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Rob Howe's lab is inspired by coffee cups ... and video games

Holding a cup of joe inspired a robotic hand and video games may help surgeons operate on beating hearts (Christian Science Monitor; Harvard Science)

When it comes to designing a new robot, some scientists are finding a visit to the zoo more helpful than hours spent at the drawing board. Rather than invent new ways for a robot to navigate a forest or crowded city street, they are copying how animals already do it.

Read the full story in Christian Science Monitor

So collaborator Robert Howe of Harvard University plucked a solution from video games: splitting computer images in two and cocking them at slightly different angles. When wearing gamers’ flickering glasses, users can see ultrasound images of the beating heart as a hologram. “You definitely have depth perception,” says Vasilyev. “You feel like you’re inside the heart chamber."

Read the full story in Harvard Science

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