Rutgers University

Emerging in the 1980s as an innovative approach to process improvement and waste reduction in manufacturing, Six Sigma is a methodology for eliminating defects (driving toward six standard deviations between the mean and the nearest specification limit). Now, with a growing group of professionals trained in Six Sigma methodology, it is being implemented in various industries to achieve efficiency and customer satisfaction.

  A small, squishy vehicle equipped with soft wheels rolls over rough terrain and runs under water. Future versions of the versatile vehicle might be suitable for search and rescue missions after disasters, deep space and planet exploration, and manipulating objects during MRI, according to its creators at Rutgers University.