tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44928577080642799992024-03-05T19:52:26.524-08:00The Universal Discovereruniversal knowledge in a sklip secondAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-61050870596667814152013-10-21T22:08:00.005-07:002013-10-21T22:08:49.720-07:00iPhone App Tells You If a Satellite Is Watching<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
In case you're hungry for personal space situational awareness, or
are just plain paranoid, a new iPhone app can tell you when and what
imaging spacecraft might have you in sight.<br />
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Orbit Logic of Greenbelt, Md., has created SpyMeSat, an app that provides notifications when <a href="http://www.space.com/12997-photos-declassified-spy-satellite-pictures.html">spy satellites</a>
and unclassified imaging satellites are zooming above your head and may
be taking your picture. A dynamic map shows orbit tracks and the
location of remote sensing satellites with upcoming passes over a user's
specified location.<br />
<h2>
<a href="http://news.discovery.com/space/videos/space-nasa-puts-satellites-through-wringer.htm">VIDEO: NASA Puts Satellites Through Wringer</a></h2>
Alex Herz, president of Orbit Logic, said that SpyMeSat is the
firm's first app designed for everyday folks, and a product that extends
the company's customer base beyond the aerospace, defense and
government intelligence communities. [<a href="http://blog.laptopmag.com/best-space-apps">The Top 10 Space Apps</a>]<br />
"I actually got the idea for the <a href="http://www.laptopmag.com/best-apps.aspx">app</a>
from talking to friends outside the aerospace industry who were always
very interested in space and satellites and imaging from space. This app
answers those questions in a fun and interactive way," Herz told
SPACE.com.<br />
The SpyMeSat app makes use of multiple sources, including orbit
data from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). The
NORAD spacecraft data come via CelesTrak, a website designed to provide
current orbital software, educational materials and links to software to
support tracking <a href="http://news.techmedianetwork.com/articles/54204/www.space.com/16504-satellite-quiz-earth-orbiters.html">satellites</a> and understanding orbital mechanics.<br />
That information is melded with available public information about commercial and international imaging satellites.<br />
The <a href="http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/smartphones/apple-iphone-5s.aspx">iPhone</a>
app user can see a satellite’s trajectory around his or her location,
as well as get an alert when a camera-snapping or radar-scanning
satellite might be in range.<br />
Moreover, the app user can learn more details about each
imaging opportunity, and also peruse a page describing the satellite
that's zooming by overhead. According to Orbit Logic, SpyMeSat users can
organize the app in several ways, such as modifying the location of
interest.<br />
<h2>
<a href="http://news.discovery.com/space/spy-tech-keeps-satellites-from-bumping-130411.htm">NEWS: New Spy Tech Keeps Satellites From Bumping</a></h2>
All of the imaging satellites in SpyMeSat are in low-Earth
orbit at an altitude of about 500 miles (805 kilometers). Enabled
SpyMeSat satellites include such zoom-lens notables as GeoEye, the
French space agency’s SPOT-5, India's CartoSat-2A, DigitalGlobe's
WorldView satellites and Canada's RADARSAT-2.<br />
Of course, a SpyMeSat imaging-pass notification doesn't
necessarily mean that a satellite is taking your picture. An identified
satellite could have its camera in off mode or pointed elsewhere along
its ground track.<br />
SpyMeSat does not include all imaging spacecraft. No classified
imaging satellites, from any nation, have their orbit information
published, so these satellites do not show up in the app.<br />
<br />
Source : <a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/apps/iphone-app-tells-you-if-a-satellite-is-watching-131018.htm">news.discovery.com</a> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-11350711124059537922013-10-21T22:02:00.001-07:002013-10-21T22:02:28.569-07:00First Fully Bionic Man Walks, Talks and Breathes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtuRXrumPuuN6QupgHG2aC4dZPmPLn0z57tYBGT2_Q0ISCE16PWCxr7T7FjOfqAmSiq8xVTFynxQlCWooeIZyzpu7jHMOEHHDITk32uNddrgnT4Ydz48oC5wMDlimw_nPjZe0GXyO5vC5/s1600/first-fully-bionic-man-walks-talks-and-breathes-670x440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtuRXrumPuuN6QupgHG2aC4dZPmPLn0z57tYBGT2_Q0ISCE16PWCxr7T7FjOfqAmSiq8xVTFynxQlCWooeIZyzpu7jHMOEHHDITk32uNddrgnT4Ydz48oC5wMDlimw_nPjZe0GXyO5vC5/s1600/first-fully-bionic-man-walks-talks-and-breathes-670x440.jpg" /></a></div>
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He walks, he talks and he has a beating heart, but he's not human — he's the world's first fully bionic man.<br />
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Like Frankenstein's monster, cobbled together from a hodgepodge
of body parts, the bionic man is an amalgam of the most advanced <a href="http://www.livescience.com/38585-body-beautiful-the-5-strangest-prosthetic-limbs.html">human prostheses</a> — from robotic limbs to artificial organs to a blood-pumping circulatory system.<br />
The creature "comes to life" in "The Incredible Bionic Man,"
premiering Sunday (Oct. 20) on the Smithsonian Channel at 9 p.m. EDT/8
p.m. CDT. (<a href="http://www.livescience.com/40533-britain-s-1m-bionic-man-video.html">Watch Video of the Bionic Man</a>)<br />
<h2>
<a href="http://news.discovery.com/videos/bionic-eye-cures-blindness.htm">VIDEO: Bionic Eye Cures Blindness</a></h2>
Roboticists Rich Walker and Matthew Godden of Shadow Robot Co. in England led the assembly of <a href="http://www.technewsdaily.com/16772-million-dollar-man.html">the bionic man</a> from prosthetic body parts and artificial organs donated by laboratories around the world.<br />
"Our job was to take the delivery of a large collection of body
parts — organs, limbs, eyes, heads — and over a frantic six weeks, turn
those parts into a bionic man," Walker told LiveScience during an
interview. But it's not as simple as connecting everything like
Tinkertoys. "You put a prosthetic part on a human who is missing that
part," Walker said. "We had no human; we built a human for the
prosthetic parts to occupy."<br />
The robot, which cost almost $1 million to build, was modeled
in some physical aspects after Bertolt Meyer, a social psychologist at
the University of Zurich, in Switzerland, who wears one of the world's
most advanced bionic hands. (<a href="http://www.livescience.com/40531-the-incredible-bionic-man-gallery.html">See Photos of the Bionic Man</a>)<br />
<h2>
<a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/biotechnology/man-controls-bionic-leg-thoughts-130926.htm">NEWS: Man Controls Bionic Leg with Thoughts</a></h2>
The bionic man has the same prosthetic hand as Meyer — the <a href="http://www.livescience.com/2468-prosthetic-hand-nimble-amputee-type.html">i-LIMB made by Touch Bionics</a>
— with a wrist that can fully rotate and motors in each finger. The
hand's grasping abilities are impressive, but the bionic man still drops
drinks sometimes.<br />
"He's not the world's best bartender," Walker said.<br />
The robot sports a pair of <a href="http://www.livescience.com/15803-oscar-pistorius-prosthetic-limbs.html">robotic ankles and feet</a>
from BiOM in Bedford, Mass., designed and worn by bioengineer Hugh Herr
of MIT's Media Lab, who lost his own legs after getting trapped in a
blizzard as a teenager.<br />
To support his prosthetic legs, the bionic man wears a robotic
exoskeleton dubbed "Rex," made by REX Bionics in New Zealand. His
awkward, jerky walk makes him more Frankensteinian than ever.<br />
But it doesn't end there — the bionic man also has a nearly
complete set of artificial organs, including an artificial heart, blood,
lungs (and windpipe), pancreas, spleen, kidney and functional <a href="http://www.livescience.com/22486-circulatory-system.html">circulatory system</a>.<br />
<br />
Source : <a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/robotics/first-fully-bionic-man-walks-talks-and-breathes-131018.htm">news.discovery.com</a> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-29537969718492604122013-10-21T21:55:00.003-07:002013-10-21T21:55:58.853-07:00Radiation-Proof Underwear Protects The Goods<div class="fragment-media lead-image media-vertical">
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Japan has no shortage of quirky underwear gimmicks, from
fart-eating skivvies to panty-dispensing vending machines. But the
Fukushima nuclear disaster is no joke, so let’s at least keep the
snickering to a minimum.<br />
Osaka-based materials company Yamamoto has developed
anti-radiation underwear and swimwear that protects the body’s most
sensitive parts from harmful gamma rays.<br />
<a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/gear-and-gadgets/mouth-watering-maps-continue-mine-big-data-131007.htm">PHOTOS: Mouth-Watering Apps Continue to Mine Big-Data</a><br />
Inspired by the ongoing disaster at the Fukushima
Daiichi nuclear plant — caused by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011
– the underwear weighs 7.5 pounds and consists of a top and bottom made
from lead-based fabric. According Yamamoto, when it goes on the market,
the underwear will cost about $825.<br />
Made out of carbon-embedded rubber to block radiation, the
wetsuit weighs 6.6 pounds and is expected to sell for $1,073, starting
in November.<br />
<a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/gear-and-gadgets/death-date-watch-131011.htm">BLOG: Wear Your Death Date on Your Wrist</a><br />
As you can imagine, the bodywear is not made for happy-go-lucky
people seeking a leisurely stroll or swim by leaking nuclear plants.
