The FlyNano

Hey all!

Finnish aeronautical engineer Aki Suokas has created a new single-seat aircraft made entirely out of carbon fiber composite. It lands and takes off on water and it weighs only 70 kilograms! It was launched at Aero Friedrichshafen. There are three models and one of which is made for racing purposes. The wingspan is nearly five meters long and its speed ranges from 70 kilometers/hour to 140 kilometers/hour.

It costs $39,000 here in the United States (which is equivalent to 27,000 Euros).

I don't know about you guys, but I think it looks pretty cool. Would I ever fly in it? No, probably not. I'm terribly afraid of heights but I wouldn't mind watching people race in them! It reminds me of Pod racing in Star Wars. :)

I would include a picture of the FlyNano but my computer is acting up so here's the link!
http://www.gizmag.com/flynano-microlight-aircraft/18411/  --- check out the images!!!

The Portable Wavedrum Percussion Synthesizer

Hi guys!

I've got more news for you related to my favorite topic... MUSIC! Korg has created a Wavedrum percussion synthesizer to be used in Middle Eastern music. This pad has built-in speakers and tons of effects. The neat thing about this portable synthesizer is its clip sensor which allows finger taps or hand slaps into amplified percussion sounds!

According to the article, it runs on battery power and it has a strap attachment to help hold it in place. There are one hundred pre-recorded sounds on this device (including stringed instruments) and it also has one hundred different rhythm patterns as well. It has a 1.3W speaker (Whatever that means... :) Haha! I apologize for my lack of technological knowledge). The price for the Wavedrum has yet to be determined.

That's my news for this week. Here's the article: http://www.gizmag.com/korg-wavedrum-mini-portable-percussion-synth/18358/

Have a great rest of your week everyone!

Thought-Controlled Prosthetic Arm

Hey everyone!

Two undergraduate students, Michal Prywata and Thiago Caires, from Toronto's Ryerson University have created a prosthetic arm that is powered by compressed air and controlled by thoughts (brain signals) of the wearer. The wearer does not have to undergo surgery to get this arm because it is attached by straps. This prosthetic arm also has a fuller range of motion than other arms. In order to move the arm, the amputee wears a headset that detects brain signals. Whenever the signals in the brain match one of the established command signals, the arm moves accordingly.

One interesting tidbit about the creation of this arm is the fact that it took about a year to develop the software but the actual arm only took 72 hours to build.

As of right now, the two students are trying to get the fingers to move individually. They are also trying to establish a sense of capacitive touch into the fingers as well.

This students have also established their own company Bionik Laboratories, Inc. in order to commercialize their arm.

Interested to see the original article? Check it out! http://www.gizmag.com/pneumatic-thought-controlled-prosthetic-arm/18289/

Solar Powered Military (Suits)

Wow guys!

Apparently the Engineering and Physical Research Sciences Center in the United Kingdom is currently working on camouflage uniforms that use solar power and body heat. It would keep power going for their radio, GPS, and even some of their weapons. The fabric that they are creating uses solar photovoltaic cells and thermoelectric devices (along with lightweight batteries). This suit would even help hide a soldier more effectively with infrared cameras. Other militaries are also looking into this source but these suits will be quite expensive. The project alone costs 1.4 million dollars.

I think this sounds like a really neat idea if the power can be harnessed and used correctly. I'm not sure how well it would work in some situations but I can see these being especially helpful in deserts.

What do you guys think?

Here's my source: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-03/%E2%80%98solar-soldier%E2%80%99-project-could-lighten-load-british-infantry-while-keeping-soldiers-safe

A Stretchable Catheter for the Heart

Hey everyone!

Here's a new science development for you all. Scientists have just recently created a single catheter that does the work of the usual two used to treat arrhythmia. Arrhythmia is the fancy word for an irregular heartbeat. Usually cardiologists will put in a catheter that maps out the heart and finds the source of the irregularity. The second catheter then gets directed to the location (through the use of the electrode on the end) and kills the aberrant cells.

