Science: A new robotic hand that has no fingers is being developed by Eric Brown (University of Chicago) and colleagues, who published their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. When their handa rubber sack filled with coffee grains or small glass spheres, like a beanbagcomes in contact with an object, a pipe sucks air from the sack, causing it to contract and mold to the object’s shape. So far, the prototype has been able to perform such tasks as pouring water and using a pen. It holds great promise for amputees because it would be much easier to operate than the more complex prosthetic hands currently available.
The finding that the Saturnian moon may host layers of icy slush instead of a global ocean could change how planetary scientists think about other icy moons as well.
Modeling the shapes of tree branches, neurons, and blood vessels is a thorny problem, but researchers have just discovered that much of the math has already been done.
January 29, 2026 12:52 PM
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