Both garments were developed for land and water workers in Fukushima who
are still trying to contain the waste that continues to seep into the
groundwater. The suits would effectively be worn as added protection, in
conjunction with traditional radiation suits.<br />
These undergarments may not turn any heads or show up any
runways, but when it comes to keeping one’s nether regions
radiation-free, I say “the bigger and uglier, the better.”<br />
<a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57608209-76/japan-unveils-$800-radiation-proof-underwear/"><i>via CNET</i></a><br />
<br />
<i>Source : <a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/radiation-proof-underwear-protects-the-goods-131021.htm">news.discovery.com</a> </i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-76522942929088770722013-09-22T19:51:00.001-07:002013-09-22T19:51:18.241-07:00White House Goes Green with Solar Panels<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin8QQxdR_k9ktCvxklzP8dgHwsJ2afoQh__s3-kOxhJNsz5L4ZlSyT0IJqepZYD3emUMKuIMZuPspecnlZ4quhaZMCDX-DSE2JPSaC_nozMAqz57KTU7JJvDUayUv5ynj26V7mXDRX0M8p/s1600/white-house-solar-panels-670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin8QQxdR_k9ktCvxklzP8dgHwsJ2afoQh__s3-kOxhJNsz5L4ZlSyT0IJqepZYD3emUMKuIMZuPspecnlZ4quhaZMCDX-DSE2JPSaC_nozMAqz57KTU7JJvDUayUv5ynj26V7mXDRX0M8p/s1600/white-house-solar-panels-670.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
The White House is going green. Solar panels are being installed on
parts of the residence, a US official said Thursday -- making good on a
pledge that dates back to 2010.<br />
With President Barack Obama and his family vacationing in
Martha's Vineyard for a week, workers equipped with cranes have been
buzzing around the home in downtown Washington.<br />
<h2>
<a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/alternative-power-sources/solar-dish-power-2000-suns-130422.htm">Solar Dish Pulls In Power of 2,000 Suns</a></h2>
"The White House has begun installing American-made solar
panels on the First Family's residence as a part of an energy retrofit
that will improve the overall energy efficiency of the building," the
official said.<br />
The work will include the installation of new thermostats and
variable-speed fans, according to the official, who spoke on condition
of anonymity.<br />
"The project will help demonstrate that historic buildings can
incorporate solar energy and energy efficiency upgrades," the official
said.<br />
The work makes good on a promise made by the Obama administration nearly three years ago.<br />
In October 2010, then Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced
that solar panels would be installed at the White House, in a bid to
encourage Americans to adopt the green power generation technology.<br />
<h2>
<a href="http://news.discovery.com/videos/whiz-kid-inventors-invade-the-white-house.htm">Whiz Kid Inventors Invade the White House</a></h2>
Former president Jimmy Carter, a Democrat like Obama, had solar
panels installed during his presidency in the late 1970s, during the
oil crisis. But his successor Ronald Reagan had them removed.<br />
Since taking office in 2009, Obama has made green energy a
priority for his administration, but his efforts have been thwarted by
Congress.<br />
He has since used his executive powers to bring in tougher
vehicle fuel efficiency standards. In June, he unveiled a new proposal
to combat climate change.<br />
<br />
Source : <a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/alternative-power-sources/white-house-goes-green-solar-panels-130816.htm">news.discovery.com</a> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-23248007248611189422013-09-22T19:51:00.000-07:002013-09-22T19:51:02.394-07:00Tasty Tech Eye Candy Of The Week (Sept 22)<div class="media-body">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxt3H_YpkU-hRZqvBEnTScUJkkzTPLvlAcAWCK7dMn_vuPbtuZBAlCiu5xzXwQUjhd8BmYwDTjr0yUZEErYStcf0Kbpq6LoTjszNg0FqnMRmINLntzJ-NvaJ65Yc781tiDCvz1VQkzqfnn/s1600/gallery-sept20-wind-ship-670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxt3H_YpkU-hRZqvBEnTScUJkkzTPLvlAcAWCK7dMn_vuPbtuZBAlCiu5xzXwQUjhd8BmYwDTjr0yUZEErYStcf0Kbpq6LoTjszNg0FqnMRmINLntzJ-NvaJ65Yc781tiDCvz1VQkzqfnn/s1600/gallery-sept20-wind-ship-670.jpg" /></a></div>
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Of the exciting tech stories to cross our desk
this week, innovations that help people get from point A to B stand out.
Take for example, a young man who made an elevator from a bicycle, or a
group of researchers who designed an RFID ring that gives the wearer
access to a subway, or virtual simulation of Elon Musk's Hyperloop that
shows it could work or a wind-powered ship that has a hull that works as
an airfoil. Read on.
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Norwegian designers at Lade AS have designed a unique
ship that they say would achieve fuel savings of 60 percent and reduce
emissions by 80 percent. Their Vindskip (or Windship) has a specially
designed hull that works like a symmetrical airfoil harnessing wind
somewhat like the wing of a plane to generate "lift." The ship would
also use a liquefied natural gas-powered electrical generator for
additional power. </div>
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Source : <a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/gear-and-gadgets/tasty-tech-eye-candy-aug-30-130830.htm">news.discovery.com</a> </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-7558324965761545132013-09-19T05:41:00.002-07:002013-09-19T05:41:17.102-07:00Skin Tattoo Takes Body Temperature<div class="fragment-media lead-image media-vertical">
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When it comes to grafting electronics onto skin, John Rogers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign churns out <a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/gear-and-gadgets/ultrathin-device-detects-brain-signals-110811.htm">epidermic tech</a> at a seemingly fevered pitch. Perhaps his latest creation will make sure he doesn’t overheat.<br />
Along with a team of researchers from the U.S., China, and
Singapore, Rogers has designed an extremely pliable patch that, when
applied to the skin, can accurately measure skin temperature <a href="http://www.nature.com/nmat/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nmat3755.html">and can provide</a>
“clinically relevant information about cardiovascular health, cognitive
state, malignancy and many other important aspects of human
physiology.”<br />
<a href="http://news.discovery.com/human/videos/what-tattoos-really-say-about-you-video.htm">What Tattoos Really Say About You</a><br />
The small, ultra-thin mesh electronics adhere to the skin with a
special glue and are no bigger or more intrusive than a temporary
tattoo. The device can also monitor heat flow, plus the constriction and
dilation of blood vessels.<br />
“Such devices can also be implemented in ways that reveal the
time-dynamic influence of blood flow and perfusion on these properties,”
researches explained.<br />
As well, the patches can be used in reverse by delivering
therapeutic heat to the skin, simply by increasing the patch’s voltage.<br />
<a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/gear-and-gadgets/first-electronic-tattoo-printed-skin-130312.htm">BLOG: First Electronic Tattoo Printed Onto Skin</a><br />
However, the patch isn’t ready for the market just yet, as it
still requires an external power source. But the team is exploring two
potential energy sources as solutions: solar power, for external
patches, and bioelectric power for patches applied internally.<br />
<a href="http://phys.org/news/2013-09-team-tattoo-like-skin-thermometer-patch.html"><i>via PhysOrg</i></a><br />
<i>Credit: University of Illinois and Beckman Institute</i><br />
<i>Source : <a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/biotechnology/skin-tattoo-takes-body-temperature-130917.htm">news.discovery.com</a> </i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-77025571245267972242013-09-19T05:29:00.001-07:002013-09-19T05:29:28.203-07:00Lens Changes Focus Like a Human Eye<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSjnRbARDijIOSjBI42zzodNOM7KvMEQdVRg0k-R3f8uZuvmFx_4ybTv5SQV0oS-EdfJ2NF4UPIGvlu1MNRmGpmW_uJB5H2JKSCn_9hgosx6BRIifTu2RrmLLcFe44f51YA3h8-yeFksRH/s1600/dnews-files-2013-09-fluid-lens-gallery-670-jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSjnRbARDijIOSjBI42zzodNOM7KvMEQdVRg0k-R3f8uZuvmFx_4ybTv5SQV0oS-EdfJ2NF4UPIGvlu1MNRmGpmW_uJB5H2JKSCn_9hgosx6BRIifTu2RrmLLcFe44f51YA3h8-yeFksRH/s1600/dnews-files-2013-09-fluid-lens-gallery-670-jpg.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Human eyes are an ideal lens. They can easily shift focus between
several objects in a given scene, even if those objects are located at
different distances. Attempting a similar ability with a camera may
require the photographer to change lenses.<br />
<a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/nanotechnology/worlds-thinnest-glass-accident-131912.htm">Oops! Word’s Thinnest Glass Made By Accident</a><br />
Ohio State University engineers took a crack at giving a camera
lens some of the versatility of a human. They made a fluid-filled lens
that can change its shape and focus, as well as alter the direction it
focuses in. The work was described in the Technical Digest of the 25th
IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems. The
technology could improve the capabilities of digital phone cameras and
make cameras overall more reliable by eliminating the need for certain
moving parts.<br />
The Ohio State University lens is made from a flexible polymer.
The design is like an insect’s compound eye, with a single large lens
made up of several small dome-shaped pockets, each filled with fluid.
Tiny channels supply the fluid to each of the pockets.<br />
By pumping fluid in and out of the pockets, the engineers were
able to alter the lens’ shape and focus. The point where the image is
focused can also be moved off-center. In a lens made of glass or plastic
the only way to change where the image is centered is to point the lens
in a different direction.<br />
This method of focusing is a lot like what human eyes do. In
humans, the muscles in the eye squeeze the lens or stretch it a bit to
change the focal point of the image. When you look at something far off,
for instance, the lens in your eye becomes slightly flatter.<br />
Another advantage of the design is a wide angle of view. This
is where the designers took a cue from insects’ compound eyes. The
reason flies can see behind them is that their eyes are made of
thousands of tiny facets, each pointed in a different direction. The
down side (for the fly) is that each of those tiny facets can’t focus
very well. The artificial lens solves that problem by adjusting the
fluid-filled lenses.<br />
<a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/nanotechnology/10-materials-emulate-nature-pictures-110201.htm">10 Materials That Emulate Nature</a><br />
Yi Zhao, associate professor of biomedical engineering and
ophthalmology at Ohio State and one of the co-authors of the research,
said in a press release that one focus for further development will be
making the technology more practical for electronics. Fluid-filled
lenses probably aren’t going to work in a smart phone. Lenses made of
piezoelectric material, which changes shape in response to current,
would function much better.<br />
<i>Credit: Jo McCulty, courtesy of Ohio State University</i><br />
<br />
<i>Source : <a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/gear-and-gadgets/lens-changes-focus-like-human-eye-130918.htm">news.discovery.com</a> </i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-66537212047934558722013-08-29T20:19:00.000-07:002013-08-29T20:19:50.568-07:00Google Glass: Surgery Tool Of The Future?<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrhDimwvNlUTU-BnD6784GNbeb2XLBiOocSbItJpDe1Sz9mT5XFjNSrEvdouEDIImQae-PFkpYRVico9XgEl3BwQhY48WMkC4TZe_p36EMMUK6lLq2rNwZaepuNv5ALX8PLKEyE9oV98tp/s1600/googleglass_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrhDimwvNlUTU-BnD6784GNbeb2XLBiOocSbItJpDe1Sz9mT5XFjNSrEvdouEDIImQae-PFkpYRVico9XgEl3BwQhY48WMkC4TZe_p36EMMUK6lLq2rNwZaepuNv5ALX8PLKEyE9oV98tp/s400/googleglass_0.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We've been waiting for a while to figure out what <a data-ls-seen="1" href="http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-03/could-google-glass-allow-people-move-wheelchairs-their-eyes">practical</a> <a data-ls-seen="1" href="http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-08/watch-drone-piloted-through-google-glass">uses</a> will come out of Google Glass, besides, of course, making <a data-ls-seen="1" href="http://whitemenwearinggoogleglass.tumblr.com/">dudes look silly</a>.
