Seeing through walls has long been a staple of comics and science fiction. Something like it could soon be a reality. Paul Gilligan/Photodisc via Getty Images Aly Fathy, University of Tennessee Fast computers, 5G networks and radar that passes through walls are bringing ‘X-ray vision’ closer to reality Within seconds after reaching a city, earthquakes can …
Why getting more people with disabilities developing technology is good for everyone Accessible technology is better for everyone, and accessible technology benefits when the people who rely on it most help build it. Chris So/Toronto Star via Getty Images Kristen Shinohara, Rochester Institute of Technology and Garreth Tigwell, Rochester Institute of Technology Unless you’re blind or …
How nonfungible tokens work and where they get their value – a cryptocurrency expert explains NFTs NFTs can be used to prove who created and who owns digital items like these images by the artist Beeple shown at an exhibition in Beijing. Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images Dragan Boscovic, Arizona State University Takeaways · Nonfungible tokens …
Cover: Crinolines, by design, made physical contact nearly impossible. Hulton Archive/Stringer via Getty Images The fashionable history of social distancing Crinolines, by design, made physical contact nearly impossible. Hulton Archive/Stringer via Getty Images Einav Rabinovitch-Fox, Case Western Reserve University As the world grapples with the coronavirus outbreak, “social distancing” has become a buzzword of these …
Cover: ‘Design for a giant crossbow.’ Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo joined art with engineering ‘Design for a giant crossbow.’ Leonardo da Vinci Ben Shneiderman, University of Maryland Leonardo da Vinci’s remarkable capacity for careful observation made him an astonishing artist and a brilliant scientist. He was able to compare the speed of a bird’s wing …
Interior design of the future will seem like magic Bokeh Art Photo/Shutterstock.com Sara Nabil, Newcastle University Imagine a house where the walls change colour depending on your mood, or your tablecloth changes shape when you’re having a dinner party. A house where every item, from your cushions to your lampshades, interact with you. This might …
Cover: A stretchable electronic device whose design is inspired by the cut-paper art called kirigami. Doug Levere/University at Buffalo, CC BY-ND Ancient arts are inspiring modern electronics A stretchable electronic device whose design is inspired by the cut-paper art called kirigami. Doug Levere/University at Buffalo, CC BY-ND Shenqiang Ren, University at Buffalo After a few …
Cover: Detail from Composition VII (The Three Graces) (1917), by Theo van Doesburg. Photo courtesy Wikipedia A hypothetical alien visitor, sent to observe all of human culture – art and architecture, music and medicine, storytelling and science – would quickly conclude that we as a species are obsessed with patterns. The formal gardens of 18th-century …
Cover: The adaptable form of pleated and folded textiles provides a real world view of the mathematical field of topology. Kate Scardifield, Author provided How art merges with maths to explore continuity, change and exotic states The adaptable form of pleated and folded textiles provides a real world view of the mathematical field of topology. …
Cover: Think of what your clothes are doing to the planet. Joe Giddens/PA Archive Read this before you go sales shopping: the environmental costs of fast fashion Patsy Perry, University of Manchester It’s tough to love our clothes and keep wearing them for longer when we are faced with a tempting array of newness on …