Jan 22
Jan 17
Ice cubes get smart
Posted in: Today's Chili
There is nothing quite like having a nice drink at the end of the day with good company, but if you happen to lack some self-control, the conversation at your table would get boisterous and some might even say, nonsensical along the way. Well, if you are one who drives home alone, it would be better if you had brought along a designated driver as it would be far too foolish to endanger not only yourself but others on the road when you have taken in one drink too many. Well, just what other inventions can we look forward to that are able to help us get home safe and sound despite having our fair share of fun and drinks? Trust a brainy boffin over at MIT, a specific Dhairya Dand in particular, to come up with a set of “ice cubes” which are capable of keeping track of how much you have drunk during the evening, where it will flash red to inform you that you have had too much to drink.
This set of glowing cubes after was specially designed to monitor a person’s alcohol intake, where it will change color from green to red as the alcohol intake increases, so that one has a visual cue as to when to stop. I am rather skeptical of this, as the person him or herself might feel that they are far from their limit, and would not need the warning light. After all, how many of us have run a red light because we figured out we could be fast enough? What is there to prevent one from doing the same when it comes to drinking?
Well, I guess at the end of the day, something is still better than nothing, and each cube is comprised of a colored LED, an accelerometer, IR receivers, and a battery, and these have been molded into an edible, waterproof jelly so that the circuitry remains protected without affecting the drink’s taste. The accelerometer is able to calculate the number of sips a person takes, comparing it with a timer in order to estimate one’s level of intoxication while changing the flashing LED’s color accordingly. With the different alcohol levels in individual drinks, there is still plenty of work to be done before these smart ice cubes are perfected, but they are a start to begin with.
Source
[ Ice cubes get smart copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Jan 13
The Internet is dealing with the suicide of gifted programmer and activist Aaron Swartz in a variety of ways—but Anonymous is responding with what it does best. Two of MIT’s sites have been hacked into memorials. More »
Jan 13
MIT Is Launching an Internal Investigation To Determine Its Possible Role In Aaron Swartz’s Suicide
Posted in: Today's Chili
It’s no secret that a factor in Aaron Swartz’s recent suicide was likely the charges being pressed against him by in part by MIT over the whole JSTOR incident. While JSTOR backed off, MIT tacitly backed the U.S. attorneys who continued to push, hard. Now, after being criticized in a statement by Swartz’s friends and family, MIT has announced its intention to go back and investigate the legal action internally. More »
Jan 11
This polymer film is expanding and contracting like a muscle, and looks pretty alive doing it, but the energy is coming from water vapor, not black magic. Go figure. More »
Dec 06
We already knew that the universe had a distinct starting point, and now researchers at MIT have actually seen the very first stars born from that beginning. More »
Dec 04
The strange-looking piece of twisty curly metal below is actually a robot that can shape shift into various shapes. The robot, called milli-motein, is about the size of your oridinary garden catepillar. Says the scientists involved with the project, this robot could be a “harbinger” of the future and the shape shifting robots that are currently science fiction.
The robot gets its name from its size and the fact that it uses a design that was inspired by protein, which can be considered nature’s shape shifter. Milli-motein was revealed in a paper at the 2012 Intelligent Robots and Systems event. What makes the small robot most remarkabe is it protein-inspired motor, a necessity due to the robot’s small size.
What’s so special about the motor? It’s an electropermanent motor, which “is similar in principle” to electromagnet motors. It is composed of two magnets, one of which is weaker than the other. When operated, the magnetic fields can increase or cancel each other. Essentially, this allows them to be utilized as an electromagent without the hassle of actually having one.
The idea for the robot was conceived by MIT’s Head of Center for Bits and Atoms Neil Gershenfeld, who offerd this statement. “[The robot] is effectively a one-dimensional robot that can be made in a continuous strip, without conventionally moving parts, and then folded into arbitrary shapes” The little copper-esque machine can hold its shape even after the power has been turned off.
[via MIT News]
MIT’s milli-motein robot can shape shift is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Dec 02
MIT’s Reconfigurable Robots Are Tiny Transformers That Will Turn Into Anything
Posted in: Today's Chili
The idea of transformers is cool even when they just turn from one thing to another, so how much cooler would they be if they could form into anything? That’s the goal MIT aims to achieve with their tiny reconfigurable chain links that could be the Swiss Army knife of robotics. More »
Dec 01
Alt-week takes a look at the best science and alternative tech stories from the last seven days.
Science. We like to think of it as a force for good. But, in the wrong hands, this isn’t always the case. Something we’re reminded of all too well this week. As a counter to that negative vibe, we are also reminded that for every Yin, there is a Yang, and this comes in the form of some developments in med-science that could mean new technology options for the blind. Then there’s the Bigfoot DNA and shape-shifting robots, of course. This is alt-week.
Continue reading Alt-week 12.01.12: Bigfoot DNA, bombs on the moon and shapeshifting robots
Nov 30
Real Life Transformers On The Way?
Posted in: Today's Chili
It seems that a bunch of scientists over at MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms has managed to come up with a new generation robot which could prove to be a precursor to the fantasy organic robotic lifeforms that we have all come to know and love as the Transformers. Toy robots that were able to fold itself into different configurations are not rare at all, but actual robots which are able to do so? Well, lab director Neil Gershenfeld, visiting scientist Ara Knaian, and graduate student Kenneth Cheung, have come up with what they call the Milli-Motein, a reconfigurable robot which has been specially programmed to fold itself into a number of different shapes.
Once the robot shifted into a new shape, it is capable of retaining that particular shape, even though there is no more power supply. This is made possible thanks to an electro-permanent motor. According to Gershenfeld, “[The Milli-Motein is] effectively a one-dimensional robot that can be made in a continuous strip, without conventionally moving parts, and then folded into arbitrary shapes.”
It will still take a long time, even if a Transformers-like robot were to be possible, to arrive. I guess we will have to make do at the moment with the Milli-Motein.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: HyTAQ Flying Robot, Toshiba Robot Relishes In Nuclear Emergencies,
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