Topic description and stories

Robot hand picking up a plastic ball

It’s all in the wrist: energy-efficient robot hand learns how not to drop the ball

12 Apr 2023

Researchers have designed a low-cost, energy-efficient robotic hand that can grasp a range of objects – and not drop them – using just the movement...

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Woman lifting weights

Mathematical model predicts best way to build muscle

23 Aug 2021

Researchers have developed a mathematical model that can predict the optimum exercise regime for building muscle.

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Lead researcher Dr Danny Longman rowing with the Cambridge University Boat Club. This is an example of the type and standard of the sample population used in the study.

'Selfish brain' wins out when competing with muscle power, study finds

20 Oct 2017

New research on our internal trade-off when physical and mental performance are put in direct competition has found that cognition takes less of a...

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Himalayan powerhouses: how Sherpas have evolved superhuman energy efficiency

22 May 2017

Sherpas have evolved to become superhuman mountain climbers, extremely efficient at producing the energy to power their bodies even when oxygen is...

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