Thursday, November 20, 2014

Teaching Robots How to Fall

    Nature is often drawn upon for inspiration in developing technology. In this case, future search and rescue robots are being designed to imitate the way natural organisms fall, specifically human athletes and cats.  
    The intention is to develop robots that can land softly and reorient themselves in midair. In hopes of integrating these abilities into robots, everything from how to achieve the ideal landing angle to safe landing techniques are skills currently being observed in human athletes and cats.
    Robots today definitely have the processing power to compute what motors to move, and how to move them. The problem is that current motor technologies are not capable of moving fast enough. 
    Ideally, with this technology, robots will be able to reorient themselves and land safely regardless of how high they are falling from or how fast they are going.

Monday, November 10, 2014

Invisible Cloak


If you ever watched a movie from or played a video game you have seen an invisible cloak in use. An invisible cloak is cloak that someone would put on and become invisible to naked eye. As much as this cloak is a futuristic sci-fi thing its actually being made in Germany. Tiemo Bueckmann, a researcher and PhD student in Karlsruhe Institute of Technology is making this happen. He invented a material in which is a matrix of long, thin, tiny cones. When someone applies pressure on these cones they collapse, and any object beneath becomes undetectable. It is a solid that acts like a liquid. However there are many complications. One is that the liquid can only hide a pea. Also you cannot use two by two matrix, you have to use there by three by three and only material on earth that can have that kind of matrix is liquid. It will take long time for Tiemo or other researchers to invent something for full human body and that is actually a solid, but the good news is that the research is happening.

Propelling Cat


"Make it Wearable" by Intel - Mad Scientists Unite

Imagine the world’s greatest inventions; now imagine wearing them. Cool right? Intel thought so too and launched the “Make It Wearable” challenge for all tinkerers and inventors who think outside the box. A global project posed to the greatest minds across the globe the “Make It Wearable” challenge. The challenge consists of two parts: Dream It and Build It. Dream It is known as the “visionary track,” a section of the competition that allows contestants to submit ideas they believe will change the course of technological advances. Build it, also known as the Development track, is for those who think with their brains and hands, anyone who designs and builds. It focuses on the “concepts that are both excitingly innovative and feasible to execute.” There are currently five finalists who have submitted their concepts and designs including the BABYE, an emotional prosthetic that allows a mother to relay real time haptic information, that of which is related to a sense of touch, to a new born child in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). Due to the importance of touch between a mother and her developing baby, Raphael PM Lang and Camilo Anabalon have developed this technology to maintain a physical relationship while the child is separated in intensive care. Another group, Nixie, is developing a Flyable Wearable Camera that hangs on your wrist. By the wearer’s cue, Nixie will fly off the wrist travel out so many feet snap a picture and return to its operator. Christoph Kohstall
, Jelena Jovanovic
, and Michael Niedermayr
 wanted a device that was capable of, “capturing the moment without interrupting the moment.” Although applications are long overdue, interested individuals are able to follow the competition on makeit.intel.com. The Development Track Winner will be announced on November 11, 2014.
-Alexandria Miranda