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Mr. Wu Creates Bots Out of Trash
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Misc. Tech, Science, Transportation,
Wu Yulu has never been to college, but somehow he has managed to take others’ trash and turn it into his own treasures. For every creation he comes up with, he modestly numbers and names it Wu, too. Apparently Mrs.Yulu is not crazy about the fact that her husband not only spends most of his time playing with his toys, but burned down the house once while the evil scientist in him was at work. We have no doubt that when the Wu Rickshaw Robot is discovered on a grand scale, he will be raking in the big bucks.
Read More 
| YouTube
Gallery: Mr. Wu Creates Bots Out of Trash
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Hope for Macular Degeneration With Implantable Mini-Telescope
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Misc. Tech, Science,
If the FDA gives its permission, ophthalmologists may be on their way to stopping and even reversing age-related macular degeneration with an implantable mini-telescope. Developed by VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies, it works with the eye’s cornea making the retinal image larger. The scope consists of a 4.4 x 3.6 mm glass cylinder with wide-angle micro-optics to produce telephoto images. Currently about 1.75 million Americans suffer from the disease and the prediction by NIH’s National Eye Institute is that it will almost double by 2020 because of all the baby boomers that will be aging in the next 2 decades.
Read More | Scientific American
Gallery: Hope for Macular Degeneration With Implantable Mini-Telescope
DJ Robot Delegated to Receptionist Duties
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Misc. Tech, Science,
Toyota created DJ Robot to be a part of their robotic band, which included a trombone, tuba, French horn, and percussionist that entertained at the Aichi World Expo in 2005. Unfortunately, he has since undergone retraining for his new gig as a receptionist. Perhaps Toyota feels that rapping to customers will be a boon to its business or maybe the company put the 1 meter tall DJ in the realms of the blue collar worker so that it could concentrate more of its efforts on its new musically inclined bot, one that really can play the violin.
Read More | Pink Tentacle
Gallery: DJ Robot Delegated to Receptionist Duties
How Mattel Can Pay for Its Carelessness
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Editorial, Science, Toys,
It is nearly impossible to ignore the fact Mattel is seemingly paying for their manufacturing sins as another recall was announced yesterday by U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. It includes 9.3 million play sets that have small magnets that are can be swallowed by toddlers in Barbie, Polly Pocket, and Tanner Playsets, as well as Batman and One Piece toys. The company is also recalling their die-cast “Sarge” Jeeps from the movie “Cars” that contain lead paint. For a list of recalled items in question, you can visit their website or call 888-597-6597 for information about the recalled toys with magnets, or 800-916-4997 for information about the recalled cars.
Two weeks ago, items from Mattel’s Fisher Price line were also recalled. What bothers us, aside from the negligence and finger pointing between the overseas companies involved, is that so far Mattel’s CEO Bob Eckert has only issued an apology. After reading about the effects of lead poisoning and noting that Mattel has set up a Children’s Foundation as a means of funding for health-related issues, we suggest that they take this money to offer free testing and/or treatment for any of the kids that owned the recalled toys.
Read More | Mattel
Gallery: How Mattel Can Pay for Its Carelessness
Researchers have developed a flexible battery that can be twisted, bent, or shaped with scissors. The pricey prototype created at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is only one piece with carbon nanotubes and an electrolyte embedded in the paper, and is black on one side and white on the other. Professor Robert Linhardt said he would like to “scale this up to the point where you can imagine printing like a newspaper. That would be the ultimate.”
We just hope that the “ultimate” would be a product that we don’t have to worry about being recalled.
Read More | The Examiner
Gallery: This Battery Can Bend
Shin’ichiro Nakaoka and his team at the University of Tokyo have created a dancing bot that can imitate dance routines within minutes. The researchers utilized motion capture technology after studying dance instructor Hisako Yamada. They are hoping that the robot can be used to preserve traditional Japanese folk dancing if the knowledge becomes lost in time. Because the dance learned, Aizu-Bandaisan, is mostly concerned with upper body movements, it may be a while before the big guy can move on to hip hop. After watching the video, we would swear there is a guy in that suit.
Read More | DigitalTech News
Gallery: Robot Copies Dance Steps
Women Drinking Coffee May Have Better Memories
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Misc. Tech, Science,
A new study from France has determined that women, especially over the age 65, who drink 3 cups of coffee per day perform better on memory tests than those who have one or less. Researchers tested 7,000 people for over four years with the results being that those who enjoyed their lattes and/or espressos at least 3 or more times daily were 30% less likely to suffer from memory loss at age 65, and 70% over 80.
Karen Ritchie of INSERM, (the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research) said that men do not get the same boost because “women may be more sensitive to the effects of caffeine…. Their bodies may react differently to the stimulant, or they may metabolize caffeine differently.”
Read More | Scientific American
Gallery: Women Drinking Coffee May Have Better Memories
Tondon Tidies Up While Observing
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smart Home, Misc. Tech, Science,
Tondon has been “hired” by a 14 floor Tokyo apartment complex as its maintenance man. Built by Subaru (Fuji Heavy Industries) and Sumitomo, the bot uses an optical communication system to run the building’s elevators and has been designed to sweep, clean, and scrub dirty surfaces both indoors and outside. The next generation of the RFS1 robot, he is also waterproof and features a design to match the Bali-themed decor. Tondon, named after a legenday Balinese snake god, features 4 video cameras and a hard disk so that humans can keep an eye on the little guy while he is also being utilized for surveillance. We call any rent-a-cop who can clean up at the same time deserves Japan’s 2006 Robot of the Year Award bestowed upon him.
Read More | Pink Tentacle
Gallery: Tondon Tidies Up While Observing
New Paint Makes Inexpensive Solar Power
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Smart Home, Misc. Tech, Science, Transportation,
Researchers at the NJIT (New Jersey Institute of Technology) have created a polymer-based paint that can be applied to plastic sheeting to make a solar cell for what they claim will be a fraction of the price. The cell developed uses a carbon nanotubes complex which is estimated to be 50,000 times smaller than a human hair and is considered a better conductor than copper. Lead researcher Somenath Mitra says that the panels could be made on inkjet printers in the future, leading us to believe that possibilities of our house and car becoming self-sustaining solar powered machines is not so very far away.
Read More | NJIT
Gallery: New Paint Makes Inexpensive Solar Power
i-Limb Works Almost Like Real Hand
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Misc. Tech, Science,
Last week we featured a workable leg/ankle prosthesis, this week TouchBionics has released the i-LIMB hand that allows wearers to move all five robotic fingers digitally and has a flexible wrist with rotating thumb.
Invented by David Gow, an engineer at Scotland’s NHS (National Health Service,) the hand is controlled by the patient’s thoughts, nerves, and severed muscles attached to a socket that conceals a rechargeable battery and a pair of electrodes. Digits are removable by one screw in case they need servicing. The i-LIMB is available to everyone that can afford the £8,500 (~$17,289.) At the rate that robotics is developing, it won’t be long before we can truly have bionic men/women among us.
Read More | TouchBionics