And aha! A surgeon at The Ohio State University used his Google Glass
to beam a colleague into an ACL repair surgery, plus allow medical
students to watch the surgery from his particular point of view. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">Christopher Kaeding, Ohio State's director of sports medicine, got a
hold of the futuristic eyewear through Ismail Nabeel, an assistant
professor of general internal medicine at the school. Nabeel was one of
the 1,000 elite applicants chosen to participate in the <a data-ls-seen="1" href="http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2013-04/what-you-shouldve-done-get-google-glass">Google Glass Explorer</a> program, and decided to partner with Kaeding to test out his new toy. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">Seeing a live feed of a surgery from the surgeon's perspective seems a
whole lot more useful to a medical student than observing in-person,
where much of the nitty-gritty of the procedure is obscured by the
people actually operating on the patient. It could potentially be used
by a surgeon to bring up x-ray images or patient reports during an
operation, too. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">And apparently, it's pretty unobtrusive. Kaeding reported it "seemed very intuitive and fit seamlessly." </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Source : <a href="http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-08/google-glass-surgery-tool-future">popsci.com</a> </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-29084241644627628842013-08-29T03:59:00.004-07:002013-08-29T03:59:58.373-07:00How Phase Change Materials Can Keep Your Coffee Hot<div class="p1" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwz3_519FLjN6ZEWzjee8ixwo5eDiN3C_pEukUY09bZYxigo5vRuYFfJP__bgbfmJhTNoN09ak0Rx3-0-erZjsAM9u1lYH_BvZf-3nCwjSeVH_QB0pwUCV3kCLemyOYpwzu4bjmeQmH3CV/s1600/PureTemp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwz3_519FLjN6ZEWzjee8ixwo5eDiN3C_pEukUY09bZYxigo5vRuYFfJP__bgbfmJhTNoN09ak0Rx3-0-erZjsAM9u1lYH_BvZf-3nCwjSeVH_QB0pwUCV3kCLemyOYpwzu4bjmeQmH3CV/s400/PureTemp.jpg" width="202" /></a>Lukewarm coffee. In the grand scheme of life, it’s a mild vexation, but the same sustainable, nontoxic material that keeps babies warm and soldiers cool can now ensure your cappuccino stays at optimal drinking temperature for hours.</div>
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PureTemp, a technology developed by Minnesota-based Entropy Solutions, turns vegetable oils into phase change material (PCM) capable of maintaining a specific temperature between minus 40 and 300 degrees for hours. PCMs have been around longer than our species: Water’s transition from a solid to a liquid at the phase change point of 32 degrees is the most obvious example. So we asked PureTemp Chief Chemical Officer William “Rusty” Sutterlin to explain what’s so cool about this hot new take on phase change.</div>
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Read Oil About It</h4>
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PureTemp technology involves purifying a variety of vegetable oils and then isolating different compounds within the blends. Each compound, Sutterlin says, naturally melts or solidifies at a different specific temperature and can be used as the base material for an application, depending on the phase change point needed.</div>
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“Think of peanut butter,” explains Sutterlin, who added he’d just stirred a jar of the sticky stuff that morning — not for a PureTemp application, but for a sandwich. “It’s made from the oil of peanuts, but that oil is made of different compounds, some of which are liquid at room temperature and some of which are solid at room temperature.”</div>
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Other manmade PCMs exist, but most are petroleum- or mineral-based, with varying levels of toxicity, or water-based, with more limited temperature ranges. PureTemp’s claim to fame is that its materials are biodegradable and nontoxic. PureTemp materials also have a broader range of potential phase change temperatures and containment sizes: Its coffee mug, for example, has a rigid inner core of PCM that could fit in the palm of your hand, while blankets and clothing use the material in thin, flexible sheets or pockets of microcapsules.</div>
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Immortal Phase</h4>
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PCMs have an advantage over other heat or cooling sources: a kind of immortality. “The material never changes composition, latent heat capacity or its phase change point,” Sutterlin says. “Think of it this way: How many times can you freeze and melt and freeze water again before that water goes bad? The answer is unlimited.”</div>
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Getting Specific</h4>
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Unlike water’s set solid-liquid phase change point of 32 degrees, manmade PCMs’ change points vary depending on their molecular composition. But they absorb and release latent heat according to the same principles as ice melting (storing heat) and refreezing (releasing that heat). </div>
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“As soon as we cause something to solidify, boom, there’s a lot of energy there to harness,” Sutterlin says.</div>
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The <a href="http://www.pcmpackaging.com/" style="color: red; outline: none;">PureTemp mug</a>’s inner PCM core has a phase change point set at 140 degrees, considered the optimal drinking temperature. Coffee is typically brewed, however, at about 190 to 200 degrees.</div>
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“You make your coffee and pour it into the PureTemp mug,” explains Sutterlin. “The PCM [inside the core] melts, pulling energy in the form of heat from the coffee.”</div>
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It takes a minute or two to reach the optimal drinking temperature — and the PCM’s phase change point. As the coffee cools below 140 degrees, the PCM starts to solidify again, releasing the stored heat back into your coffee and maintaining that perfect drinking temperature.</div>
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More Than This</h4>
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Aside from keeping America’s java drinkers content, PCMs developed by PureTemp are also being used in far more significant ways, including the Embrace infant warmer; the Cool Vest, which prevents overheating in human and canine troops in Afghanistan; and the Greenbox, which safely transports pharmaceuticals, blood and vaccines. We’ll drink to that.</div>
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<i>[This article originally appeared in print as "Running Hot and Cold Forever."]</i></div>
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<i>Source : <a href="http://discovermagazine.com/2013/september/21-running-hot-and-cold-forever#.UhZ8G6KQbCo">discovermagazine.com</a></i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-63325485746033361522013-08-29T03:59:00.002-07:002013-08-29T03:59:19.571-07:00NASA Tests Largest 3-D Printed Rocket Part Ever<br />
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In NASA's latest exploration of combining 3-D printing and space
travel, the agency ran tests on the largest ever 3-D printed rocket
engine component at the Marshall Space Flight Center. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">The engine part was a complex subscale injector, similar in size to
those that power small rocket engines. When an engine is firing, the
injector delivers propellants, which provides power and thrust to get
the rocket off the ground. NASA tested the component on August 22; it
helped the engine generate a record 200,000 pounds of thrust. And the
conditions were grueling, conducted at pressures of up to 1,400 pounds
per square inch and at nearly 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">Working with NASA, a rapid prototyping company called <a data-ls-seen="1" href="http://directedmfg.com/" target="_blank">Directed Manufacturing</a>
printed the rocket part using a process called selective laser melting,
which creates 3-D objects by building up layers of nickel-chromium
alloy powder. Whereas previous injector models have been made of 115
parts, this 3-D printed version is made of just two, which saves on
cost. The production process also took much less time—under a month for
3-D printing, whereas traditional injectors sometimes take six months
and cost twice as much. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">NASA wanted to test a component that was complex and vital to the
functioning of the rocket engine, as well as something that comes into
direct contact with the extreme heat. It helps that the injector is also
very similar to traditional versions that have undergone testing. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">The agency says it is looking at 3-D printing as a way to quickly and
cheaply replace engine parts for human missions to deep space,
including to Mars and asteroids. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">In July, NASA completed a successful test of a <a data-ls-seen="1" href="http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-07/nasa-successfully-tests-its-first-3-d-printed-rocket-engine-injector" target="_blank">smaller 3-D printed rocket injector</a>.
The 3-D printed injectors showed no difference in performance from
traditionally manufactured ones. In the coming days, engineers will
perform computer scans and other inspections on the injector tested last
week. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">"This successful test of a 3-D printed rocket injector brings NASA
significantly closer to proving this innovative technology can be used
to reduce the cost of flight hardware," said Chris Singer, the director
of the Engineering Directorate at the Marshall Center, in a statement.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">The first 3-D printed part to be hot-fire tested on a NASA engine system was an <a data-ls-seen="1" href="http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/j2x/j2x_a2.html#.Uhzuh2SgmWV" target="_blank">exhaust port cover</a>
made at the Marshall Center and tested at the Stennis Center. And NASA
is looking beyond printing engine parts. The space agency is working
with <a data-ls-seen="1" href="http://www.madeinspace.us/" target="_blank">Made in Space</a> to develop and test a 3-D printer for the International Space Station, which would <a data-ls-seen="1" href="http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-08/how-nasa-will-3-d-print-space-video" target="_blank">print tools as needed</a>, and they're also looking at <a data-ls-seen="1" href="http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-05/nasa-funding-3-d-printer-thatll-make-pizza" target="_blank">printing food</a> for long-duration missions. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Source : <a href="http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-08/nasa-tests-largest-3-d-printed-rocket-part-ever">popsci.com</a> </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-26644017609096230762013-08-23T00:12:00.000-07:002013-08-23T00:12:30.352-07:00Ferrari 458 Speciale, another "most powerful" ever<div style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;">
Ferrari has prepared an upgraded version of the venerable <a href="http://www.gizmag.com/ferrari-458-italia-debuts-at-frankfurt/12850/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">458 Italia</a> for debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The Prancing Horse has covered the 458 in improvements, from enhanced aerodynamics to increased power. This special variant promises to add an extra dose of excitement to a sports car already considered one of the best of the best by many a driver and publication.</div>
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<li style="float: left; height: 105px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="image" href="http://www.gizmag.com/ferrari-458-speciale/28778/pictures#1" style="background-color: transparent; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #1e8dd7; float: left; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="The 458 Speciale gets new moveable aerodynamics in front and back" src="http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_tn/ferrari458speciale-0.jpg" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="The 458 Speciale gets new moveable aerodynamics in front and back" /></a></li>
<li style="float: left; height: 105px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="image" href="http://www.gizmag.com/ferrari-458-speciale/28778/pictures#2" style="background-color: transparent; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #1e8dd7; float: left; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Ferrari says the 458 Speciale boasts its most powerful naturally aspirated V8 ever " src="http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_tn/ferrari458speciale.jpg" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="Ferrari says the 458 Speciale boasts its most powerful naturally aspirated V8 ever " /></a></li>
<li style="float: left; height: 105px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="image" href="http://www.gizmag.com/ferrari-458-speciale/28778/pictures#3" style="background-color: transparent; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #1e8dd7; float: left; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="The 458 Speciale runs Fiorano in 1:23.5" src="http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_tn/ferrari458speciale-3.jpg" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="The 458 Speciale runs Fiorano in 1:23.5" /></a></li>
<li style="float: left; height: 105px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="image" href="http://www.gizmag.com/ferrari-458-speciale/28778/pictures#4" style="background-color: transparent; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #1e8dd7; float: left; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="The Speciale's Side Slip Control system gives the driver more control and confidence" src="http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_tn/ferrari458speciale-4.jpg" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="The Speciale's Side Slip Control system gives the driver more control and confidence" /></a></li>
</ul>
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Ferrari has been using the term "most powerful" an awful lot lately. The 730-hp F12 Berlinetta took on the role of most powerful road Ferrari ever <a href="http://www.gizmag.com/ferrari-f12-berlinetta-the-fastest-ferrari-yet-built/21651/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">back at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show</a>, ceding it rather quickly to the <a href="http://www.gizmag.com/ferrari-laferrari-hybrid/26522/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">LaFerrari</a> a year later. The LaFerrari gets its 950 horses from a hybrid powertrain, part of which is Ferrari's most powerful naturally-aspirated road engine ever, a 789-hp 6.3-liter V12.</div>
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The all-new 458 Speciale can't lay claim to "most powerful Ferrari or engine ever," but since both the F12 and LaFerrari are motivated by a dozen cylinders, it can rightfully boast about the most powerful Ferrari V8 ever. As usual, Ferrari isn't shy about advertising the claim. It further claims that the 135 cv per liter achieved by the 605-cv (596-hp) 4.5-liter engine is the highest ever put out by any of its road cars.</div>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/ferrari-458-speciale/28778/pictures#4" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="The 458 Speciale runs Fiorano in 1:23.5" src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/ferrari458speciale-3.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="397" /></a></div>
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Of course, the Speciale is far more than just an extra 34 prancing horses over the Italia. The Ferrari Styling Center worked with Pininfarina to sculpt, carve and tuck the 458's physique into more aerodynamic shape, including active aerodynamics that help to optimize downforce and drag. Apparently not sick of superlatives just yet, Ferrari calls the Speciale its most aerodynamically efficient production car ever, citing a 1.5 E index.</div>
