Devices

All eyes are trained on you at halftime as you make slow sweeps across the rink, leaving sparkling smooth ice in your lumbering wake. The fans cheer. You tip your head slightly in modest acknowledgement. This is the life of the Zamboni driver.

By Kate Kershner

Most of the world uses the metric system for everyday measurements, but only three countries in the world use the imperial system as their official system of measurement.

By William Harris & Sascha Bos

Fractals produce fascinating and intricate designs. Browse through this gallery featuring pictures of a variety of fractals like Mandelbrot and Julia sets and find out why nature is loaded with fractals.

By Holly Frey

An MRI scan is the best way to see inside the human body without cutting it open, but that may be little comfort to you when you're getting ready for the exam. Lying perfectly still on a tiny slab in a narrow hole, you might wonder what's happening to your body.

By Todd A. Gould, RT-(R)(MR)(ARRT) & Molly Edmonds

I am entering a chemistry contest at my high school. The goal is to build the battery that produces the most watts for one minute. Our battery can't be bigger then 1 foot in any direction and can't use strong acids. What are the best chemicals to use, and what's the best design?

The first CT scan let doctors see inside a woman's skull and confirm her cystic brain mass. That scanner? It was developed by an eccentric engineer who worked at the Beatles' record company.

By Edmund S. Higgins

Learn all about BrainPort, a device for sensory substitution by electrotactile stimulation.

By Julia Layton

A friend of mine showed me this card that the image changed depending on the angle that you view it at. How does that work?

Unlike a regular SCUBA regulator which creates bubbles when the person wearing the apparatus exhales, a rebreather produces no bubbles when someone exhales. What exactly is a rebreather and how does it work?

One of my co-workers has an interesting thermometer on his desk. It is a glass tube with different-colored floating things in it. What kind of thermometer is this, and how does it work?

Ultrasound lets us peek into the human body to see everything from heart valves to a moving baby. But how do sound waves give us a picture?

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

See "Back to the Future 2"? Drool much over those hoverboards? Find out how these devices will work and see one that already does!

By Kevin Bonsor

Why does air cool down when pushed around by an electric fan? You would think that air molecules in motion would be creating friction, and therefore increasing the ambient temperature instead of decreasing it. So why do you feel cooler?

In a lot of movies you see windows that are 'bulletproof.' Does bulletproof glass really exist, and if so, how does it work?

I am curious about the ignition system in my lawn mower. I know that a spark plug creates a high-voltage spark, and I know in my car the electricity for the spark comes from the battery. My lawn mower doesn't have a battery, so where does the electricty come from?

In the TV series "The Six Million Dollar Man," scientists restore a crippled test pilot who lost legs one arm and an eye. While this is total fiction, an emerging field known as biomechatronics is coming close to this vision.

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago introduced a new bionic arm that can be controlled by reading a person's thoughts. How does this technology work? Can you control a machine with thoughts? Learn about the bionic arm in this article.

By Julia Layton

The crossbow, a weapon popular with Wookiees, vampire slayers and some modern hunters, looks like a cross between a bow and a rifle. Read about it’s fascinating history and uses.

By Tracy V. Wilson

Wind tunnels are the unsung heroes of aerodynamics. Thanks to these breezy devices, we have safer planes, cars and space vehicles.They even provide some extreme fun for the adrenaline junkies among us. What's the deal with wind tunnels? Find out in this article.

By Nathan Chandler

This nonlethal weapon doesn't cause any lasting damage, but it may cause you to pray to the porcelains gods if an officer shines one in your eyes long enough to subdue you.

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

You've probably been asked to put on your thinking cap before, but have you ever wondered what it looked like or what it does? This thinking cap may not make you smarter, but it could help you tap into previously unexplored abilities.

By Josh Clark

Lobsters have one of the animal world's most unique vision systems. Researchers hope to apply that system to scanners that will make steel walls transparent.

By Julia Layton

Your body is a remarkable piece of biological machinery, and your limbs are no exception. Did you ever wonder how prosthetic limbs are made and how they are controlled? And are scientists developing bionic artificial limbs?

By Isaac Perry Clements

Ever heard of a little unit called a femtometer? Can you tell us how much you weigh -- in petagrams? We know you can't, so hurry up and start reading. We have work to do.

By William Harris

Whether they're sorting out scrap metal or helping us unlock the secrets of the universe, electromagnets are pretty nifty devices. What's so great about magnetism on demand? We'll electrify you with the details.

By Marshall Brain, Chris Pollette & Yara Simón