Researchers developed a soft robotic skin that enables vine robots that are just a few millimeters wide to navigate convoluted paths and fragile environments. To accomplish this, the researchers integrated a very thin layer of actuators made of liquid crystal elastomer at strategic locations in the soft skin. The robot is steered by controlling the pressure inside its body and temperature of the actuators.

Hominids experienced lead exposure as far back as 2-million years ago, new research finds, challenging the theory that the neurotoxicant is an exclusively modern health hazard. The work also suggests that Homo sapiens, both ancient and modern, possess a gene variant that protects them against neurological damage from lead.

Researchers at Wayne State University and Johns Hopkins University are exploring the use of virtual reality (VR) to reduce stress in young adults suffering from diabetes.