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The Speciale's upgraded vehicle systems give the driver better control and confidence when rallying the near-600 horses available at his toe tip. The electronic Side Slip angle Control (SSC) keep the car stable and responsive. The SSC system uses a new algorithm to compare the car's current side slip with a targeted number, adjusting torque management and distribution as needed. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 tires apply all that feedback to the ground below.</div>
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As a result of its enhancements, the 2,844-lb (1,290-kg) 458 Speciale cuts a few ticks off the 458 Italia's 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time, meeting the mark in a flat three seconds. It can run to double that speed from park in 9.1 seconds and lap Ferrari's Fiorano track in 1 minute 23.5 seconds, wedged comfortably between the F12 Berlinetta's 1:23 mark and the <a href="http://www.gizmag.com/ferrari-599-gto/14786/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">599 GTO's</a> 1:24. Not a bad neighborhood to live in.</div>
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Ferrari will reveal the 458 Speciale under the bright lights of the Frankfurt Motor Show on September 10. We anticipate having more in-depth information then.</div>
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Source: <a href="http://458speciale.ferrari.com/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Ferrari</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-70666532307502313492013-08-23T00:10:00.000-07:002013-08-23T00:10:43.865-07:00F-35B makes first vertical night landing at sea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZZxGtzoGbzFJx3E1SITK2BzqrlnPA4K2sUnlAw5wLOvDpDi1FeaOk8ObtGIvUre08t83FQq9kHhFkhF7_V8EcZZrwjwvu7V38HSjdT-W-odLZSkyqTzuQ1Y0V8xm6i9LA75lx9oM1CGv/s1600/f35b-night-sea-landing-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZZxGtzoGbzFJx3E1SITK2BzqrlnPA4K2sUnlAw5wLOvDpDi1FeaOk8ObtGIvUre08t83FQq9kHhFkhF7_V8EcZZrwjwvu7V38HSjdT-W-odLZSkyqTzuQ1Y0V8xm6i9LA75lx9oM1CGv/s400/f35b-night-sea-landing-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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After the <a href="http://www.gizmag.com/f-35b-jsf-vertical-landing-at-sea/20051/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">first vertical landing at sea</a> of the F-35B in 2011 and its <a href="http://www.gizmag.com/f-35b-night-vertical-landing/26984/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">first night-time vertical landing</a> in April of this year, the two feats have now been combined in the first night-time vertical landing at sea of the short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.</div>
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<li style="float: left; height: 105px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="image" href="http://www.gizmag.com/f-35b-first-night-sea-vertical-landing/28785/pictures#1" style="background-color: transparent; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #1e8dd7; float: left; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Lt. Col. Russell Clift piloted the F-35B's first night-time at sea vertical landing (Photo..." src="http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_tn/f35b-night-sea-landing.jpg" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="Lt. Col. Russell Clift piloted the F-35B's first night-time at sea vertical landing (Photo..." /></a></li>
<li style="float: left; height: 105px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="image" href="http://www.gizmag.com/f-35b-first-night-sea-vertical-landing/28785/pictures#2" style="background-color: transparent; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #1e8dd7; float: left; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="The F-35B's first night-time at sea vertical landing (Photo: Lockheed Martin)" src="http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_tn/f35b-night-sea-landing-1.jpg" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="The F-35B's first night-time at sea vertical landing (Photo: Lockheed Martin)" /></a></li>
<li style="float: left; height: 105px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="image" href="http://www.gizmag.com/f-35b-first-night-sea-vertical-landing/28785/pictures#3" style="background-color: transparent; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #1e8dd7; float: left; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="The F-35B's first night-time at sea vertical landing (Photo: Lockheed Martin)" src="http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_tn/f35b-night-sea-landing-3.jpg" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="The F-35B's first night-time at sea vertical landing (Photo: Lockheed Martin)" /></a></li>
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The landing took place in the Atlantic Ocean on the US Navy’s multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Wasp on August 14 with US Marine Corps test pilot Lt. Col. Russell Clift at the controls.</div>
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"It all went extremely well," said Clift. "Throughout the night we conducted eight successful launches and landings, so we're on target and quickly gaining experience with F-35B night operations at sea."</div>
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The milestone was part of a week of Ship Suitability Sea Trials – also known as Developmental Test Phase Two (DT-II) – that kicked off on August 12 when two F-35Bs (BF-01 and BF-05) touched down on the USS Wasp. By August 18, the two aircraft had completed a total of 40 short takeoffs and 41 vertical landings.</div>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/f-35b-first-night-sea-vertical-landing/28785/pictures#1" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Lt. Col. Russell Clift piloted the F-35B's first night-time at sea vertical landing (Photo..." src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/f35b-night-sea-landing.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="530" /></a></div>
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Although Clift took the honors of being the first to complete a night-time at sea landing in an F-35B, UK Squadron Leader Jim Schofield claimed his own first, becoming the first international pilot to carry out a sea-based launch and landing in an F-35B during DT-II.</div>
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The F-35B is scheduled to enter initial operating capability with the US Marine Corps in 2015, with sea-trials of the US Navy’s <a href="http://www.gizmag.com/lockheed-martin-unveils-first-stealth-fighter-for-us-navy/12379/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">F-35C</a> aircraft carrier variant scheduled for the end of 2014.</div>
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The first night-time vertical landing aboard the USS Wasp can be seen in the video below.</div>
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Sources: <a href="http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/press-releases/2013/august/130820aef-35b-accomplishes-first-night-vertical-landing-uss-wasp.html" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Lockheed Martin</a>, <a href="http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=76012" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">US Navy</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-24868769333507893882013-08-22T13:56:00.001-07:002013-08-22T13:56:26.025-07:0010 Upcoming Technology That May Change The World : Part 2<h3 style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; color: #252525; font-family: 'Droid Serif', Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 2.3em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.25em; margin: 35px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; text-transform: capitalize; vertical-align: baseline;">
6. SmartThings</h3>
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The current problem that most devices have is that they function as a standalone being, and it require effort for tech competitors to actually partner with each other and build products that can truly connect with each other. <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/smartthings/smartthings-make-your-world-smarter" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">SmartThings</a> is here to make your every device, digital or non-digital, connect together and benefit you.</div>
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<img alt="smartthings" height="333" src="http://media02.hongkiat.com/revolutionary-products/smartthings.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="500" /><br />
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Image Source: <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/smartthings/smartthings-make-your-world-smarter" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a>)</em></div>
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With SmartThings you can get your smoke alarms, humidity, pressure and vibration sensors to detect changes in your house and alert you through your smartphone! Imagine the possibilities with this.</div>
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You could track who’s been inside your house, turn on the lights while you’re entering a room, shut windows and doors when you leave the house, all with the help of something that only costs $500! Feel like a tech lord in your castle with this marvel.</div>
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7. Firefox OS</h3>
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<a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/tag/ios/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">iOS</a> and <a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/tag/android/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Android</a> are great, but they each have their own rules and policies that certainly inhibit the creative efforts of developers. Mozilla has since decided to build a new mobile operating system from scratch, one that will focus on true openness, freedom and user choice. It’s <a href="http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefoxos/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Firefox OS</a>.</div>
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Firefox OS is built on Gonk, Gecko and Gaia software layers – for the rest of us, it means it is built on open source, and it carries web technologies such as <a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/tag/html5/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">HTML5</a> and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4492857708064279999" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">CSS3</a>.</div>
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<img alt="firefox os" height="370" src="http://media02.hongkiat.com/revolutionary-products/firefox-os.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="500" /><br />
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Image Source: <a href="http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefoxos/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Mozilla</a>)</em></div>
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Developers can create and debut web apps without the blockade of requirements set by app stores, and users could even customize the OS based on their needs. Currently the OS <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MzuGWFIfio" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">has made its debut on Android-compatible phones</a>, and the impression so far, is great.</div>
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You can use the OS to do essential tasks you do on iOS or Android: calling friends, browsing web, taking photos, playing games, they are all possible on Firefox OS, set to rock the smartphone market.</div>
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8. Project Fiona</h3>
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Meet the first generation of the gaming tablet. Razer’s <a href="http://www.razerzone.com/projectfiona" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Project Fiona</a> is a serious gaming tablet built for hardcore gaming. Once it’s out, it will be the frontier for the future tablets, as tech companies might want to build their own tablets, dedicated towards gaming, but for now Fiona is the only possible one that will debut in 2013.</div>
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<img alt="project fiona" height="358" src="http://media02.hongkiat.com/revolutionary-products/project-fiona.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="500" /><br />
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Image Source: <a href="http://www.razerzone.com/projectfiona" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Razer™</a>)</em></div>
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This beast features next generation Intel® Core i7 processor geared to render all your favorite PC games, all at the palm of your hands. Crowned as the best <a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/gaming-devices-for-pc-gamers/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">gaming accessories</a> manufacturer, Razer clearly knows how to build user experience straight into the tablet, and that means 3-axis gyro, magnetometer, accelerometer and full-screen user interface supporting multi-touch. My body and soul are ready.</div>
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9. Parallella</h3>
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/adapteva/parallella-a-supercomputer-for-everyone" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Parallella</a> is going to change the way that computers are made, and <a href="http://www.adapteva.com/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Adapteva</a> offers you chance to join in on this revolution. Simply put, it’s a supercomputer for everyone. Basically, an energy-efficient computer built for processing complex software simultaneously and effectively. Real-time object tracking, holographic heads-up display, <a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/siri-alternative-android-applications/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">speech recognition</a> will become even stronger and smarter with Parallella.</div>
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<img alt="parallella" height="281" src="http://media02.hongkiat.com/revolutionary-products/parallella.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="500" /><br />
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Image Source: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3M80fHk1zU" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">YouTube</a>)</em></div>
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The project has been successfully funded so far, with an estimated delivery date of February 2013. For a mini supercomputer, the price seems really promising since it’s magically $99! It’s not recommended for the non-programmer and non-Linux user, but the kit is loaded with development software to create your personal projects.</div>
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I never thought the <a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/tablet-computing-fad-or-future/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">future of computing</a> could be kick-started with just $99, which is made possible using <a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/crowdfunding-sites/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">crowdfunding platforms</a>.</div>
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10. Google Driverless Car</h3>
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I could still remember the day I watch the iRobot as a teen, and being skeptical about my brother’s statement that one day, the driverless car will become reality. And it’s now a reality, made possible by… a search engine company, <a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/tag/google/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Google</a>.</div>
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While the data source is still a secret recipe, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_driverless_car" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Google driverless car</a> is powered by artificial intelligence that utilizes the input from the video cameras inside the car, a sensor on the vehicle’s top, and some radar and position sensors attached to different positions of the car. Sounds like a lot of effort to mimic the human intelligence in a car, but so far the system has successfully driven 1609 kilometres without human commands!</div>
