Brushing Our Teeth With Help From Nanorobots (Cool Weird Awesome 818)
University of Pennsylvania researchers are developing a teeth cleaning system out of nanoparticles.
A Chess “Robot” Beat Grand Masters In The 18th Century – Sort Of (Cool Weird Awesome 803)
Today in 1854, the end of one of the great hoaxes of its day: a fire in a Philadelphia museum destroyed what people of that time thought was a super-intelligent chess robot.
A Typewriter Inventor Was Trying To Help A Blind Friend Send Letters (Cool Weird Awesome 795)
For National Typewriter Day, some of the stories that helped bring this device to life, including a guy in Italy who was trying to help a blind countess write letters.
The Smart Pacifier Is A High-Tech Wearable That Helps Keep Newborns Healthy (Cool Weird Awesome 783)
Washington State University has developed a high-tech wearable (I guess you call it a wearable?) to make it easier to take care of a very important test for some babies: a smart pacifier.
“Smart Work Zones” Can Keep Workers Safe On Roads And Highways (Cool Weird Awesome 781)
When there's road work to be done, crews put up cones, barrels and fences to keep workers safe. Now a "smart work" zone system being tested in Virginia could make those spaces even safer.
Scientists May Be Able To Recreate Cleopatra’s Perfume (Cool Weird Awesome 775)
We don't know for sure it's hers, but researchers have found traces of a perfume that was likely popular during Cleopatra's time - and they think they may be able to brew some of it up.
When Jacqueline Cochran Broke The Sound Barrier (Cool Weird Awesome 774)
Today in 1953, Jacqueline Cochran became the first woman to break the sound barrier. Then again, Cochran moved at high speed her whole career. Plus: today in 1838, the birthday of Alexander Miles, a Black inventor who made elevators what they are today.
These Smart Glasses Can Describe The World For Blind Wearers (Cool Weird Awesome 772)
A company called Envision has designed a set of glasses that uses artificial intelligence to help blind people with a wide range of activities. They can decode text, detect color and describe outdoor scenes to the wearer, among many other functions.
Need Clean Drinking Water? Try A Desalination Skylight (Cool Weird Awesome 761)
For Earth Day we talk about an idea by designer, artist and architect Henry Glogau. He's designed a skylight that can turn seawater into clean drinking water, and then power LEDs with solar energy and the leftover salt brine.
Two Forecasters Figured Out How To Predict Tornadoes, Right Before One Touched Down (Cool Weird Awesome 741)
Today in 1948, two meteorologists helped make things safer for those living in the path of severe storms, when they issued the first successful tornado warning.