastern University but wasn't involved with the new study.

"Right now, we apply sensors to people's skin with gel, and it's messy," Barrett told Live Science.

Even though she anticipates using this sort of technology in her own lab, Barrett said there are some things an electrode simply won't be able to measure. "There are no technological advances of this sort that will ever let you read emotions in someone's face. Emotions just don't work like that," she said.

According to Barrett, cross-cultural studies demonstrate that emotions aren't universally linked to certain facial expressions, and context is crucial when we guess the feelings of those around us. "Emotions aren't detected — they're perceived," she said.

Create 3D Animations with the Stroke of a Pen

With just the stroke of a pen or the click of a mouse, you can now transform your 2D sketches into 3D animations.

New computer software, known as Mosketch, allows anyone to try their hand at 3D animation without toiling away at numerous sketches. The software combines two major animation methods: direct kinematics, which deals with the change of a character's joints, and inverse kinematics, which takes into account the movement of a character's body part. Artists can use the 3D software to seamlessly convert a 2D stroke into 3D moves, according to its developers.

Now available in beta, Mosketch was developed by Moka Studio and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), a research institute in Switzerland that specializes in physical sciences and engineering. Mosketch is being promoted as professional-grade software that can "be used by anyone, from independent artists to animation studios." [Gallery: 3D Scans in Hollywood and Hospitals]

Ronan Boulic, head of the immersive interaction research group at EPFL, said the software automates the natural flow of action of a graphic artist so that anyone can create animations.

When using the software, artists are able to focus on visual cues rather than detailed coding to create the animations, Boulic said. The software does the background work of programming a movement, while the artist simply uses their pen or mouse to draw the prompts.

"We rely as much as possible on the visual interaction on the screen, through the location of the pen on the screen," Boulic told Live Science. "As soon as you draw a line, stroke, you see the line on the screen and the algorithm instantaneously adjusts the pose of the 3D figure to match this line. So there is no complicated user interface."

Tiny 'Atomic Memory' Device Could Store All Books Ever Written

A new "atomic memory" device that encodes data atom by atom can store hundreds of times more data than current hard disks can, a new study finds.

"You would need just the area of a postage stamp to write out all books ever written," said study senior author Sander Otte, a physicist at the Delft University of Technology's Kavli Institute of Nanoscience in the Netherlands.

In fact, the researchers estimated that if they created a cube 100 microns wide — about the same diameter as the average human hair — made of sheets of atomic memory separated from one another by 5 nanometers, or billionths of a meter, the cube could easily store the contents of the entire U.S. Library of Congress. [10 Technologies That Will Transform Your Life]

"Of course, these estimations are all a little silly, but in my opinion, they help to get an idea of how incredibly small this memory device really is," Otte told Live Science.

Information overload

As the world generates more data, researchers are seeking ways to store all of that information in as little space as possible. The new atomic memory devices that researchers developed can store more than 500 trillion bits of data per square inch (6.45 square centimeters) — about 500 times more data than the best commercial hard disk currently available, according to the scientists who created the new devices.

The scientists created their atomic memory device using a scanning tunneling microscope, which uses an extremely sharp needle to scan over surfaces just as a blind person would run his or her fingers over a page of braille to read it. Scanning tunneling microscope probes can not only detect atoms, but also nudge them around.

Computers represent data as 1s and 0s — binary digits known as bits that they express by flicking tiny, switch-like transistors either on or off. The new atomic memory device represents each bit as two possible locations on a copper surface; a chlorine atom can slide back and forth between these two positions, the researchers explained.

"If the chlorine atom is in the top position, there is a hole beneath it — we call this a 1," Otte said in a statement. "If the hole is in the top position and the chlorine atom is therefore on the bottom, then the bit is a 0." (Each square hole is about 25 picometers, or trillionths of a meter, deep.)

The bits are separated from one another by rows of other chlorine atoms. These rows could keep the bits in place for more than 40 hours, the scientists found. This system of packing atoms together is far more stable and reliable than atomic memory strategies that employ loose atoms, the researchers said. [How Big Is the Internet, Really?]

These atoms were organized into 127 blocks of 64 bits. Each block was labeled with a marker of holes. These markers are similar to the QR codesnow often used in ads and tickets. These markers can label the precise location of each block on the copper surface.

