Assembling a microrobot used to require a pair of needle-nosed tweezers, a microscope, steady hands and at least eight hours. But now University of Toronto Engineering researchers have developed a method that requires only a 3D printer and 20 minutes. In the lab of Professor Eric Diller, researchers create magnetized microrobots—the size of the head…
Researchers Explore What Makes Robots ‘Persuasive’ to Humans
A new study by researchers at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering explores how robots persuade and build trust with humans. The research could guide the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in the next generation of socially assistive robots to aid in health care and other fields. “My research aims to…
University of Toronto Physicists Harness Neglected Properties of Light
University of Toronto researchers have demonstrated a way to increase the resolution of microscopes and telescopes beyond long-accepted limitations by tapping into previously neglected properties of light. The method allows observers to distinguish very small or distant objects that are so close together they normally meld into a single blur. Telescopes and microscopes are great…
Unraveling a Geological Mystery Using Lasers from Space
It’s a mystery that has stumped geologists for more than a century. Now, thanks to new technology – including satellite laser imagery – researchers may be one step closer to understanding the origins of an archetypal landform: the drumlin hill. “Drumlin hills are the most studied and yet the most enigmatic ice age landform,” says…
A Weather Station You Can Wear
‘This Solar System Isn’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us.’ — Jupiter
It’s like something out of an interplanetary chess game. Astrophysicists at the University of Toronto have found that a close encounter with Jupiter about four billion years ago may have resulted in another planet’s ejection from the Solar System altogether. The existence of a fifth giant gas planet at the time of the Solar System’s…
Real Tremors, or Drug-Seeking Patient? New App Can Tell
University of Toronto researchers use iPods to help guide treatment for alcohol withdrawal A 42-year-old investment banker arrives at the emergency department with complaints of nausea, vomiting, anxiety and tremor. He drinks alcohol every day—often at business lunches, and at home every evening. Worried about his health, he decided to quit drinking and had his…