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<img alt="google driverless car" height="333" src="http://media02.hongkiat.com/revolutionary-products/google-driverless-car.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="500" /><br />
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Image Source: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_driverless_car" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</em></div>
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“You can count on one hand the number of years it will take before ordinary people can experience this.” Google co-founder, Sergey Brin said. However, innovation is an achievement, consumerization is the headache, as Google currently face the challenge to forge the system into an affordable gem that every worker with an average salary could benefit from.</div>
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Source : <a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/revolutionary-products/">hongkiat.com</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-24864995334596885742013-08-22T13:55:00.002-07:002013-08-22T13:55:37.595-07:0010 Upcoming Technology That May Change The World : Part 1<div class="sContent intxt" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #3c3c3c; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="recommended_top" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border-left-color: rgb(191, 202, 218); border-left-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 0px 8px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.15em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.65em; margin-bottom: 1.8em; margin-top: 0.55em; padding: 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: 'Droid Serif', Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 2.3em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.25em; text-transform: capitalize;">1. Google Glass</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.15em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.65em; margin-bottom: 1.8em; margin-top: 0.55em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/augmented-reality-apps-for-education/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Augmented Reality</a> has already gotten into our life in the forms of simulated experiment and education app, but Google is taking it several steps higher with <a href="https://plus.google.com/+projectglass/posts" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Google Glass</a>. Theoretically, with Google Glass, you are able to view <a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/tag/social-media/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">social media</a> feeds, text, Google Maps, as well as navigate with GPS and take photos. You will also get the latest updates while you are on the ground.</div>
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<img alt="google glass" height="281" src="http://media02.hongkiat.com/revolutionary-products/google-glass.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="500" /><br />
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Image Source: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c6W4CCU9M4" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">YouTube</a>)</em></div>
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It’s truly what we called vision, and it’s absolutely possible given the fact that the Google’s co-founder, Sergey Brin has <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh-liQDE3cM" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">demo’ed the glass</a> with skydivers and creatives. Currently the device is only available to some developers with the price tag of $1500, but expect other tech companies trying it out and building an affordable consumer version.</div>
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2. Form 1</h3>
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Just as the term suggests, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">3D printing</a> is the technology that could forge your digital design into a solid real-life product. It’s nothing new for the advanced mechanical industry, but a personal 3D printer is definitely a revolutionary idea.</div>
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Everybody can create their own physical product based on their custom design, and no approval needed from any giant manufacturer! Even the James Bond’s Aston Martin which was crashed in the movie <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57549072-1/james-bond-stunt-aston-martin-made-in-giant-3d-printer/" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">was a 3D printed product!</a></div>
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<img alt="form 1" height="375" src="http://media02.hongkiat.com/revolutionary-products/form-1.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="500" /><br />
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Image Source: <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/formlabs/form-1-an-affordable-professional-3d-printer" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a>)</em></div>
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/formlabs/form-1-an-affordable-professional-3d-printer" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Form 1</a> is one such personal 3D printer which can be yours at just $2799. It may sound like a high price but to have the luxury of getting producing your own prototypes, that’s a reaonable price.</div>
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Imagine a future where every individual professional has the capability to mass produce their own creative physical products without limitation. This is the future where personal productivity and creativity are maximized.</div>
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3. Oculus Rift</h3>
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Virtual Reality gaming is here in the form of <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1523379957/oculus-rift-step-into-the-game" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Oculus Rift</a>. This history-defining 3D headset lets you mentally feel that you are actually inside a <a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/80-absolutely-beautiful-video-game-wallpapers/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">video game</a>. In the Rift’s virtual world, you could turn your head around with ultra-low latency to view the world in high resolution display.</div>
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There are premium products in the market that can do the same, but Rift wants you to enjoy the experience at only $300, and the package even comes as a development kit. This is the beginning of the revolution for next-generation gaming.</div>
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<img alt="oculus rift" height="268" src="http://media02.hongkiat.com/revolutionary-products/oculus-rift.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="500" /><br />
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Image Source: <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1523379957/oculus-rift-step-into-the-game" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a>)</em></div>
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The timing is perfect as the world is currently bombarded with the virtual reality topic that could also be attributed to Sword Art Online, the <a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/60-beautiful-anime-manga-wallpapers/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">anime</a> series featuring the characters playing games in an entirely virtual world. While we’re getting there, it could take a few more years to reach that level of realism. Oculus Rift is our first step.</div>
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4. Leap Motion</h3>
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Multi-touch desktop is a (miserably) failed product due to the fact that hands could get very tired with prolonged use, but <a href="https://leapmotion.com/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Leap Motion</a> wants to challenge this dark area again with a more advanced idea. It lets you control the desktop with fingers, but without touching the screen.</div>
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<img alt="leap motion" height="281" src="http://media02.hongkiat.com/revolutionary-products/leap-motion.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="500" /><br />
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Image Source: <a href="https://leapmotion.com/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Leap Motion</a>)</em></div>
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It’s not your typical motion sensor, as Leap Motion allows you to scroll the web page, zoom in the map and photos, sign documentss and even play a first person shooter game with only hand and finger movements. The smooth reaction is the most crucial key point here. More importantly, you can own this future with just $70, a price of a premium <a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/60-attractive-ps3-game-covers/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">PS3</a> game title!</div>
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If this device could completely work with Oculus Rift to simulate a real-time gaming experience, gaming is going to get a major make-over.</div>
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5. Eye Tribe</h3>
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Eye tracking has been actively discussed by technology enthusiasts throughout these years, but it’s really challenging to implement. But <a href="http://theeyetribe.com/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Eye Tribe</a> actually did this. They successfully created the technology to allow you to control your tablet, play flight simulator, and even slice fruits in Fruit Ninja only with your eye movements.</div>
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<img alt="eye tribe" height="281" src="http://media02.hongkiat.com/revolutionary-products/eye-tribe.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="500" /><br />
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Image Source: <a href="http://theeyetribe.com/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Eye Tribe</a>)</em></div>
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It’s basically taking the common eye-tracking technology and combining it with a front-facing camera plus some serious computer-vision algorithm, and voila, fruit slicing done with the eyes! A live demo was done in LeWeb this year and we may actually be able to see it in in action in mobile devices in 2013.</div>
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Currently the company is still seeking partnership to bring this sci-fi tech into the consumer market but you and I know that this product is simply too awesome to fail.</div>
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6. SmartThings</h3>
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The current problem that most devices have is that they function as a standalone being, and it require effort for tech competitors to actually partner with each other and build products that can truly connect with each other. <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/smartthings/smartthings-make-your-world-smarter" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">SmartThings</a> is here to make your every device, digital or non-digital, connect together and benefit you.</div>
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<img alt="smartthings" height="333" src="http://media02.hongkiat.com/revolutionary-products/smartthings.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="500" /><br />
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Image Source: <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/smartthings/smartthings-make-your-world-smarter" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a>)</em></div>
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With SmartThings you can get your smoke alarms, humidity, pressure and vibration sensors to detect changes in your house and alert you through your smartphone! Imagine the possibilities with this.</div>
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You could track who’s been inside your house, turn on the lights while you’re entering a room, shut windows and doors when you leave the house, all with the help of something that only costs $500! Feel like a tech lord in your castle with this marvel.</div>
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7. Firefox OS</h3>
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<a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/tag/ios/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">iOS</a> and <a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/tag/android/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Android</a> are great, but they each have their own rules and policies that certainly inhibit the creative efforts of developers. Mozilla has since decided to build a new mobile operating system from scratch, one that will focus on true openness, freedom and user choice. It’s <a href="http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefoxos/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Firefox OS</a>.</div>
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Firefox OS is built on Gonk, Gecko and Gaia software layers – for the rest of us, it means it is built on open source, and it carries web technologies such as <a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/tag/html5/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">HTML5</a> and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4492857708064279999" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">CSS3</a>.</div>
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<img alt="firefox os" height="370" src="http://media02.hongkiat.com/revolutionary-products/firefox-os.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="500" /><br />
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Image Source: <a href="http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefoxos/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Mozilla</a>)</em></div>
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Developers can create and debut web apps without the blockade of requirements set by app stores, and users could even customize the OS based on their needs. Currently the OS <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MzuGWFIfio" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">has made its debut on Android-compatible phones</a>, and the impression so far, is great.</div>
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You can use the OS to do essential tasks you do on iOS or Android: calling friends, browsing web, taking photos, playing games, they are all possible on Firefox OS, set to rock the smartphone market.</div>
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8. Project Fiona</h3>
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Meet the first generation of the gaming tablet. Razer’s <a href="http://www.razerzone.com/projectfiona" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Project Fiona</a> is a serious gaming tablet built for hardcore gaming. Once it’s out, it will be the frontier for the future tablets, as tech companies might want to build their own tablets, dedicated towards gaming, but for now Fiona is the only possible one that will debut in 2013.</div>
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<img alt="project fiona" height="358" src="http://media02.hongkiat.com/revolutionary-products/project-fiona.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="500" /><br />
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Image Source: <a href="http://www.razerzone.com/projectfiona" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Razer™</a>)</em></div>
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This beast features next generation Intel® Core i7 processor geared to render all your favorite PC games, all at the palm of your hands. Crowned as the best <a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/gaming-devices-for-pc-gamers/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">gaming accessories</a> manufacturer, Razer clearly knows how to build user experience straight into the tablet, and that means 3-axis gyro, magnetometer, accelerometer and full-screen user interface supporting multi-touch. My body and soul are ready.</div>
