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/