This new catheter is a "flexible meshwork of linked sensors and electrodes onto a conventional endocardial balloon catheter. It looks like this:

Those sensors (that you can see on the picture) measure various things such as temperature or electrical activity and then use the data to lock onto the aberrant cells. Then, just like before, the cells are destroyed. The other neat thing about this catheter is that it will inflate when it is inserted in order to open up blood vessels and then it will deflate once the source of arrhythmia is gone.

Pretty neat, huh? Check it out here: http://www.gizmag.com/balloon-catheter-with-stretchable-electronics/18098/

Machinima Links and Videos

Hey guys! If you happened to find anything I said remotely interesting, here's the couple of links I used to do my research.

http://www.machinima.com/

http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/218111/the-13-best-machinima-projects/

__________________________________________________
Here's the youtube videos that I used, and the one I didn't end up showing about the "Trashmaster."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxIota-k8rA - The Leet World, Episode 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHhKPFw-WMo&list=SL - Sanity Not Included, Save the World

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVYCXw-dSKE - The Trashmaster trailer

Lastly, I really hope you guys like(d) my presentation -- and have a great week!!! : )

A Robot Cheetah! Wicked!!!

Whoa!

Okay, I just found something stellar! Apparently Boston Dynamics is working on creating a humanoid modeled after a cheetah. It would be the fasted (four)-legged robot in the world! They've already created the headless humanoid PETMAN and the Big Dog robts, and now they have gotten two more grants to
create this "cheetah."

They want it to be able to climb, turn sideways in order to sidle through narrow spaces, and even use its hands! Right now they only expect it to move at 20-30 miles per hour but they are thinking that it will eventually be able to run just as fast as an actual cheetah.

Interested? You know I am! :) I think this is really cool! If you want to read the article for yourself, here you are:


http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-02/darpa-wants-boston-dynamics-build-robotic-cheetah-fastest-legged-robot-world

Killzone 3: Playstation Move Getting Serious

Hey everyone!

I hope you all enjoyed the wonderful weather last week. I know I did! Running, walking, jumping... I couldn't get enough! But anyway, down to serious business. :)

I'll start by saying that I had never heard of the Playstation Move (which is why I picked this article). In this article,  the PlayStation Move is now being deemed as one of the best controllers yet, especially with a first-person shooter game called Killzone 3. The writer of the article liked the game a lot and said that it was "the most immersive, visceral experience you'll find on a console today."

He also had a few complaints and warnings about the game. For example, he said that if you hate dying a lot, do not choose the Normal difficulty settings. Also, one level that is supposed to be a stealth level but you have no warning as to when your stealth is gone. Finally, he was unhappy with the fact that some enemies can kill you in one hit (wouldn't we all be upset? Lol!) 


Despite these few hiccups, he enjoyed the game and he believes that this game with help increase the sales of the PlayStation Move. 


**As my own little side note, I think this game looks pretty sweet and I will definitely be looking into it!


Want to see the source? http://www.gizmag.com/killzone-3-review-playstation-3-move/17936/

Electronic products now have fingerprints?

Since product piracy is costing companies millions of dollars and putting people at risk, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany are working on a product fingerprint. With the creation of the PUFs or physical unclonable functions, electronic components and microchips now have the capability of being counterfeit proof. They vary the thickness, length or density of certain parts during the manufacturing process, and basically construct an unique identification key. Also, these variations are not drastic enough to change the functionality of the product. As another means of protection, this digital key is not stored in the device so it cannot be read by either laser bolts or microscopes and any attempt to attack the chip automatically damages or alters it.

I think that this idea should have been in the works a long time ago. There are so many knock-offs out there that attract the public because they “appear” to be cheap, legitimate alternatives. These PUFs not only protect the consumer, but they save the companies millions of dollars. They also save the reputation of the company because it gives the impression that they are doing everything they can to prevent these scams.

Interested in reading further? http://www.gizmag.com/fraunhofer-puf-based-hardware-protection-developed/17855/

The First Intact Virus Photoshoot!

Hey all!