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9. Parallella</h3>
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/adapteva/parallella-a-supercomputer-for-everyone" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Parallella</a> is going to change the way that computers are made, and <a href="http://www.adapteva.com/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Adapteva</a> offers you chance to join in on this revolution. Simply put, it’s a supercomputer for everyone. Basically, an energy-efficient computer built for processing complex software simultaneously and effectively. Real-time object tracking, holographic heads-up display, <a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/siri-alternative-android-applications/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">speech recognition</a> will become even stronger and smarter with Parallella.</div>
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<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Image Source: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3M80fHk1zU" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">YouTube</a>)</em></div>
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The project has been successfully funded so far, with an estimated delivery date of February 2013. For a mini supercomputer, the price seems really promising since it’s magically $99! It’s not recommended for the non-programmer and non-Linux user, but the kit is loaded with development software to create your personal projects.</div>
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I never thought the <a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/tablet-computing-fad-or-future/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">future of computing</a> could be kick-started with just $99, which is made possible using <a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/crowdfunding-sites/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">crowdfunding platforms</a>.</div>
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10. Google Driverless Car</h3>
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I could still remember the day I watch the iRobot as a teen, and being skeptical about my brother’s statement that one day, the driverless car will become reality. And it’s now a reality, made possible by… a search engine company, <a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/tag/google/" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Google</a>.</div>
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While the data source is still a secret recipe, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_driverless_car" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Google driverless car</a> is powered by artificial intelligence that utilizes the input from the video cameras inside the car, a sensor on the vehicle’s top, and some radar and position sensors attached to different positions of the car. Sounds like a lot of effort to mimic the human intelligence in a car, but so far the system has successfully driven 1609 kilometres without human commands!</div>
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<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Image Source: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_driverless_car" rel="external" style="border: 0px; color: #133c9a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</em></div>
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“You can count on one hand the number of years it will take before ordinary people can experience this.” Google co-founder, Sergey Brin said. However, innovation is an achievement, consumerization is the headache, as Google currently face the challenge to forge the system into an affordable gem that every worker with an average salary could benefit from.<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 30.359375px;">Source : </span><a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/revolutionary-products/" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 30.359375px;">hongkiat.com</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-14790998179191434002013-08-22T13:42:00.003-07:002013-08-22T13:42:35.215-07:00Source of Boy's Mysterious Lead Poisoning Was in an Unlikely Place<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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An 8-year-old boy in Australia had high levels of lead, a toxic metal, in his blood for more than two years for unexplained reasons, until doctors found lead pellets in his body, trapped in an unlikely place, according to a new report of his case.</div>
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Doctors had tested the boy for toxins in looking for the cause of his unusually hyperactive behavior. They found levels of lead in his blood ranging from 17.4 to 27.4 microgram per deciliter, much higher than the level of 5 micrograms considered normal. But the source remained mysterious -- doctors couldn't find what the boy might have been touching, inhaling or eating, to have such high lead levels for months.</div>
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When the boy started to have a stomachache and was admitted to the hospital, the doctors did an x-ray, which revealed large numbers of small round objects in the boy's abdomen, according to the researchers, who published a case report in Aug. 8 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.</div>
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The metallic-looking objects were in the lower right side of the boy’s abdomen, appearing to be inside the digestive tract. The doctors immediately gave the boy a bowel washout, which should have cleared any object within his digestive tract, but a second x-ray showed the objects had not moved.</div>
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The doctors suspected the unlikely scenario – the objects had to be in the boy's <a href="http://www.livescience.com/27147-appendix-evolved-mammals.html" style="color: #0099cc; margin-top: 0px !important; text-decoration: none;">appendix</a>.</div>
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In surgery, the doctors removed the boy’s appendix and cut it open, revealing 57 lead pellets trapped inside.<br style="margin-top: 0px !important;" /><br />"It's one of those things you only see once in a life time," said Dr. Ibrahim Zardawi, the pathologist who examined the appendix. "I've been in medicine for almost 40 years now, and had never seen anything like this."</div>
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The boy’s appendix weighed 5 times heavier than normal when containing the pellets, but other than few tissue scars, it was normal and wasn’t inflamed.</div>
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It is highly unlikely for external objects to end up in the appendix, Zardawi said. Sometimes small fruit seeds such as tomato seeds may find a way through, but it’s a puzzle as to how so many pellets entered and became stuck in the boy's appendix, he said.<br style="margin-top: 0px !important;" /><br />The pellets likely came from the geese the boy’s family regularly hunted and ate, they later told the doctors. The boy and his siblings said they had been eating the pellets as part of a game the played, to make the pellets disappear.</div>
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Lead is a heavy metal used in manufacturing batteries and plastics. It is <a href="http://www.livescience.com/34879-lead-exposure-may-delay-puberty-in-girls.html" style="color: #0099cc; margin-top: 0px !important; text-decoration: none;">strongly poisonous to humans</a> when ingested or inhaled. Once in the body, lead circulates in the blood and small amounts can be excreted through urine or feces, but some can remain in the tissues, organs and bones. Symptoms of severe lead poisoning include confusion, seizures, coma and death.</div>
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"One important question to ask is, why not use copper pellets?" Zardawi said. The pellets used to kill the birds usually stay inside the animal, and the <a href="http://www.livescience.com/28751-lead-ammo-poisons-condors.html" style="color: #0099cc; margin-top: 0px !important; text-decoration: none;">lead can be dangerous to other animals</a> and to whoever eats the meat. The whole family had high levels of lead, he said.</div>
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Consuming just one lead pellet could have been enough to make the child seriously ill, Zardawi said.</div>
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In another case of <a href="http://www.livescience.com/36587-lead-poisoning-folk-remedy-tiro.html" style="color: #0099cc; margin-top: 0px !important; text-decoration: none;">lead poisoning</a> from a mysterious source, a 4-year-old boy was brought to a hospital in Knoxville, Tenn., with symptoms of lead poisoning. As detailed in the report of his case, published in 1994 in the Journal Pediatric Surgery, it took the doctors several rounds of x-rays and bowel washouts to finally find a lead pellet trapped in his appendix.</div>
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Source : <a href="http://www.livescience.com/38914-mysterious-lead-poisoning-pellets.html">livescience.com</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-34973389043611703272013-08-19T05:50:00.000-07:002013-08-19T05:50:03.205-07:00Why Some Remember Dreams, Others Don't<br />
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People who tend to remember their dreams also respond more strongly than others to hearing their name when they're awake, new research suggests.<br />
Everyone dreams during sleep, but not everyone recalls the mental escapade the next day, and scientists aren't sure why some people remember more than others.<br />
To find out, researchers used electroencephalography to record the electrical activity in the brains of 36 people while the participants listened to background tunes, and occasionally heard their own first name. The brain measurements were taken during wakefulness and sleep. Half of the participants were called high recallers, because they reported <a href="http://www.livescience.com/6521-video-gamers-control-dreams-study-suggests.html" style="color: #0099cc; margin-top: 0px !important; text-decoration: none;">remembering their dreams</a> almost every day, whereas the other half, low recallers, said they only remembered their dreams once or twice a month.<br />
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When asleep, both groups showed similar changes in brain activity in response to hearing their names, which were played quietly enough not to wake them.<br />
However, when awake, high recallers showed a more sustained decrease in a <a href="http://www.livescience.com/24789-brain-waves-become-music.html" style="color: #0099cc; margin-top: 0px !important; text-decoration: none;">brain wave</a> called the alpha wave when they heard their names, compared with the low recallers.<br />
"It was quite surprising to see a difference between the groups during wakefulness," said study researcher Perrine Ruby, neuroscientist at Lyon Neuroscience Research Center in France.<br />
The difference could reflect variations in the brains of high and low recallers that could have a role in how they dream, too, Ruby said. [<a href="http://www.livescience.com/17290-facts-dreams-nightmares.html" style="color: #0099cc; margin-top: 0px !important; text-decoration: none;">7 Mind-Bending Facts About Dreams</a>]<o:p></o:p><br />
<strong style="margin-top: 0px !important;">Who remembers their dreams</strong><br />
A well-established theory suggests that a decrease in the alpha wave is a sign that brain regions are being inhibited from responding to outside stimuli. Studies show that when people hear a sudden sound or open their eyes, and more brain regions become active, the alpha wave is reduced.<br />
In the study, as predicted, both groups showed a decrease in the alpha wave when they heard their names while awake. But high recallers showed a more prolonged decrease, which may be a sign their brains became more widely activated when they heard their names.<br />
In other words, high recallers may engage more brain regions when<a href="http://www.livescience.com/25117-musicians-brains-sync-up-during-duet.html" style="color: #0099cc; margin-top: 0px !important; text-decoration: none;">processing sounds</a> while awake, compared with low recallers, the researchers said.<br /><br />While people are asleep, the alpha wave behaves in the opposite way —it increases when a sudden sound is heard. Scientists aren't certain why this happens, but one idea is that it protects the brain from being interrupted by sounds during sleep, Ruby said.<br />
Indeed, the study participants showed an increase in the alpha wave in response to sounds during sleep, and there was no difference between the groups.<br />
One possibility to explain the lack of difference, the researchers said, could be that perhaps high recallers had a larger increase in alpha waves, but it was so high that they woke up.<br />
<strong style="margin-top: 0px !important;">Time spent awake, during the night</strong><br />
The researchers saw that high recallers <a href="http://www.livescience.com/36226-sleep-apnea-memory-consolidation.html" style="color: #0099cc; margin-top: 0px !important; text-decoration: none;">awoke more frequently during the night</a>. They were awake, on average, for 30 minutes during the night, whereas low recallers were awake for 14 minutes. However, Ruby said "both figures are in the normal range, it’s not that there’s something wrong with either group."<br />
Altogether, the results suggest the brain of high recallers may be more reactive to stimuli such as sounds, which could make them wake up more easily. It is more likely a person would remember their dreams if they are awakened immediately after one, Ruby said.<br />
However, waking up at night can account for only a part of the differences people show in <a href="http://www.livescience.com/24707-dreams-sleep-science.html" style="color: #0099cc; margin-top: 0px !important; text-decoration: none;">remembering dreams.</a> "There's still much more to understand," she said.<br />
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Source : <a href="http://www.livescience.com/38856-why-people-recall-dreams.html">livescience.com</a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-40363070589557577032013-08-19T05:44:00.002-07:002013-08-19T05:44:43.585-07:00Area 51 Secrets Revealed in Unclassified Documents<br />
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Newly declassified CIA documents reveal the history of Nevada's Area 51. The area was never home to aliens or UFOs, but was instead a super secret site for testing spy planes such as the U-2.</div>
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The document<strong style="margin-top: 0px !important;">, </strong><a href="http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB434/" style="color: #0099cc; text-decoration: none;">"The Central Intelligence Agency and Overhead Reconnaissance: the U-2 and Oxcart Programs,"</a> was released recently in response to a Freedom of Information Act Request made by George Washington University in 2005.</div>
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<a href="http://www.livescience.com/23514-area-51.html" style="color: #0099cc; margin-top: 0px !important; text-decoration: none;">Area 51</a>, a desert tract near Groom Lake, about 80 miles northwest of Las Vegas, was first chosen by officials searching for a place to test planes and train pilots flying the U-2 in 1955. The airstrip by a salt flat was used for the U-2 plane, as well as its successors, the Lockheed A-12 Oxcart, the D-21 Tagboard and the F-117 Stealth Fighter. The document doesn't reveal what's been done at the base since 1974.</div>
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Area 51 buffs are unlikely to be surprised by the new disclosure: Many of these facts had been suspected for years and government officials have even mentioned the area offhandedly on occasion. However, this is the first time Area 51 is explicitly mentioned in a <a href="http://www.space.com/17055-classified-hexagon-satellite-capsule-ocean-recovery.html" style="color: #0099cc; margin-top: 0px !important; text-decoration: none;">publicly available government document</a>.</div>
