Laura Thomson

6 days ago | azorobotics.com | Laura Thomson

Engineers at the Harvard Microrobotics Laboratory have equipped the RoboBee with new landing gear inspired by the graceful landings of crane flies. This marks a significant engineering advancement for the tiny robot. The Harvard RoboBee, renowned for its ability to fly, dive, and hover like a natural insect, now has a more reliable way to land. The study was published in Science Robotics.

6 days ago | azooptics.com | Laura Thomson

Physicists at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed a small laser that produces exceptionally bright, brief pulses of light in a valuable yet challenging wavelength range, integrating the capabilities of larger optical systems onto a single chip. The study was published in Nature. The research marks the first demonstration of a picosecond, mid-infrared laser pulse generator on a chip without external components.

1 week ago | azomining.com | Laura Thomson |Noopur Jain

Reviewed by Laura ThomsonIn a recent article published in Geosciences, researchers presented research on secondary fragmentation in cave mining environments. Fragmentation assessment is underscored as it directly influences operational efficiencies and economic outcomes. In cave mining, the generation of coarse rock fragments can obstruct draw points, while the presence of fines may lead to dangerous conditions such as dry inrushes or mud rushes, significantly affecting production rates.

1 week ago | azomining.com | Laura Thomson |Ankit Singh

Reviewed by Laura ThomsonDeep-sea mining is being explored to help meet the increasing demand for critical minerals that power modern technologies and support the shift toward green energy. Resources like polymetallic nodules, polymetallic sulfides, and cobalt-rich crusts on the ocean floor contain high concentrations of key metals such as nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese.

1 week ago | azorobotics.com | Laura Thomson

According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on April 15th, 2025, a novel artificial intelligence (AI) tool has revealed how disease-linked proteins misfold into harmful structures, providing a significant advance in understanding neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.