Faster-than-reflexes robo-boots boost balance

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Robotic boots providing superhuman reflexes can help your balance. Our new study shows that the key to augmenting balance is to have boots that can act faster than human reaction times. When people slip or trip, their reactions to regain balance […]

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Six parts of your car that gather data on you

You can tell a lot about someone from the car they drive. The data that many vehicles now collect can reveal the patterns of our daily lives and provide insights into our behaviour, actions and even our state of mind. Vehicle forensics is a type of digital forensic science that focuses on the identification, acquisition […]

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Nigeria has too many prison inmates awaiting trial. Technology could achieve swifter justice

Nigeria’s prison population is more than 76,000, housed in 240 correctional centres. About 70% of these inmates are still awaiting trial. They have been arrested and charged, but not yet convicted or cleared. This is the highest percentage of awaiting-trial prisoners in Africa. World Prison Brief’s latest report puts the figure at 12.4% for Ghana […]

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How dangerous was the Ohio chemical train derailment? An environmental engineer assesses the long-term risks

Headaches and lingering chemical smells from a fiery train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, have left residents worried about their air and water – and misinformation on social media hasn’t helped. State officials offered more details of the cleanup process and a timeline of the environmental disaster during a news conference on Feb. 14, 2023. […]

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Black holes may be the source of mysterious dark energy that makes up most of the universe

Black holes could explain a mysterious form of energy that makes up most of the universe, according to astronomers. The existence of “dark energy” has been inferred from observations of stars and galaxies, but no one has been able to explain what it is, or where it comes from. The stuff, or matter, that makes […]

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What Startups Can Learn from Ringo: Back Drummers not Lead Guitarists

For most of my life, I’d heard and even believed Beatles drummer Ringo Starr wasn’t that good. I saw him as a goofball, the silly Beatle, and just a so-so drummer — or worse. But, the older I get, and the closer I listen to music and to the Beatles, the more I’ve come to […]

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Its failure offers lessons to other African countries creating smart cities

Smart urbanism is about using digital technologies to address urban problems. Across the continent, digital technologies and smart initiatives have been applied in myriad ways, including crime control, urban planning and traffic management. It hasn’t always worked, however. Sometimes these initiatives have failed because the technologies weren’t well integrated into the local context. Or policies […]

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What is a UFO? The US shot down three mysterious objects as interest and concern increase over unidentified craft

On the heels of the Feb. 4, 2023, shooting down of a Chinese balloon suspected of spying on the U.S., American fighter jets have shot down three additional objects in or near U.S. airspace. When the media asked Glen VanHerck, the Air Force general responsible for overseeing North American airspace, about these events, he refused […]

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