Hasta La Gadget!

Imagine if we had robots that could not only tear a building down, but also recycle it. Large building projects would go much faster and they would likely be cheaper and safer too. This new concept in robotics may just improve the efficiency of building demolition and recycling. It comes from Swedish student designer Omer Haciomeroglu who says that ERO is a smart recycling robot like Wall-E.

He states that ERO would “efficiently disassemble concrete structures without any waste, dust or separation and enable reclaimed building materials to be reused for new prefabricated concrete buildings.” In other words it could be a dream come true for the construction sector.

It uses high-powered water jets to crack the concrete. The cement and water is then sucked up and separated. The water is recycled back into the system, while clean aggregate is packed and sent to concrete precast stations for reuse. The rebar can then be cleaned and cut on the spot for reuse as well.

A fleet of ERO robots working together would be able to scan the area and plan their demolition/recycling. The robots could “literally erase a building”. It is a great idea, and I hope it sees action one day.

[TAXI via Digg via Neatorama]

You can get a lot of information from one sampling of urine. That’s what the folks from Pixie Scientific think, because that’s the concept they’re working on with Smart Diapers.

Smart Diapers are exactly what they sound like. The “smart” part is because of the fact that the diaper tests the urine the baby passes on the diaper itself. Parents can then scan the QR code on the diaper to bring up a report about their child’s health. Of course, it shouldn’t substitute urine tests that hospitals run, though.

The Smart Diaper tracks changes in the baby’s urine, which can potentially provide information about signs of urinary tract infections, prolonged dehydration, or risks for kidney problems.

Pixie Scientific explains: “Smart Diapers alert you to certain conditions that require immediate attention and also track your child’s health for months or years, automatically looking for emerging trends.” They add: “By taking useful data from a wet Smart Diaper, we make use of something that would normally be thrown directly into the trash.”

The Smart Diaper is currently up for funding on Indiegogo.

[via C|NET]

We’ve seen a 3D printer make objects out of soft materials, and one that uses titanium powder.  This 3D printer made by researchers at North Carolina State University is somewhere in between: it uses a liquid metal alloy that is stable at room temperature.

According to the university’s press release, Dr. Michael Dickey, Colin Ladd, Ju-Hee Soand John Muth were able to make freestanding structures out of an alloy of gallium and indium. At room temperature, the alloy reacts with oxygen in the air, forming “a ‘skin’ that allows the liquid metal structures to retain their shapes.” Watch the video below, but I must warn you: it will make you want to play Sims.

According to the researchers, the printer can not only stack metallic beads together as shown in the video; it can also inject the alloy into a polymer template to assume a specific shape. The template can be dissolved to free the printed metal structure. The alloy is also conductive, meaning it can be used to connect electronics. I wonder if the alloy can be used with carbomorph to print complex gadgets.

[via NC State U via Popular Science]

The researchers behind Shape-It-Up call it a “Hand Gesture Based Creative Expression of 3D Shapes Using Intelligent Generalized Cylinders”, but it’s totally a pottery simulator. Decades from now, if – when? – Paramount Pictures decides to remake Ghost, the characters will be using Shape-It-Up while a dubstep remix of Unchained Melody plays in the background. Oh, my WUB WUB WUB WUUUUUB…

Shape-It-Up is a project by Purdue University Engineering students Vinayak, Sundar Murugappan, HaiRong Liu and Karthik Ramanilets. It lets users manipulate a virtual cylinder by using simple hand gestures, which are tracked using a Kinect. Skip to around 1:28 in the video below to see it in action.

I guess you could say that was… righteous. YEEEEA- I’m old. The researchers think of Shape-It-Up as a way for designers to start their sketches in an easier and more intuitive manner, not as a way to create a polished model. But if you pair it with a 3D printer, I think it can also be used as a way to teach kids about the basics of CAD and 3D printing. Now get off my lawn and head to Purdue University’s website for the project’s abstract.

[via Gajitz]

I recently had the opportunity to visit Ford’s headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, and got a behind the scenes tour of their 3D printing and digital prototyping studio. What they’re doing with these technologies is truly impressive. But one thing they didn’t have ready to show me was their newly announced Freeform Fabrication Technology (F3T).

This advanced manufacturing process allows Ford to produce mockups and prototypes of actual sheet metal forms in a fraction of the time of traditional techniques. F3T uses a robotic forming tool that uses a pair of stylus-type tools to work a flat piece of sheet metal back and forth to give it form. The system is loaded with CAD data for the part that’s required, and then cranks out actual metal components in a matter of hours.

Here’s a brief video overview of the process:

Ford claims this process will allow them to produce prototype pieces from start-to-finish in just a couple of days or less, whereas the current process of creating custom dies could take two to six months. In addition, the F3T process eliminates the costs of producing expensive prototype dies.

At this point, F3T is still in the development stages, but Ford hopes to refine the process and put it into regular use in the not-too-distant future. While the technology is currently ideal for low-volume production, it’s possible it could lead to advancements in production applications down the road – perhaps even in the form of end-user vehicle customization.