The Photosystem I plant protein

All right, so here's some cool news. An international team of scientists just obtained the world's FIRST single-shot images of intact viruses by using the first hard X-ray free-electron laser called the Linac Coherent Light Source. This new technology can potentially revolutionize the study of tiny particles (i.e. molecules, microbes, viruses). The LCLS is located in the U.S. Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelator Laboratory and it's laser beam is a BILLION times brighter than previous X-ray beams. Since the time of the single pulses is miniscule, a few millionths of a billionth of a second in length, the subjects could vaporize while being photographed. However, it usually does not happen until after the photo has been taken.

This article also discusses the first experiment with the LCLS in which nanocrystals containing copies of the plant protein Photosytem I (the picture displayed above) were sprayed all across the laser beam. This laser took approximately 3 MILLIION pictures of this protein and from multiple angles. The pictures were then put together to create the full image. The second experiment used the largest known virus, the mimivirus, instead of nanocrystals. The resulting picture showed the outer coat and a dense middle area in the virus.

Personally, I think this news is great! Sometimes it is hard to fathom something as abstracts as viruses and molecules, but now we can actually see these tiny particles and their components. This could provide so many advances in areas such as medicine and elemental sciences!

Wanna check it out? Click here: http://www.gizmag.com/lcls-used-to-obtain-virus-and-protein-images/17809/

The Skyliner: A Revolutionized Zeppelin

Hey everyone! Found something interesting for you!

This is Britain's Skyliner.

It turns out that the British company World Skycat Ltd has come up with a revolutionized zeppelin that has the combined features of both airships (lighter-than-air helium) and airplanes (the aerodynamic lift). It has many pros. It has low running fuel costs, it can carry literally tons of weight, and it can land in areas that are not easily accessible. The only problem is that these aircrafts cost millions of dollars. Despite this hitch, the U.S. is having  the "Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle" built to provide surveillance for the troops over in Afghanistan by the year 2012. 


I think this idea is pretty neat, especially if we can perfect the blueprints enough to prevent another Hindenburg. Also, having the ability to land in problem areas could really benefit our troops. Maybe we'll even be able to create smaller versions that can be used for military missions. However, because they are so costly, I do not think that we should make very many of them. What do you all think?


If you want to read the article for yourself, here it is: http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/01/28/hybrid.airship.future.flight/index.html

Synthetic Fuel: An Aid to Those Who Commute!

Heya! So it turns out that an organization called Cella Energy in the United Kingdom has developed a new synthetic fuel that could reduce the price of gasoline to a mere $1.50 per gallon! There are even other benefits. It does not release any carbon emissions because it is hydrogen-based. Also, so far they have concluded that there are micro-beads that can be used in cars that prevent one from having to completely modifying the engine which coincidentally saves us money!

Personally, I think that we should invest in this alternative to gasoline. The prices are tremendously high right now and it makes it hard to commute to school each week. The United States as a whole would also benefit because we would not be so dependant on the imports of oil and it would reduce the amount of fossil fuels that the human race is consuming. Not only is this hybride a cheaper choice, it is also the safer choice.

Here's the site I got it from. Check it out!

http://www.gizmag.com/breakthrough-promises-150-per-gallon-synthetic-gasoline-with-no-carbon-emissions/17687/

New Remote System that Guides Dogs - Help or hindrance?

I found this article while perusing new technologies of the new year and I decided to write about this one because it peaked my interest. My first reaction was that this invention was NOT a good idea. I do not like it due to the sole fact that its primary use would be when an area is deemed dangerous to humans. In my opinion, their lives are just as meaningful as ours. I will say that I am a bit bias because my family used to breed and show mastiffs so I feel quite connected to their lives. I also do not like the fact that people are trying to "control" them. They are not wild animals that need to be tamed. They are our domestic pets that should be treated with love and respect. Also, what happened to the bonding between dog and trainer/owner? The whole experience of training helps bring the dog and the owner closer together AND it teaches the dog proper behavior.

In spite of my immediate distaste for the control device, this invention might serve its purpose well in situations that the dog is the only being to be able to move about freely and obtain items of importance that humans could not grab in the same situation (i.e. key to open a door, etc). However, the actual control on the dog looks like it might cause more a hindrance. It's bulky and it could get caught on things which would leave the dog incapable of following commands. All in all, from first impressions, I do not like this invention so I will wait in the wings to hear its benefits and uses in realistic settings.

Check it out! Remote Control That Guides Canines