The markers can also label a block as damaged; perhaps this damage was caused by some contaminant or flaw in the copper surface — about 12 percent of blocks are not suitable for data storage because of such problems, according to the researchers. All in all, this orderly system of markers could help atomic memory scale up to very large sizes, even if the copper surface the data is encoded on is not entirely perfect, they said.

A big step

All in all, the scientists noted that this proof-of-principle device significantly outperforms current state-of-the-art hard drives in terms of storage capacity.

As impressive as creating atomic memory devices is, Otte said that for him, "The most important implication is not at all the data storage itself."

Instead, for Otte, atomic memory simply demonstrates how well scientists can now engineer devices on the level of atoms. "I cannot, at this point, foresee where this will lead, but I am convinced that it will be much more exciting than just data storage," Otte said.

The creation of atomic-scale machinery was first suggested in 1959 by Nobel laureate physicist Richard Feynman in a famous lecture dubbed "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom." To honor Feynman, the researchers coded 160 words from Feynman's lecture on an area 100 nanometers wide. [Mad Geniuses: 10 Odd Tales About Famous Scientists]

"Just stop and think for a moment how far we got as humans that we can now engineer things with this amazing level of precision, and wonder about the possibilities that it may give," Otte said.

Reading a block of bits currently takes about 1 minute, and rewriting a block of bits currently requires about 2 minutes, the researchers said. However, they noted that it's possible to speed up this system by making probes move faster over the surfaces of these atomic memory devices, potentially for read-and-write speeds on the order of 1 million bits per second.

Futuristic tech

Still, the researchers cautioned that atomic memory will not record data in large-scale data centers anytime soon. Currently, these atomic memory devices only work in very clean vacuum environments where they cannot become contaminated, and require cooling by liquid nitrogen to supercold temperatures of minus 321 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 196 degrees Celsius, or 77 kelvins) to prevent the chlorine atoms from jittering around.

Still, such temperatures are "easier to obtain than you may think," Otte said. "Many MRI scanners in hospitals are already kept at 4 kelvins (minus 452 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 269 degrees Celsius) permanently, so it is not at all inconceivable that future storage facilities in data centers could be maintained at [liquid nitrogen temperatures]."

Future research will investigate different combinations of materials that may help atomic memory's "stability at higher temperatures, perhaps even room temperature," Otte said.

'3Doodler' Pen Lets You Draw 3D-Printed Creations in Midair

It wasn't long ago that the idea of printing something in three dimensions sounded like science fiction. But over the past decade, 3D printers have become widespread and are now used to create everything from decorative baubles to robot parts to medical devices.

Still, using a 3D printer isn't always simple: The machine is frequently housed within a box the size of a microwave, and it requires technical software and, in some cases, a detailed knowledge of design. But now, a company called 3Doodler has transformed the standard 3D printer into a pen, allowing people to draw 3D creations freely in the air — without the need for a computer or any software.

In 2012, Maxwell Bogue and Peter Dilworth, co-founders of 3Doodler along with Daniel Cowen, were trying to come up with the next great kids' toy. They said they frequently used 3D printers to craft prototypes of their designs, and one night, they spent 14 hours printing a dinosaur leg, only to find that the printer had missed a section, leaving a gap in the model. [Best Educational Toys & Games for Kids]

The two wished they "could just take the nozzle off the 3D printer and fill in the missing gap," Bogue, now CEO of the company, told Live Science. So, the inventors set out to design a product that could do just that.

Bogue and Dilworth took apart a 3D printer and added a computer chip to the nozzle so that they could control the device. When that rudimentary model worked as a proof of concept, the team set out to streamline the design to create a more user-friendly pen, they said.

The first prototypes came straight from a standard 3D printer. "We printed the shells and the casings and everything that's held together," Bogue said.

In a lot of ways, the 3Doodler works like a sophisticated hot-glue gun: A heating element melts plastic, and it is extruded out through a nozzle. But glue guns use a hand pump to push the plastic out of the tip, which can make it clump. The challenge with the 3Doodler was to find a way to make the plastic flow steadily and smoothly, so the inventors designed the pen with a motor to propel the plastic filament, they said.When it was done, they pulled the hot nozzle off the printer and used it in their pen. Over about eight months, they refined the design, finally producing the first version of the product, Bogue said.

