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  • 🤖 1st robot that doesn't need electricity, the new-and-improved quantum computer, and the black widow spider's venom decoded

🤖 1st robot that doesn't need electricity, the new-and-improved quantum computer, and the black widow spider's venom decoded

Plus: Could mussels help us tackle the plastic problem?

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Engineers at King’s College London developed an advanced method for transmitting complex instructions to a robot without electricity.

Inspired by the human body, they created a new circuit that capitalizes on fluid.

The hardware acts independently from the software running it, not unlike the heart’s ability to beat independently of the brain. Dive deeper into this Must-Read.

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MUST-READ

Software has advanced rapidly in recent years. Hardware, not so much. Especially in soft robots. Typically, they’re controlled by a system of valves and pumps, which minimizes their mobility and miniaturization.

Inspired by the human body, Engineers at King’s College London updated the hardware by developing a novel circuit with fluid inside that can transmit commands. Soft valves control fluid flow, reducing the need for many control inputs.

This innovation could open up a new generation of robots whose bodies could operate independently of their built-in control center.

⚛️ Europe’s largest sampling-based photonic quantum computer is operational

It’s official: Europe’s largest sampling-based photonic computer is up and running.

As the next frontier in computing, quantum computers use photons or light particles to perform computational work faster than any system currently.

Researchers have improved the system, which could lead to a quantum computer capable of solving complex real-world problems, such as drug detection, manufacturing, logistics, and finance.

No one wants to get bitten by a black widow spider as their poisonous venom has dangerous side effects for humans.

Scientists understood what this impressive neurotoxin (a-latrotoxin) does. However, they didn’t understand how it works until now.

Using sophisticated technology, scientists have structured the mechanism behind the deadly venom, and it’s pretty amazing.

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