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Source : <a href="http://www.livescience.com/38943-area-51-documents-unclassified.html">livescience.com</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-16830407694516480412013-08-19T05:36:00.001-07:002013-08-19T05:36:49.852-07:00Drones Monitor Crops, Study Ancient Ruins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Drones are most often associated with assassinations in remote regions of Pakistan and Yemen but in Peru, unmanned aircraft are being used to monitor crops and study ancient ruins.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Forget Reapers and Predators -- the drones used here are hand-held contraptions that look like they were assembled in a garage with gear from a hardware store. They are equipped with a microcomputer, a GPS tracker, a compass, cameras and an altimeter, and can be easily programmed by using Google Maps to fly autonomously and return to base with vital data.</span></div>
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<a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/robotics/disposable-drones-take-flight-130716.htm" style="color: #115a7c; margin-bottom: 20px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Disposable Drones Take Flight</span></a></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Flores heads a multidisciplinary team brainstorming the best ways to use drones for civilian purposes. "Up to now we have managed to use them for agricultural purposes, where they gather information on the health of the plants, and in archeology, to better understand the characteristics of each site and their extensions," Flores said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">A UAV model built by Catholic University engineers is made with light balsa wood and carbon fiber. At a glance the devices look like souped-up hand-held gliders. One limitation is that these drones must fly below the clouds. If not their instruments, especially the cameras, could fail, said Aurelio Rodriguez, who is both an aerial model-maker and archeologist. Some of the earliest human settlements in the Americas are found in Peru.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">There are thousands of archeological sites, many unexplored, dotting the Peruvian landscape, most of them pre-dating the Incas, a major civilization which was defeated by Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century. Along the dry coastline, where the main construction material was adobe brick, whole societies flourished. After centuries of abandon some of these ancient cities have deteriorated to the point that they are hard to distinguish in the sandy, hilly region.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Source : <a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/robotics/drones-monitor-crops-study-ruins-130815.htm">news.discovery.com</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-38698012150907678512013-08-18T10:50:00.003-07:002013-08-18T10:50:51.082-07:00Suicide Drones Blow Up With Their Target<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ9HPrcLoCCiHkszkUkF4ms2SS8zEkJ4Y_PA4haXPpBia_amQAPhOsM2pL5tsZXjBT3cip_f9aQcJA99vLzABRmh2pZWXHDJjHr715Te350jv5SiifR21aIaodLXhHVKMUA9tL4ETzZolz/s1600/suicide-drone-670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ9HPrcLoCCiHkszkUkF4ms2SS8zEkJ4Y_PA4haXPpBia_amQAPhOsM2pL5tsZXjBT3cip_f9aQcJA99vLzABRmh2pZWXHDJjHr715Te350jv5SiifR21aIaodLXhHVKMUA9tL4ETzZolz/s400/suicide-drone-670.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Killer drones are getting lighter, smaller and cheaper in order to keep their place on the battlefield as defense budgets are cut and as the U.S. military pulls out of Afghanistan. The latest twist: “kamikaze” drones that blow up along with their intended target.</div>
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Two devices were on display at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) trade show in Washington, DC, this week: Textron System’s Battlehawk and Aerovironment’s Switchblade. Both are hand-launched devices that can be carried in a small backpack.</div>
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<a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/robotics/robots-do-human-jobs-future-130710.htm" style="color: #115a7c; margin-bottom: 20px; text-decoration: none;">Photos: Anything You Can Do, Robots Can Do Better</a></h2>
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The Battlehawk is made of carbon-fiber wings that curl up into a 22-inch tube launcher. The 5.5-pound device is then flown via an Android-based software app on a smartphone or tablet device to its intended target. The soldier can turn on a video camera, arm the grenade in the nose of the drone and watch as the truck, tank or unfortunate bad guy is terminated.</div>
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“It’s a squad-level loitering munition,” said Cathy Loughman, Textron senior program manager. “The soldier is given a target, punches it into the tablet, within a minute and a half, they peel the top off and press a couple buttons on the tablet and off it goes.”</div>
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The Battlehawk runs on a small battery-powered propeller. It also has a geo-location device that allows it to follow a target for 30 minutes before the soldier can chose between Abort or Attack modes.</div>
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“If there is a sniper three kilometers away,” Loughman said. “This can hit it without calling in air support.”</div>
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Once the Afghan war winds down, Textron hopes to convert the Battlehawk into domestic law enforcement device that could carry a bigger battery to fly longer, or even something like smoke grenades for crowd dispersal. The device is going into more testing this fall before a tryout with troops.</div>
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<a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/robotics/drones-could-rescue-drowning-victims-130330.htm" style="color: #115a7c; margin-bottom: 20px; text-decoration: none;">Drones Could Rescue Drowning Vehicles</a></h2>
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Aerovironment has developed a similar grenade-carrying device already being used by the Army called the Switchblade, which also weighs 5.5 pounds, but only has a 10-minute flight time.</div>
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Like many other drone firms at this week’s show, Aerovironment trying to determine when drones will allowed by the Federal Aviation Administration be flying over U.S. airspace. The agency has been given a 2015 deadline by President Obama and Congress to figure out how integrate them with human-piloted aircraft.</div>
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Many firms are also looking overseas for new markets. This week Aerovironment signed an agreement to build U.S. drones in India for the Indian defense forces. Representatives for other firms at the show say they are preparing to sell drones to U.S. rivals China and Russia.</div>
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“We are preparing for that time (2015) and looking for new opportunities,” said Aerovironment’s Dave Heidel.</div>
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Source : <a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/robotics/suicide-drone-blow-up-with-target-130816.htm">news.discovery.com</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-77289359900389579822013-08-17T06:40:00.003-07:002013-08-17T06:40:59.174-07:00Acrobatic Robot Jumps, Rolls, Flips<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0R5jRTqIsIs69gsVk-5V3JL2kflb6DKvKo7z3zXvO2W9RQIow4IyGQBolpbHp9-Cl2DnUOCQTZL-cnbGU0-_y14Ebes-cgj7tbRoq6VrMm_Xb02CHcbGtApfQedHuzcA107GMDc5ITsd/s1600/dnews-files-2013-08-acrobatic-jumping-robot-video-670-jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0R5jRTqIsIs69gsVk-5V3JL2kflb6DKvKo7z3zXvO2W9RQIow4IyGQBolpbHp9-Cl2DnUOCQTZL-cnbGU0-_y14Ebes-cgj7tbRoq6VrMm_Xb02CHcbGtApfQedHuzcA107GMDc5ITsd/s400/dnews-files-2013-08-acrobatic-jumping-robot-video-670-jpg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Some robots <a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/robotics/robotic-sand-flea-jumps-30-feet-120329.htm" style="color: #115a7c; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">jump</a> and some <a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/robotics/top-rive-fastest-robtos-120920.htm" style="color: #115a7c; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">run</a>. Why not both, with a few acrobatics as well? That’s what Jianguo Zhao, a PhD student in engineering at Michigan State University wanted to know. So he built a robot that does just that.</div>
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<a href="http://news.discovery.com/animals/endangered-species/robot-crawls-like-turtle-to-save-them-130423.htm" style="color: #115a7c; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">‘Flipperbot’ Crawls Like A Turtle To Save Them</a></div>
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The robot is called TailBot and it looks like a three-inch version of a Transformer, but it’s no toy. The robot has legs to jump with, wheels that let it roll along and a tail that lets it do a perfect flip, so it always lands on its feet.</div>
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Zhao was inspired by a 2012 study of reptiles and how they use their tails to balance. In that study lizards showed they used their tails as counterweights when leaping, to ensure that they landed on their feet. Zhao asked himself why that couldn’t be applied to robots.</div>
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So be built Tailbot. When the robot trundles along t uses wheels. If it runs into an obstacle like a staircase, the robot’s rail — a stiff rod — extends and pushes it up onto its legs. The legs flex, the robot jumps, the tail swings around to keep the robot upright and helps it land on its wheels. The robot can jump up to 32 inches.</div>
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Zhao plans to present his work at the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems in Tokyo this November.</div>
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<i>Credit: Jianguo Zhao</i></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-32699360687990500472013-08-17T06:34:00.000-07:002013-08-17T06:34:10.230-07:00No Battery Required for This Wireless Device<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sending texts after a phone’s battery dies sounds impossible, right? Soon it might not, thanks to a new technology that not only uses TV and Wi-Fi signals for device communication, it taps those signals as a power source. No batteries required.</div>
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<a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/robotics/tasty-tech-eye-candy-aug-10-130810.htm" style="color: #115a7c; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">PHOTOS: Tasty Tech Eye Candy of the Week</a></div>
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Developed by researchers from the University of Washington, the technology is known as “ambient backscatter” and could potentially create networks of devices and sensors that can transmit information by reflecting existing signals to exchange information, without the need for internal batteries.</div>
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“We can repurpose wireless signals that are already around us into both a source of power and a communication medium,” lead researcher Shyam Gollakota, a UW assistant professor of computer science and engineering, said in <a href="http://www.washington.edu/news/2013/08/13/wireless-devices-go-battery-free-with-new-communication-technique/" style="color: #115a7c; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">a press release</a>. “It’s hopefully going to have applications in a number of areas including wearable computing, smart homes and self-sustaining sensor networks.”</div>
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Researchers built small, credit card-sized devices equipped with antennas that detect, harness and reflect those signals to similar devices. The team tested the prototypes in various locations around the Seattle area, including a street corner, inside an apartment building and on top of a parking garage. Locations ranged from less than a half a mile away from a TV tower to about 6.5. miles away.</div>
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The receiving devices picked up a signal at a rate of 1 kilobit per second when 2.5 feet away from their outdoor counterparts and 1.5 feet apart when inside. That’s enough to transmit a text message, sensor reading and contact information.</div>
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<a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/alternative-power-sources/bacteria-powered-light-bulb-is-electricity-free-130815.htm" style="color: #115a7c; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">BLOG: Bacteria-Powered Light Bulb Is Electricity-Free</a></div>
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Researchers envision the technology being used in sensors that monitor bridges for hairline cracks. Potentially, the tech could be built in to cell phones to provide emergency power when the battery has died. While the applications are endless, researchers want to advance the capacity and range of the devices.</div>
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“Ambient Backscatter” sounds like a fantastic name for an electroclash band, so while you round up your synth-playing posse, check out this video of your band’s <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX9cbxLSOkE" style="color: #115a7c; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">namesake device</a>.</div>
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<i style="color: #115a7c; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.washington.edu/news/2013/08/13/wireless-devices-go-battery-free-with-new-communication-technique/" style="color: #115a7c; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">via University of Washington</a></i></div>
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Source : <a href="http://news.discovery.com/tech/alternative-power-sources/no-battery-required-for-this-wireless-device-130816.htm">discovery.com</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-33791575273975113592013-08-16T21:19:00.003-07:002013-08-16T21:23:14.793-07:00Canser<br />
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Cancer is a condition where cells in a specific part of the body grow and reproduce uncontrollably. The cancerous cells can invade and destroy surrounding healthy tissue, including organs.</strong></div>
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Cancer sometimes begins in one part of the body before spreading to other areas. This process is known as metastasis.</div>
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There are over 200 different types of cancer, each with its own methods of diagnosis and treatment.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>You can find out more about specific types of cancer by using the links on this page.</div>
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Spotting signs of cancer</h3>
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Changes to your body's normal processes or symptoms that are out of the ordinary can sometimes be an early sign of cancer.</div>
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For example, a lump that suddenly appears on your body, unexplained bleeding or changes to your bowel habits are all symptoms that need to be checked by a doctor.</div>
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In many cases, your symptoms will not be related to cancer and will be caused by other, non-cancerous health conditions. However, it is still important that you see your GP so your symptoms can be investigated.</div>
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<span style="color: #006699; font-size: 1.4em;">Reducing your risk of cancer</span></div>
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Making some simple changes to your lifestyle can significantly reduce your risk of developing cancer. For example, <a href="http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/healthy-eating/Pages/Healthyeating.aspx" style="color: #585858; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">healthy eating</a>, taking regular <a href="http://www.nhs.uk/LiveWell/Fitness/Pages/Fitnesshome.aspx" style="color: #585858; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">exercise</a> and <a href="http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/smoking/Pages/stopsmokingnewhome.aspx" style="color: #585858; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">not smoking</a> will all help lower your risk.</div>