The heater inside the 3Doodler runs about 355 degrees to 460 degrees Fahrenheit (180 to 240 degrees Celsius) to effectively melt the most common plastic filaments (known as PLA and ABS). But at that temperature, the plastic would take a long time to cool, making it impossible to draw in the air, Bogue said. As a result, Bogue and Dilworth added a cooling fan to the 3Doodler, which brings the temperature of the plastic down to about 280 degrees to 300 degrees F (140 to 150 degrees C) when it leaves the pen, and the plastic hardens within seconds, Bogue said. [The 10 Weirdest Things Created By 3D Printing]

The inventors ran a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign to raise money for the project, collecting more than $2.3 million from more than 26,000 backers. The pen is now in its third version, known as the 3Doodler Create, and it has been used for a variety of creations, including artwork, clothing and wallets.

But despite its early success, the initial iterations of the 3Doodler still didn't satisfy Bogue's original mission. "This would be an awesome kids' toy, but it's too hot," Bogue said.

The 3Doodler Create far exceeds the 127-degree F (53 degrees C) maximum temperature allowed for children's products, as set by the EU Toys Safety Directive. So the company teamed up with materials scientists to develop an entirely new type of plastic, and after three years, they created a biodegradable, food-safe plastic that melts at between 113 degrees and 122 degrees Fahrenheit (45 to 50 degrees C). This means that it is safe for kids and can even be used to draw directly on the skin without causing burns, according to the company.

The new pen, known as the 3Doodler Start, is designed for kids ages 8 and older. The rechargeable battery and 16 different colors of filaments make the pen ideal for not just recreational use but also classroom use, the inventors said. In particular, the company is hoping that the new pen will significantly enhance STEM education, Bogue added.

The full line of 3Doodler products can be purchased on the company's website. The 3Doodler Start is available for preorder starting at $49.99.

High-Tech Toothbrush Corrects Common Brushing Errors

There are few things more routine than brushing your teeth: At least twice a day, every day, you stand in front of the mirror and go through the motions. So it might come as a surprise to learn that most people are probably doing it wrong. Now, a uniquely designed toothbrush aims to guarantee that brushers get it right.

Most people have heard that they should brush their teeth for at least 2 minutes, twice a day. But it's perhaps less well-known that the way you brush is just as important. TheAmerican Dental Association recommends holding the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle away from the gums and brushing in short, downward strokes.

More commonly, people hold their toothbrushes perpendicular to their teeth and gums, said Alexander Kandemir, inventor of the new iBrush 365. The gums should make a tight seal with the teeth, but holding a toothbrush perpendicular to the teeth pushes the gums upward and makes them start to pull away, he added. This makes brushing less effective and can contribute to oral problems like gum disease. [Chew on This: 8 Foods for Healthy Teeth]

The new iBrush 365 aims to correct bad brushing behavior by allowing people "to brush in ways the dentist wants, without changing our old habits," Kandemir told Live Science. The electrical toothbrush has a cylindrical head that is loaded with more than 13,000 soft "micro bristles" (compared to the 2,500 bristles in a standard toothbrush) that can effectively clean the entire mouth in less than a minute.

In practice, using the brush feels a lot like using a regular electrictoothbrush. You hold it perpendicular to your teeth and move it from side to side. The rotating head ensures that teeth are brushed in a downward direction and that the bristles are at a 45-degree angle to the gums, the company said. The toothbrush's head can rotate in either direction, changing with a simple push of a button so that the movement is always directed downward.

The cylindrical head also cleans more than just the teeth. "Clean teeth doesn't mean a clean mouth," Kandemir said. "You need to brush your gums, tongue and cheeks, too."

The iBrush 365 was tested on more than 300 people, and Kandemir said the results show that the device is the most effective brush on the market.

The iBrush 365 is equipped with a lithium-ion battery that lasts six weeks on a single charge, the company said. Users can charge the device with a USB power cord and a universal wall plug that works from 110 to 240 volts.

The project raised more than $29,000 through a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. The brush is now available for preorder on the company's website for $79.