How to make the robot revolution serve the people

Karen Sussex, an upper-limb amputee from Jackson, Mich., operates a Touch Bionics I-LIMB prosthetic hand

The Ford Robotics Building, at $75 million and 140,000 square feet, is set to open soon. Features include an indoor fly zone for autonomous aerial vehicles, an outdoor playground for walking robots, a high-bay garage for self-driving cars, and more.

  1. Old as you want to be

    Older people tend to feel about 13 years younger than their chronological age, and in general they are satisfied with the aging process. Research by U-M psychologist Jacqui Smith also reveals that people who feel younger live longer than those who don’t.

  2. Violence and values in the Middle East: Lebanon survey

    As fighting continues in Gaza, a U-M survey of nearby Lebanon illuminates some of the values underlying the use of violence in the Middle East. The findings are likely to surprise people on all sides of the political spectrum.

  3. Are men hard-wired to overspend?

    The antique cliche says that wives rush out to spend their husbands’ hard-earned money. A new study suggests that the opposite is probably true: men seem to have evolved to spend, spend, spend when they’re looking for mates. In fact, the more sexual partners a man desires, the more likely he is to empty his wallet.

  4. Shade coffee benefits more than birds

    Here’s one more reason to say “shade grown, please” when you order your morning cup of coffee. Shade coffee farms, which grow coffee under a canopy of multiple tree species, not only harbor native birds, bats and other beneficial creatures, but also maintain genetic diversity of native tree species and can act as focal points for tropical forest regeneration.

  5. Male and female shopping strategies show evolution at work in the mall

    Male and female shopping styles are in our genes—and we can look to evolution for the reason. Daniel Kruger, research faculty at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, says it’s perfectly natural that men often can’t distinguish a sage sock from a beige sock or that sometimes women can’t tell if the shoe Read more

  6. Black holes are the rhythm at the heart of galaxies

    In remarkable new findings, researchers at U-M and other institutions have found that black holes expel energy in a gentle, rhythmic pattern that helps maintain a galaxy’s equilibrium. “Just like our hearts periodically pump our circulatory systems to keep us alive, black holes give galaxies a vital warm component,” says team scientist Alexis Finoguenov.