Researchers at North Carolina State University have created a soft robot that can move like a caterpillar. The secret to this movement is two layers of polymer, which respond differently when exposed to heat. The bottom layer shrinks, or contracts. The top layer expands. This new creeping movement opens up new possibilities for the use of soft robots, for example sports attire, medicine or even just inspecting hard to reach spaces. Researchers are working on speed & durability, as well as adding sensors & cameras to make it even smarter. https://new.nsf.gov/news/robot-caterpillar-demonstrates-new-approach

Democratic Governance should be about seeking policy balance that benefits the whole community. It is where loyalty to all citizens overrides loyalty to factional interests.Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times, has published a new book, “The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism”. I recommend that any citizen interested in reversing the decline of our liberal democracies and creating a better society read this book.   All citizens should better engage with our country's governance and, along with our journalists and commentators, demand that our politicians support individual policies with clear evidence of wide community dialogue and majority support.

Freight is a big cost in the overall scheme of things we buy.CEO and Founder of Omni Tanker, Daniel Rodgers said:“Via advanced manufacturing techniques and outstanding partners, we were able to boost the payload carrying capacity of road tankers for chemical liquids from the current 85 tonnes per load, typical of stainless-steel tanks, to 98 tonnes – a fifteen per cent uplift.” Here's a great story from Aus. One wonders why it's taken so long?https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/omni-tanker-achieves-baffling-world-first

The factors impacting our environment seems endless.Groundwater has been in the news and here's another piece to the puzzle. Is nothing as simple as it sounds?The story from Popular Mechanics can be found on their website. https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a44287896/why-did-earth-tilt/

Insects, especially honey bees, are declining globally and creating a world-wide pollination deficit.In a fight to help reverse this deficit, BeeHero has created a device with Internet (IOT) sensors that turn a traditional bee hive into an intelligent smart hive. The sensors provide actionable insights for beekeepers that inform important decisions about feeding, treatment, swarm management, queen replacement and other hive health metricsA 2022 Harvard study noted that inadequate pollination had caused a 3% to 5% loss of fruit, vegetable and nut production, directly effecting world health. The BeeHero may help to reverse this loss.https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferhicks/2023/06/28/