If you’ve ever wondered how to engineer a flexible robot that can move like a flesh-and-blood creature, have we got some tools for you. Thanks, that is, to an open-source collaboration that has outlined exactly how to create and program such “soft” robots. Researchers from the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), in collaboration with Trinity College Dublin, released the Soft Robotics Toolkit that provides people with everything they need to know to build this squishy technology, including tutorials, example source code, descriptions of all the supplies required, links to suggested suppliers, and multimedia descriptions of how to build and control the robots. Why Make Soft Robots? The group defines soft robotics this way: Soft robotics is a growing field that takes inspiration from biological systems to combine classical principles of robot design with the study of soft, flexible materials. Many animals and plants are composed primarily of soft, elastic structures which are capable of complex movement as well as adaptation to their environment. These natural systems have inspired the development of soft robotic systems, in which the careful design of component geometry allows complex motions to be “pre-programmed” into flexible and elastomeric materials…. The inherent compliance of soft robots makes them highly adaptable to a wide range of tasks and environments. In particular, they are ideally suited for interactions with humans, from assisting with daily activities to performing minimally invasive surgery. Soft robots are made of elastomer, a type of polymer similar to rubber. They can be programmed to […]

Rocket Internet, the Berlin-based startup incubator that has launched startups from Brazil to India, set the price range for its initial public offering on Tuesday, which could value the company as high as $8.4 billion (6.5 billion Euros.) Rocket could sell as many as 37.9 million shares, or 24% of the company, between the range of $46.50 (35.50 Euros) to $56.40 (42.50 euros) per share. Assuming that Rocket offloads all of those shares, which includes an over-allotment or “greenshoe” option, the company and selling shareholders could raise up to $2.1 billion (1.6 billion euros) if they sell at the high point of the predicted range. That amount is far more than the $970 million (750 million euros) the company initially said it would raise when it announced its offering earlier this month. Rocket’s pricing comes in lockstep with German fashion retailer Zalando, which set its own IPO price range last week and plans to raise as much as $818 million (633 million Euros) in its Oct. 1 offering. “We have built a unique platform that has allowed us to take internet business models to over 100 countries today, bringing basic goods and services to our diverse customer base,” said 41-year-old Rocket CEO Oliver Samwer in a statement earlier this month. “Taking our company public is the next step in our journey to build the world’s leading internet platform outside of the United States and China.” Rocket Internet and Zalando’s public offerings mark a watershed moment for the German–and specifically Berlin–tech […]

This past year I’ve shared Tocomail a platform designed to makeemail safe for students. They have recently launched Tocomail for Gmail, an app designed specifically for teenagers. It providesinstant messaging, a drawing board, avatar customization and optional parental controls, in addition to standard email features. Tocomail for Kids Gmail lets older kids take their regularGmail account and transform it into a colorful, personalized tool for sending messages to friends and family. Parents also have the option to keep track of their children’s email activity through parental controls. Tocomail for Gmail is easy to use and gives teens the opportunity to transform their email account into an instant messenger tool. Tocomail is completely free with extra options available through an in-app purchase. Visit theirwebsite or watch this video to learn more! Read more: Tocomail – A Gmail Client App for Students

Samsung’s latest phablet is one of the best business phones money can buy. The Galaxy Note 4 packs a huge, super-sharp display, a blazing-fast processor and great security features. But the phone’s predecessor, the Galaxy Note 3, is still a top-tier phablet with great performance and tons of handy software features. And with the launch of the Note 4, the older Note 3 will be the more affordable device. So do the Note 4’s upgrades justify the premium price? Read on for a feature-by-feature comparison to see which one is better for work. Display Note 3: The Note 3 packs a big 5.7-inch display that still manages to impress. The 1080p screen produces sharp, bright images, and is large enough for screen-intensive work like editing a document on the go. It’s also big enough to make the device’s split-screen multitasking features feel actually useful. Galaxy Note 4: The Note 4 packs an even more impressive screen that its predecessor. It retains the same 5.7-inch size as the Note 3, but it’s been upgraded to quad HD resolution, with an eye-popping resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. And it’s brighter and more vivid than the quad HD screen on the LG G3, the only other smartphone that can match the Note 4’s in terms of pixel count. The Note 4’s sharper screen is as functional as it is beautiful, since an increased resolution lets you display more content on-screen at once. Security Galaxy Note 3: When it launched, the Note 3 didn’t have […]

YouTube can be one of the most empowering tools in a would-be entrepreneur’s arsenal. In essence it provides a platform, marketing system and ad-sales force all wrapped in one package. The product? The entrepreneur and his or her passion. As it turns out, ordinary people demonstrating and talking about what they like to do can be interesting to throngs of folks. Gothenburg Sweden’s Felix Kjellberg – known on YouTube as PewDiePie – rakes in $4 million a year by filming himself playing video games, California’s Jenna Marbles has attracted 13 million subscribers to clips of her funny ruminations, and the comedy stylings of Ryan Higa – known as Nigahiga – have been viewed over 1.8 billion times. These are some of YouTube’s mega-stars and there are many YouTube entrepreneurs out there making a great living by growing their subscriber bases doing what they love. Here are just a few: Rob Chapman UK rock musician Rob Chapman knows almost as much about reaching an audience online as he does about shredding in the pentatonic scale. With the help of YouTube – and his own energetic, likable personality – his life has undergone an amazing transformation from struggling musician to venue-packing bandleader, product endorser and guitar company owner. His Rob Chapman channel has 198,000 subscribers (adding another 10,000 each month) and attracts 2.8 million views a month. “I’m just a dude who plays guitar in a flat in England and I never knew that it would be like this.” Seven years ago […]

Millions of credit and debit card users may see their personal information stolen, as the same malware that infected Target’s cashiering system late last year has been discovered in 1,000 more major corporations. As one tech expert told Fox News on Monday: “The thing that affected Target, that’ll look like a flea compared to what’s about to happen.” Tech Times reported the malware is called Backoff and that the Department of Homeland Security worked with the Secret Service to discover the word in its code. United Parcel Service and Supervalu have already come forward to admit they’ve found the code, which steals customers’ names, credit and debit card numbers, mailing addresses and emails. Read more: 1,000 firms hit by malware, opening doors to millions of hacks