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<span style="color: #006699; font-size: 1.4em;">How common is cancer?</span></div>
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Cancer is a common condition. In 2009, 320,467 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in the UK. More than one in three people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime.</div>
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<span style="color: #006699; font-size: 1.4em;">Cancer treatment</span></div>
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Each specific type of cancer has its own set of treatment methods.</div>
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However, many cases of cancer are treated using<a href="http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chemotherapy/Pages/Definition.aspx" style="color: #585858; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">chemotherapy</a> (powerful cancer-killing medication) and<a href="http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/radiotherapy/Pages/Introduction.aspx" style="color: #585858; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">radiotherapy</a> (the controlled use of high energy <a href="http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/X-ray/Pages/Introduction.aspx" style="color: #585858; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">X-rays</a>). Surgery is also sometimes carried out to remove cancerous tissue.</div>
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Waiting times</h3>
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Accurately diagnosing cancer can take weeks or months. As cancer often develops slowly, over several years, waiting for a few weeks will not usually impact on the effectiveness of treatment.</div>
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Patients suspected of having cancer and urgently referred by their GP, should have no more than a two week wait to see a specialist.</div>
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In cases where cancer has been confirmed, patients should wait no more than 31 days from the decision to treat to the start of their treatment.</div>
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In 2010-11, 95.5% of patients who were urgently referred for suspected cancer were seen by a specialist within 14 days of referral.</div>
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In the same period, 98.4% of patients receiving their first treatment for cancer began their treatment within 31 days. For breast cancer, 99.1% of people began their treatment within 31 days of diagnosis.<br />
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Source : <a href="http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Cancer/Pages/Introduction.aspx">www.nhs.uk</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-69384285517000454662013-08-04T02:19:00.003-07:002013-08-04T02:19:24.919-07:00This Machine Converts Human Sweat Into Drinkable Water<br />
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<a href="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/sweat-to-drinkable-water-798x350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="sweat to drinkable water" border="0" class="attachment-single-thumb wp-post-image" height="174" src="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/sweat-to-drinkable-water-798x350.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Nowadays one might just confuse science and technology being used to
come up with fancy gadgets only. However, that is not the case. The
primary purpose of science, for which it is still being used, is
improving the lifestyle of humans and to come up with ways to protect
life and enhance it. Science is tackling the world problems and is
striving to find solutions to them. Our today’s article deals with one
such endeavor. How many of you are aware that drinking water and its
availability is an issue. Experts are already foreseeing the third world
war being fought over water resources?<br />
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<a href="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Sweat-Machine-4-610x406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sweat Machine 4" border="0" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1109" height="266" src="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Sweat-Machine-4-610x406.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Recently UNICEF teamed up with two other concerned entities; PR
agency Deportivo and youth soccer competition Gothia Cup to come up with
a gadget that could be used to convert sweat to drinking water. The key
idea behind the so called Sweat Machine is to take the sweat, extract
the liquid and convert it into drinkable water.<br />
<a href="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Sweat-Machine-3.jpg" rel="fancybox"><img alt="Sweat Machine 3" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1108" height="224" src="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Sweat-Machine-3-610x343.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<a href="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Sweat-Machine-2.jpg" rel="fancybox"><img alt="Sweat Machine 2" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1107" height="299" src="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Sweat-Machine-2-610x457.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
While
one may not see this gadget as solving the problem of drinking water,
this sure is a nice way to get attention of people. However, let’s not
forget that this gadget may solve individual needs of drinkable water
for those who don’t have access to clean water. Just sweat a little and
there you go; clean and drinkable water!<br />
<br />
Source : <a href="http://wonderfulengineering.com/this-machine-converts-human-sweat-into-drinkable-water/">wonderfulengineering.com</a> <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-6578671569756352302013-08-04T02:05:00.001-07:002013-08-04T02:10:28.865-07:00World’s Smallest Flying Robot Is Here<h1 class="post-title entry-title">
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<a href="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/xl_robobee-624x350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="xl_robobee" border="0" class="attachment-single-thumb wp-post-image" height="224" src="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/xl_robobee-624x350.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Smallest-flying-robot.jpg" rel="fancybox" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Smallest flying robot" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-320" height="246" src="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Smallest-flying-robot-610x376.jpg" width="400" /></a>We
are living in the era of technology and innovation. Not a day goes when
something unique and eye-catching doesn’t come to light. Scientists are
working around the globe to come up with new and efficient inventions,
preparing more efficient and sophisticated methods of production and
what not. Technology has touched every profession and improved it.
Robotics for instance, has taken a giant leap in the past few years and
today we stand at a point where all the impossible things are becoming
possible. We have already talked about <a href="http://wonderfulengineering.com/cyro-robotic-jellyfish-now-a-reality/">robotic jellyfish</a>; Cyro.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Robofly.png" rel="fancybox" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Robofly" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-318" height="162" src="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Robofly-610x248.png" width="400" /></a>Today
we shall be presenting you the world’s smallest flying robot; the
robotic insect. Invented by the US scientists, this robot, which is the
size of a fly is able to perform maneuvers just like any other normal
insect. Known as ‘Robo-fly’, this robot has been made from carbon fiber
and weighs only a fraction of a gram. It has electronic ‘muscles’ which
power its wings. The developers who are from Harvard University, are
hoping that their robot might prove useful in a lot of situations. This
development has been reported in the Science Journal and there is a lot
of potential for this invention in the future. The robot has agility
that is at par with that of a real insect and is able to evade the
swiftest of human efforts to dispose it. The timely wing movements make
such maneuvering possible. The art of adjusting lift and thrust help
insect (robot) to hover and make it able to perform superb maneuvers
while in hover. This is done by high speed movement of their wings.
Mimicking this movement in the Robo-fly was the real challenge and it
has been tackled quite beautifully by the scientists. A special material
known as piezoelectric material was used to achieve the 120 times per
second of wings beating. The material contracts every time a voltage is
applied to it. A rapid switching of voltage led the scientists into
mimicking the real insect’s wing mechanism.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Small-and-flying.jpg" rel="fancybox" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small and flying" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-319" height="400" src="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Small-and-flying-610x610.jpg" width="399" /></a><br />
As per Dr. Ma; “We get it to contract and relax, like biological
muscle.” The basic purpose of this research was to understand how the
flight mechanism of an insect works. The robotic insect really comes as a
by-product. Dr. Ma also stated that; ‘We could envision these robots
being used for search-and-rescue operations to search for human
survivors under collapsed buildings or [in] other hazardous
environments. They [could] be used for environmental monitoring, to be
dispersed into a habitat to sense trace chemicals or other factors.’ He
also stipulated that this robot could be made to behave like real
insects in order to help in the pollination of crops; ‘to function as
the now-struggling honeybee populations do in supporting agriculture
around the world.’ Scientists are now working to provide a means to
power it wirelessly; however, they say it might take a couple of years
to achieve. Dr. John Dyhr, a Biologist from the University of Washington
who is a student of insect flight, had the following to contribute;
’The physics of flight at such small scales is relatively poorly
understood which makes designing small flying systems very difficult.’<br />
<br />
Source : <a href="http://wonderfulengineering.com/worlds-smallest-flying-robot-is-here/">wonderfulengineering.com</a> <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492857708064279999.post-10512265292131732032013-08-04T02:01:00.003-07:002013-08-04T02:11:43.424-07:00Autonomous Robots Self Assemble And Fly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/self-assm-robot-770x350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="self-assm-robot" border="0" class="attachment-single-thumb wp-post-image" height="180" src="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/self-assm-robot-770x350.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://wonderfulengineering.com/autonomous-robots-self-assemble-and-fly-video/dfa-robot/" rel="attachment wp-att-1169" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="DFA Robot" class="size-full wp-image-1169 aligncenter" height="133" src="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/DFA-Robot.jpg" width="200" /></a>This one comes as an innovation from the faculty of the Institute for
Dynamic Systems and Control at ETH Zurich. They are teaching
‘Distributed computation algorithms’ which is a pretty dry discipline.
The faculty came up with a better way of teaching the subject rather
than using the sets and lengthy exam which is indeed the conventional
method. They encouraged students into developing robots which would work
on these principles. The result of this unique approach is Distributed
Flight Array (DFA). This DFA is a transformer, prototype of course,
which allows a number of self-directed robots to assemble with one
another into a bigger robot and take flight while providing a platform
for experimentation. The ultimate goal would be to remove even the
tiniest bit of human touch in this robotic platform.<br />
<a href="http://wonderfulengineering.com/autonomous-robots-self-assemble-and-fly-video/dfa-robot-body/" rel="attachment wp-att-1170"><img alt="DFA robot body" class="size-full wp-image-1170 aligncenter" height="221" src="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/DFA-robot-body.png" width="400" /></a><br />
These DFA bots have a 3D printed chassis and there’s more to them
than what meets the eye. They are small yet packed full of surprises.
The whole system has been designed with a propeller which enjoys the
central position. This propeller provides the system with the thrust for
the take off. Three omni-directional wheels surround the propeller
which allows the DFA bots to get into position while they are on the
ground. Then we have magnets that have been embedded into the frame for
the sake of connection. Moving on, there is a gyroscope which helps
provide the information related to position to the microprocessor which
is mounted onboard. The last but crucial piece is the infrared sensor
which works in real-time to help them maintain their individual thrusts
in order to keep the combined unit stable. Quite a sensitive package,
yet at the end of a flight, these robots disengage from one another in
mid-air and fall safely on the ground.<br />
<a href="http://wonderfulengineering.com/autonomous-robots-self-assemble-and-fly-video/self-assm-robot-0/" rel="attachment wp-att-1172"><img alt="self-assm-robot-0" class="size-full wp-image-1172 aligncenter" height="266" src="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/self-assm-robot-0.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
United we stand, divided we fall! This is the rule here too; the bots
alone can only move around spastically in the room but join them
together and you have a traditional quad-copter which is more advanced.
They can simulate typical and asymmetrical arrays which basically defy
the conventional aeronautics aesthetics! These combinations, although
odd, sometime produce quite fascinating flight patterns which are
interesting to watch.<br />
<a href="http://wonderfulengineering.com/autonomous-robots-self-assemble-and-fly-video/self-assembly-robot/" rel="attachment wp-att-1171"><img alt="Self assembly robot" class="size-full wp-image-1171 aligncenter" height="261" src="http://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Self-assembly-robot.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
The DFA was basically supposed to be an art installation and a
platform dedicated to research by Professor Raffaello D’Andrea at ETH
Zurich’s Institute for Dynamic Systems and Controls. However, the
student group working under Dr. Raymond Oung have helped it become
something much more and today it stands as a unique and quite
fascinating teaching tool. Dr. Oung said; ‘The DFA is, and will always
be, a pedagogical tool, both for high-end research and for the
main-stream public.’ Dr. is confident that this technology will provide
the tools for many other researches as well. Dr. Oung also said; ‘What I
would love to see is in-flight reconfiguration. Which I think is
certainly possible with the current system.’ He further added that they
have very little clear use cases and that ‘Apart from being both a
research/educational tool, we never designed the DFA with a particular
application in mind.’<br />
The sad news is that we might not see a commercial use of these DFA
bots, as in words of Dr. Oung; ‘Honestly, I don’t see a mainstream
commercial opportunity here.’ However, let’s not kill our hope of this
becoming an open source project one day!<br />
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Source : <a href="http://wonderfulengineering.com/autonomous-robots-self-assemble-and-fly-video/" rel="nofollow">wonderfulengineering.com</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872864694227747009noreply@blogger.com0