Here's an Idea

Here's an Idea

By Tech Briefs (SAE Media Group)Technology
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Here's an Idea episodes

  • Hospital Robots Join the COVID-19 Fight: Meet Tommy, Spot, and Tiago
    As doctors and nurses seek hands-free ways to disinfect environments, operate equipment, and contain the spread of coronavirus and COVID-19, some hospitals have turned to a higher-tech idea: Robots. We talk to the researchers behind “Tiago” and other robotic technologies finding a place in patients' rooms.

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    21 min
  • A "Teflon" for Dangerous Bacteria: Dr. Leyla Soleymani and RepelWrap
    It looks a bit like the plastic wrap you’d find around a Coca-Cola bottle, but with a big difference. This “RepelWrap” fends off viruses like one that causes COVID-19, and dangerous drug-resistant bacteria. Dr. Leyla Soleymani of McMaster University discusses how an idea for biosensors turned into an invention that some are calling a “Teflon” for pathogens.

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    26 min
  • A Bug-Inspired Building Material for Mars: Javier Gomez Fernandez and "Chitin"
    If humans end up on Mars in the next ten years, astronauts will need to use as much of the planet’s resources as possible and potentially build habitats to stay there. Chitin is found in the exoskeletons of insects and when combined with Martian soil, results in a potential building material for Mars. Javier Gomez Fernandez from the Singapore University of Technology and Design discusses how Mars explorers can make the most of this peculiar material. 

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    21 min
  • 3D Printing in Space: NASA's Tracie Prater
    The International Space Station is full of spare parts that can replace any faulty or broken ones. Tracie Prater, a materials engineer at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, wants astronauts to be able to quickly print out the tools and parts that they need on demand. She discusses NASA's efforts to bring 3d printing to space. 

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    32 min
  • The Future of Urban Air Mobility: Tim McConnell and the 'Aerodrome'
    When our urban environments are filled with drones and other unmanned aircraft, they'll need to be able detect and avoid obstacles. University of California, San Diego robotics researcher Tim McConnell oversees the Aerodrome — a facility that may look like a driving range, but is, in fact, a testing ground for unmanned aircraft. Learn how McConnell and UCSD students are using the space to take drones out for a spin, and to try out the kinds of maneuvers required in a future of urban air mobility.

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    34 min
  • A Jumping Robot to Explore the Moon and Mars: Hendrik Kolvenbach and "SpaceBok"
    The Mars-bound Perseverance rover is as sophisticated as it gets. But can it jump? Hendrik Kolvenbach, PhD researcher at the ETH Zurich Robotics Systems Lab, sees the best way to get around on the Moon and Mars as less of a step and more of a giant leap. Kolvenbach discusses his team's work in creating a technology that's part space robot and part African springbok.

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    23 min
  • Looking for Life on Mars: Roger Wiens and the “SuperCam”
    Roger Wiens, a fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory, talks about how he and his team created the SuperCam. The "Super" instrument will be aboard the 2020 Mars rover, ready to vaporize rocks and search for signs of past life on the Red Planet.

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    32 min
  • A.I. in the Air

    In July of this year, Tech Briefs editors found themselves in the middle of a drone testing ground.

    Now, the race is on. See how engineers are writing code that can send aircraft through obstacle courses — all without a pilot.


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    35 min
  • Apollo 11

    In conjunction with our celebration of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, this month's Here's an Idea episode features an interview with Daniel Coleman, editor of the publication NASA Spin-Off.


    Many of the technologies we use today – from memory foam to our phone cameras – were first developed in NASA missions. In this special edition of Here's an Idea, Coleman reveals all kinds of everyday tools and materials that began with one small step toward the Moon.


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    20 min

About Here's an Idea

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Here’s an Idea is Tech Briefs' original podcast series features the stories behind today’s most innovative technologies and the inventors responsible for creating them.