Drones Raise Hopes and Questions in Africa

From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report. Military leaders in Africa want unmanned aerial vehicles to help guard borders and large open spaces. But engineers and makers of these aircraft, called UAVs, say they could domuch more. They could fly medicines to those in need, protect wildlife, and transport goods quickly and at low cost. Kenyan […]

Brain-controlled Devices Could Help Paralyzed Patients

From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report. Monkeys have learned to control the movement of both arms in a computerized image of a monkey, just by thinking about moving them. The study is part of an effort to develop brain-controlled devices for severely paralyzed patients. Spinal cord injuries have affected millions of people worldwide. They are unable […]

Technology Brings New Life to Old Paintings

From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report. More than 400 years ago, the Spanish artist El Greco created a large painting called “Saint Martin and the Beggar”. It shows Martin, a Roman soldier, sharing his clothing with a poor man. Experts believe someone covered the famous painting with a clear protective covering of varnish in the 1940s. […]

Johannesburg Leads Africa in Tweets

From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report. The social media service Twitter is doing very well in the South African capital of Johannesburg. The city leads Africa in Twitter usage. A new study shows that Johannesburg averages one tweet every 13 seconds. The public relations company – Portland Communications carried out the study called “How Africa Tweets”. […]

Dogs Understand How You Feel

From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report. Researchers in Hungary have now confirmed what many dog owners already knew: dogs or canines, can understand our feelings. Scientists used a magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, to learn about dog emotions. The research showed that they are similar to the emotions of human beings. An MRI uses magnetic fields […]

Designers Show Cars of the Future at the Geneva Auto Show

Automobile makers present their newest designs at car shows around the world. Many designers hope to create the vehicle of the future. Some of these new technologies could be seen recently at a car show in Geneva, Switzerland. A popular device among car makers is autopilot. Autopilot enables a car to drive itself without human control. Rinspeed is a […]

Robots Can Do Dirty, Dangerous Jobs

For VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report. The robot that can clean your house and cook your food may still be a long way off. But robots that can replace humans for work in dangerous environments are closer to becoming a reality. Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburah, Pennsylvania is one of the leading robotics engineering schools. Scientists […]

US Scientists Create First Two-dimensional Transistor

From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report. Scientists in the US have announced the creation of the first transistor with only two dimensions. A transistor is a small electronic device that transfers, or carries, electrical current. The device helps to create an electrical path that provides power to other devices. Scientists hope the new 2D transistors will be used […]

Hollywood Visual Effects Come From Around the World

From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report. Not everything you see in Hollywood movies is real. Some of the beautiful, strange, scary images might have been produced on a computer. They are called visual effects. They once were produced only in Hollywood. But that has changed. New technology makes it possible for one film […]

A Solar Airplane May Soon Circle the Globe

From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report. In 2012, a team of pilots and engineers from Switzerland successfully flew a plane powered by sunlight from Spain to Morocco. The same team carried out a long-distance flight in the western United States in 2013. Now, the Swiss team is preparing for a flightaround the world in 2015. […]