Pooja Kashyap | TechieTonics

Interview: Dr Dylan Drotman, Robotics Engineer at University of California San Diego

March 31, 2021March 31, 2021 Pooja Kashyap

It’s our honor to have Dr Dylan Drotman from University of California San Diego with us today. Dr Drotman’s research interests focus on the design, modeling, fabrication, and actuation of physically soft robots that are powered by air or water. He obtained his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at University of California San Diego. He has also been a Guest Lecturer in Experimental Robotics, Soft Robotics and Computer Aided Design & Analysis.

Electronics Free Quadrupedal Robot: Pneumatic Efficiency

March 31, 2021May 26, 2022 Pooja Kashyap

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have come up with an innovative approach in creating soft bot that is devoid of any electronics. Rather it is an air powered robot. All its controls and locomotion are done with the help of pressurized air.

Soft Artificial Tactile Sensor for Robots: Electronic Skin

March 24, 2021March 24, 2021 Pooja Kashyap

In a collaborative research co-led by City University of Hong Kong scientists have created an innovative tactile sensor that resembles the characteristics of human skin. Mounted at the fingertip, the sensor is capable of holding delicate objects and thread a needle.

Skin Cells Reprogrammed into Early Embryos: Stem Cell Research

March 18, 2021March 18, 2021 Pooja Kashyap

In an interesting research, scientists made an unbelievable attempt of creating early human embryo from skin cells! An international team of researchers led by Monash University Australia has developed a model that resembles human embryo from skin cells.

Oumuamua was Scrapped from a Pluto-like Planet: Messenger from Afar

March 17, 2021March 17, 2021 Pooja Kashyap

Oumuamua was name given to the mysterious interstellar object that passed through our solar system in 2017. What’s special about this object was, it happened to be the first that had come from ‘outside’ our solar system.

Super Strong Artificial Muscles: Interactive Soft Robotics

March 17, 2021March 17, 2021 Pooja Kashyap

An Italian team of researchers lead by Prof. Marco Fontana, in collaboration with the departments of Industrial Engineering of the Universities of Trento and Bologna, have created an Electrostatic Bellow Muscle (EBM) to fabricate efficient small-scale robots. The innovative robotic muscle has potential of powering itself for a long period of time beyond its preliminary charge.

Interview: Rashid Tagirov, Designer at Peugeot, Paris

March 15, 2021April 1, 2021 Pooja Kashyap

Meet Rashid Tagirov, Exterior Designer at Peugeot, Paris. Rash is a keen observer. He absorbs surroundings as he feels it helps to create unique symbiosis between style and skills. He’s been soaked up with work, yet he squeezed-in time for an interview. Please scroll down and see what the designer has to say about himself:

Interview: Professor Sheng Xu, Nanotech Scientist at University of California San Diego

March 8, 2021March 31, 2021 Pooja Kashyap

It’s our honour to have Professor Sheng Xu from University of California San Diego with us today. Dr Xu’s research interests focus on the understanding of the electrical and mechanical behaviors of inorganic materials when they are engineered into a soft format; which can further be morphed into soft electronics, nano electronics and energy harvesting/storage devices. He obtained his B.S. in Chemistry and Molecular Engineering from Peking University in Beijing, China in 2006. While he received his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering in 2010 at Georgia Institute of Technology,…

One Epidermal Patch to track Cardiovascular and Multiple Biomarkers: Wearable Microelectronics

March 2, 2021March 2, 2021 Pooja Kashyap

Monitoring cardiovascular signals and multiple biochemical levels together on one tiny wearable patch has always been a far-fetched dream in the nanotech world. Scientists across the globe are still trying to figure it out however, researchers at the University of California San Diego have done something extraordinary in soft, stretchy skin patch.

Book Review: Until the End of Time by Brian Greene

February 24, 2021June 29, 2021 Pooja Kashyap

This is one of the best books on Existentialism. Brian Greene, a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University, postulates a reductionist view that after all, we beings of planet Earth are nothing more than a “bag of particles”.

Book Review: The Man Who Knew Infinity by Robert Kanigel

February 15, 2021May 16, 2023 Pooja Kashyap

As the title suggests, the biography is on the life of the self-taught mathematical prodigy Srinavasa Ramanujan Iyengar, through the lens of Robert Kanigel. Not only the book sheds light on the life and history of Ramanujan but we also get to know the lives of Godfrey Harold Hardy, his mentor in England and his friend John Edensor Littlewood.

Origami Inspired Bags for Rocket Fuel: Cryogenic Hydrogen

December 18, 2020December 18, 2020 Pooja Kashyap

Storage and pumping fuel to rocket engines are the main challenges for travel beyond Earth and between celestial bodies. Researchers at Washington State University (WSU) have come up with an interesting idea of paper folding technique to bring about the desired architecture.

Book Review: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson

December 15, 2020June 29, 2021 Pooja Kashyap

Although title of the book says Astrophysics for People in a Hurry but believe me the book has more depth than the label interprets. Neil deGrasse Tyson is an epitome of masterly skill at explaining complex scientific concepts into the most elementary and comprehensible manner. He makes astrophysics so interesting that even a person who has no inclination towards the subject will surely gravitate towards the space and evolutionary history after listening to his talks. His enthusiasm is contagious indeed.

Smellicopter uses Antennae from Anesthetized Moths: Biomimicry

December 9, 2020December 9, 2020 Pooja Kashyap

We as humans have a huge legacy of evolution yet we always fall short in front of nature. Nature has its own rate of progression and it never fails.

Tidal Disruption causes Dark Matter to Evaporate: Intra Galactic Interactions

December 7, 2020December 7, 2020 Pooja Kashyap

Dark matter is one of the key ingredients in the understanding of evolution and in the formation of galaxies. Majority of scientists are of the view that dark matter consists of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMP). It is because of their weak interactions with matter that we see around, it becomes extremely difficult to detect.